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Luscombe Model 8 Silvaire
aircraft history, performance and specifications
The Silvaire was a
two-seat light cabin monoplane featuring an
all-metal semi-monocoque structure with a
strengthened “safety-zone” cabin. The powerplant
was one Continental C90-12F, four-cylinder,
horizontally-opposed, air-cooled engine. It had a
two-blade metal fixed-pitch propeller with a
diameter of 5 feet, 11 inches (1.80 meters).
The Silvaire Aircraft Company manufactured the
all-metal Luscombe Model 8 Silvaire light cabin
monoplane, the original prototype of which was
designed and built by Don Luscombe at the Mercer
Airport, Trenton, New Jersey, in 1936.
At
the end of World War II, the tooling, dies and
other equipment to manufacture the Silvaire were
moved by the Luscombe Airplane Corporation to
Dallas, Texas, where production was resumed. In
1949, this company was purchased by the Temco
Aircraft Corporation, which built about 50
Silvaires before suspending production to
concentrate on military commitments. In January
1955, Silvaire Aircraft purchased the
manufacturing rights for the Model 8
Silvaire from Temco and put it into production at
Fort Collins. The first aircraft off the new line
flew in September 1956, and the latest production
models could be recognized by the square top fin
and rudder introduced in 1958.
Some 5970 Model 8s were built between 1938 and
1961, including 5840 by Luscombe, 50 by Temco, and
80 by Silvaire.
Dimensions |
Wingspan |
35.00 ft |
Overall Length |
20.00 ft |
Height |
6.30
ft |
Weights and Capacities |
Empty Weight |
870
lb |
Gross Weight |
1400
lb |
Useful Load |
|
Fuel
Capacity |
12.50 gal |
Oil
Capacity |
5
gal |
Powerplant Characteristics |
Type: Continental C90-12F four-cylinder
air-cooled |
Rating |
2000
hp |
Displacement |
|
Weight |
|
Size
(length X diameter) |
|
Performance |
Maximum Speed, Sea Level |
128
mph |
Landing Speed, Sea Level |
|
Stall Speed, Sea Level |
40
mph |
Initial Rate-of-Climb |
900
ft/min |
Cruise Speed, Sea Level |
|
Range at Cruise Speed |
500
miles
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Service Ceiling
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