The Farrington Twinstar is an American two-seat autogyro that was designed and produced by Farrington Aircraft of Paducah, Kentucky, a company owned by Don Farrington. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.[1] It first flew in 1993.[2]
| Twinstar | |
|---|---|
| Role | Autogyro Type of aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Farrington Aircraft |
| First flight | 1993 |
| Status | Production completed (2000) |
| Number built | 12 (2015) |
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in tandem open cockpit with a windshield, tricycle landing gear without wheel pants, plus a tail caster. The tail consists of two vertical stabilizers and rudders. The acceptable power range is 120 to 180 hp (89 to 134 kW) and the standard engine used is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320 in pusher configuration. The cabin width is 24 in (61 cm).[1]
The aircraft fuselage is made from a combination of welded steel and bolted-together aluminum tubing, with a fiberglass cockpit fairing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 30 ft (9.1 m). The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 700 lb (320 kg) and a gross weight of 1,200 lb (540 kg), giving a useful load of 500 lb (230 kg). With full fuel of 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal) the payload for the pilot, passengers and baggage is 380 lb (170 kg).[1]
The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 150 hp (112 kW) engine is 200 ft (61 m) and the landing roll is 50 ft (15 m).[1]
The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 200 hours.[1]
By 1998 the company reported that 25 kits had been sold and five aircraft were completed and flying.[1]
In March 2015 six examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration, although a total of 12 had been registered at one time.[3]
Data from Purdy,[1] Brassey[4]
General characteristics
Performance