The Townsend Thunderbird is a
homebuilt design created by the experienced cropduster Gid Townsend and built in 1956 with assistance of
Curtis Pitts
Curtis Pitts (December 9, 1915 – June 10, 2005) of Stillmore, Georgia, was an American designer of a series of popular aerobatic biplanes, known as the Pitts Special.
Career
Pitts grew up in Americus, Georgia and his first airplane was a Wa ...
.
Design
The Thunderbird is powered by a Jacobs radial engine with a
constant speed propeller
In aeronautics, a variable-pitch propeller is a type of propeller (airscrew) with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change the blade pitch. A controllable-pitch propeller is one where the pitch is controlled manually by the p ...
. The
horizontal stabilizer and aluminum wings are the outer panels of a
Vultee BT-13 trainer. The engine cowl is from a
Cessna UC-78
The Cessna AT-17 Bobcat or Cessna Crane is a twin-engine advanced trainer aircraft designed and made in the United States, and used during World War II to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and larger multi-engine combat aircraft. The ...
. The fuselage is welded tubing with
fabric covering. The landing gear is from a
Cessna 180.
Operational history
By 1974 the prototype was unflyable. The aircraft was later metalized, the turtledeck was removed, and it was converted to use a
Wright R-975
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...
.
Specifications (Townsend Thunderbird)
References
{{reflist
External links
Homebuilt aircraft