DAVID HORN COLLECTION
No. 12637. Planet Satellite (G-ALOI c/n 1)
Source unknown

Planet Satellite

11/15/2014. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "This British four-seater was of magnesium alloy construction, with a retractable landing gear and ventral fin and rudder. Power plant was a 250 hp de Havilland Gipsy Queen 32 engine amidships driving a pusher airscrew in the tail. Designed by J. N. D. Heenan, it was built in the Robinson Redwing factory at Croydon and erected at Redhill in 1948. The aircraft was shown at the Farnborough SBAC Show in September 1948, and was registered G-ALOI on April 26, 1949. Group Captain H.J. Wilson, Chief Test Pilot at RAE Farnborough, made the first hop along the length of the runway, upon landing the landing gear collapsed. After repairs the aircraft made another hop along the runway at a height of some 20 ft (6 m), upon landing the keel cracked. It was concluded that the aircraft was badly understressed and needed redesign, subsequently the project was cancelled. The aircraft "that flew, but never took off" was scrapped in 1958."


Created November 15, 2014