Taylor E-2
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The Taylor E-2 'Cub' was originally designed by C. Gilbert Taylor as a small, light and simple utility aircraft. It is the forefather of one of the most popular and best-known light aircraft of all time, the Piper J-3.
History
In 1930, C. G. Taylor and the Taylor Aircraft Company embarked on the production of a two-seat tandem low-powered aircraft, designated the Taylor E-2 (E for the fifth model designed by Taylor, and 2 for the number of seats). The E-2 featured a design with wings mounted high on the fuselage, an open cockpit, fabric-covered tubular steel fuselage and wooden wings which used the USA-35B airfoil. It was originally powered by a 20 horsepower (15 kilowatt) Brownback "Tiger Kitten" engine. Since the young offspring of the tiger is called a cub, Taylor's accountant, Gilbert Hadrel, was inspired to name the little airplane "The Cub".The "Tiger Kitten" engine roared but was not strong enough to power the E-2. On September 12, 1930, a test flight of the Taylor E-2 ended abruptly when the aircraft ran out of runway; the underpowered engine was unable to lift the monoplane higher than five feet (1.5 meters) above the ground. In October, a Salmson AD-9 radial engine produced in France was fitted to the E-2. It gave the Cub good performance, but it was expensive to maintain.
Finally in February 1931, Taylor introduced an improved E-2 airframe, powered by the newly developed Continental Motors Corporation 37 horsepower (28 kilowatt) A-40 engine. The new Taylor E-2 was awarded Category 2 or "Memo" certificate 2-358 on June 15, 1931 and licensed by the U.S. Department of Commerce for manufacture (it was later awarded full Approved Type Certificate [A-455] on November 7). Twenty-two Taylor E-2 Cubs were sold during 1931, retailing for $1,325; by 1935, cost had increased to $1475 and by the end of production in February 1936, 320 E-2 Cubs had been built.
Specifications (Taylor E-2 Cub)
Taylor F-2
Persistent troubles with the early A-40 engines on the E-2 led to a search for other suitable powerplants. First choice was the Aeromarine AR-340, a three-cylinder air-cooled radial engine which produced 40 horsepower at 2050 RPM. Due to Bureau of Air Commerce policy at the time, a different engine in the same airframe required a new airplane model designation. The Aeromarine-powered Cub was given the next letter, F, and became the F-2.
Approved Type Certificate [A-525] was awarded on February 16, 1934, and the F-2 had an initial price of $1495. Approximately 33 were made before a factory fire in 1937 ended production of the F-2.
Taylor G-2
In another search for a replacement for the A-40, Taylor went to the extreme of designing and building his own 35-40 horsepower engine. This was fitted to serial number 149, registration X14756. Due to Bureau of Air Commerce policy at the time, a different engine in the same airframe required a new airplane model designation. The Taylor-powered Cub was given the next letter, G, and became the G-2.No information was published about the one-off engine, and no details are known today. With a new engine, this aircraft would become the Taylor H-2.
Taylor H-2
The G-2 Cub was re-engined with a 35 horsepower Szekely (pronounced Say-Kai) SR-3-35, another three-cylinder air-cooled radial engine which produced 35 hp at 1750 RPM. Again, due to Bureau of Air Commerce policy at the time, a different engine in the same airframe required a new airplane model designation. The Szekely-powered Cub was given the next letter, H, and became the H-2.Approved Type Certificate A-572 was awarded on May 28, 1935. Three F-2's were converted to this engine (serial numbers 40, 66 and 74), for a total of four H-2's.
In 1937, Beverly Dodge and a passenger set the women's altitude record (16,800 feet) in a Szekely powered Taylor H-2.
References
- ["The Piper Cub"] by Roger Guillemette, US Centennial of Flight Commission, retrieved December 6, 2005
- ["Szekely SR-3 L"] Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, retreived December 6, 2005
External links
- [Taylor E-2 Cub - Holcomb's Aerodrome]
- [Taylor Cub] - A version of the original E-2 Cub manufactured by the Taylorcraft Company
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