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The Wilson Private Explorer is an American-built recreational aircraft of the late 1990s. The Private Explorer was designed by Hubert de Chevigny as a scaled-down single-engine version of his twin-engined Wilson Global Explorer. The Private Explorer is a strut braced high wing aircraft which utilises a tubular steel frame covered in fabric. The interior has four passenger seats in the front section and a rear accommodation compartment which contains a double bed and two armchairs. The tricycle undercarriage is fixed and can be quickly removed for attachment of floats for operations off water. Various Lycoming engines have been fitted ranging from 235 to 300 hp (175 to 224 kW). The aircraft has an excellent short-field performance and an endurance of up to 8 hours. The aircraft is supplied to amateur constructors in kit form. The type has been tested with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine.

The Chernov Che-25 is a four-seat, twin engine parasol wing amphibious flying boat built in Russia in the 1990s. The Che-27 is an enlarged, five seat version. The Che-25 is very similar in general appearance to earlier Boris Chernov designs such as the two seat Korvet and the Chernov Che-23 but is a four-seat aircraft, with both span and length increased. It has an unswept, straight edged constant chord wing made from riveted duralumin, with a single spar. Lateral (roll) control is by full span flaperons and stability on the water is maintained by downturned fiberglass tips which act as simple floats. The parasol wing is braced by a single streamlined strut on each side to mid fuselage, assisted by jury struts, flying wires and a central section cabane. The twin engines are mounted above the wing leading edge. They can be either 47.8 kW (64 hp) Rotax 582 UL-2V air and water cooled, twin cylinder two strokes or 73.5 kW (99 hp) Rotax 912 ULS water cooled four stroke flat fours. The Rotax 582s are mounted uncowled and drive a two bladed propeller but the 912 installation is cowled, with three-bladed propellers. The Che-25 has a flat sided, two step hull formed from a vacuum moulded fibreglass sandwich. The integral fin forms a cruciform tail with a swept, tapered, straight edged fin initially carried a balanced rudder, though the Che-25M variant with its higher tailplane abandoned the balance. The underwing cabin has dual controls and is entered via gull wing doors. There is a water rudder attached just aft of the rear step. The optional land undercarriage has mainwheels on mid-fuselage mounted legs, which rotate forward through 90° to allow water landings, and a tailwheel fixed to the water rudder. The Che-25 was built by the student design bureau SKB-1 and first flew in 1995. It appeared in public in September 1996 at the Hydroaviasalon show in Gelendzhik. The Che-25M was displayed at the 1999 MAKS airshow, Moscow. Current production plans are not known. Variants Che-25 Original version. Che-25M (Specifications with Rotax 912 below) Raised tailplane, rudder balance removed. BD-205 Chinese version of Che-25 marketed by the Harbin Institute of Technology. Che-27 "Practically indistinguishable" from Che-25M with the same engine choices, weights and dimensions but 1.00 m (39.4 in) longer, a wider wheel track due to splayed undercarriage legs and five seats. First flown June 2003 and exhibited at the Moscow Aerosalon in August 2007. Che-25 Che-27

