Cold War Primary Trainer Aircraft Challenge

[Kiwi Imperialist]

Welcome to the Cold War Primary Trainer Aircraft Challenge! Your task is to draw a primary trainer which conforms to the Design Requirements outlined below. Please read these requirements as well as the Challenge Rules before posting a submission. This challenge was based on a suggestion in the Future Challenge Ideas/Suggestions thread. If you have ideas of your own for a future challenge, consider sharing them there. Do not be afraid to make a suggestion that has already been made. It reveals that multiple people are interested in a particular topic.

Design Requirements

1. Your submission must depict a fictional primary trainer aircraft.
2. The aircraft should enter service between 1946 and 1991. Development may commence before this time frame.
3. The aircraft must be designed from the outset as a trainer and that should be its primary role.
4. Maximum takeoff weight must not exceed 15,000 lbs (6,803 kg).
5. Maximum speed should not exceed 800 km/h (497 mph).

Challenge Rules

1. Each participant may submit one image.
2. The image must be an FD template modified to include the participant’s system and, optionally, crew figures at their stations within the system and/or one of the following: unit insignia, manufacturer logo, national flag. Other elements, including data sheets and scenic elements, are not permitted. If you have specifications and blocks of text, please include them as text in your post and not in the image itself.
3. No more than three views are allowed in each image.
4. If two or three views are included, they must depict the same individual aircraft in the same paint schemes, markings, and configuration (e.g. landing gear deployed).
5. All art must be in FD scale and conform to the same drawing and shading rules as official Shipbucket styles.
6. A textual description accompanying each submission is permitted, but not necessary.
7. Non-serious entries, or entries substantially deviate from the challenge requirements, are not allowed.
8. Off-topic posts will be reported to the relevant authorities.

This challenge will run until Sunday the 22nd of October 2023, ending at 23:59 UTC-12 (International Date Line West).
A countdown timer can be found at this link.

A poll will be held after this date to select a winner. When it opens, please provide honest and meaningful scores for each entry. Responses which grant maximum scores to a select group of entries, and minimum scores to all other entries, will be deleted. Members of the community who manipulate the results in such a fashion may also be subject to a permanent ban. Scores will be allocated in two categories, each with a scale of 1 to 10:

• Drawing Quality - The overall quality of the drawing. One might consider detailing, shading, and accuracy.
• Design Quality -The quality of the design presented, irrespective of drawing quality. One could consider feasibility, practicality, and realism.

[grandprix]

The CJ-6B is a two-seat basic trainer and light attack aircraft developed by the Nanchang Aircraft Factory in China. It is a variant of the CJ-6, which was designed to replace the Yak-18-based CJ-5 trainer. The CJ-6B features a more powerful Zhuzhou Huosai HS-7F air-cooled flat-8 aircraft piston engine that produces 300 hp, and can be armed with machine guns, bombs and rockets for border patrol missions. The CJ-6B was selected as the standard basic trainer for the Warsaw Treaty Organization in 1953, and has been exported to several countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. The CJ-6B is still in service today as the CJ-6M, which is equipped with modern electronic devices for navigation and communication. The CJ-6B has a reputation for reliable performance and easy maintenance, and has trained generations of pilots for over six decades.

[TNGShM]

Your image isn't showing up (your destroyer in Beginners isn't showing up either). Maybe try using imgur or something similar.

[Charguizard]

The Bellanca 19-50 stemmed from a 1955 request by the newly created Vespusean Air Force for the replacement of various legacy trainers that were quickly becoming a logistic headache. The newly formed country inherited equipment from its constituent states, which had sometimes retained in service aircraft that had served during the North American wars of the '30s. In addition, the former Empire State had been producing aircraft under contract for Lend Lease to the Republic of China and Italy, for use during the Pacific War and the Second World War. At the end of these wars the remaining aircraft at the factories had been finished and put up for sale, sometimes making it back to the Army Air Corps or Navy. All in all the Air Force General Staff intended to replace some 14 different models outright and another 5 gradually.
The requirements for the Primary trainer included a range of 600 nautical miles on internal tanks, a stall speed of 70 knots in landing configuration, two external hardpoints for gunpods or training bombs and a rating of +6 and -3 Gs at takeoff weight. Benevolent handling characteristics and a smartly laid out cockpit would be desired. An immediate order of 500 airframes with possible export deals and further orders were promised. Just about every General Aviation and Fighter aircraft manufacturer in the country answered the call to the succulent bidding, including Bell, Columbia, AKC (Klemm), Fleetwings, Curtiss, Brewster, Pitcairn and Keystone-Loening-Jacobs (KLJ). Even Savoia-Marchetti and Macchi from Italy, and FMA from Argentina submitted proposals. Engine selection was seconded to the manufacturers but simplicity of maintenance was preferred. Usage of big radials was discouraged as they were thought to be too temperamental for trainees.



