The Monaghan Osprey is an American
mid-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
, single-seat,
T-tail
A T-tail is an empennage configuration in which the tailplane is mounted to the top of the fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs from the standard configuration in which the tailplane ...
ed,
FAI Standard Class
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of:
* t ...
glider
Glider may refer to:
Aircraft and transport Aircraft
* Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight
** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...
that was designed and constructed by
Richard C. Monaghan of
Pearblossom, California
Pearblossom is an unincorporated community located in the Antelope Valley of the Mojave Desert, in northern Los Angeles County, California.
The town has a population of 2,435. The ZIP Code is 93553 and the community is inside area code 661. ...
.
[Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, ]Soaring Magazine
''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of in ...
'', page 49. Soaring Society of America
The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 193 ...
November 1983. USPS 499-920
Design and development
Monaghan's design goals for the Osprey were safety, ease of assembly, ease of transport via trailer and competitive performance with contemporary standard class machines. He built the aircraft over a period of three years, with help from his wife Rosan. He first flew the Osprey in May 1973, indicating that it met all the design goals, but "I am sure if were to do it again I would do better".
The Osprey fuselage is of
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
construction, with a
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
and foam sandwich forward fuselage and cockpit area. The monowheel landing gear is retractable. The metal wing features 90°
flaps and employs a Wortmann FX 60-163 at the
wing root
The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft or winged-spaceship that is closest to the fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, o ...
becoming a Wortmann FX 60-126 at the
wing tip
A wing tip (or wingtip) is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of sha ...
.
The aircraft is registered with the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...
in the ''Experimental - Amateur Built'' category.
Operational history
In June 2011, 38 years after it first flew, the Osprey remained registered to the designer and his wife as co-partners.
Specifications (Osprey)
See also
References
{{reflist
1970s United States sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1973