The Kennedy K-W is an American
high-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing co ...
,
strut-braced, single-seat
glider
Glider may refer to:
Aircraft and transport Aircraft
* Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight
** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...
that was designed by Harold Kennedy of
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town ...
, with assistance from Floyd Watson. The aircraft is notable for being assembled from
certified powered
aircraft components and also for having had an in-flight break-up.
[Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 7. ]Soaring Society of America
The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 193 ...
November 1983. USPS 499–920
Design and development
The K-W glider was assembled from a collection of certified
fixed-wing aircraft parts. The aft
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
was from an
Aeronca Chief, with the welded steel tubing structure narrowed from a two seats in
side-by-side seating
Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction.
The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...
configuration to a single seat width.
The vertical fin from the Chief was retained. The
tailplane
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropla ...
was from a
Taylorcraft
Taylorcraft Aviation is an airplane manufacturer that has been producing aircraft for more than 70 years in several locations.
The company builds small single-engined airplanes. The Taylorcraft design is a conventional layout: high-wing, fab ...
, reduced in span to to allow road transportation on a trailer. The single monowheel landing gear, wings and V-
strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
Human anatomy
Part of the functionality o ...
s were taken from an
Aeronca K. The wings were modified to add
spoilers.
Because of its component parts heritage, the aircraft had a steel tube fuselage and wooden wings, all covered in doped
aircraft fabric covering.
A second aircraft was constructed along the same lines by Bob Dart of
Mayville, New York
Mayville is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 1,477 at the 2020 census, 13.7% less than in the 2010 census. Mayville is in the town of Chautauqua and is the county seat of Chautauqua County. The village ...
and called the Aero-5. This aircraft still existed in May 2011.
Operational history
The K-W prototype was completed and flown in 1957 and accumulated 390 hours, the majority of which had been flown by Kennedy's two teenaged sons.
The K-W was being flown by a 27-year-old
private pilot with 56 hours total time and four hours on type, on 10 August 1975 from the
Fowler Airport located near
Fowler, Kansas. The glider was being launched by
aerotow
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is a ...
and when the glider attempted to release the tow rope the righthand wing struts separated from the fuselage at the attachment fitting due to an overload failure. The aircraft crashed and the pilot was killed. The US
National Transportation Safety Board identified the likely cause factors as that the pilot in command mishandled the flight controls and exceeded the stress limits of the aircraft. The NTSB also cited the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft type. No further aircraft of the type were constructed.
Variants
;Kennedy K-W
:Original prototype, destroyed in August 1975.
;Dart Aero-5
:Second aircraft built along the same lines. The fuselage was an original design, but the fin and rudder from a Taylorcraft were used, along with Aeronca wings. A later owner was reportedly constructing a new set of longer, all-metal wings for the aircraft in 1983. As of May 2011 this aircraft was still registered with the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...
and based in
Milo, Iowa
Milo is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 778 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Des Moines– West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Milo had its start in the year 1878 by the bu ...
.
Specifications (K-W)
See also
References
{{reflist
1950s United States sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1957