Swanson Coupe

{{Infobox aircraft | name = Swanson Coupe Model W-15 | logo = | logo_size = | image = Swanson Coupe.jpg | alt = | caption = Swanson Coupe | long_caption = | other_names = | aircraft_type = Light aircraft | aim = | outcome = | related = | national_origin = United States | manufacturer = Swanson Aircraft Company Inc. | design_group = | designer = Swen Swanson | builder = | issuer = | status = Production completed | owners = | primary_user = | more_users = | service = | major_applications = | proposals = | prototypes = | number_built = | construction_number = | civil_registration = | military_serial = | radio_code = | requirement = | aircraft_carried = | flights = | total_hours = | total_distance = | construction_date = | introduction = 1931 | retired = | first_flight = | initiated = | in_service = | last_flight = | expected = | developed_from = | variants = | developed_into = | preservation = | fate = | predecessors = | successors = | concluded = }} The '''Swanson Coupe Model W-15''' was a high-wing, cantilever-type monoplane produced in 1931 by Swedish aircraft designer and manufacturer Swen Swanson. Its design was considered innovative and the aircraft was viewed as part of a trend of producing safe and economical airplanes, which would appeal especially to automobile drivers. The Swanson Coupe was also designed to function as trainer aircraft.

==Design and development== Swanson's design of the Kari-Keen Coupe monoplane incorporated his trademark seating design of two people in side-by-side configuration which was unusual at the time.<ref>{{cite book|title=The AOPA Pilot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dqc9AQAAIAAJ&q=Swanson's+new+airplane+was+the+Kari-+Keen+Coupe,+a+little+side-by-side,+two-+seater+monoplane+turned+out+at+a+time+when+such+designs+were+rare.+Further,+it+was+a+fully+cantilevered+monoplane+with+a+tapered+wood-frame+wing+and+steel-tube%C2%A0...|year=1974|publisher=Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association|page=68|quote=Swanson's new airplane was the Kari- Keen Coupe, a little side-by-side, two- seater monoplane turned out at a time when such designs were rare. Further, it was a fully cantilevered monoplane with a tapered wood-frame wing and steel-tube ...}}</ref> Following the first version of the Kari Keen Coupe, Swanson designed the Kari-Keen 90, an improved version.<ref name=AeroPub/> But the Kari-Keen factory fell victim to the Great Depression and by early 1930 it closed its doors. Swanson did not wait for long and left Kari-Keen to devote his time to the design of his Swanson Coupe W-15.<ref name=AeroPub/> thumb|250px|The cockpit of W-15 In 1931, after he left Kari-Keen, Swanson established the Swanson Aircraft Co. Inc. with headquarters at Hopewell, Virginia,<ref name="Aero Digest">{{cite book|title=Aero Digest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzQfAQAAMAAJ&q=Swanson+Aircraft++keen|year=1931|publisher=Aeronautical Digest Publishing Corporation|volume=18-19|page=64|quote=THE Swanson Aircraft Company, Inc., of Hopewell, Virginia, is now producing its cantilever monoplane known as the Swanson Coupe, Model W-15, recently approved by the Department of Commerce, and powered by the Warner Scarab ...}}</ref><ref name="ShraderCompany1953">{{cite book|author1=Welman Austin Shrader|author2=Eaton Manufacturing Company|title=Fifty years of flight: a chronicle of the aviation industry in America, 1903-1953|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d10hAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Swanson+Coupe%22|year=1953|publisher=Eaton Manufacturing Co.|page=49|quote=Swanson Aircraft Co., Inc., is incorporated at Hopewell, Va., by Swen S. Swanson to manufacture the Swanson coupe.}}</ref> and built the Swanson Coupe W-15 whose design incorporated new breakthroughs such as a new type of patented wing mounting structure which enabled unobstructed view from the cockpit to both pilot and passenger even from above their heads. The new wing mounting technique also increased the peripheral field of view of the cabin. This was accomplished by eliminating an extra wing span which used to enter the cabin area and obstruct the ceiling of the cockpit thus limiting the overhead field of vision.<ref name=AeroPub>{{cite book|title=U.S. Civil Aircraft|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0X5GAAAAYAAJ&q=Kari+Keen+Swanson|year=1967|publisher=Aero Publishers|page=112|quote=ari-Keen" 90 was slight improvement over earlier Swanson design. Fig. 124. Neatly cowled in-line engines of "Osprey" were innovation. of his many accomplishments. Avidly interested in aeronautics, Swanson designed his first airplane in ...[...] Fretting over the inactivity, Swanson left Kari-Keen and began developing the beautiful Swanson "Coupe" model W-15. [...] Failing to achieve any success with his new "Coupe" model W-15, Swanson returned to the mid-west to design two more outstanding airplanes (the Swanson- Fahlin "Coupe" and the "Plymacoupe") before he succumbed to a very bad case of ...}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Western Aerospace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kGoPAAAAIAAJ&q=Swanson+coupe|date=January 1931|publisher=Western Aviation Magazine.|page=84|quote=visibility that gives perfect forward and side vision, and for the first time, allows a full overhead vision — all for both pilot and passenger. This visibility comes from the patented wing truss, ...}}</ref><ref name="Flying Magazine">{{cite journal|title=Flying Magazine: The Swanson Coupe Has Ingenious Cantilever Wing|journal = Flying|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jx9Yg9LSkAgC&pg=PA25|date=May 1931|page=25|issn=0015-4806}}</ref><ref name=Flying>{{cite book|title=Flying|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uWgPAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Swanson+Coupe%22|year=1946|publisher=Ziff-Davis Publishing Company|volume=38|page=88}}</ref> The Swanson Coupe Model W-15 has been described as "beautiful",<ref name=AeroPub/> and its cantilever wing design has been called "ingenious".<ref name="Flying Magazine"/> The plane was certified by the United States Department of Commerce and was powered by the Warner Scarab engine,<ref name="Flying Magazine"/><ref name=Airway/><ref name=AD>{{cite book|title=Aero Digest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iDgfAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Swanson+Coupe%22|year=1938|publisher=Aeronautical Digest Publishing Corporation|volume=32-33|page=152|quote=WARNER POWERED Swanson Coupe: 2-place, side by side cabin; cruises 100}}</ref> which produced 85 h.p. at 1950 rpm.<ref name=Airway>{{cite book|title=Airway Age|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KwknAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Swanson+coupe%22|year=1931|pages=489–490|quote=New Swanson Coupe The Swanson Coupe THE Swanson Aircraft Company Inc., of Hopewell, Va., has produced the Swanson Coupe, a single engine, cabin monoplane, powered with a Warner Scarab engine, developing 85 hp. at 1950 [...] Dual controls are furnished with both models. By means of an auxiliary push button throttle located on the brake handle, the pilot is able to control the speed of the engine without resorting to the main throttle. Wings Span Chord at root at tip ...}}</ref>

