Lie-Fang 1

Last updated
Lie-Fang 1
RoleTwo seat intermediate glider
National origin Chinese People's Republic
Manufacturer Tchan-Tia-Kou manufacturing centre, Shenyang
DesignerJ. Niespal
First flight10 May 1958

The Lie-Fang 1 (English: Liberation 1), some sources Jeifang 1[ citation needed ], was one of the first gliders designed and built in China, though with Polish design input. It is an all-wood, two seat, intermediate training aircraft which first flew in 1958.

Contents

Design and development

Polish glider experience played a significant part in the establishment of the activity in the young People's Republic of China. Polish aircraft were imported and some were built in China. [1] The design of the Lie-Fang, one of the first gliders to originate in China, was led by the Polish J. Niespal. He was assisted by two Chinese engineers, Tchen-Kuei-Wen and Li-Ti-Tuin. [2] Niespal had worked at the SZD (Experimental Sailplane Institute) in Poland, where the Mucha series was designed, and he used the 1953 SZD-12 Mucha 100 as a starting point. [3] There were many differences between the Mucha and the Lie-Fang, partly because the latter was a two-seat aircraft and therefore longer, with a much modified nose and more strongly forward-swept wings; the Lie-Fang's fuselage was a simpler, flat sided structure compared with the Mucha's oval section monocoque and the empennage was more angular. [2] [3]

The Lie-Fang is wood framed, with some use of the local "poton" wood and with a mixture of plywood and fabric covering. It has a high mid mounted single spar wing with a plywood covered torsion box leading edge, Behind the spar the wing is fabric covered. In plan it is straight tapered with unswept leading edges, resulting in forward sweep of 2° at one quarter chord. There is 4° of dihedral and 2° of washout. Its ailerons are slotted and fabric covered and spoilers, mounted behind the spar at about one third span, open above and below the wing. [2]

The fuselage is a flat sided monocoque which tapers gently to the rear, with the straight tapered tailplane mounted on top of it and forward of the fin. The rear surfaces are fabric covered. The straight edged rudder extends to the keel and moves in a cut-out between the elevators, one of which has a trim tab. The cockpit, mostly ahead of the wing leading edge, seats pupil and instructor in tandem with a single set of instruments that they can both see. The fixed, two part forward canopy reaches almost to the nose; a rear transparent section opens sideways for access to both seats. The Lie-Fang lands on a fixed monowheel undercarriage under the wing, fitted with brakes and aided by a short, rubber sprung nose skid and a tail bumper. [2]

The Lie-Fang made its first flight on 10 May 1958. It was cleared for cloud flying and classed as semi-aerobatic. [2] It went into production and was used an intermediate trainer, preparing students for their first solo flights in Chinese built Mucha 100s. [4]

Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1962-63 [1] The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II [2]

General characteristics

Performance


Related Research Articles

SZD-9 Bocian Polish two-seat glider, 1953

The SZD-9 Bocian is a multi-purpose two-seat sailplane that was designed and built in Poland at Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny in Bielsko-Biała, beginning in 1952. It was designed to be capable of fulfilling the needs of every area from training to competition flying.

Slingsby Eagle British two-seat glider, 1954

The Slingsby Type 42 Eagle was a two-seat glider designed in England from 1952.

Slingsby Skylark British single-seat glider, 1953

The Slingsby T.37 Skylark 1 was a small low-cost sailplane built during 1952-3 at Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire by Slingsby Sailplanes.

The SZD-8 Jaskółka was a single-seat glider aircraft that was designed and built in Poland at Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny in Bielsko-Biała from 1951.

SZD-12 Mucha 100 Polish single-seat glider, 1953

The SZD-12 Mucha 100 was a single-seat glider aircraft that was designed and built in Poland from 1953.

The SZD-25A Lis was a single-seat glider aircraft that was designed and built in Poland from 1955, derived from the SZD-16 Gil and SZD-25 Nov.

SZD-17X Jaskółka L Polish single-seat glider, 1956

The SZD-17X Jaskółka L was a single-seat high-performance competition glider designed and built in Poland at Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny in Bielsko-Biała in 1955.

SZD-20X Wampir II Polish single-seat tail-less research glider, 1959

The SZD-20x Wampir II was a single-seat tail-less research glider designed and built in Poland from 1959.

SZD-22 Mucha Standard Polish single-seat aerobatic glider, 1957

The SZD-22 Mucha Standard was a single-seat aerobatic glider designed and built in Poland from 1957.

Slingsby Prefect British single-seat glider, 1948

The Slingsby T.30 Prefect is a 1948 British modernisation of the 1932 single-seat Grunau Baby glider. About 53 were built for civil and military training purposes.

Slingsby Swallow British single-seat glider, 1957

The Slingsby Type 45 Swallow was designed as a club sailplane of reasonable performance and price. One of the most successful of Slingsby's gliders in sales terms, over 100 had been built when production was ended by a 1968 factory fire.

Slingsby Skylark 4 British competition glider, 1961

The Slingsby T.50 Skylark 4 was a British single seat competition glider built by Slingsby Sailplanes in the early 1960s. It sold in numbers and had success at national, though not world level competition.

The Neiva BN-1 was a high performance single seat sailplane designed in Brazil in the 1950s. It had national record and competition success and went into production for club use.

Matteson M-1 American glider

The Matteson M-1 was an American high-wing, single-seat, FAI Open Class glider that was designed and built by Fred Matteson of Palo Alto, California and Alfred Vogt of Schempp-Hirth.

The Czerwiński Sparrow, sometimes known as the de Havilland Canada glider, was a single seat glider, designed and built by a group of de Haviiland engineers in Canada in 1942. It was intended to popularise gliding and be suitable for both basic training and thermal soaring.

Cijan-Obad Orao

The Cijan-Obad Orao is a competition single seat sailplane designed in Yugoslavia just after World War II, one of the most advanced of its type at the time. It flew in three World Gliding Championships, having greatest success at its first in 1950 when it reached third place.

Rubik R-25 Mokány

The Rubik R-25 Mokány, in English: Plucky person and sometimes known as the R-25 Standard (class), is a Hungarian single seat Standard Class glider of all-metal construction, first flown in 1960. It was one of a series of similar aircraft designed by Ernő Rubik. Only one was built.

The Horikawa H-23B-2 is a two-seat training glider designed and built in Japan in the 1950s. It was produced in small numbers.

The Horikawa H-22B-3 is a simple, open frame, two seat primary trainer glider designed and built in Japan in the 1950s.

Antonov A-11

The Antonov A-11 is a single-seat, high performance, all-metal sailplane built in the Soviet Union in the late 1950s. 150 were produced.

References

  1. 1 2 Taylor, John W R (1962). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1962-63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 318.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shenstone, B.S.; K.G. Wilkinson (1963). The World's Sailplanes:Die Segelflugzeuge der Welt:Les Planeurs du Monde Volume II (in English, French, and German) (1st ed.). Zurich: Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol a Voile (OSTIV) and Schweizer Aero-Revue. pp. 54–55.
  3. 1 2 Simons, Martin (2006). Sailplanes 1945-1965 (2nd revised ed.). Königswinter: EQIP Werbung & Verlag GmbH. pp. 97, 99. ISBN   3 9807977 4 0.
  4. ↑ Hardy, Michael (1982). Gliders & Sailplanes of the World. London: Ian Allan Ltd. pp. 66–7. ISBN   0 7110 1152 4.
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.