The Beechcraft Premier I is a light business jet aircraft manufactured by the Beechcraft division of Hawker Beechcraft. The aircraft was designed to compete with the Cessna CitationJet series of aircraft. Design of the Premier I began early in 1994 under the designation PD-374 (PD for Preliminary Design), and development was authorized to continue early the following year. The aircraft was officially launched at the annual National Business Aviation Association Convention in September 1995 and construction of the first prototype commenced late in 1996. In the mid-1990s, the light jet was to be priced at $5 million. The Premier I prototype was rolled out on 19 August 1998 and its first flight was on 22 December 1998; four prototypes were used in the flight test program. Its FAA Type Certificate was issued on 23 March 2001. After development delays, the aircraft entered service in 2001 but with poor runway performance, erratic lift dump and brakes, a noisy cabin and a substandard cockpit. It was upgraded as the Premier IA in 2006 for $7 million with improved brakes, avionics and cabin, and 163 were built in five years. It was certified on 22 September 2005. The Premier I is constructed with a high-strength composite, carbon fiber/epoxy honeycomb structure fuselage. The Premier I and IA can be certified as light aircraft for operation by a single pilot. The powerplants are Williams International FJ44-2A engines. Its cabin is nearly as wide as a Citation Excel with 3 in (76 mm) less headroom, and seating is 11.2 ft (3.4 m) long, similar to a CJ2, with a four-seat club plus two aft chairs and an enclosed, 2.3 ft (0.70 m) long aft lavatory. BOWs are usually around 8,400 lb (3,800 kg), leaving 570 lb (260 kg) for the payload at full tanks. The Premier 1A has a Mach 0.8 MMo, 451 kn (835 km/h) cruise at FL310 and a 817 lb (371 kg)/h fuel burn at 424 kn (785 km/h) and midweight. It can fly four passengers over 1,105 or 1,365 nmi (2,046 or 2,528 km) with two passengers and can take off within 3,792 ft (1,156 m) at ISA temperatures and sea-level. Line maintenance comes at 200-hour intervals, A checks at 600 hours and B checks at 1,200 hours, plus calendar inspections, approximating $300 per hour (2019). Engine maintenance is budgeted for $300 per hour for both (2019), with 2,500-hour hot section inspections and 5,000 hour TBOs. Variants Premier I - basic version, introduced in 2001. Premier IA - new cabin interior and improved systems. (Specifications below)

The Bell 429 GlobalRanger is a light, twin-engine helicopter developed by Bell Helicopter and Korea Aerospace Industries. The first flight of the prototype took place on February 27, 2007, and the aircraft received type certification on July 1, 2009. The Bell 429 is capable of single-pilot IFR and Runway Category A operations. The impetus for developing the Bell 429 came primarily from the emergency medical services (EMS) industry. The Bell 427 was originally intended to address this market, but the 427's small cabin size would not adequately accommodate a patient litter, and the systems did not support instrument flight rules (IFR) certification. Bell's original concept for the 429 was a stretched model 427 (unveiled as the Bell 427s3i at the 2004 HAI helicopter show), but this still did not provide what Bell and its customer advisers were looking for. Bell abandoned the 427 airframe and went to its MAPL (Modular Affordable Product Line) concept airframe[8] that was still in conceptual development at the time. The 429 employs the all-new modular airframe concept and the advanced rotor blade design from the MAPL program, but maintains a derivative engine and rotor drive system from the 427. The basic model includes a glass cockpit and is certified for single pilot IFR. Bell partnered with Korea Aerospace Industries and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace of Japan in the helicopter's development. Bell had flown most of the critical MAPL technology components, using a 427 testbed aircraft, by February 2006. The first completed 429 flew on February 27, 2007. Certification was originally planned for late 2007, but program schedule delays, primarily caused by parts and material shortages common to all aviation manufacturers in that time period, caused the manufacturer to stretch the development timetable. In October 2007, the external configuration was set. In February 2008, Bell had three 429s in flight testing that had completed 600 flight hours. Its high-altitude testing was conducted in Colorado and its high-temperature testing in Arizona. The helicopter received type certification from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) on July 1, 2009, and from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by July 7, 2009.[14] EASA certification was announced at Helitech on September 24, 2009. TCCA and authorities in some other countries later approved an increased weight exemption for the aircraft. However, FAA and EASA disagreed with the weight exemption, which had allowed the 429 to operate for the Canadian Coast Guard. For details of design and operational history, click here.