The Kari-Keen Coupe and the Swanson Coupe featured the characteristic Swanson cantilever wing design.<ref name=AOP>{{cite book|title=The AOPA Pilot: Voice of General Aviation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pXs6AQAAIAAJ&q=Swanson+fahlin|year=1980|publisher=Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association|page=100|quote=The Kari-Keen Coupe, the Sioux Coupe and finally the Swanson Coupe were all basically the same cantilever-wing cabin ... Swanson teamed up with an old friend, propeller-maker Ole Fahlin, to upgrade the design, which Fahlin produced as ...}}</ref> The Swanson planes also shared a similar seating configuration; the two-passengers were seated beside each other.<ref name=EAA>{{cite book|title=Sport Aviation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UxwqAQAAIAAJ&q=Swanson+Aircraft++keen|year=1990|publisher=Experimental Aircraft Association|volume=39|page=223|quote=A small airplane by standards of the day, it had an upper wing span of 25 ft. ... Swanson would go on to design the Kari-Keen/Sioux Coupe, his own Swan- son Coupe and, with Ole Fahlin, the Plymacoupe ... all 2-place, side-by- side, high wing ...}}</ref> Model W-15 featured detachable passenger-side controls which could be mounted or removed depending on whether a student pilot was present. This design feature made the plane suitable for use in flight schools. The cabin windshield was made using safety glass and the door window panes were retractable. The plane had two variants: Standard and Deluxe. Both variants had dual flight controls, low pressure tires and mohair interior. Both models featured dual engine throttle controls: the main throttle control and a secondary throttle control button installed on the brake lever.<ref name=Airway/> The Deluxe came with an electric starter and more elaborate instrumentation. The prices were $4,450 for the Standard model and $4,985 for the Deluxe.<ref name="Flying Magazine"/>

==Impact== Swanson did not have any commercial success with his Swanson Coupe.<ref name=AeroPub/> He subsequently decided to dissolve his aircraft company and went to the midwest to join the aircraft company of his friend Ole Fahlin.<ref name=AeroPub/> The Swanson Coupe became the basis of the first airplane produced jointly by them, the Fahlin SF-1.<ref name=Aerofiles>{{cite web|title=W-15 Coupe 1931 (ATC 2-312)|url=http://www.aerofiles.com/_st.html|quote=Design carried into Swanson-Fahlin SF-1}}</ref> The Swanson Coupe was mentioned in a 1931 article of ''The Tuscaloosa News'' as an example of a closed-cabin, safe and economical airplane which was intended for use by "average men" who also drive cars.<ref name=Tuscaloosa>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19310716&id=nLk-AAAAIBAJ&pg=6306,3653071|title=Smaller Planes Designed to Use By Average Man (Aviation Engineers Produce Planes To Catch Eye Of Man Who Drives Car)|newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News|date=July 15, 1931|author=Israel Klein, Science Editor, NEA Service}}</ref>

==Specifications (W-15)== {{Aircraft specs |ref=Flying Magazine. May 1931<ref name="Flying Magazine"/> |prime units?=imp  |genhide=

|crew=one |capacity=one passenger |length m= |length ft=25 |length in=0 |length note= |span m= |span ft=34 |span in=4 |span note= |height m= |height ft=7 |height in=7 |height note= |wing area sqm= |wing area sqft= |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil= |empty weight kg= |empty weight lb=1400 |empty weight note= |gross weight kg= |gross weight lb=2050 |gross weight note= |fuel capacity={{convert|40|u.s.gal}} |more general=  |eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Warner Scarab |eng1 type= |eng1 kw= |eng1 hp=110

|max speed kmh= |max speed mph=125 |max speed kts= |max speed note= |cruise speed kmh= |cruise speed mph=90 |cruise speed kts= |cruise speed note= |stall speed kmh= |stall speed mph= |stall speed kts= |stall speed note= |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |range km= |range miles=625 |range nmi= |range note= |endurance= |ceiling m= |ceiling ft=16000 |ceiling note= |g limits= |roll rate= |glide ratio= |climb rate ms= |climb rate ftmin=700 |climb rate note= |time to altitude= |lift to drag= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft= |wing loading note= |fuel consumption kg/km= |fuel consumption lb/mi= |power/mass= |thrust/weight= |more performance= |avionics= }}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

Category:High-wing aircraft Coupe Category:1930s United States civil utility aircraft Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft Category:Aircraft first flown in 1931