The Aeronca C-2, powered by a tiny two-cylinder engine, debuted in 1929. It was flying at its most basic—the pilot sat on a bare plywood board. The C-2 featured an unusual, almost frivolous design with an open-pod fuselage that inspired its nickname, The Flying Bathtub, The general design of the C-2 could have been inspired by Jean Roche's initial flight experiences with an American-built copy of the Santos-Dumont Demoiselle, which had a similar triangular "basic" fuselage cross-section, and wire spoked main landing gear wheels right up against the fuselage sides.[citation needed]
Equipped with only five instruments, a stick, and rudder pedals (brakes and a heater cost extra), the C-2 was priced at a low $1,495, bringing the cost of flying down to a level that a private citizen could aspire to and perhaps reach. Aeronca sold 164 of the economical C-2s at the height of the Great Depression in 1930-1931, helping to spark the growth of private aviation in the United States.[citation needed]
The Aeronca C-2 also holds the distinction of being the first aircraft to be refueled from a moving automobile. A can of gasoline was handed up from a speeding Austin automobile to a C-2 pilot, (who hooked it with a wooden cane) during a 1930 air show in California. A seaplane version of the C-2 was also offered, designated the PC-2 and PC-3 (“P” for pontoon) with floats replacing the wheeled landing gear.[citation needed]
A single Aeronca C-2 was converted to a glider by H.J. Parham in England after an in-flight engine failure and forced landing. The nose was faired in after the removal of the engine. It first flew as a glider 15 May 1937 and went to the Dorset Glider Club but was destroyed in the club hanger during a storm in November 1938
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 20 ft (6.10 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft (10.98 m)
Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.28 m)
Wing area: 142.2 ft² (13.2 m²)
Empty weight: 406 lbs (184 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Aeronca E-107A 1.75L piston engine, 26-30 hp ()
Performance
Maximum speed: 80 mph (128 km/h)
Cruise speed: 65 mph (104 km/h)
Stall speed: 31 mph (50 km/h)
Range: 240 mi (384 km)
Service ceiling: 16,500 ft (5032 m)
Wing loading: 4.92 lb/ft² (24 kg/m²)
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