Farrington Twinstar

Twinstar
Role	Autogyro
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Farrington Aircraft
First flight	1993
Status	Production completed (2000)
Number built	12 (2015)

Last updated August 18, 2024

The Farrington Twinstar is an American two-seat autogyro that was designed and produced by Farrington Aircraft of Paducah, Kentucky, a company owned by Don Farrington. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.^[1] It first flew in 1993.^[2]

Design and development

The aircraft was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in tandem open cockpit with a windshield, tricycle landing gear without wheel pants, plus a tail caster. The tail consists of two vertical stabilizers and rudders. The acceptable power range is 120 to 180 hp (89 to 134 kW) and the standard engine used is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320 in pusher configuration. The cabin width is 24 in (61 cm).^[1]

The aircraft fuselage is made from a combination of welded steel and bolted-together aluminum tubing, with a fiberglass cockpit fairing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 30 ft (9.1 m). The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 700 lb (320 kg) and a gross weight of 1,200 lb (540 kg), giving a useful load of 500 lb (230 kg). With full fuel of 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal) the payload for the pilot, passengers and baggage is 380 lb (170 kg).^[1]

The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 150 hp (112 kW) engine is 200 ft (61 m) and the landing roll is 50 ft (15 m).^[1]

The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 200 hours.^[1]

Operational history

By 1998 the company reported that 25 kits had been sold and five aircraft were completed and flying.^[1]

In March 2015 six examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration, although a total of 12 had been registered at one time.^[3]

Specifications (Twinstar)

Data from Purdy,^[1] Brassey^[4]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 12 ft 0 in (3.66 m)
Height: 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m)
Empty weight: 700 lb (318 kg)
Gross weight: 1,200 lb (544 kg)
Fuel capacity: 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 four cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine, 150-160 hp (112--119 kW)
Main rotor diameter: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
Main rotor area: 706 sq ft (65.6 m²)
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch

Performance

Maximum speed: 90 mph (145 km/h, 78 kn)
Cruise speed: 65 mph (105 km/h, 56 kn)
Range: 90 mi (145 km, 78 nmi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
Disk loading: 1.7 lb/sq ft (8.3 kg/m²)

Related Research Articles

The Canadian Home Rotors Safari is a kit helicopter, produced by CHR International of Marianna, Florida, and formerly produced by Safari Helicopter of Ear Falls, Ontario.

The Hinchman H-1 Racer is a 1980s American single-seat autogyro designed by Hank Hincham with plans or a kit available from Hincham Aircraft Company for amateur construction.

The Falconar F12A Cruiser is a Canadian amateur-built aircraft, designed by Chris Falconar and originally produced as a kit by Falconar Avia. The aircraft is now supplied as plans for amateur construction by Manna Aviation.

The Hatz Classic is an American homebuilt biplane, designed by Billy Dawson and produced by the Makelan Corporation of New Braunfels, Texas. The aircraft is supplied as a kit or, alternatively, in the form of plans for amateur construction.

The Mirage Marathon is an American homebuilt aircraft, designed and produced by Mirage Aircraft Corporation of Prescott Valley, Arizona. The aircraft is supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction, with materials kits supplied by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. and Wicks Aircraft Supply as well as some specialized parts supplied by the manufacturer.

The Sands Fokker Dr.1 Triplane is an American homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Ron Sands Sr of Mertztown, Pennsylvania, and produced by Wicks Aircraft and Motorsports. It is a full-sized replica fighter aircraft based upon the 1917-vintage Fokker Dr.1. The aircraft is supplied as a kit and in the form of plans for amateur construction.

The Amax Double Eagle TT is an Australian autogyro that was designed and produced by Amax Engineering of Donvale, Victoria in the late 1990s. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Amax Eagle TT is an Australian autogyro that was designed and produced by Amax Engineering of Donvale, Victoria, introduced in the 1990s. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Amax Eagle is an Australian autogyro that was designed and produced by Amax Engineering of Donvale, Victoria, introduced in the early 1990s. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The American Sportscopter Ultrasport 331 is an American helicopter that was designed and produced by American Sportscopter of Newport News, Virginia. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The American Sportscopter Ultrasport 496 is an American helicopter that was designed and produced by American Sportscopter of Newport News, Virginia. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Eagle's Perch was an American helicopter that was designed by the Nolan brothers and produced by Eagle's Perch Inc. of Carrollton, Virginia. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Vortech Shadow is an American autogyro that was designed by Tyler Flight, Inc. and produced by Vortech of Fallston, Maryland. The aircraft is supplied as a kit and also in the form of plans for amateur construction. Vortech also supplies rotor blades for the design.

The Vortech Sparrow is an American autogyro that was produced by Vortech of Fallston, Maryland. When it was available the aircraft was supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction. Vortech also supplied rotor blades and some key parts for the design.

The Hillberg EH1-01 RotorMouse is an American helicopter that was designed by Donald Gene Hillberg and produced by Hillberg Helicopters of Fountain Valley, California, first flying in 1993. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Little Wing Roto-Pup is an American autogyro that was designed and produced by Little Wing Autogyros, Inc. of Mayflower, Arkansas, introduced in the 1990s. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Pawnee Warrior was an American helicopter that was designed and produced by Pawnee Aviation of Longmont, Colorado. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Raven Explorer I is an American autogyro that was designed and produced by Raven Rotorcraft of Boulder Colorado and later El Prado, New Mexico, introduced in the 1990s. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit, for amateur construction.

The Raven Explorer II is an American autogyro designed by Raven Rotorcraft of Boulder Colorado and later El Prado, New Mexico, introduced in the 1990s. No longer in production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The Bede BD-12 was an American homebuilt aircraft designed by Jim Bede and produced by Bede Aircraft of Medina, Ohio, introduced in the 1990s. The aircraft was intended to be supplied as a kit for amateur construction, but only one was ever built. It first flew in 1995.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 323. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
↑ Simpson, R. W. (Roderick W. ) (1998). Airlife's helicopters and rotorcraft. Internet Archive. Shrewsbury : Airlife. ISBN 978-1-85310-968-3.
↑ Federal Aviation Administration (March 27, 2015). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
↑ Taylor, John J. H. (1996). Brassey's world aircraft and systems directory, 1996-97. Internet Archive. Brassey's Inc. ISBN 1574880632.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Aerocrafter-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 323. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1

[2] Simpson, R. W. (Roderick W. ) (1998). Airlife's helicopters and rotorcraft. Internet Archive. Shrewsbury : Airlife. ISBN 978-1-85310-968-3.

[FAAReg-3] Federal Aviation Administration (March 27, 2015). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.

[4] Taylor, John J. H. (1996). Brassey's world aircraft and systems directory, 1996-97. Internet Archive. Brassey's Inc. ISBN 1574880632.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]