Percival P.87 aircraft

[hesham]

Hi,

the Percival P.87 was intended to replace the Douglas DC-3 and
powered by two pusher engines.
http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1953/1953%20-%201203.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1953/1953%20-%201206.html

 

[Jemiba]

3-view from "Der Flieger" 1953:

 

[Apophenia]

Artist impressions of the Hunting Percival P.87 from Flight. The engine choice and arrangement was quite odd: (from Flight 16 April 1954, p87)

P.87 ... designed around a pair of Napier low-pressure gas-producer engines, probably Oryx. They would be mounted in the wing with leading-edge intakes, a duct leading the hot gas to power turines mounted at the rear. These turbines would extract nearly all the energy from the gas-flow, so that the resulting efflux would contain little heat or kinetic energy. As a result, the efflux could be ejected close to the propeller blade-roots without the later coming to harm; at the same time, the installation should prove unusually quiet."

In different issues of Flight, the P.87 is described as a C. F. Toms-designed 36-seater with its lowest cost curve "at the 300-mile mark". [18 September 1953]

Elsewhere, specs are given as weighing in at 26,000 lb, TO 900 yd, 36 pax on short routes, 36 pax on longer runs. Hunter Percival estimated "that a tractor installation would add 600ft to the take-off length". [11 September 1953] Earlier, gross weight was given at "25,000 lb and a typical cruising speed of 265 m.p.h." [03 September 1953]

 

[Apophenia]

Forgot to mention reported colour artwork. Did anyone bid on the three 1955 issues of Three Eagle Comics on EBay recently? It'd be nice if that engine arrangement was visible in a cutaway ;D

Three Eagle Comics Vol 6 Nos 17 (29 Apr'55) with a centre colour section featuring "Hunting Percival P.87 - with the Napier 'Oryx' jet engine".

 

[Johnbr]

 

[Apophenia]

Nice! Thanks Johnbr

 

[hesham]

Amazing find Johnbr.