A Vlaicu III Aircraft Overview
The A Vlaicu III was a Romanian aircraft designed and built by Aurel Vlaicu, a Romanian engineer and inventor. It was a single-engine, high-wing monoplane with a wooden frame covered in fabric. The aircraft made its first flight in 1910 and was used for a variety of purposes, including reconnaissance and photography.
The A Vlaicu III was a significant achievement in Romanian aviation history, as it was the first aircraft built entirely in Romania. It had a maximum speed of around 90 km/h (56 mph) and a range of 150 km (93 miles). Although it was not widely used in military or civilian applications, it served as an important proof of concept for the development of Romanian aviation technology. Aurel Vlaicu himself later died in a tragic crash while testing a later version of the aircraft, the A Vlaicu IV, in 1913.
A Vlaicu III Specifications
- Crew: 2
- Length: 10.75 m (35 ft 3 in)
- Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
- Height: 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 24 m2 (260 sq ft)
- Gross weight: 575 kg (1,268 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Gamma air-cooled rotary piston engine, 52 kW (70 hp)
- Propellers: (2 coaxial, counter-rotating) 2-bladed, 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) diameter
