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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 8, 2007 21:24:27 GMT 12
Did you know that the humble agricultural aircraft, the Fletcher, which was a US design but improved and produced in NZ, was originally designed as a military attack aircraft?
The design for the US military hoped to see it in the groundsupport role in the Korean war!
After it was redesigned to become one of the world's best topdressing aircraft, later the thinking moved full circle again. In 1981 the comapny Frontier Aerospace (US agents for the NZAI Fletcher) decided to develop both the Fletcher and the NZ designed Cresco into military aircraft.
The designs became the Pegasus I (military Fletcher) and the Pegasus II (military Cresco).
The company was aiming to sell the Pegasus I to South American air forces and apparently a demonstartor was sent to Panama in November 1981 to show off at the Latin America National Security Expo.
The Pegasus II buyer had the choice of either an Avco-Lycoming 600shp LTP-101 engine or a Pratt and Whitney 620shp PT6A-28 powerplant.
Both were being touted as being able to fill several military roles from cargo and personnel transport, patrol and reconnaissance, medevac, defoliation, paramedic operations and parachute platform. Also aerial mapping and surveillance, tactical ground support and light attack.
Did any air force actually buy any of these? I know loads of Crescos have been bought around the world for parachute schools, but I haven't heard of any in actual military roles.
Maybe we could use Crescos as a stepping stone back up to a Stike Wing? Or maybe Pegasus III is near, the PAC750XL?
(source - NZ Wings April 1981)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 8, 2007 21:28:14 GMT 12
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAC_FletcherThe PAC Fletcher was loosely based on the Fletcher FD-25 Defender. The Defender was designed by John W. Thorp, and originally conceived in the 1951 as a STOL light attack aircraft (The prototype Defender was built by Fletcher Aviation in California, and did not fly until 1953, a small number of they type were later built in Japan.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 8, 2007 21:31:28 GMT 12
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Post by Bruce on Jan 8, 2007 22:35:01 GMT 12
two or three years ago the Defender prototype was found in a San Deigo hangar covered in a couple of inches of dust and bird exhaust. It was recovered and tidied up with a view to returning it to airworthiness, and in fact some New Zealanders were involved. At one stage it was going to come to NZ, but I have heard no further.
the Flectcher FU24 was not really a "development" of the FD25, as the defender was considerably smaller and a very different airframe. Significant Fletcher features are the cranked wing, the distinctive tail fin and the augmentor exhaust pipes. Considering at the time of its design F51 Mustangs were being flogged of to various tinpot nations for a similar purpose at a similar price, its not surprising the defender found few buyers - I dont think the Japanese production run produced more than a couple.
Jim Thorpe also designed the Thorpe T18 / S18 homebuilts and of course the mighty Piper Cherokee!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 8, 2007 22:47:38 GMT 12
Jim or John? Same guy? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_ThorpJohn Willard Thorp (June 20, 1912 - April 18, 1992) was an aeronautical engineer who made significant contributions to aircraft design throughout his life. Here's another great type he worked on... "As Lockheed Assistant Preliminary Design Engineer, he was responsible for the preliminary design of the P2V "Neptune", Naval patrol bomber. In 1946 the famous P2V "Truculent Turtle" set the unrefueled distance record of 11236 statute miles. This record stood for more than ten years, until finally broken by a KC-135 Air Force tanker."
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Post by Bruce on Jan 9, 2007 8:49:19 GMT 12
same guy, must have preferred to be called Jim I guess....
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shane
Squadron Leader
Posts: 122
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Post by shane on Jul 6, 2008 17:39:45 GMT 12
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shane
Squadron Leader
Posts: 122
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Post by shane on Jul 6, 2008 17:41:52 GMT 12
A recent Aviation news newspaper mentioned the PAC 750XL undergoing South African AF evaluation
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Post by fletcherfu24 on Jul 6, 2008 20:22:04 GMT 12
As a point of interest the Fletchers predecessor(the aircraft before the Defender actually) the T-11 Sky Scooter has gone back into production in India.the Fletcher lineage is obvious in the canopy,tail shape and general lay out. www.indusav.com/indusav/new%20index.php |
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Post by Martin Wienert on Sept 12, 2008 8:19:59 GMT 12
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Post by vgp on Sept 12, 2008 12:50:42 GMT 12
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Post by fletcherfu24 on Sept 12, 2008 17:23:39 GMT 12
Another great idea that never came to anything.Maybe one day they will solve how to get a car engine to drive a propeller.
A turbo diesels the next obvious one to try.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Sept 12, 2008 21:43:49 GMT 12
What am I doing wrong? I can only see the last picture, the rest are just big red X  Paul |
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Post by fletcherfu24 on Sept 12, 2008 22:44:17 GMT 12
The photos were scans of an Air Classic magazine article on the development of the FD-25.looks like they have been pulled.I actually have the original magazine,but alas no scanner.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Sept 12, 2008 23:18:09 GMT 12
The photos were scans of an Air Classic magazine article on the development of the FD-25.looks like they have been pulled.I actually have the original magazine,but alas no scanner. Pray tell which issue so I can keep an eye out for it. Paul |
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Post by fletcherfu24 on Sept 12, 2008 23:53:32 GMT 12
June 1980.....28years I've been holding on to it.If I remember I'll take it to work and scan it next week and put it up here.
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shane
Squadron Leader
Posts: 122
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Post by shane on Sept 13, 2008 12:47:21 GMT 12
The link isnt working for me now either i have saved some of the pics onto my compy but im not too sure how to post them. The best i can suggest is that u go to the pictures properties by right clicking on it find its name and pop that into google and click images and see if it will let u preview the picture. If i find another way around it i will let u know.
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shane
Squadron Leader
Posts: 122
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Post by shane on Sept 13, 2008 13:09:28 GMT 12
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Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 11, 2008 22:06:32 GMT 12
FU-24 in Thai Air Force KASET roundals Those Fletchers were operated by the Thai Ministry of Agriculture, so the markings are Thai Government rather than RTAF. |
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Post by fletcherfu24 on Oct 12, 2008 19:10:04 GMT 12
Wonder if many or any of the Thai Fletchers are still going?.
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