Spartan Three Seater

The Spartan Three Seater was a British three-seat biplane touring and pleasure-flying aircraft built by Spartan Aircraft Limited.

This article is about The British Spartan three seat biplane. For the unrelated American Spartan three seat biplane, see Spartan C3.

Three Seater
ZK-ARH, the surviving Three Seater II, in New Zealand
Role Tourer/Pleasure Flying
Manufacturer Spartan Aircraft Limited
First flight 1930
Introduction 1931
Number built 25
Developed from Simmonds Spartan

History

Built as a three-seat version of the Simmonds Spartan, the Three Seater was a biplane with a spruce and plywood fuselage. Although not many aircraft were built, the Three Seater was a mainstay of the pleasure flying business in the 1930s. The wings were designed to fold back easily, in order to be stored in a shed rather than requiring a dedicated hangar.

Following the first batch of aircraft, designated the Three Seater I, an improved version was built and designated as the Three Seater II. The six Three Seater IIs had improved visibility for the pilot and easier access for the passengers, and were powered by a 130 horsepower (97 kW) Cirrus Hermes IV engine.

One Three Seater II (registered as ZK-ARH) currently survives, owned by a private individual in New Zealand, having passed through British and Irish owners (as G-ABYN and EI-ABU) since its manufacture in June 1932.

Variants
  • Three Seater I - 19 aircraft
  • Three Seater II - 6 aircraft

Operators

The aircraft was mainly operated by flying clubs and private individuals:

 Australia
 Republic of Ireland
 Iraq
  • Iraq Airwork Limited
 South Africa
 Tanganyika
 United Kingdom

Specifications (Three Seater II)

General characteristics

  • Length: 26 ft 3 in (8.0 m)
  • Wingspan: 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)
  • Wing area: 240 sq ft (22 m2)
  • Empty weight: 1,030 lb (468 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,680 lb (764 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Cirrus Hermes I or II inline piston, 120 hp (90 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 93 kn (107 mph, 172 km/h)
  • Range: 226 nmi (260 mi, 419 km)
  • Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (3.8 m/s)

    References
    • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
    • Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.
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