Short description: Amphibious aircraft

TA-2

Role  | Amphibious aircraft
National origin | United States of America
Manufacturer  | Towle Aircraft Company
Designer  | Thomas Towle
First flight  | 7 November 1929
Introduction  | 1929
Developed from | Towle WC

The Towle TA-2 was an amphibious aircraft based on the T owle WC built for a 1929 round-the world flight.

## Contents

* 1 Development
* 2 Design
* 3 Operational history
* 4 Variants
* 5 Specifications
* 6 See also
* 7 References

## Development

Thomas Towle was an engineer that had been involved with many early aircraft designs. Having just co-designed the Eastman E-2 Sea Rover and the Towle WC, Towle found funding to create a new entity, the Towle Aircraft Company to produce the TA-2.[1]

## Design

The TA-2 featured an corrugated aluminum hull. The wings were all metal with internal stiffeners, rather than ribs, based loosely on the Ford Trimotor, which Towle worked on previously. The twin Wright R-540 engines sat on small pylons on top of the shoulder mounted wing.[2][3] Two floats were mounted directly below the engine pylons which incorporated the hydraulically actuated landing gear.[4] The prototype was originally designed for 165 hp Wright 540 engines.[5]

## Operational history

The TA-2 was tested in Lake St. Clair on 7 November 1929 by test pilot George Pond and James Bradley. It broke up on takeoff and sank to the bottom of the lake.[6] The aircraft appears to have been rebuilt as a Towle TA-2 and was reported to have visited Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom in February 1930.[3] The wing from the prototype was salvaged and used on the next iteration, the Towle TA-3.

## Variants

* Towle WC The basis for the TA-2

## Specifications

Data from Flight, 14 February 1930, pp215-16.

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Capacity: 5 passengers
* Length: 33 ft (10 m)
* Wingspan: 47 ft 9 in (14.55 m)
* Wing area: 292 sq ft (27.1 m2)
* Gross weight: 4,420 lb (2,005 kg)
* Fuel capacity: 90 US gallons (340 l; 75 imp gal)
* Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-540 radial, 165 hp (123 kW) each
* Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

* Maximum speed: 117 kn (135 mph, 217 km/h)
* Range: 600 nmi (690 mi, 1,100 km)
* Wing loading: 15.15 lb/sq ft (74.0 kg/m2)

## See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Saro Cutty Sark

## References

1. ↑ Robert F. Pauley. Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers.
2. ↑ E. R. Johnson. American flying boats and amphibious aircraft: an illustrated history. p. 324.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "An Interesting American Amphibian". Flight (14 February 1930): 215. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1930/untitled0 - 0223.html.
4. ↑ "Patent 188833". http://www.freepatentsonline.com/1888335.pdf. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
5. ↑ "AN INTERESTING AMERICAN AMPHIBIAN The Towle All-Metal T-2". Flight: 216. 14 Feb 1930.
6. ↑ Skyways: 56. January 1999.

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