Church Midwing JC-1

Church Midwing JC-1
A Church Midwing on display
Role	Racing aircraft
National origin	United States of America
Manufacturer	Church Airplane & Mfg Co
Designer	James Church
First flight	1928
Developed from	Heath Parasol

The Church Midwing JC-1, a.k.a. Church Mid-Wing Sport,[1] is a midwing racing aircraft designed by James Church using the fuselage of a Heath aircraft.

Design and development

The Church Midwing was designed to be an affordable homebuilt aircraft. Church marketed kits for $190.

The open cockpit midwing aircraft featured windows in the wings for visibility downward.[2]

Operational history

Built to be a pylon racer, a Church Midwing placed third in the 1930 National Air Races. The Church used many parts from the Heath Parasol design. In 1931 the prototype was modified with an installation of a 38 hp inline air-cooled Church designed engine and a cowling modification to accommodate the cylinders protruding upward in the pilot's line of sight.[3] A 1931 advertisement placed by Heath in Popular Mechanics extolled the virtues of its first-place finish with its parasol configuration, compared to the Church's midwing planform.[4]

Variants

RW4 RagWing Midwing Sport Replica

An ultralight replica of the JC-1, produced by RagWing Aircraft Designs.[5]

Church Racer[1]

Essentially a Midwing fitted with a model J-3 46hp Church Marathon engine.[6]

Aircraft on Display

• EAA AirVenture Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin - 1[7] A Basket case 5 year restoration completed in 1971 by Gene Chase, outfitted with a Heath-Henderson B-4 engine.[8]

Specifications (Church Midwing JC-1)

Data from EAA

General characteristics

• Length: 16 ft 9 in (5.11 m)
• Wingspan: 26 ft 8 in (8.13 m)
• Wing area: 110 sq ft (10 m^2)
• Empty weight: 367 lb (166 kg)
• Gross weight: 584 lb (265 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 4.5 Gal (17 litres)
• Powerplant: 1 × Heath-Henderson B-4 Inline 4 cylnder, 27 hp (20 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 78 kn (90 mph, 140 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 61 kn (70 mph, 110 km/h)
• Stall speed: 24 kn (28 mph, 45 km/h)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Troyer Sportsplane VX

References

1. "American airplanes: Ca - Ci". Aerofiles.com. 2008-08-15. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
2. Jay P. Spenser, National Air and Space Museum. Aeronca C-2: the story of the flying bathtub.
3. Popular Aviation: 43. July 1931. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
4. Popular Mechanics. January 1931. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. "RW4 RagWing Midwing Sport Replica". Retrieved 4 April 2011.
6. Popular Aviation: 133. August 1932. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
7. "Church Midwing". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
8. Air Trails: 22. December 1971. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Aerofiles