The Brewster SB2A Buccaneer (Brewster Model 340) is a single-engined mid-wing monoplane scout bomber aircraft built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation for the United States Navy between 1942 and 1944. It was also supplied to the Royal Air Force (RAF), United States Army Air Forces, and United States Marine Corps. The Buccaneer was overweight and lacked maneuverability, and has been described as a "classic failure." While designed as a scout bomber, none saw combat, although a number found use in noncombat roles. The SB2A was developed for the US Navy, and also ordered in large quantities by the Dutch, French, and British Governments. The Dutch order was later taken over by the US Navy and the French order by Britain. An Australian order was cancelled before any of the types were delivered. The Buccaneer was underpowered and poorly constructed, and all of its operators considered it to be unsuitable for combat. SB2As were used as target tugs by the RAF and US Navy, trainers by the USMC, and "hacks" by the USAAF. Many of the completed aircraft were scrapped without entering service. The type is considered by historians to have been among the worst of World War II. The Brewster Corporation itself went out of business in 1946. In early 1939 the United States Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics launched a program to develop larger scout/bombers to operate from the Navy's aircraft carriers. In April that year the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation was selected to build a prototype of its Model 340 design to meet this requirement; this aircraft was to be designated the XSB2A-1. The Navy had ordered a prototype of the Model 340/SB2A in April 1939. The XSB2A-1's design was heavily based on the earlier Brewster SBA scout-bomber. It shared the single-engined, mid-winged monoplane layout of the earlier aircraft, but was larger and had a more powerful engine. The XSB2A-1 was powered by a single Wright R-2600 engine which drove a three-bladed propeller. It was armed with two forward-firing 0.50-inch calibre machine guns in the fuselage and two 0.30 machine guns in each wing. The type was initially intended to have an enclosed gun turret and could carry up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of bombs in an internal bomb bay. The first XSB2A-1 prototype commenced flying trials on 17 June 1941. The results of this testing and changing requirements led to significant changes to the design. These included the airframe being lengthened by 1 foot and two inches, the turret being replaced by a flexible mount in the rear of the cockpit for a pair of 0.30 machine guns, the addition of armour and self-sealing fuel tanks, and changes to the design of the fins and canopy. The combined effect of these changes resulted in the aircraft's weight increasing by almost 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg), which greatly reduced its speed, weapons load, and flying range. For more details, including 6 variants, click here.

The Curtiss-Wright Model 21 (also known as the Curtiss-Wright Model 21 Demonstrator, the Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Interceptor, the Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon) was an American fighter-interceptor developed by the St. Louis Airplane Division of Curtiss-Wright Corporation during the 1930s. In 1938, George A. Page, head of the Saint Louis Airplane Division of Curtiss-Wright, decided to develop a fighter aircraft based on Carl W. Scott's two seater Model 19. Page's concept was a lightweight fighter interceptor with as high a rate of climb as possible in order to allow bomber formations to be attacked with minimal warning. If faced with fighter opposition, it was intended not to dogfight, but to use its superior climb rate to escape. While this was a direct contradiction to the United States Army Air Corps′ requirements for fighters (which stressed low-level performance), this did not concern Page, since the new fighter was intended for export. Detailed design of the new fighter, the Model 21, or CW-21, was carried out by a team led by chief engineer Willis Wells. It was a single-seat, all-metal cantilever low-wing monoplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear, where the mainwheels retracted rearwards into fairings under the wing. The fuselage was a semi-monocoque structure that tapered sharply behind the pilot's cockpit. It was powered by a 1,000 hp (750 kW) Wright R-1820-G5 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. It was designed to carry various combinations of two .30 in (7.62 mm) or .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, mounted in the nose and synchronized to fire through the propeller, while no armor or fuel tank protection was fitted in order to save weight and hence improve performance. The prototype first flew on 22 September 1938, carrying the civil experimental registration NX19431. Although the CW-21 was not commissioned by the U.S. military, it was test flown at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. The Army Air Corps immediately rejected the aircraft, with one officer commenting that it took a genius to land it. Variants Model 21 Interceptor. One prototype built in 1938 (c/n 21-1 / NX19431). Three production units and a total of 27 sets of components shipped to the Republic of China to be assembled by CAMCO. Easily identifiable by the Seversky P-35 type of main undercarriage fairings; 31 built (unknown number assembled and flown). Model 21A Interceptor. Proposed design to use the Allison V-1710; not built. Model 21B (Specifications below) Interceptor. A total of 24 built for the Netherlands East Indies, easily identifiable by the inward retracting main landing gear, that eliminated the need for the undercarriage fairings notable on the Model 21. For details of operational history, click here.

