Baumann Brigadier

Short description: Twin-engined light transport aircraft, 1947

B-290 Brigadier

General information
Type| Light transport
National origin| United States
Manufacturer| Baumann Aircraft Corporation
Designer|

Jack Boyer Baumann

Number built| 2
History
First flight| June 1947
Developed into| Custer CCW-5

The Baumann Brigadier was a prototype American light transport aircraft of the late 1940s. It was a twin-engined monoplane, which, unusually, was of pusher configuration. Only two were built, plans for production never coming to fruition.

## Contents

* 1 Development and design
* 2 Variants
* 3 Specifications (B-290)
* 4 See also
* 5 Notes
* 6 References
* 7 Further reading
* 8 External links

## Development and design

Jack Baumann, who had worked for the Taylor Aircraft Company (later to become Piper Aircraft) and Lockheed,[1][2] set up the Baumann Aircraft Corporation in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California in 1945.[3] His first design for the new company was the B-250 Brigadier, a twin-engined pusher monoplane intended as an executive transport. It was of all-metal construction, with cantilever shoulder mounted wings, and with the pusher engines mounted in nacelles on the wing. An enclosed cabin accommodated a pilot and four passengers, while the aircraft was fitted with a retractable nosewheel undercarriage.[3]

The first prototype, powered by two 125 hp (93 kW) engines (hence the B-250 designation) flew on 20 June 1947.[4] Piper Aircraft was interested in building a tractor version of the Brigadier, and purchased the B-250 prototype and its drawings, designating it the PA-21,[4][5] with some sources [4] claiming that the B-250 formed the basis of the Piper Apache, although other sources state that Piper abandoned work on the PA-21 and that the Apache was unrelated.[5]

Baumann continued development of the pusher Brigadier, with the second example, the B-290, being fitted with 145 hp (108 kW) Continental C-145 engines but was otherwise similar to the B-250. The B-290, registered N90616, crash-landed at Pacoima on January 8, 1953, heavily damaging the fuselage and injuring pilot Ward C. Vettel and flight engineer Thomas Cox.[6] Production at a rate of one aircraft per month was planned for the B-290.[3] The Brigadier was chosen by Willard Ray Custer as the basis of his Custer CCW-5, which used the fuselage and tail of the Brigadier, but had a modified wing with the engines sitting in U-shaped ducts,[7] but other than the two CCW-5s no production of the B-290 followed. Baumann continued to propose more powerful versions of the Brigadier, but no airframes resulted.[4]

## Variants

B-250 Brigadier
Initial prototype. Two 125 hp (93 kW) engines.
B-290 Brigadier
More powerful second prototype (two 145 hp (108 kW) engines).
B-360 Brigadier
Planned version with 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming engines.[8]
B-480 Super Brigadier
Planned enlarged version with 240 hp (180 kW) Continental O-470 engines.[8]
Piper PA-21
Proposed tractor-engined production version of the B-250, abandoned.[9]

## Specifications (B-290)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54.[3]

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Capacity: 4 passengers
* Length: 27 ft 5 in (8.36 m)
* Wingspan: 41 ft (12 m)
* Height: 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m)
* Wing area: 207 sq ft (19.2 m2)
* Empty weight: 2,200 lb (998 kg)
* Gross weight: 3,500 lb (1,588 kg)
* Fuel capacity: 78 US gallons (300 L)
* Powerplant: 2 × Continental C145-H air-cooled Flat-six engine, 145 hp (108 kW) each
* Propellers: 2-bladed Sensenich

Performance

* Maximum speed: 190 mph (310 km/h, 170 kn)
* Cruise speed: 165 mph (266 km/h, 143 kn) (75% power)
* Stall speed: 45 mph (72 km/h, 39 kn) (power on)
* Range: 750 mi (1,210 km, 650 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
* Rate of climb: 1,250 ft/min (6.4 m/s)

## See also

Related development

* Custer CCW-5

## Notes

1. ↑ Horsman, Eugene, "The Mercury Story". Aerofiles. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
2. ↑ Mondey 1978, p.92.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bridgman 1953, p.198.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "American airplanes: Ba – Bl". Aerofiles. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Shumaker, Dan. "Piper PA-23". 1000 Aircraft Photos. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
6. ↑ "University of Southern California". http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15799coll44/id/72548/show/72544/rec/340.
7. ↑ Bridgman 1953,p.221.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Business and Touring Aircraft...United States". Flight, 10 October 1958,p.582.
9. ↑ Peperell, Roger W.; Smith, Colin M. (1987). Piper Aircraft and their forerunners. Air-Britain (Historians) Limited. pp. 82. ISBN 0-85130-149-5.

## References

* Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54. London:Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1953.
* Mondey, David. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London:Hamlyn Publishing, 1978. ISBN 0-600-30378-0.

## Further reading

* Bridgman, Leonard, ed (1947). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. p. 179c.

## External links

* "Baumann B290 Brigadier". edcoatescollection
* "One Engine Keeps It Flying" , April 1949, Popular Science see bottom of page

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