The project stalled for approval in congress, and was only passed for FY 60 after an accident in which a Fairchild BT-46 broke up in flight, killing the student and the instructor, Senator Prescott Bush's son George. The cause of the accident was determined to be delamination of the wing spar due to age and humidity. Among the finalists were the Taylor TA-24, the Curtiss CW-60 and surprisingly the FMA I.Ae 47. Another surprise entry was the 19-50 from Bellanca, a company known for its wooden aircraft. Bellanca had built Curtiss Retaliators under license in an expanded factory during the Pacific War, and used its new technical knowledge to submit a duralumin monocoque airframe powered by a Ranger V-510 inverted V8, which made it look like a miniature fighter from the war in Japan. The I.Ae 47 was eliminated due to its fixed landing gear, despite achieving acceptable performance. The subsequent flyoff involved aerobatics and flying into bad weather. The CW-60 was found to be heavy and unresponsive and was subsequently eliminated. Matching in points, both the TA-24 and 19-50 were considered successful and worthy of procuring.

The staff asked Colonel Franciszek Gabryszewski to break the tie. He decided to phone Lt.Col Thomas McGuire out of retirement for a match. The dogfight took place on a Sunday, and people from New York and its surroundings made their way to Long Beach to spectate the flyoff. Vying for a best of three, McGuire in the TA-24 scored first. Then he scored again. Both planes landed to refuel. At noon both aircraft took off again and were followed by a Bell B-45 bomber carrying press photographers. Col. Gabryszewski scored twice in a row, and on the next engagement McGuire seemed to have Gabryszewski's tail. The Colonel put his aircraft into a turning climb and started to scissor with McGuire. The TA-24 slowed down to avoid overtaking the Bellanca, but as the Taylor lost energy, the Colonel climbed again, then put his plane into a hard skid. The Taylor stalled and dived. The Bellanca lost control for a second, but quickly recovered and got into McGuire's tail, affording Gabryszewski the third and last point.

After landing, Col. Gabryszewski remarked that the 19-50 was "delectable" at the controls, stable and forgiving, and gave Bellanca Aircraft Corporation the win. Immediately going into production, the 19-50, now christened Norseman, was a stounding success, both domestically and in export contracts. The Navy would order 200 aircraft, but subsequently ordered the Savoia-Marchetti SM.260 in 1970 as its Primary Trainer. The Taylor TA-24 would be redesigned as a general aviation and executive aircraft and would see much success in the civilian market.

[The_Sprinklez]

Piper's Short-Lived Star: The PA-50 Cayuga




The Piper PA-50 Cayuga was an American single-engined training monoplane designed by Piper for military and commercial markets.

The PA-50 grew out of Piper’s exploration into two-seat trainers in the late-1950s and early-1960s that initially culminated in the PA-29 Papoose. The Papoose proved that the PA-28 airframe could be successfully adapted into a two-seat trainer, but the all-composite construction proved to be too expensive for serial production and Piper quietly discontinued the project. In 1965, company executives decided to restart design work on a similar trainer, this time intended for the military market. The US Air Force had just recently decided to retire the T-34 Mentor and Piper’s management saw an opening for a similar aircraft with the USAF and foreign T-34 operators. Desperate to avoid the skyrocketing costs that the PA-29 experienced, the new design was to be all-metal and retain as much of the existing PA-28 airframe as possible. The PA-28R-180 Arrow, which was also currently on the drawing board, was determined to be the perfect starting point for the new aircraft (soon designated PA-50).

Designers began by removing the four-place cabin and replacing it with a sliding bubble canopy seating student and instructor in a side-by-side configuration. The landing gear was strengthened to support repeated hard landings by new student pilots and the fuselage was reinforced to increase G limits to +6/-3. The 180 horsepower Lycoming IO-360-B1E engine from the Arrow was quickly identified as too weak and Piper chose to fit the 300 horsepower Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 engine from the PA-32-300 instead. This engine gave the PA-50 excellent performance for an aircraft its size and gave it speed comparable to that of the T-34 it was intended to replace.

