Koolhoven F.K.56
| Koolhoven F.K.56 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Basic training monoplane |
| National origin | Netherlands |
| Manufacturer | Koolhoven |
| First flight | 30 June 1938 |
| Primary user | Netherlands Army |
| Number built | 31 |
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The Koolhoven F.K.56 was a 1930s Dutch basic training monoplane designed and built by Koolhoven.[1]
Development
The F.K.56 was a low-wing monoplane powered by a 450 hp (336 kW) Wright Whirlind R-975-E3 radial piston engine.[1] Designed as a basic trainer, the F.K.56 had two seats in tandem for the instructor and pupil under a fully enclosed canopy.[1] The first prototype flew on 30 June 1938 and had fixed conventional landing gear and an inverted gull wing.[1] The second prototype had retractable landing gear while a third prototype was fitted with a straight wing and dual controls.[1]
Ten aircraft were ordered by the Netherlands Army based on the design of the third prototype.[1] These ten, including the re-worked first and third prototypes, were all delivered before the German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940.[1]
Earlier in February 1940 the Belgians had ordered twenty F.K.56 basic trainers and seven had been delivered before the rest were destroyed in an air raid on the Waalhaven factory.[1]
Operators
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Specifications
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 11.50 m (37 ft 9 in)
- Height: 2.30 m (7 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 20 m2 (220 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,058 kg (2,332 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright Whirlwind R-975-E3 Radial piston engine, 336 kW (451 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 300 km/h (186 mph; 162 kn) at a height of 500m (1640 ft)
- Range: 800 km (497 mi; 432 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,300 m (23,950 ft)
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Koolhoven Aircraft. |
Notes
Bibliography
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.