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The OMAC Laser 300, originally named the OMAC I was a business aircraft built in the United States in 1981 but which never reached production.
Design
It was a highly unusual design, with a
canard layout, a pusher-mounted turboprop engine, and a high, cantilever, swept wing carrying endplate-type fins at its tips.
[Taylor 1989, p.938] Construction was of metal throughout. The cabin could seat six-seven passengers, but incorporated quick-change seats, allowing rapid conversion to carrying light freight.
["OMAC ready for second flight" 1982, p.777] Early in development, plans existed to produce a turbofan-powered version of the design,
[Fulton 1980, p.158] but this did not happen.
Development
The first prototype flew on 11 December 1981
["OMAC 1 takes to the air" 1980, p.1887] and OMAC ("Old Man's Aircraft Company") initially hoped to obtain type certification by mid 1982.
[''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985–86'', p.474] These efforts were delayed by an accident on the ground, and then a landing accident caused by the failure of a locking pin on the undercarriage.
A second prototype took to the air on 19 February 1983,
and certification was expected "no later than December 1984".
["Omac 1" 1983, p.1538] Late in 1983, however, the certification process was still only in its preliminary stages.
["Omac and Avtek progress" 1983, 1093]
In the mid-1980s, the Laser 300 program became one of the first projects carried out cooperatively by
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
and private industry when a joint team used the
Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel to investigate the stability and control characteristics of the unusual design.
[Chambers 2003, p.145] Special attention was paid to behavior at high angles of attack and to stall and spin resistance.
The results were unfavorable, indicating poor longitudinal stability at high angles of attack.
The wing design was modified to address this problem, with an extension added to the trailing edge flap, and a discontinuous, leading edge droop added to the outboard section of the wings.
Stall characteristics were found to be good, however, since the canard was found to provide a nose-down pitching moment at the point of a stall.
These changes were tested on the second prototype before the design was frozen in April 1985.
[''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987–88'', p.479] Additionally, production machines were to have a redesigned fuselage of round cross-section, a redesigned nose, and additional baggage compartments.
["Laser 300 shows changes" 1985, p.2]["Omac freezes Laser 300" 1985, p.15]
Meanwhile, OMAC relocated from its original home in
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...
to
Albany, Georgia
Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia m ...
in January 1985, as an agreement had been reached with
Ayres Corporation
Ayres Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer owned and run by Fred Ayres.
History
In 1977, Ayres bought the Albany, Georgia division of Rockwell International, which made the S2R Thrush Commander agricultural aircraft. Before this, ...
to undertake the manufacture of the aircraft at the firm's Albany plant.
["Ayres readies Laser 300 production" 1985, p.13] Certification was now anticipated by mid-1986.
By late 1986, a third prototype was under construction at Ayres, incorporating the refinements that had been tested on the second machine.
["Omac builds modified Laser 300" 1986, p.16] This machine was being constructed alongside three other Laser 300s, together representing the first four of thirty aircraft that Omac hoped to build by the end of 1987.
["Omac builds Lasers" 1986, p.16] The third prototype (and first production machine) flew on 29 July 1987 and certification was now expected by May 1988. By now, production of the redesigned Laser 300 was running one year behind schedule, and the projected cost of the airplane had risen from $US 550,000 to $875,000, albeit for a more capable aircraft.
["Laser 300 flies" 1987, p.18] The aircraft was displayed at the
NBAA show in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
in October 1988, by which time 56 hours of flight testing had been carried out without incident.
["Omac displays Laser 300" 1988, p.8] Certification was now expected by the end of 1989 or early 1990.
["Omac flies Laser 300" 1988, p.6]
By February 1989, however, $20 million was required to fund certification and initial production,
["Omac hunts for funds" 1989, p.9] with OMAC hoping to have certification in place by May and 17 aircraft delivered by the end of the year at a cost of $975,000 per aircraft. In the event, finance was not forthcoming, and the program stalled at this point,
[Sarsfield 1991, p.34] although Omac continued to offer the aircraft as late as 1993, along with an improved version designated the Laser 360.
["Making History" 1993, p.36]
Specifications (prototype)
See also
References
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* {{cite book , last= Taylor , first= Michael J. H. , title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation , year=1989 , publisher=Studio Editions , location=London
Ayres aircraft
Canard aircraft
Abandoned civil aircraft projects of the United States
1980s United States business aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Single-engined turboprop aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1981