I.Ae. 41 Urubú

IAe.41 Urubú
Role	Civil tailless flying wing sailplane Type of aircraft
National origin	Argentina
Manufacturer	Instituto Aerotécnico
Designer	Reimar Horten
First flight	1953
Number built	5

The I.Ae.41 Urubú was a two-seat

(FMA) in the 1950s.

History

In 1951 some airclubs requested from the Department of Aeronautics (Secretaría de Aeronáutica) that a side-by-side two-seater sports glider should be built. Its development was assigned to the Instituto Aerotécnico (I.Ae.), in Cordoba. The design team was led by Professor

). Production at the FMA was limited to five planes, and the first flight was in 1953.

In September 1956, after a proposal from the "Dirección de Fomento de la Aviación Civil" (Civil Aviation Directorate), a crossing of the

lake, Puerto Blest, Cerro Tornador, Laguna Fría, Lanín Volcano, Cerro El Puntiagudo and Cerro Osorno.

Description

The I.Ae 41 was a wooden aircraft, similar in general to the preceding I.Ae. 34 Clen Antú but with a spacious twin-seat side-by-side cockpit. Its design incorporated lessons learnt from its predecessor and it had improved aerodynamics, showing better handling in turbulent conditions. Its tandem landing gear had more efficient shock absorbers.

Surviving aircraft

A surviving aircraft has been restored, and is displayed at the Argentine Air Force’s Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina, located at Morón Airport.^{[citation needed]}

Specifications (I.Ae. 41)

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: two
• Length: 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 1 in)
• Height: 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
• Wing area: 27 m² (290 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 250 kg (551 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 410 kg (904 lb)
  
• Leading edge sweepback: 26.6
• Aerofoil thickness: 18%

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 200 km/h (120 mph, 110 kn)
  
• Towing speed: 51 km/h (32 mph)
• Landing speed: 51 km/h (32 mph)
• Maximum glide ratio: 24 at 81 km/h (50 mph) and 15.2 kg/m² (3.1 lb/sq ft)
• Rate of sink: 0.85 m/s (167 ft/min) at 65 km/h (40 mph) and 15.2 kg/m² (3.1 lb/sq ft)
• Wing loading: 15.2 kg/m² (3.1 lb/sq ft)

See also

• Altinger TA-15 Lenticular
• I.Ae. 25 Mañque
• I.Ae. 34 Clen Antú

Related lists

• List of flying wing aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Burzaco, Ricardo. "Las Alas de Perón, Aeronáutica Argentina 1945/1960", 1995, Editorial Da Vinci.
  ISBN 978-987-96764-4-8
• Horten, Reimar; Peter F. Selinger (1985). Nürflugel (in German) (1st ed.). Graz: H. Wieshaupt Verlag. pp. 59–93.
  ISBN 3-900310-09-2
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to I.Ae. 41 Urubú.

• Aircraft history and specifications (in Spanish)