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The Lockheed Vega is an American five- to seven-seat high-wing monoplane airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation starting in 1927. It became famous for its use by a number of record-breaking pilots who were attracted to the rugged and very long-range design. Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in one, and Wiley Post used his to prove the existence of the jet stream after having flown around the world twice. Designed by John Knudsen Northrop and Gerald Vultee, both of whom would later form their own companies, the aircraft was originally intended to serve with Lockheed's own airline routes. They set out to build a four-passenger (plus pilot) aircraft that was not only rugged, but also one of the fastest aircraft of its era. Using a wooden monocoque fuselage, plywood-covered cantilever wings and the best engine available, the Vega delivered on the promise of speed. The fuselage was built from sheets of plywood, skinned over wooden ribs. Using a large concrete mold, a single half of the fuselage shell was laminated in sections with glue between each layer and then a rubber bladder was lowered into the mold and inflated with air to compress the lamination into shape against the inside of the mold. The two fuselage halves were then nailed and glued over a separately constructed rib framework. With the fuselage constructed in this fashion, the wing spar couldn't cut through the fuselage, so the single spar cantilever wing was mounted atop the aircraft. Only the engine and landing gear remained essentially unstreamlined, and on the production versions the undercarriage had teardrop shaped fairings covering the wheels, while only the earliest versions lacked NACA cowlings and had the engine cylinders exposed to the airstream. It was powered by the Wright Whirlwind air-cooled radial engine, which delivered 225 horsepower (168 kW). Variants Vega 1 Five-seat cabin monoplane, accommodation for one pilot and four passengers, powered by a 225 hp (168 kW) Wright J-5, J-5A, J-5AB or J-5C Whirlwind radial piston engine. Vega 2 Five-seat cabin monoplane, powered by a 300 hp (224 kW) Wright J-6 Whirlwind radial piston engine. Vega 2A Redesignation of one Vega 2 aircraft, modified for higher gross weight operation. Vega 2D Redesignation of two Vega 1s and one Vega 2, each fitted with a 300 hp (224 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine. Vega 5 Improved version, powered by a 410 hp (306 kW) Wasp A, 450 hp (336 kW) Wasp B or 420 hp (313 kW) Wasp C1 radial piston engine. Vega 5A Executive Executive transport version, with a plush interior. Vega 5B Seven-seat passenger transport version, built for higher gross weight operations with commercial operators. Vega 5C Specifications below. Seven-seat cabin monoplane, with revised tail surfaces, built for higher gross weight operations. DL-1 Vega 5C with an aluminum fuselage. Built by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation.[4] DL-1A/DL-1 Special One-off air racing and record breaking version, c/n 155. DL-1B Seven-seat cabin monoplane, similar to the DL-1. Built by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation. Y1C-12 One DL-1 acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps for service tests and evaluation. Y1C-17 One DL-1B acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps for service tests and evaluation. UC-101 One Vega 5C impressed into service with the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942. Vega DL-1A: NC372E/G-ABFE/G-ABGK/VH-UVK/A42-1 A one-off special, based on the metal-fuselaged DL-1, was built by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation, and exported to the United Kingdom for Lt. Cmdr. Glen Kidston. It was initially registered in the UK as G-ABFE, then was re-registered as G-ABGK to incorporate Kidston's initials. He used this Vega to set a record-breaking time from the UK to South Africa in April 1931. Following Kidston's death the following month, the aircraft was eventually sold to Australian airline owner Horrie Miller, who entered it in the MacRobertson Air Race. Piloted in the race by Miller's Chief Pilot, Capt. Jimmy Woods, it overturned on landing at Aleppo en route, whereupon Woods withdrew from the race and the DL-1A was eventually shipped to Australia. Following repairs and re-registration as VH-UVK, Miller used the aircraft for charter and leisure flying, after which it was impressed by the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941. In 1944 the aircraft was transferred to the Australian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). Via information from RAAF pilots, DCA declared the Vega to have serious pitch control problems and it would be scrapped. Attempts by James Woods to reclaim the aircraft were ignored, and it was destroyed in October 1945. It was the only Vega to operate in Australia. For more operational history, click here.

The Waco F series is a series of American-built general aviation and military biplane trainers of the 1930s from the Waco Aircraft Company. The Waco 'F' series of biplanes supplanted and then replaced the earlier 'O' series of 1927/33. The 'F' series had an airframe which was smaller and about 450 pounds (200 kg) lighter than the 'O' series, while continuing to provide accommodation for three persons in tandem open cockpits. A similar performance to the earlier model was obtained on the power of smaller and more economical engines. The initial models were the INF (125 hp (93 kW) Kinner engine), KNF (100 hp (75 kW) Kinner) and the RNF (110 hp (82 kW) Warner Scarab), all of which had externally braced tailwheel undercarriages. Many further sub-models followed with more powerful engines of up to 225 hp (168 kW). The most powerful in the range was the ZPF of 1936/37, intended for executive use. The 'F' series was popular with private owner pilots for sporting and other uses and continued in production through the late 1930s. The tandem cockpit UPF-7 was adopted by the Civilian Pilot Training Program and continued in production until 1942 by which time over 600 had been built. The 1934 model YMF was substantially redesigned with a longer and wider fuselage, larger rudder and other structural changes, and put into production in March 1986 by WACO Classic Aircraft of Lansing, Michigan as the YMF-5. Over 150 YMF-5s were completed as of 2017 with new examples being built to specific orders. The WACO Aircraft Company of Ohio Inc had built three replicas by December 2011, which they designated MF. Variants Listed in approximate chronological order (per Simpson, 2001, p. 573) First letter of designation refers to engine installed. From 1936 Waco added year suffixes to designations—e.g. YPF-6, YPF-7, with the numeral being the last digit of the model year. INF 125 hp (93 kW) Kinner B-5, certified ATC# 345 on 2 August 1930. KNF 100 hp (75 kW) Kinner K-5, certified ATC# 313 on 12 April 1930. RNF 110 hp (82 kW) Warner Scarab, certified ATC# 311 on 7 April 1930.[5] PCF 170 hp (130 kW) Jacobs LA-1 and new cross-braced undercarriage, PCF-2 certified ATC# 473 on 2 October 1931 PBF as PCF with 'B' wings QCF 165 hp (123 kW) Continental A70, QCF-2 certified ATC# 416 on 9 April 1931 UBF 210 hp (160 kW) Continental R-670 UMF 210 hp (160 kW) Continental R-670A and longer and wider fuselage, and larger fin YMF 225 hp (168 kW) Jacobs L-4 YPF-6 and YPF-7 225 hp (168 kW) Jacobs L-4 ZPF-6 and ZPF-7 285 hp (213 kW) Jacobs L-5 UPF-7 (Specifications below) tandem trainer with wide-track undercarriage and 220 hp (160 kW) Continental R-670 (designated PT-14 by the USAAC)

