The Loening XSL was an American submarine-based reconnaissance flying boat designed and built by Grover Loening Aircraft Company for the United States Navy.[1][2]

XSL
The XSL-1
Role Submarine-borne flying-boat
National origin United States
Manufacturer Grover Loening Aircraft Company
First flight 1931
Primary user United States Navy
Number built 1

Design and development

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First flown in 1931, the Loening XSL was a lightweight flying-boat designed to be folded up and stored in an 8-foot-diameter watertight tube on the deck of a submarine.[2] It was a single-seat, mid-wing monoplane powered by a 110 hp (82 kW) Warner Scarab radial engine mounted above the wing driving a pusher propeller.[2] Originally designated the XSL-1 by the Navy, it was re-designated XSL-2 in 1932 when it was re-engined with a 160 hp (119 kW) Menasco B-6 engine.[2] Only the prototype was built; it was not ordered into production.[1]

Variants

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XSL-1
Prototype with a Warner Scarab engine.[1][2]
XSL-2
Prototype re-engined with a Menasco B-6 engine.[2]

Specifications (XSL-1)

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Data from aerofiles.com[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 27 ft 2 in (8.28 m)
  • Wingspan: 31 ft 0 in (9.45 m)
  • Gross weight: 1,500 lb (680 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Warner Scarab radial engine , 100 hp (75 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 88 mph (142 km/h, 76 kn)
  • Service ceiling: 14,000 ft (4,268 m)

See also

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Related lists

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Andrade 1979, p. 220
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Loening". www.aerofiles.com. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2011.

Bibliography

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  • Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
  • Passingham, Malcolm (February 2000). "Les hydravions embarqués sur sous-marins" [Submarine-carried Seaplanes]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (83): 7–17. ISSN 1243-8650.