The Tennessee Propellers Scout is an American
powered parachute that was designed and produced by
Tennessee Propellers
Tennessee Propellers, Inc, founded in 1981, was an American manufacturer of wooden Propeller (aircraft), propellers for Homebuilt aircraft, homebuilt and ultralight aircraft. The company headquarters was located in Rising Fawn, Georgia.Purdy, D ...
of
Normandy, Tennessee. The aircraft was introduced in 1999, but is no longer available.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page D-12. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ]
Design and development
Tennessee Propellers is a company better known for their wooden maple laminate aircraft propellers, but the company also acted as the exclusive distributor for the
Zenoah G-25 and
G-50 line of engines. To complement these product lines they developed the Scout powered parachute which is powered by the G-50 driving a Tennessee propeller.
The Scout was designed to comply with the US
FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It features a
parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
-style
high-wing, single-place accommodation,
tricycle landing gear and a single G-50 engine in
pusher configuration
In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...
. The
Rotax 503 engine was a factory option.
The aircraft carriage is built from
powder coated welded
6061-T6 aluminum tubing and is a highly simplified design compared to other powered parachutes. In flight steering is accomplished via foot pedals that actuate the canopy brakes, creating roll and yaw. On the ground the same foot pedals control the nosewheel steering. The main landing gear incorporates
fiberglass spring rod suspension. Standard equipment factory provided included a large canopy-stowage bag, electric engine starting, flight instruments and a four-point pilot harness.
The Scout was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft.
Specifications (Scout)
References
{{reflist
1990s United States ultralight aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Powered parachutes