The Tecnam P-Mentor is an Italian light aircraft, intended for flight training, designed and produced by Tecnam of Casoria. It was introduced in April 2022 and is EASA CS-23 type certified in Europe. The design was first unveiled at AERO Friedrichshafen 2022. The P-Mentor was designed to comply with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA CS-23 regulations for certified light aircraft. It was EASA CS-23 certified on 7 April 2022. The design features a cantilever low-wing, two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration, driving a two-bladed variable pitch propeller. The aircraft wing has a light alloy spar and wing box, with a carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer leading edge. The 9.0 m (29.5 ft) span wing is equipped with slotted flaps of 75% span, plus frise ailerons. The standard engine employed is the 75 kW (101 hp) Rotax 912iSc four-stroke certified powerplant. The design uses a new tapered planform wing, employing a laminar flow airfoil, which meets the EASA CS-23 requirements for low speed handling and stall characteristics without a ballistic parachute, although a parachute is approved and available as a factory option. The aircraft may be equipped for IFR flight. For training use it may be optionally equipped with a simulated retractable landing gear handle, although the landing gear does not actually retract.

The Vulcanair V1.0 is an Italian light aircraft, designed and produced by Vulcanair of Casoria, introduced at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in 2014. The aircraft is type certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency and the US Federal Aviation Administration and is supplied complete and ready-to-fly. The design is a derivation of the Partenavia P.64B Oscar. The V1.0 features a strut-braced rectangular planform high-wing, a four-seat enclosed cabin accessed by two front doors and one rear seat door on the right side, fixed tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration. The aircraft forward fuselage is made from welded steel tubing, with the balance of the airframe of sheet aluminum construction. Its 10.0 m (32.8 ft) span wing employs flaps. The standard engine used is the 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming IO-360-M1A four-stroke fuel-injected powerplant. The design greatly resembles the Cessna 172 and is intended to compete with that aircraft in performance and price. In July 2017, the company announced an equipped price with a Garmin G500 avionics suite of US$259,000, to undercut the price of a new Cessna 172. European Aviation Safety Agency certification was completed in November 2013 and the US Federal Aviation Administration certification in December 2017.

The Eviation Alice is an electric aircraft designed to accommodate nine passengers and two crew members. Currently under development, its construction incorporates 95% composite material, is powered by two electric motors, and has a T-tail. The prototype first flew on 27 September 2022. In February 2018, a 650 lb (290 kg) scale model UAV was flown to validate the aerodynamics and flight controls. Kokam was selected to supply pouch lithium polymer batteries to power the full-scale prototype.[5] Work on the power system and drive train was begun. Eviation teamed up with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to launch a research and development program in the spring of 2019 at its Prescott, Arizona campus. The program would focus on performance analysis, validation and testing, along with preliminary design and sub-scale testing of future electric propulsion and airframe design concepts. By early 2019, Eviation had secured $200 million of investment to cover certification and production while the first prototype was assembled in Vannes, northwest France. In April 2019, Eviation selected MagniX Magni250s 375 shp (280 kW) electric motors turning at 1,900 rpm as an alternative power option to Siemens 260 kW motors. The prototype had tailwheel landing gear and three propellers, one on each wingtip and one on the tail. It also had a V-tail (a la Bonanza). On 22 January 2020, a fire broke out and the prototype was destroyed, but no-one was injured. The fire broke out in an under-floor battery compartment located in the "operator/passenger area". Producion models have tricycle gear, two propellers on pods attached to the rear fuselage, and a T tail. The aircraft had its first flight on 27 September 2022. Following the first test flight, Eviation announced it has revised the proposed range from 440 nm to 250 nm. The projected service entry date has been delayed to 2027. Before this range reduction, endurance at MTOW was planned at 2.8 hr. The first buyer for the Alice was Cape Air, a regional airline serving the Northeastern United States as well as the Caribbean. In August 2021, Deutsche Post announced that it had ordered 12 aircraft for use by DHL to transport cargo, with delivery planned from 2024. In April 2022, Eviation stated that Cape Air ordered 75 planes. In September 2022, GlobalX Airlines ordered 50 aircraft, with deliveries starting in 2027. In January 2023, Mexican regional carrier Aerus ordered 30 aircraft. Prototype Production model