Wassmer WA-50
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The Wassmer WA-51 Pacific is a French four-seat cabin monoplane designed and built by Société Wassmer. Different-powered variants include the Wassmer WA-52 Europa and the Wassmer WA-54 Atlantic. It was the world's first
composite material A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
-built aircraft.


Design and development

Having manufactured glass-fibre cowlings for Bébé, D112 and D120 Jodels, increasing number of glass-fibre parts for their Javelot, Bijave and Super-Javelot gliders, and then Super-IV aircraft, in 1966 Wassmer first flew the glass-fibre WA-50 prototype, a single-engined four-seat cabin monoplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear. Originally designed as a three-seater powered by a 115cv Potez engine, engine unavailability at the time resulted in a 150cv Lycoming O-320 being used instead and the aircraft becoming a 4-seater. Using the same profile as the Super-IV but only 8.6m span, and compensated with large slotted flaps, the wings were formed from two moulded halves and contained two 70 litre fuel tanks. The fuselage was also manufactured as two halves, and featured butterfly doors. The design entered production as the WA-51 Pacific with a fixed tricycle landing gear. The low-wing cantilever monoplane was powered by a nose-mounted 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320-E2A piston engine. A variant, powered by a 160 hp (119 kW)
Lycoming IO-320 The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. They are commonly used on light aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. Different variants ...
-B1A was called the WA-52 Europa. Further refinements produced the 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming O-360-A1LD powered WA-54 Atlantic.


Variants

;WA-50 :Prototype with retractable landing gear, first flew 22 March 1966, one built, registration F-WNZZ. Fuselage is color molded with integral leading edge fuel tanks. ;WA-51 Pacific :Production version first flown in 1969 with a 150hp (112kW) Lycoming O-320-E2A engine, 39 built. ;WA-52 Europa :As WA-51 with a 160hp (119kW)
Lycoming IO-320 The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. They are commonly used on light aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. Different variants ...
-B1A engine, 59 built. ;WA-53 :Proposed variant with a 125hp Lycoming engine, not built. ;WA-54 Atlantic :WA-51 with refinements and a 180hp (134kW) Lycoming O-360-A1LD engine, 55 built.


Specifications (WA-54 Atlantic)


See also

*
Windecker Eagle The Eagle AC-7 Eagle 1 (USAF designation YE-5) is an aircraft that was manufactured by Windecker Industries. It was the first composite airplane (foam and fiberglass construction) to receive FAA certification in December 1969 at a reported de ...


References


Bibliography

*Battarel, Michel (1966). Chez Wassmer, l'avion "tout plastique" devient une réalité. ''Air et Cosmos, 141'' pp. 36–38 * * * * {{Wassmer aircraft 1960s French civil utility aircraft Wassmer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1966