18-402: SX 300 or SX-300 may refer to: Swearingen SX-300 , an aircraft SX 300 (superalloy) , a superalloy variation of Inconel [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title formed as a letter–number combination. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
36-545: A fatal accident during a demonstration, which ultimately diminished the interest of the military." The kit was very difficult to construct, even for experienced builders and many were not completed. It is estimated that 80 to 90 kits were sold but only 48 sets of landing gear were made. About 45 SX-300s were actually completed and flown with about 30 reportedly still flying in 2023. In a 2023 review for AVweb , Johnathan and Julia Apfelbaum concluded, "the SX300 doesn’t just look like
54-619: A thoroughbred rocket ship of an aircraft—it really is. We would have to say this aircraft is certainly one of Swearingen’s finest achievements." The design has had a high accident rate, with at least seven fatal accidents recorded by the US NTSB . At least five were also damaged in landing gear collapses due to failures of the landing gear main leg trunnions. Data from Flying General characteristics Performance [REDACTED] Media related to Swearingen SX-300 at Wikimedia Commons Tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear
72-443: Is a high-performance homebuilt aircraft , featuring two seats and developed by Ed Swearingen during the 1980s. The aircraft was offered as a kit, but this was not a comprehensive kit like contemporary designs, and its construction was beyond the abilities of the average amateur aircraft builder. The airplane features a 300 horsepower (220 kW) six-cylinder engine. Citing the lack of advancement in aircraft performance since
90-503: 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 the center of gravity . Tricycle gear aircraft are the easiest for takeoff, landing and taxiing, and consequently the configuration is now the most widely used on aircraft. Several early aircraft had primitive tricycle gear, notably very early Antoinette planes and
108-435: Is arguably more suited to rougher landing strips. The tailwheel makes the plane sit naturally in a nose-up attitude when on the ground, which is useful for operations on unpaved gravel surfaces where debris could damage the propeller. The tailwheel also transmits loads to the airframe in a way much less likely to cause airframe damage when operating on rough fields. The small tailwheel is much lighter and much less vulnerable than
126-410: Is essentially the reverse of conventional landing gear or taildragger . On the ground, tricycle aircraft have a visibility advantage for the pilot as the nose of the aircraft is level, whereas the high nose of the taildragger can block the view ahead. Tricycle gear aircraft are much less liable to 'nose over' as can happen if a taildragger hits a bump or has the brakes heavily applied. In a nose-over,
144-550: Is made from composite material and is based on Swearingen's design he employed in the Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche . The canopy is forward hinged and secured with six latches. The Lycoming IO-540 powerplant is mounted using a 7.25 in (18.42 cm) propeller extension and is offset 2° right and 1.5° down for P-factor effects. The fuel is contained in two wet wings and capacity is 30 U.S. gallons (110 L; 25 imp gal) per side. The tricycle landing gear
162-407: Is retractable rearwards and fuselage-mounted. The right hand main landing gear includes a retractable step. The aircraft is stressed for +6/-3 g . Kits went on sale in 1986 and ceased sales in 1989. The company indicated that production ended due to lack of progress in type certifying the design, but Apfelbaum indicates "the more likely reason is that a turboprop prototype shed its wings, leading to
180-447: Is stretch-formed over machine dies and then wrapped around the wing to achieve a smooth surface. The leading edge is reinforced with foam. The wing has a tapered planform, but with a straight leading edge. The fuselage has hydroformed structural members, with stringers and sheet metal covering. The wings have 3° of washout to improve the stall characteristics. The ailerons are differential and counter-weighted. The engine cowling
198-520: The Curtiss Pushers of the pre-World War I Pioneer Era of aviation. Waldo Waterman 's 1929 tailless Whatsit was one of the first to have a steerable nose wheel. In 1956, Cessna introduced sprung-steel tricycle landing gear on the Cessna 172 . Their marketing department described this as "Land-O-Matic" to imply that these aircraft were much easier to land than tailwheel aircraft. Tricycle gear
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#1732869482964216-820: The Yakovlev Yak-15 , the Supermarine Attacker , and prototypes such as the Heinkel He 178 that pioneered jet flight , the first four prototypes (V1 through V4) of the Messerschmitt Me 262 , and the Nene powered version of the Vickers VC.1 Viking . Outside of the United States ;– where the tricycle undercarriage had solidly begun to take root with its aircraft firms before that nation's World War II involvement at
234-453: The attitude required to land on the main gear is the same as that required in the flare , and they are less vulnerable to crosswinds . As a result, the majority of modern aircraft are fitted with tricycle gear. Almost all jet-powered aircraft have been fitted with tricycle landing gear to prevent the blast of hot, high-speed gases from causing damage to the ground surface, in particular runways and taxiways . The few exceptions have included
252-483: The 1930s, Swearingen started a new company to develop faster light aircraft designs. The new design was intended to be developed as a kit aircraft initially and then later to be type certified , although certification was never completed. The aircraft was designed in 1983, first flown on July 1, 1984 and initially designated as the S29-300, for Swearingen, 29th design, 300 horsepower . The official company designation for
270-536: The aircraft's tail rises and the propeller strikes the ground, causing damage. The tricycle layout reduces the possibility of a ground loop , because the main gear lies behind the center of mass. However, tricycle aircraft can be susceptible to wheel-barrowing . The nosewheel equipped aircraft also is easier to handle on the ground in high winds due to its wing negative angle of attack . Student pilots are able to safely master nosewheel equipped aircraft more quickly. Tricycle gear aircraft are easier to land because
288-522: The end of 1941 – the Heinkel firm in World War II Germany began building airframe designs meant to use tricycle undercarriage systems from their beginnings, as early as late 1939 with the Heinkel He 280 pioneering jet fighter demonstrator series, and the unexpectedly successful Heinkel He 219 twin-engined night fighter of 1942 origin. The taildragger configuration has its own advantages, and
306-413: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SX-300&oldid=937419393 " Category : Letter–number combination disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Swearingen SX-300 The Swearingen SX-300
324-460: The production kit aircraft is SX300 , although some owners have registered them as SX-300 and SX 300 . The SX300 is fabricated from all-metal aluminum sheet, but with an emphasis on reducing aerodynamic drag . The wings are made from 0.040 in (1.02 mm) aluminum sheet, while the tail is 0.020 in (0.51 mm) sheet, with all metal joints butt-ended rather than overlapped and secured with countersunk rivets. The wing leading edge
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