Photograph:
Interstate Aircraft S-1A Cadet VH-VCQ (c/n 9) in Victoria in 2015 (Unknown)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Two-seat light military utility aircraft
Power Plant:
One 48 kw (65 hp) Continental A65-8 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 10.872 m (35 ft 6 in)
- Length: 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in)
- Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
- Wing area: 16.14 m² (173.8 sq ft)
- Max speed: 172 km/h (107 mph)
- Cruising speed: 158 km/h (98 mph)
- Stalling speed: 58 km/h (36 mph)
- Rate of climb at sea level: 190 m/min (625 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 4,420 m (14,500 ft)
- Fuel capacity: 67 litres (12.5 Imp gals)
- Range: 563 km (350 miles)
- Empty weight: 327 kg (720 lb)
- Useful load: 218 kg (480 lb)
- Loaded weight: 544 kg (1,200 lb)
History:
The Interstate Aircraft Cadet was a two-seat in tandem high-wing single-engine monoplane produced by the Interstate Aircraft & Engineering Corporation based in El Segundo, California. During 1941 and 1942 approximately 320 examples was produced, mainly for the United States (US) military.
Construction was of welded steel tube fuselage, with spruce wooden wing structure with metal ribs, covered in fabric. The prototype, the S-1, was powered by a 37 kw (50 hp) Continental A-50 engine but this was soon replaced by the A-65 engine. Other variants were the S1-A-65F fitted with a 48 kw (65 hp) Franklin engine, the S-1A-85 fitted with a 63 kw (85 hp) Franklin engine, and the S-1A-90F fitted with a 67 kw (90 hp) Franklin engine. These models were for the general aviation market.
A model known as the S-1B was developed for the military liaison and air-observation post role, the glazed canopy being extended aft and a 76 kw (102 hp) Franklin O-200-5 four-cylinder air-cooled engine being installed. It was purchased in some numbers for the US Army and became known as the L-6A Grasshopper. It was operated as a light liaison and observation aircraft. The US Army prototype was known as the XO-63 (serial 42-15895), later becoming the XL-6, and had a 75 kw (100 hp) Franklin XO-200-5 engine. A number of aircraft types were operated by the US Army in the liaison and observation role, including from Taylorcraft, Piper, etc, and all were known as Grasshoppers. Production of the L-6 totalled 250 (serials 43-2559 to 43-2808).
After World War II a number of aircraft were released to private owners. In 1945 rights to the design were sold to Harlow Aircraft Company, which in turn in 1946 re-sold the tooling and parts to Call Aircraft Company of Afton, Wyoming. This company rebuilt some S-1s, S-1As and ex-military L-6s for local ranchers and bush pilots, producing a new example known as the CallAir S-1A-90C.
In the late 1960s the Type Certificate and tooling were obtained by Arctic Aircraft Company which re-designed the aircraft into the S-1B1 bush plane with a stronger fuselage, undercarriage and wings. This later became the S-1B2 with a 119 kw (160 hp) Lycoming O-320 engine driving a McCauley propeller. In 1975 the aircraft was again modernised as the S-1B2 Arctic Tern. More than 540 examples have been built over its history.
First of the type seen in this region was NC37361, which was imported to demonstrate it and its pilot’s ability to land on a platform attached to the top of a truck travelling up and down the runway at the Australian International Air Show at Avalon in 2009.
On 20 May 2014 an S-1A was imported and registered to Peter Harlow of Black Rock, VIC, this aircraft becoming VH-VCQ (c/n 9).