Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Two-seat light touring monoplane

Power Plant:

One 56 kw (75 hp) Continental A-75 four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Porterfield 35-70 series of aircraft was placed in production by the Porterfield Aircraft Corporation in the USA in April 1935.  At the time it was fitted with a 52 kw (70 hp) Le Blond five-cylinder air-cooled radial engine.  A variety of versions was built, with the first numerals of the designation referring to the year the type entered production, and the second part referring to the power of the engine. Other models were the 35-65, 35-75, and 35-90, the latter being placed in production in 1935 and having a 67 kw (90 hp) engine.

Built at the Company’s Kansas City plant, the 35-70 was first introduced at the Detroit Air Show in 1935, and immediately won favour on the market, the Le Blond engine being quite economical to operate.  Production was mainly of the 35-70 model, which was used as a pilot-trainer, a useful tool in business, or as a sportsplane. Later models were powered by the Ken Royce series of engines. These were actually the Le Blond engine as it was later manufactured by Rearwin, the five-cylinder Le Blond 5DE producing 52 kw (70 hp) at 1,950 rpm. The fuselage framework was constructed of welded steel-tubing faired to shape with wooden formers and fairing strips, then fabric covered. The wing panels were built up of solid spruce spar beams with spruce and plywood truss-type wing ribs, with the leading-edges being covered with dural sheet, and the completed framework fabric covered.

Two model 35-70s were imported to Australia:  VH-ABP (c/n 335), which arrived in April 1938, and crashed at Hamilton, VIC in February 1942; and VH-UVH (c/n 242), which arrived in December 1936 for Reginald Myles Ansett (later Sir R M Ansett). The latter was registered to Ansett Airways Pty Ltd of Hamilton, VIC on 8 December 1936 and on 16 December it joined other competitors in the Brisbane to Adelaide Air Race, being awarded first prize.

On 28 February 1939 it was badly damaged in a fire at Essendon, VIC, being rebuilt and registered again in April 1941.  At this stage it was fitted with a 52 kw (70 hp) Le Blond radial engine. From 1946 to 1949 it had a number of owners, and was extensively damaged in a forced landing on 3 September 1949.  It was rebuilt, and at that stage was fitted with a 56 kw (75 hp) Continental A-75 engine due to problems associated with obtaining spare parts for the Le Blond. It then had a number of owners until obtained by the late John Bange of Clifton, QLD, in April 1955, who regularly flew the aircraft from his airstrip.  In the late 1990s it was restored by family members and the aircraft is still airworthy.

Two Porterfields have been registered in New Zealand, both 35Ws with Super Scarab engines, and one survives. Built in 1937, c/n 316 initially became ZK-APJ and was operated by the Hawkes Bay and East Coast Aero Club. It was later registered as ZK-AFT on 23 February 1938 to General Aircraft Sales of Hastings. It was flown until impressed into service with the RNZAF early in World War II as NZ581. It was released eight months later to the New Plymouth Aero Club with which it was registered ZK-AHJ.  In 1942 it was re-impressed by the RNZAF as NZ598 and flown for the remainder of the war with the Air Force.  After the war the 67 kw (90 hp) Warner Scarab radial engine was replaced by a four-cylinder Lycoming which powered it until 1974. During 1980 restoration of c/n 316 was commenced by the RNZAF Historical Centre at Wigram, to which it had been entrusted by its owner, and in 1982 it was placed on display as NZ598.  It is now on display with the Ashburton Aviation Museum Society.

The second 35W (ZK-AFS – c/n 315), also known as a model 35-90 de Luxe Sport, was first registered on 23 February 1938 to General Aircraft Sales of Hastings, and made its first flight on the 26th of that month. It was registered to Middle Districts Aero Club at Palmerston North on 1 March 1938 but destroyed in a hangar fire there on 17 February 1939.