I.Ae. 41 Urubú

IAe.41 Urubú

Role	Civil tailless flying wing sailplane
National origin	Argentina
Manufacturer	Instituto Aerotécnico
Designer	Reimar Horten
First flight	1953
Number built	5

The I.Ae.41 Urubú was a two-seat flying wing tailless glider, built in Argentina by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) in the 1950s.

History

In 1951 some airclubs requested from the Department of Aeronautics (Secretaría de Aeronáutica) that a side-by-side two-seater sports glider should be built. Its development was assigned to the Instituto Aerotécnico (I.Ae.), in Cordoba. The design team was led by Professor Reimar Horten, who was a pioneer in the design of tailless flying wing planes. His project H.XVc was submitted to the Department of Aeronautics, and was assigned the denomination I.Ae.41 "Urubú" (meaning “owl” in mapudungun). Production at the FMA was limited to five planes, and the first flight was in 1953.

In September 1956, after a proposal from the “Dirección de Fomento de la Aviación Civil” (Civil Aviation Directorate), a crossing of the Andes Mountain Range (“Cordillera de los Andes”) with sailplanes was attempted. The gliders chosen were the I.Ae.41 Urubú, towed by a Morane-Saulnier, and a Slingsby Sky glider, towed by a Stearman. Pilots Hans Scheidhauer (Urubú) and Claudio Dori (Sky) flew from San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina) to Paraje Ensenada (Chile). The flight lasted three hours, crossing over: Cerro Otto, Cerro Catedral, the Tristeza branch of Nahuel Huapi lake, Puerto Blest, Cerro Tornador, Laguna Fría, Lanín Volcano, Cerro El Puntiagudo and Cerro Osorno.

Description

The I.Ae 41 was a wooden aircraft, similar in general to the preceding I.Ae. 34 Clen Antú but with a spacious twin-seat side-by-side cockpit. Its design incorporated lessons learnt from its predecessor and it had improved aerodynamics, showing better handling in turbulent conditions. Its tandem landing gear had more efficient shock absorbers.

Survivors

A surviving aircraft has been restored, and is displayed at the Argentine Air Force’s Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina, located at Morón Airport.

Specifications (I.Ae. 41)

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: two
Length: 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 1 in)
Height: 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 27 m² (290 sq ft)
Empty weight: 250 kg (551 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 410 kg (904 lb)
Leading edge sweepback: 26.6
Aerofoil thickness: 18%

Performance

Never exceed speed: 200 km/h (124 mph; 108 kn)
Towing speed: 51 km/h (32 mph)
Landing speed: 51 km/h (32 mph)
Maximum glide ratio: 24 at 81 km/h (50 mph) and 15.2 kg/m² (3.1 lb/sq ft)
Rate of sink: 0.85 m/s (167 ft/min) at 65 km/h (40 mph) and 15.2 kg/m² (3.1 lb/sq ft)
Wing loading: 15.2 kg/m² (3.1 lb/sq ft)

References

Notes

↑ Horten, Reimar; Peter F. Selinger (1985). Nürflugel (in German) (1st ed.). Graz: H. Wieshaupt Verlag. pp. 59–93. ISBN 3-900310-09-2.

Bibliography

Burzaco, Ricardo. "Las Alas de Perón, Aeronáutica Argentina 1945/1960", 1995, Editorial Da Vinci. ISBN 978-987-96764-4-8
Horten, Reimar; Peter F. Selinger (1985). Nürflugel (in German) (1st ed.). Graz: H. Wieshaupt Verlag. pp. 59–93. ISBN 3-900310-09-2.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fábrica Militar de Aviones.

Aircraft history and specifications (in Spanish)

Aircraft produced by FMA/LMAASA/FAdeA

C.1 C.2 C.3 C.4 MB.1 MB.2 ME.1 MO.1 MOe.1 MOe.2 MS.1 T.1 FMA 20 FMA 21 IAe 22 IAe 23 IAe 24 IAe 25 IAe 27 IAe 28 IAe 30 IAe 31 IAe 32 IAe 33 IAe 34 IAe 35 IAe 36 IAe 37 IAe 38 IA 41 IA 43 IA 44 IA 45 IA 46 IA 47 I.Ae. 48 IA 49 IA 50 IA 51 IA 52 IA 53 IA 54 IA 55 IA 56 IA 58 IA 59 IA 60 IA 62 IA 63 IA 66 IA 67 IA 68 IA 70 IA 73

Horten aircraft

H.I H.II H.III H.IV H.V H.VI H.VII H.VIII H.IX H.X H.XI H.XIII H.XIV H.XV H.XVa H.XVc H.XVI H.XVIII Ho 229 Ho 251 Ho 253 Horten Parabola

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