Convair Model 48 Charger: Short wings, shorter takeoff

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 07/03/2019 at 12:36 • Filed to: wingspan, planes you've (probably) never heard of, Planelopnik

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From the Planes You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of Department of Wingspan, we bring you the Convair Model 48 Charger.  

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During the Vietnam War, American forces were frustrated by an enemy that was capable of choosing when and where to fight, and Communist insurgents, who harassed American forces and then melted into the jungle, sapped the strength and the morale of US soldiers. One way of countering these attacks was to have eyes in the sky that could spot insurgent movements and be ready to swoop in to attack, and existing aircraft such as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! were pressed into service in the counter-insurgency (COIN) role. While these aircraft were effective, the US military identified a need for a dedicated COIN aircraft that could operate from rough fields or roadways, have excellent short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities, long loiter time over the battlefield, and be able to strike the elusive enemy or attack its bases of operations.

The Marine Corps had first proposed such an aircraft as early as 1959, and their requirements gradually morphed into an aircraft that would serve the Marines, Navy and Air Force (the US Army was limited to rotorcraft). By 1963, the requirements for what would be called a Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) were offered to aircraft designers. Convair presaged the need for such an aircraft, and had been working on scale mo dels of a small twin-boom aircraft for two years. They offered their Model 48 Charger in response to the LARA request, and had a flying prototype in the air in a matter of months.

The most striking feature of the Charger was its short wings which facilitated landing on roadways and other tight spaces. With its huge flaps and leading edge !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Charger could take off in just 225 feet and clear a 50-foot obstacle after a takeoff roll of 485 feet. Power came from a pair of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (T-74) turboprops that gave the Model 48 a top speed of 319 mph and a ferry range of 3,000 miles, which translated into excellent loiter time over the battlefield. The two-man crew was housed in a central pod between a twin-boom tail that offered excellent visibility, and the central pod could also accommodate a stretcher or five paratroopers. Armament consisted of four 7.62 mm machine guns mounted in pods on the fuselage, while five hardpoints could accommodate up to 2,000 pounds of ordnance. The Charger could also be fitted with floats for operations from lakes or rivers.

The Charger took its maiden flight on November 25, 1964 from Convair’s San Diego factory. However, despite its demonstrated capabilities, the US Navy selected the North American NA-300, an aircraft of very similar design which would become the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , even though the Bronco existed on paper only. The Air Force and Marine Corps protested the selection of the Bronco, and the Charger was allowed to continue testing, with modifications to its wing for improved low-speed handling. However, the single prototype was lost in a crash in October 1965 (the pilot ejected safely), and development was abandoned in favor of the Bronco. The Charger was the last aircraft to be built under the Convair name.

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More Planes You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

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For more stories about aviation, aviation history, and aviators, visit !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . For more aircraft oddities, visit !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 12:41

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I bet that aircraft would be fun with an engine out .

user314 > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 12:42

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It’s like a Chibi  Bronco! Kawaii!

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 07/03/2019 at 12:42

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Convair rigged a system that significantly limited power to the good engine if one of them failed. I guess it acted like an automatic throttle cut that could react faster than the pilot could. But yes, it was a concern.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 12:47

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Such a cool looking stubby plane

ttyymmnn > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 07/03/2019 at 12:48

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I’m surprised it has enough wing to fly.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 12:49

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It flies by sheer will and dogged determination to stomp out those damn commies!

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 12:51

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That makes a lot of sense - it would be a lot to quickly ID and deal with the dead engine and quickly reduce power on the good engine, and likely lower the nose to keep the wing flying on the dead side. 

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 07/03/2019 at 12:56

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Actually, the system was only used to allow the pilot time to punch out:

To meet the “single-engine survivability” requirement, Convair engineers incorporated a “torque-equalizer” device to reduce the power on one engine automatically in the event the other failed, thereby allowing the pilot to hold the wings near-level long enough to eject safely

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/convair-48.htm

user314 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 07/03/2019 at 13:02

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Same thing that kept F-4s in the air!

ttyymmnn > user314 07/03/2019 at 13:07

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That was brute force over aerodynamics. 

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 13:11

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Lol- so much for the benefits of redundancy a second engine gives you.  This is the opposite of that....

just-a-scratch > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 13:24

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So, it’s like a smaller, stubbier, OV-10, without all the internal cargo capability?

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 13:26

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It’s spelled, Cor vair.

Duh...

j/k, great post . ;)

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 13:33

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You were saying...

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 07/03/2019 at 13:46

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I wonder if that’s what happened to the prototype. I haven’t read what caused it to crash, but there are pictures of the wreckage, and the used  ejection seat.

ttyymmnn > just-a-scratch 07/03/2019 at 13:53

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It could carry a little cargo. Five very cramped paratroopers, one stretcher, or whatever would fit. Production aircraft were slated to receive an enlarged fuselage.

ttyymmnn > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast 07/03/2019 at 13:53

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Don’t give my autocorrect any ideas.

Thanks!

ttyymmnn > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/03/2019 at 13:54

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That wasn’t the most stable aircraft either....

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 14:29

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Proof that excess power can overcome many aerodynamic issues...

ttyymmnn > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/03/2019 at 14:33

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Wiki said that with the short wing it acted almost like a ducted fan. Watch the video and check out the size of the flaps. 

MrDakka > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/03/2019 at 15:41

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Its as I always say , with enough thrust anything can fly

BaconSandwich is tasty. > ttyymmnn 07/03/2019 at 20:06

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I wonder if it would have made for a good crop spraying plane.

ttyymmnn > BaconSandwich is tasty. 07/03/2019 at 20:21

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It might have, but I would imagine radials are easier for a small operation to maintain. Also, single operation is limited to just long enough to eject.