Mexican made aircraft. The 1920 Mexican helicopter

specifications for TNCA Series A biplane

here we see some of the almost four dozen Series A built in Mexico by TNCA.

Hi kiwinopal,
I am looking for the specifications for this TNCA Series A biplane. Do you have this data availeble?
Can you tell me if the wingspan for upper and lower wing are the same or not?
On some photografs it looks if the lower wing is shorter, on others they look the same!
Like to hear from you.
Kind regards – Peter/the Netherlands

Don’t know the pilot but it was in the early 1940s.

Good Day!
Extremely interesting topic, thank you.

Doesn’t somebody know when the first flight of Celia was happen? And who was the pilot?

Very educational thread! Most aircraft were new to me. Thanks for sharing this info here.

Hi kiwinopal,

I am interested to get in touch with you regarding some mexican aircraft, I tried to send you a PM, but didn’t seem to work, could you contact me perhaps? Thanks!

Regards,
rlucas

Here we see another view of the O-E-1 Azcarate

As it was displayed in the old FAM museum

here we see a few pictures of the Azcarate Sesquiplano O-E-1 another aircraft built by TNCA and designed in Mexico
here are its specifications
Main wing span……15.34 meters
Lower wing span………7 meters
Length ……………………9.69 meters
Height…………………..3.30 meters
Wing Area………………43 square meters
Empty weight…………..1040 kg
Max speed………………160 km/h
Rate of climb……………210 meters per minute
Ceiling……………………6700 mters
Engine…………………..BMW of 185 HP
Here we have the original E-O-1 Sesquiplano

This is a navalized version of the Sesquiplano Escuela or otherwise known as Sesquiplano E

The Aztatl 6cyl engine appears to be similar to the Curtiss Challenger or earlier Anzani engines in that it is a double three. (two row) The apparent lack of manifolds and push rods makes me wonder if this was a two stroke type or used Monosoupape type piston valves. The “Tommy” gun armament seems quite odd.

John

That is right the Aztatl was an engine similar to the Anzani engines according to what i have read

Here i leave you another sea aircraft, the Sea 2
It flew in 1927 but was rejected and never entered production and was cancelled after just one was built

The Aztatl 6cyl engine appears to be similar to the Curtiss Challenger or earlier Anzani engines in that it is a double three. (two row) The apparent lack of manifolds and push rods makes me wonder if this was a two stroke type or used Monosoupape type piston valves. The “Tommy” gun armament seems quite odd.

John

TNCA Series B
This was a modification of series A aircraft. 5 aircraft were built

Here we see the first Series B

This aircraft had a Salmson engine and was designed by a team lead by Angel lascurain that included Antonio Sea, Luis Garduno, Agustín Enríquez, Mariano Domínguez and Pedro Souza, it flew for the first time on November 7, 1920 and later test flown by Ralph O’Neill.
Four of five aircraft were fitted with 45 calibre Thompson machine guns.

TNCA Serie A

Is the Series H shown in colour a restored aircraft or a recently-built reproduction?

The military parade showing several towed series H machines – do the wings fold??

Re the close-up of the Aztatl engine I’m assuming it is a radial engine?. I can see the exhaust pipes coming off each cylinder head.

Any idea if the cylinders had inlet and exhaust valves as I can see no external push rods common on radials.

In your specifications list are the length and span dimensions the wrong way round??

Roger Smith.

Roger

I would like to answer all your question but saddly i can not do it at least right away, but i can answer a few, yes you are right the specifications are wrong, i mistook the span and length and these are all the way around.

Up to what i have read the Aztatl was a radial engine, this engine was flown for the first time on 16 May 1917 on a TNCA Series A piloted by Horacio Ruiz, this was the third aircraft to be built of the series A.

Like this one



The engine design was lead by the Italian born mexican engineer Francisco Santarini who also lead the design team of the Trebol and SS mexico engines.
Francisco Santarini died in Veracruz, Mexico in 1954, but his first engines were made in Europe.

The Trebol engine was also fitted to several aircraft. the Series H was one but here we see a Morane-Moisant that was also engined with a Mexican engine Trebol

The Aztatl was also fitted to Bleriot XI aircraft built in Mexico

Is the Series H shown in colour a restored aircraft or a recently-built reproduction?

The military parade showing several towed series H machines – do the wings fold??

Re the close-up of the Aztatl engine I’m assuming it is a radial engine?. I can see the exhaust pipes coming off each cylinder head.

Any idea if the cylinders had inlet and exhaust valves as I can see no external push rods common on radials.

In your specifications list are the length and span dimensions the wrong way round??

Roger Smith.

more TNCA Series H, one close up shows the Aztatl engine designed and built in Mexico

Here we can see the 5E-132 Parasol, another beauty of TNCA, this aircraft was built by TNCA and was designed by Angel Lascurain.
This aircraft was closely related to the Tolocho and Quetzatcoatl, the Toloche was the 3-E-130 and the Quetzatcoatl the 4-E-131

wing span…………..47′
length………………22’4″
Wing Area……………………279 3/4 sq.ft.
Empty weight……………1,276 lb
Max weight…………1,760 lb
Top speed……………74 mph
Ceiling…………………..16,400 ft
Endurance…………………2 hrs.
It was powered by Le Rhône 80 h.p

Here we see the aircraft engine Trebol made in and designed in Mexico by TNCA a design lead by Francesco Santarini Togliani who is also depicted on the picture.

This motor was also used on the Series H aircraft built and designed in Mexico by TNCA

a good picture of a TNCA series H aircraft with engine Aztatl and Anahuac propeller, the Aztatl engine an Anahuac propeller were both designed and built in Mexico.

Here is the Sea Teul Zacatecas, an aircraft designed by Sea but based upon the Consolidated-Fleet 11A and Spartan C-3, built in 1933 by Talleres Generales de Aviación, only a single example ever flew.

Tragic that the designer Lascurain died in the accident. The photos give the impression it nosed over during a forced landing.

Roger Smith.

It was a take off attempt that failed, and indeed looks like a forced landing because probably they tried to land the aircraft after aborting the take off attempt.

Here i leave you one of the Antonio Sea aircraft, the Sea 4 designed by TNCA in 1926, only one was made but it suffered stability troubles so it never was inducted into mass production or service and the project was terminated.

Here you have the pictures of the Aura when it crashed…….

Tragic that the designer Lascurain died in the accident. The photos give the impression it nosed over during a forced landing.

Roger Smith.

here we see some of the almost four dozen Series A built in Mexico by TNCA.