IST XL-17 Musang
Страна: Филиппины
Год: 1956

Единственный экземпляр
Conceived as a light touring and training aircraft, the L-17 Musang was a departure for the PAF-IST design team in that it sported a low wing and did not incorporate the use of Wobex. Making its maiden flight in October 1956, the Musang did not go into production; and, like its PAF-IST stablemates, only one example was built.
XL-17 "MUSANG". The XL-17 " Musang" (Wildcat) is the fourth aircraft in the series designed and constructed by the Institute of Science and Technology of Manila in the Philippine Republic, and is part of a programme to test the application of local materials, such as home-grown woods, to aircraft structure . During their experiments the Institute developed a material which it called "Wobex". "Wobex" consists of diagonally woven strips of thin bamboo glued together, made air tight and leakproof, and finished on the surface with a layer of fine sawdust and glue. Its main use is as a stressed skin covering . The XL-17 is a light side-by-side two-seat low-wing monoplane, intended for training and air touring, and is powered by a Lycoming O-245-C1 engine of 108 h.p. driving a fixed-pitch wooden propeller. Fuselage is a one-piece semimonocoque structure with wooden bulkheads and stringers covered by a "Wobex " skin, which in turn is covered with fabric for final finishing and polishing . Fuel tanks are fitted aft of the seats and the rest of the fuselage space can be used as either a radio compartment or as baggage space . The engine mount is the standard truss-type with attachments at four points to the firewall bulkhead, which is reinforced for the attachment of the nose landing gear. The cantilever wing is trapezoid in form and of one-piece construction that tapers in chord and length. It is made up of one main and one auxiliary spar of box-type construction and reinforced diagonal spar. The leading edge is covered with a thick plywood covering to take torsional and chordwise shear loads. Overall wing covering is fabric. Slotted type ailerons are fitted and simple split flaps are located under the wings between the ailerons and the fuselage. The wing root upper section upper covering is reinforced to serve as a step and walkway to the cockpit. A tricycle undercarriage is fitted, the main gear to the main wing spars and the nose gear to the firewall bulkhead. General dimensions are : span 31 ft. 6in., length 23 ft. 4 in ., height 6 ft . 8 in .. maximum speed 125 m.p.h ., cruising 105 m.p.h. A floatplane version is now being designed .