The first PA-50 rolled out of Piper’s Lock Haven facility in April 1969 and took flight on 1 June. Test pilots reported excellent visibility and an aircraft that was both stable and responsive. Marketing tours began in the fall and both the USAF and USN tested the aircraft in early 1970. The USAF, however, was not interested in purchasing the design as the Cessna T-37B had already become their standard primary trainer and replaced the T-34. Piper was simply too late to the party. The US Navy was similarly uninterested, having decided to retain the T-34 and develop the turboprop-powered T-34C. This left Piper without obvious domestic operators and focus shifted to foreign markets. Orders finally came in the summer of 1970, with Mexico placing an initial order for 15 aircraft and the Philippines ordering 48 aircraft to replace their T-34s. The line at Lock Haven went into full swing in early 1971 and serial production aircraft began rolling off the line in the summer. The US Army approached Piper in August 1971 about purchasing a small handful of aircraft to provide fixed-wing training for their pilots, a role that was at the time being fulfilled by the USAF. An order was finalized in early September for five PA-50s, to be operated by the US Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker.

The US Army and Mexican Air Force orders were complete by spring 1972, but the larger Filipino order was still underway in early June when disaster struck. Torrential rains from Hurricane Agnes caused massive flooding along the Susquehanna River which drowned Piper’s facility in over 16 feet of water and destroyed over 100 aircraft. Tooling for several aircraft was completely destroyed, including equipment for the PA-24 Comanche and the PA-50 Cayuga. Production never resumed, and the Philippine Air Force sold their incomplete order to civilian operators and smaller militaries including several African nations. The Mexican Air Force and US Army remained the only original military operators of the PA-50, though Mexico retired their aircraft by 1980 in favor of a larger order of SIAI-Marchetti SF.260s. The US Army flew the type well into the early 1990s, before they too divested their fleet. Only 37 PA-50s were ever built.



Specifications:
Crew: One
Capacity: One Passenger
Length: 7.5 m
Wingspan: 9.2 m
Height: 2.9 m
Wing Area: 15 m2
Airfoil: NACA 652-415
Empty Weight: 1,605 lb
Gross Weight: 2,650 lb
Max Takeoff Weight: 2,650 lb
Powerplant: 1x Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 6-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 300 hp
Propeller: 2-blade constant speed propeller

Performance:
Never-Exceed Speed: 215 KIAS
Cruise Speed: 165 KIAS
Stall Speed: 55 KIAS (Flaps/Gear Extended)
Range: 375 nmi
Service Ceiling: 15,200 ft
Rate of Climb: 1,230 ft/min


Below is an excerpt of Sections I and II from the PA-50's Pilot Operating Handbook (1971 revision).

[BvonTeapot]

Bachem "Kolibri"



With the increased production and usage of the Haunebu type flying saucers, it was decided by the Luftwaffe that a dedicated trainer to prepare crews for the unique crafts would be necessary. In the late 50s they approached the Bachem company to design a trainer that would have the characteristics of a standard Haunebu, but would have smaller dimensions and lower speed so that trainees would not be overwhelmed in their initial training. The vehicle presented here is a Kolibri B, first produced in 1960 and began service in December of that year. It is painted in the training livery, which incorporates the dark grey seen in standard saucers but with blue and white stripes to indicate that it is an unarmed trainer. The Kolibri was also made with lighter materials so that it would weigh much less than a standard saucer, weighing less than ~5000 kg.

(yes this is a wolfenstein inspired design )

[DeadRight]

