Hönningstad Finnmark
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| 5A Finnmark | |
|---|---|
| Type | Amphibious airliner |
| National origin | Norway |
| Manufacturer | Norsk Flyindustri |
| Designed by | Birger Hönningstad |
| Maiden flight | September 1949 |
| Primary user | VLS |
| Number built | 1 |
The Hönningstad 5A Finnmark (named for the Norwegian county) was an amphibious flying-boat airliner built in Norway in the late 1940s. The single prototype was operated by the VLS airline, but no orders for additional aircraft were received, and a refined version designated 5A-II was never built. The Finnmark was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with twin engines housed in nacelles on the wings. A specially-designed combination wheel-ski undercarriage retracted into wide sponsons on the sides of the flying boat hull.
This undercarriage (built by Dowty in England) was the subject of patents in Norway, Sweden, and Canada, and was constructed in such a way that the skis would be properly aligned for retraction and extension, and while lowered in flight, but would be free to move under landing forces, pivoting and deflecting to facilitate a smooth landing on rough snow or ice.
[edit] Specifications (5A-II, as designed)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Capacity: 12 passengers
- Length: 14.12 m (46 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 19.05 m (62 ft 6 in)
- Empty weight: 4,530 kg (9,966 lb)
- Gross weight: 5,950 kg (13,100 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S1H1, 450 kW (600 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 300 km/h (190 mph)
- Rate of climb: 5.6 m/s (1,100 ft/min)
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 511.
- "Hönningstad Finnmark Amphibian" (2 January 1953). Flight: 12.
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