Noorduyn Norseman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noorduyn_Norseman
The Noorduyn Norseman, also known as the C-64 Norseman, is a Canadian
single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces.
Distinctive stubby landing gear protrusions from the lower fuselage make it
easily recognizable.
Introduced in 1935, the Norseman remained in production for almost 25 years with
over 900 produced. A number of examples remain in commercial and private use to
this day. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in
68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown in the
Arctic and Antarctic regions.
Designed by Robert B.C. Noorduyn, the Noorduyn Norseman was produced from 1935
to 1959, originally by Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd. and later by the Canada Car and
Foundry company.
With the experience of working on many ground-breaking designs at Fokker,
Bellanca and Pitcairn-Cierva, Noorduyn decided to create his own design in 1934,
the Noorduyn Norseman. Along with his colleague, Walter Clayton, Noorduyn
created his original company, Noorduyn Aircraft Limited in early 1933 at
Montreal while a successor company bearing the name, Noorduyn Aviation, was
established in 1935.
Noorduyn's vision of an ideal bush plane began with a high-wing monoplane
airframe to facilitate loading and unloading passengers and cargo at seaplane
docks and airports; next, a Canadian operator utilizing existing talents,
equipment and facilities should be able to make money using it; last, it should
be all-around superior to those already in use there.
From the outset, Noorduyn designed his transport to have interchangeable wheel,
ski or twin-float landing gear. Unlike most aircraft designs, the Norseman was
first fitted with floats, then skis and, finally, fixed landing gear.
The final design looked much like Noorduyn's earlier Fokker designs, a high-wing
braced monoplane with an all-welded steel tubing fuselage. Attached wood
stringers carried a fabric skin. Its wing was all fabric covered wood, except
for steel tubing flaps and ailerons. The divided landing gear were fitted to
fuselage stubs; legs were secured with two bolts each to allow the alternate
arrangement of floats or skis. The tail wheel strut could be fitted with a wheel
or tail skid.
Role
General aviation aircraft
Manufacturer
Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd
Designer
Robert B.C. Noorduyn
First flight
November 14, 1935
Status
42 registered in Canada, unknown worldwide
Primary user
Bush plane operators worldwide
Produced
1935-1959
Number built
904, including prototypes
The first Norseman, powered by a Wright R-975-E3 Whirlwind, was flight tested on
floats on November 14, 1935 and was sold and delivered to Dominion Skyways Ltd.
1941, Warner Brothers leased CF-AYO for the filming of "Captains of the Clouds"
starring James Cagney. Principal aerial photography took place near North Bay,
Ontario with CF-AYO carrying temporary registration "CF-HGO." CF-AYO was lost in
a crash in Algonquin Park in 1952. Its wreckage currently is on display at the
Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre.
Almost immediately, the Norseman proved itself to be a rugged, reliable
workhorse with steady sales. The first aircraft, CF-AYO, was designated the
Norseman Mk I. The next aircraft, "CF-BAU," having some minor changes required
after the certification tests, and a new Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp SC-1 engine
up-rated from 420 to 450 hp, was designated Norseman Mk II while the next three
aircraft were Norseman Mk IIIs: "CF-AZA" going to MacKenzie Air Service,
Edmonton, Alberta, "CF-AZE" to Prospector Airways, Clarkson, Ontario and
"CF-AZS" to Starrat Airways, Hudson, Ontario. "CF-BAU" would be modified on June
26, 1937 to become the prototype Norseman Mk IV, powered by a Pratt & Whitney
Wasp S3H-1. The Mk IV became the "definitive" model but the production run might
have ended at a few hundred examples if not for the advent of the Second World
War.
Second World War
Until 1940, the Noorduyn company had sold only 17 aircraft in total, primarily
to commercial operators in Canada's north and to the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police. With the outbreak of war in Europe, demand for a utility transport led
to major military orders. The Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States
Army Air Forces became the two largest operators; the RCAF ordered 38 Norseman
Mk IVWs for radio and navigational training for the Commonwealth Air Training
Plan.
