Rollason Beta
| Beta | |
|---|---|
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| |
| An amateur-built Beta | |
| Role | Single seat racing monoplane |
| Manufacturer | Rollason Aircraft and Engines |
| First flight | 21 April 1967 |
| Number built | 4 (factory-built) 5 (homebuilt) |
The Rollason Beta was a British midget racing monoplane developed from a competition to build a Formula One air racer in the 1960s in England.[1] The Beta was first flown on 21 April 1967. The aircraft were successful air-racers in England during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Development[edit]
The Beta was designed by the Luton Group (who were young technicians employed by the British Aircraft Corporation at Luton)[2] in a competition to design a racing aircraft, the Rollason Midget Racer Design Competition 1964.[1]
The Beta is a fully aerobatic wooden low-wing cantilever monoplane with a cantilever tailplane with a single fin and rudder, powered by a Continental engine of between 65 and 100 hp. It has a fixed-tailwheel landing gear and an enclosed cockpit for the pilot. The original prototype Luton Beta was not completed.[1] The design was built commercially by Rollason Aircraft and Engines who made 4 aircraft at Redhill between 1967 and 1971.[1][3] Plans were also available for homebuilding; although 55 sets of drawings had been sold by early 1974, five aircraft have been registered but just three aircraft are known to have been completed, all in the UK.[2]
Operational history[edit]
The first Rollason-built Beta (registered G-ATLY and named Forerunner) won the Manx Air Derby in 1969 and the second Rollason-built aircraft (registered G-AWHV and named Blue Chip) won the Goodyear Trophy air race at Halfpenny Green in 1969.
G-ATLY was written off in an aerial collision with a Tiger Moth at Nottingham on 29 September 1973, killing the pilot,[4] G-AWHV was destroyed by fire in 1995[2] and G-AWHW crashed on 17 December 1987 at RAF Wattisham, Suffolk, killing the pilot.[5]
Variants[edit]
- B.1
- Powered by a 65hp Continental A65 engine, one built by Rollason later converted to B.2[2]
- B.2
- Powered by a 90hp Continental C90 engine, one by Rollason and one conversion from B.1[2]
- B.2A
- As B.2, but with steel sprung undercarriage,[2] two built by Rollason
- B.4
- Powered by a 100hp Rolls-Royce Continental O-200-A engine, none built.
Specifications (Beta B.2)[edit]
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971–72 [6]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
- Wingspan: 20 ft 5 in (6.22 m)
- Height: 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
- Wing area: 66 sq ft (6.1 m2)
- Aspect ratio: 6.15:1
- Airfoil: NACA 23012
- Empty weight: 560 lb (254 kg)
- Gross weight: 850 lb (386 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 10.5 imp gal (12.6 US gal; 48 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Continental C90 , 90 hp (67 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 202 mph (325 km/h, 176 kn) at sea level
- Cruise speed: 160 mph (260 km/h, 140 kn) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m)
- Stall speed: 60 mph (97 km/h, 52 kn) (without flaps)
- Range: 320 mi (510 km, 280 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,800 ft/min (9.1 m/s)
References[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Jackson, A. J. (1988). British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-818-6.
- Flight International 19 October 1967
- Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. p. 431.
- Taylor, John W. R., ed. (1971). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971–72. London: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 0-354-00094-2.
- Jones, Michael (2002). Tiger Club - The Redhill Saga Volume 3 1977-1989. Gillingham, Dorset: Cirrus Associates. ISBN 1-902807-12-X.
External links[edit]
- Rollason Beta – British Aircraft Directory