Fleet Model 90 Falcon


The Fleet Model 90 Falcon was an original design put forward by Fleet Aircraft of Fort Erie, ON in the late 60s to fulfill the requirements of a replacement request for the aging DHC-1 Chipmunk primary trainer being used by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The Falcon featured a four-cylinder Lycoming O-360 family piston engine producing just under 200bhp, a low-wing monoplane design, a mid-mount horizontal stabilizer, and an uncommon nose-gear folding mechanism similar to that of the Beech Sierra. The Falcon would be put up against the Beech Model 23 Musketeer, while the existing Musketeer was considered the cheaper and lighter option, the Model 90 would be strongly favoured thanks to it being a Canadian-designed and built airframe. In late 1968 following the unification of the 3 branches of the Canadian Military to create the Canadian Armed Forces with a stronger stance on "Buy-Canadian," the choice was made to award a Fleet to build 50 new primary trainers for the Canadian Armed Forces. Production began in the spring of 1969 with the 2 prototypes going to the CAF for instructor familiarization and maintenance training. The first deliveries of production models would begin later that year, with 6 (excluding the prototypes) being delivered in 1969, 12 in 1970, 14 in 1971, 14 in 1972, and finally the last 2 being delivered in January of 1973. The Falcon would go on to serve a meaningful career with the Canadian Armed Forces until June 2004. Following the successful contract with the CAF, Fleet would produce a civilian-market version in the 1970s being offered up until the mid '80s, seeing limited success.

[TNGShM]

Kanazaki K-7K



Following the end of the 3rd Intercontinental War, it was decided that the old Kurashimo K-5U and Nagasuka K-6N were out of date and a private specification was issued to Kanazaki Aircraft Ltd. to design a replacement. The prototype, designated the Model 286 first flew on 26 December 849. After ironing out teething issues with the hydraulic system and the cockpit layout, the Model 286 was accepted into service as the K-7K in April 850 and 1500 were initially ordered. Construction of the units was sped up due to the reusing of surplus engines taken from bombers scrapped following the end of the war.

Adopted as the primary trainer of the Altesian Naval Air Service, they were based on land but would often fly out to land on training carriers and as such were equipped with tailhooks. They were also equipped with two 13mm machine guns in the wings for gunnery practice. Examples exported to allied nations often used them as light ground attack aircraft in a counterinsurgency and close air support role.

The examples in service with Alteias were used until the mid 860s when the jet powered Heilan K-8H entered service. At that point, the majority were either mothballed or sold to allied nations, though several dozen managed to make their way into civilian hands, where they take part in air shows and races regularly.

Specifications:
General Characteristics:
Type: Primary Trainer
Crew: 2
Length: 10.77 m
Wingspan: 12.87 m
Height: 4.12 m
Empty weight: 3,062 kg
Max takeoff weight: 3994 kg
Powerplant: Horuka R-839-44 Tasemuki 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 1675 hp

Performance
Maximum speed: 308 kt
Ferry range: 1010 nmi
Service ceiling: 11,000 m
Rate of Climb: 18 m/s

Armament:
- 2 x 13mm machine guns
- Hardpoints (K-7K/3): 6, with a capacity of 560 kg total

[Hood]

BEAGLE Retriever


BEAGLE Retriever Mk.I, Portuguese Air Force, 1981

Following the success of their Pup two-seat light aircraft and the Bulldog military elementary trainer, the British Executive & General Aviation Limited (trading as BEAGLE) decided in 1976 to pursue a modernised jet-powered development of the Bulldog. The Oil Crisis of 1973 had alarmed many air forces as they sought to cut the cost of flying training. By the mid-70s a new range of lightweight turbofans had emerged and these began to revolutionise flight by offered better performance than piston engines with good fuel economy.

The prototype Retriever was first flown on 26 July 1978 and after a successful development programme using two prototypes a sales tour followed. These picked up small sales from El Salvador, Nigeria and Thailand. The biggest success came in the 1979 NATO Light Basic Trainer competition when a range of NATO nations entered their aircraft for an extensive fly off process. In the event most of the major NATO powers ignored the low-power turbofan designs, but Portugal brought 50 Retrievers, and Greece followed up with another 60. Deliveries began in 1981 and 1983 respectively and they served in both air forces until the early 2020s.

A more powerful Mk.II with a Lycoming ATF503 turbofan entered the market in 1984 and did much better in terms of sales.

General characteristics

Crew: 2 (instructor and pupil)
Length: 7.64 m (overall)
Span: 8.46 m
Height: 2.62 m (including anti-collision beacon)
Empty weight: 14,985 lb (6,797 kg)
Gross weight: 19,870 lb (9,012 kg)
Powerplant: 1x Lycoming ALF101G turbofan, 1,650 lbf (7.33 kN) thrust dry

Performance

Maximum speed: 185 kt (342 km/h)
Range: 540 nm (1,000 km)
Service ceiling: 20,0000 ft (6,096 m)
Rate of climb: 13.4 m/s (2,650 ft/min)

[MattewEx]