Peterson 260SE
Encyclopedia
The Peterson 260SE is a STOL
conversion of a Cessna 182
airframe made by Todd Peterson. The conversion consists of the addition of a high-lift canard
and a 260 hp
(194 kW) engine.
with elevators
and rudders in the slipstream behind the propeller. It was a technological success but too expensive to produce. However, Robertson incorporated many features of the Skyshark into the Wren Aircraft Company's Wren 460. The Wren 460 was a conversion of the Cessna 182 airframe that had full-span double-slotted flaps, movable spoilers
to assist the ailerons with roll control and a movable high-lift canard. Later models offered a reversible pitch propeller for steeper approaches, and shorter landing runs. The aircraft was marketed as the only safe STOL aircraft. This was because it did not achieve its STOL characteristics through dangerous high angles of attack
and by depending on a powerful engine to pull the aircraft upward (operating "behind the envelope"). At full gross weight, the Wren's take-off and landing distances were 300 ft. At idle power the aircraft could loiter at slow speed with outstanding stall
resistance and over-the-nose visibility. It could also make steep turns immediately after take-off. Because of the low approach speed, the Wren was approved for landings under Category II conditions (1/4 mile visibility and 100 foot ceilings on Instrument Landing System approaches). The company was seeking approval for landings under conditions of zero visibility shortly before the company went into bankruptcy in the late 1960s. However, there are reports that several "Wrens" did service with "Air America".
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
conversion of a Cessna 182
Cessna 182
The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area....
airframe made by Todd Peterson. The conversion consists of the addition of a high-lift canard
Canard (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the forward surface is smaller than the rearward, the former being known as the "canard", while the latter is the main wing...
and a 260 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(194 kW) engine.
Design and development
The 260SE traces its history to a STOL aircraft called Skyshark built by Jim Robertson in the late 1950s. The Skyshark incorporated a number of novel features, most notably a canardCanard (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the forward surface is smaller than the rearward, the former being known as the "canard", while the latter is the main wing...
with elevators
Elevator (aircraft)
Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
and rudders in the slipstream behind the propeller. It was a technological success but too expensive to produce. However, Robertson incorporated many features of the Skyshark into the Wren Aircraft Company's Wren 460. The Wren 460 was a conversion of the Cessna 182 airframe that had full-span double-slotted flaps, movable spoilers
Spoiler (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, a spoiler is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft. Spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing which can be extended upward into the airflow and spoil it. By doing so, the spoiler creates a carefully controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly...
to assist the ailerons with roll control and a movable high-lift canard. Later models offered a reversible pitch propeller for steeper approaches, and shorter landing runs. The aircraft was marketed as the only safe STOL aircraft. This was because it did not achieve its STOL characteristics through dangerous high angles of attack
Angle of attack
Angle of attack is a term used in fluid dynamics to describe the angle between a reference line on a lifting body and the vector representing the relative motion between the lifting body and the fluid through which it is moving...
and by depending on a powerful engine to pull the aircraft upward (operating "behind the envelope"). At full gross weight, the Wren's take-off and landing distances were 300 ft. At idle power the aircraft could loiter at slow speed with outstanding stall
Stall (flight)
In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack increases. This occurs when the critical angle of attack of the foil is exceeded...
resistance and over-the-nose visibility. It could also make steep turns immediately after take-off. Because of the low approach speed, the Wren was approved for landings under Category II conditions (1/4 mile visibility and 100 foot ceilings on Instrument Landing System approaches). The company was seeking approval for landings under conditions of zero visibility shortly before the company went into bankruptcy in the late 1960s. However, there are reports that several "Wrens" did service with "Air America".
History
Todd Peterson acquired the Supplemental Type Certificate for the Wren and produced a number of them in the early 1980s under the designation 460P. He evolved the Wren design into the Peterson 260SE. On the 260SE the wing modifications are absent. The aircraft depends on the high-lift canard and a more-powerful fuel-injected 260 HP Continental engine to achieve STOL capabilities. The additional power and speed modifications permit a cruise speed in excess of 150 knots. A canard-only conversion, the 230SE, is also available for about 1/3 the price of the canard/engine combination. The 230SE has inferior take-off performance compared to the 260SE but both aircraft have a stall speed of 35 knots.Specifications (Wren 460)
External links
- Manufacturer's website
- Photo galleries Peterson 230/260SEs and Wren 460s
- Wren 460 picture Spoilers, full-wing double-slotted flaps and canard clearly visible.
- Wren 460
- FlightGlobal.com
