Blume Bl.502

Bl.502

The sole Blume Bl.503 to be completed pictured at Munich's Riem Airport in 1965
Role	Civil utility aircraft
National origin	West Germany
Manufacturer	Walter Blume
Designer	Walter Blume
First flight	14 March 1957
Primary user	The designer
Number built	2

The Blume Bl.500, Bl.502, and Bl.503 were a family of four-seat light aircraft designed in West Germany by Dr Walter Blume in the late 1950s.

Design and development

Derived from his Arado Ar 79, the basic design shared by all models was that of a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and all-metal construction. The Bl.500 prototype was built for Blume at the Focke-Wulf plant and was powered by a Lycoming O-320 engine of 112 kW (150 hp). This led to a modified version, the Bl.502 that achieved German type certification and was offered for sale alongside the generally similar Bl.503 with a more powerful engine. However, no orders were forthcoming and Blume abandoned the project.

Operational history

The final example of the design, the Blume Bl.503 was still active in 1965.

Variants

Bl.500: prototype
Bl.502: intended production version with Lycoming O-320
Bl.503: proposed production version with Lycoming O-360. A single example was completed.

Specifications (Bl.502)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Capacity: 3 passengers
Length: 8.15 m (26 ft 9 in)
Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10½ in)
Wing area: 15.0 m² (161.5 ft²)
Aspect ratio: 7.35:1
Empty weight: 670 kg (1,478 lb)
Gross weight: 1,120 kg (2,469 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320, 112 kW (150 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 250 km/h (156 mph)
Cruising speed: 220 km/h (137 mph)
Range: 900 km (560 miles)
Endurance: 4.1 hours
Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,750 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.0 m/s (1,005 ft/min)

References

↑ Taylor 1961, p. 77.

Taylor, John W. R. (1961). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 169.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 890 Sheet 49.

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