Chester Swee' Pea | |
---|---|
Role | Racing aircraft |
National origin | United States of America |
Designer | Art Chester |
First flight | 20 July 1947 |
Number built | 3 |
The Swee' Pea was a series of three midget aircraft racers designed by Art Chester. [1]
The Swee' Pea was a racing aircraft to compete in the new midget racing class championed by race pilot Art Chester. The aircraft was the third design from Chester with a Popeye comic name.
The midget racer was required to have an engine less than 190 cubic inches in displacement at the time. The Swee' Pea shared a similar short, mid-wing taildragger configuration with other midget racers. The aircraft was unique in that it used a V tail configuration and a single cooling air intake through a large hole in the center of the spinner. [2] The Fuselage is welded tube steel with plywood covered wings.
The Swee' Pea was introduced at the 1947 National Air Races, but the V-Tail performed poorly at takeoff speed, and was replaced by a conventional tail for the 1948 Miami races. The top speed was reduced with a conventional tail, so the V-Tail was re-installed.
Data from Sport Aviation
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
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