Towle TA-2

Development

Thomas Towle was an engineer that had been involved with many early aircraft designs. Having just co-designed the Eastman E-2 Sea Rover and the Towle WC, Towle found funding to create a new entity, the Towle Aircraft Company to produce the TA-2.

Design

The TA-2 featured a corrugated aluminum hull. The wings were all metal with internal stiffeners, rather than ribs, based loosely on the Ford Trimotor, which Towle worked on previously. The twin Wright R-540 engines sat on small pylons on top of the shoulder mounted wing. The prototype was originally designed for 165 hp Wright 540 engines.

Operational history

The TA-2 was tested in Lake St. Clair on 7 November 1929 by test pilot George Pond and James Bradley. It broke up on takeoff and sank to the bottom of the lake. The aircraft appears to have been rebuilt as a Towle TA-2 and was reported to have visited Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom in February 1930. The wing from the prototype was salvaged and used on the next iteration, the Towle TA-3.

Variants

• Towle WC The basis for the TA-2

Specifications

|prime units?=kts General characteristics

|max takeoff weight kg= |max takeoff weight lb= |max takeoff weight note= Powerplant

Performance

|never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |minimum control speed kmh= |minimum control speed mph= |minimum control speed kts= |minimum control speed note= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft=15.15 |power/mass= |thrust/weight=

References

References

1. Robert F. Pauley. "Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers".
2. E. R. Johnson. "American flying boats and amphibious aircraft: an illustrated history".
3. "Patent 188833".
4. (14 Feb 1930). "AN INTERESTING AMERICAN AMPHIBIAN The Towle All-Metal T-2".
5. Skyways. (January 1999)
6. "An Interesting American Amphibian".