USAAF Colonel Bernt Balchen had been involved in establishing a staging route
across Greenland to facilitate the ferrying of aircraft from North America to
Europe. He required a bush plane rugged enough to survive in the harsh
conditions of the Arctic. After evaluating six Norsemans diverted from a
previous RCAF order, late in 1941, he recommended the purchase of the Norseman
Mk IV specially modified to USAAF requirements as the YC-64A. After the US entry
into the Second World War, the USAAF placed the first of several orders for a
production version C-64A Norseman. The principal differences involved fitting
two fuselage belly tanks bringing the standard fuel capacity to 201 Imp. gal
(914 l); an additional cabin fuel tank of 32 Imp. gal (145 l) could also be
installed. These changes resulted in an increase of 950 lb (431 kg) in the
loaded weight of the standard Mk IV. Deliveries began in mid-1942, with the
American military eventually placing orders for 749 Norseman Mk IVs as the C-64A
(later UC-64A).
Throughout the Second World War, the USAAF Norseman aircraft were used in North
America (primarily Alaska) as well as other in theaters of war, including
Europe. Three UC-64As were used by the US Navy under the designation JA-1. Six
C-64B floatplanes were used by the US Army Corps of Engineers, as well as by
other Allied air forces, who placed orders for 43 Norseman Mk IVs. The RCAF
ordered an additional 34 aircraft as Norseman Mk VI. Noorduyn was the sole
manufacturer, but when the USAAF considered ordering a larger number of C-64As,
license production of 600 by Aeronca Aircraft Corp. (Middletown, Ohio) was
contemplated before the contract was cancelled in 1943.
It was a UC-64A Norseman (s/n 44-70285) flown by F/O John R. S. Morgan in which
Major Glenn Miller was flying as a passenger when he disappeared over the
English Channel on December 15, 1944, possibly due to aircraft carburetor icing
or being struck by bombs jettisoned from RAF Lancasters after an aborted raid.
It was also in 1944 that a Norseman crashed into King Alfred's Tower, a 50 m
tall folly in Somerset, England, tragically killing all five air crew. The
tower, part of the celebrated Stourhead estate and landscape, was not repaired
until 1986 which included the use of a Wessex helicopter to lower a 300 kilogram
(47 st) stone onto the top.
Specifications (Norseman Mark V)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Capacity: 10
Length: 32 ft 4 in (9.86 m)
Wingspan: 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m)
Height: 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m)
Wing area: 325 sq ft (30.2 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 2412
Empty weight: 4,240 lb (1,923 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 7,400 lb (3,357 kg) ;7,540 lb (3,420 kg) with floats
Fuel capacity: 100 imp gal (120 US gal; 450 l) in two wing roots + optional 37.4
imp gal (44.9 US gal; 170 l) or 2x 101.6 imp gal (122.0 US gal; 462 L) auxiliary
tanks in the cabin
engine, 600 hp (450 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard, 9 ft 0.75 in (2.7623 m) diameter
Performance
Maximum speed: 155 mph (249 km/h; 135 kn) landplane; 138 miles per hour (120 kn;
222 km/h) (skis); 134 miles per hour (116 kn; 216 km/h) (floats)
Cruise speed: 130 mph (209 km/h; 113 kn) KTAS @ 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Stall speed: 68 mph (109 km/h; 59 kn)
Range: 932 mi (810 nmi; 1,500 km) @ 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,200 m)
Rate of climb: 591 ft/min (3.00 m/s) at 100 miles per hour (87 kn; 161 km/h)
Wing loading: 22.8 lb/sq ft (111 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 12.3 lb/hp (7.48 kg/kW)
Maximum - Flaps extended (Vfe): 108 miles per hour (94 kn; 174 km/h)
*
|
|