The Monocoupe 90 was a two-seat, light cabin airplane built by Donald A. Luscombe for Monocoupe Aircraft. The first Monocoupe (Model 5) was built in an abandoned church in Davenport, Iowa, and first flew on April 1, 1927. Various models were in production until the late 1940s. The Monocoupes were side-by-side two-seat lightplanes of mixed wood and steel-tube basic construction with fabric covering. A braced high-wing monoplane with fixed tailskid landing gear, and the reverse curve rear fuselage lines that were to become one of the signature identifier features of the Monocoupes. The fuselage framework was built up of welded steel tubing in a rigid, triangular-framed Warren truss form for the side panel structures, heavily faired to shape with dural metal sheet formers and wooden fairing strips. The wings were built up of solid spruce spars with wing ribs of basswood webs and spruce cap-strips. The leading edges were covered with dural metal sheet and the entire framework was covered in fabric. The aircraft was powered originally by either a 60 hp (45 kW) Anzani engine or the unsuccessful 65 hp (48 kW) Detroit Air-Cat radial. The Model 22 was the first light aircraft awarded a type certificate (number 22) and in 1930 it was fitted with the Velie M-5 62 hp (46 kW) five-cylinder radial engine to become the Model 70. In 1930 Monocoupe introduced the Model 90 with refined lines and a fuselage that was slightly longer and wider, this being sold in Model 90 and Model 90A versions with a 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266 radial engine. The Monocoupe 90 DeLuxe introduced trailing edge flaps, wheel speed fairings and an improved engine cowling. The Model 90AF was fitted with a 115 hp (86 kW) Franklin engine. The Model 90AL had Avco Lycoming engines. The Model 90J was introduced in 1930 with a 90 hp (67 kW) Warner Scarab Jr engine. The final two high performance Monocoupe models developed from the Model 90 were the Model 110 with a 110 hp (82 kW) Warner Scarab, and the Model 125 with a 125 hp (93 kW) Kinner B-5 engine. The Monocoupe 110 Special was a clipped wing racing aircraft. The Monocoupe Model 70V of 1932, had the low-powered 65 hp (48-kW) Velie M-5 engine reintroduced to provide more economical operation at the cost of a fall in performance. In 1941 Monocoupe combined with three other companies to form Universal Molded Products Corp. 20 Model 90AFs were bought by the USAAF, who designated them the Universal L-7, for transfer to the Free French Forces. One was lost during delivery. Aircraft production halted during World War II, resuming briefly in 1948-1950 under the name Monocoupe Airplane and Engine Corporation. The last of this remarkable line of two-seat aircraft was the Monocoupe D-145 of 1934, a high-performance version with a slightly enlarged cabin and powered by a 145 hp (108 kW) Warner Super Scarab engine. For details of the 15 variants, click here.

The Velie Monocoupe was an American general aviation aircraft manufactured from 1927 to 1929 by the Mono-Aircraft Corp, a division of Velie Motors Corporation (founded by Willard L. Velie, maternal grandson of John Deere). The Velie Monocoupe was a wooden framed, doped fabric-covered monoplane, seating two people side-by-side in an enclosed cabin (hence the name). Conceived by pilot/businessman Don A. Luscombe, who developed a mock-up in 1926, and developed into a flying airplane by farmer-turned-plane-designer Clayton Folkerts—first produced by Central States Aircraft Corp in Davenport, Iowa—the little plane was a revolution in personal aviation: small, relatively inexpensive, quick and efficient (70-80 mph on just 55 horsepower), and with an enclosed cockpit (protected from the weather) for two people. In an era of big, costly, lumbering, open-cockpit biplanes, the Monocoupe was like a flying sports car coupe. In all there were 350 Velie Monocoupes produced under the approved type certificate number 22. Upon W. L. Velie's death, his son had planned to continue production of the aircraft but he died within months of his father. The company, and design, survived, however. Company change Upon the death of Velie's founder, in 1929 the Mono Aircraft Division was transferred to the holding company Allied Aircraft Co., which split the airplane division into Mono Aircraft Co. and Lambert Motors Co. Mono Aircraft would continue to produce the Monocoupe, in various versions—ultimately changing its name to Monocoupe Corp. The company producing the Monocoupe line changed ownership and location several times from 1926 to the early 1950s.