The Mylius My 102 Tornado is a prototype single-seat German aerobatic aircraft. It was designed as a smaller derivative of the MBB Bo 209, but was not placed in production, with only two aircraft built.
My 102 Tornado | |
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The first prototype | |
Role | Sporting and aerobatic aircraft Type of aircraft |
National origin | Germany |
First flight | 7 July 1973 |
Number built | 2 |
The German light aircraft manufacturer Bölkow's technical director Dr Hermann Mylius, together with two other engineers from the company, designed the two-seat MHK-101 in their spare time, with the design being adopted by Bölkow as the Bo 209, entering production in 1970.[1][2] As a follow-on to the Bo-209, Mylius began design work in July 1971 on a smaller, single-seat derivative of the Bo-209, intended as an aerobatic aircraft, the Mylius My 102 Tornado.[3][4] The My 102 was considered for production by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB),[3] the former Bölkow,[5] as the Bo 210 Tornado,[lower-alpha 1] but instead, MBB abandoned production of light aircraft in order to concentrate of the Bo 105 helicopter.[7]
The My 102 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction, powered by a 200 hp (150 kW) Lycoming AIO-360-B1B flat-four piston engine driving a three-bladed propeller.[8] It has a tricycle undercarriage with fixed mainwheels and a nosewheel which was retractable in the prototype with a plan to offer a fixed nosewheel as an option. The pilot sits in an enclosed cockpit, with a rearward sliding canopy. The aircraft's wings can be folded for minimise hangar space needed to store the aircraft or for towing on roads.[8]
Work began on construction of a prototype in December 1971, and it first flew, with the registration D-EMYS, on 7 July 1973 at Neubiberg.[3][4] It was successful in aerobatic competitions,[9] taking part in the 1973 German Aerobatic Championships and the 1974 Biancotto Trophy.[4] By 1980, a second prototype was under construction, with changes including a more powerful (225 hp (168 kW)) engine, revised wings with reduced span (7.89 m (25 ft 11 in)) and wing area (9.40 m2 (101.2 sq ft)).[10] Two derivatives of the My 102 were noted as being under development in the 1980 Jane's All the World's Aircraft, the two-seat My 103 Mistral (eventually to fly in 1998[11][12]) and the four-seat My 104 Passat.[9]
The second prototype, registration D-EMYM, flew for the first time on 3 April 1984.[3] The Tornado (now styled MY-102) was being proposed for production by Mylius Flugzeugwerk of Bitburg in 1999, and was claimed to conform to European Joint Aviation Authorities airworthiness standards.[13] Mylius was concentrating on the MY-103 by 2003, however.[12]
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1975–76[8]
General characteristics
Performance