ICA IS-23
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The ICA IS-23 was a single-engined high-wing
monoplane 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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
with
STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...
capability that was built in Romania in the 1960s. It was developed into the similar ICA IS-24.


Design and development

The IS-23 was designed by Iosif Șilimon, a Romanian better known for his series of sailplanes including the IS-3, -8, and -10 to -13. In contrast, the IS-23 was a high-wing single-engined monoplane with a
radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...
and
tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...
. It was built to a Romanian government specification calling for an aircraft capable of agricultural and ambulance work or of towing gliders. In addition, it was to have STOL capabilities. The IS-23 was an all-metal aircraft. It had a high
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...
wing with constant chord inboard and slight taper beyond with almost square tips. The wing was equipped with various high lift devices to achieve the required STOL capability. The tail surfaces were constant chord and straight tipped, though the fin and rudder were slightly swept. The tailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage. The rudder was horn balanced, fitted with a
trim tab Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger Flight control surfaces, control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilise the ...
and cut away at the bottom to allow movement of the single piece elevator, also horn balanced. It was powered by a compactly cowled 9-cylinder, 300 hp (220 kW) Ivchenko AI-14RF radial engine. Behind it, the fuselage was flat sided. The cabin stretched from forward of the wing to well behind it with almost continuous glazing on both sides and could accommodate up to six people including the pilot. It could also be configured to carry two stretchers plus attendant and pilot. There were doors to the front seats on both sides and a third, port side, passenger door. Beyond the cabin, the fuselage the straight upper fuselage line continued but sides and bottom tapered to the tail. The IS-23's tall, fixed tricycle undercarriage had each main wheel supported from the fuselage centre line by a pair of asymmetric V-legs with a separate damping strut, mounted on the outer fuselage bottom, attached to the aft one. The wheeled undercarriage could be replaced with either floats or skis. Trials of the IS-23 began in mid 1968. Take off distances, dependent on load, were between 120–185 m (395–610 ft) and landings took 60–80 m (195–260 ft). The aircraft was later developed into the ICA IS-24, chiefly by replacing the radial engine with a flat 6-cylinder Lycoming, reducing the cabin glazing and lowering and widening the undercarriage.


Specifications


References

{{IAR_Aircraft 1960s Romanian civil utility aircraft IS-23 High-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1968