Malmö MFI-10 Vipan

MFI-10 Vipan
	The third MFI-10B Vipan exhibited at the 1970 Hanover Air Show
Role	Four-seat utility aircraft
National origin	Sweden
Manufacturer	Malmö Flygindustri
First flight	1961
Primary user	Swedish Army
Number built	3

The Malmö MFI-10 Vipan (en: Peewit) was a four-seat light utility monoplane designed and built in Sweden by Malmö Flygindustri. Only three aircraft were built and the type did not enter quantity production.

Design and development

Designed to meet a requirement for both a civil and military utility aircraft the MFI-10 was a braced high-wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear and a cabin for a pilot and three passengers. The aircraft made extensive use of aluminum honeycomb structure, with the wings, tail and rear fuselage made of honeycomb and the forward fuselage of welded steel tubes.^[1]^[2] The prototype was powered by a nose-mounted 160 hp (119 kW) Lycoming O-320 engine and first flew in 1961. It was followed by two military prototypes for the Swedish Army designated MFI-10B. The MFI-10B had a 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming O-360-A1A engine and first flew on 27 June 1962.^[1] Plans to produce a variant with a more powerful engine did not proceed and the aircraft did not enter quantity production.

The German company Rhein-Flugzeugbau (RFB) proposed new versions of the MFI-10 in 1993, with either tailwheel or tricycle landing gears.^[3]

Variants

MFI-10 Vipan: Civil prototype with a 160hp (119kW) Lycoming O-320 engine, one built.
MFI-10B Vipan: Military prototype with a 180hp (134kW) Lycoming O-360-A1A engine, two built, designated MFI Fpl54.
MFI-10C Vipan: Proposed by RFB - military version with tailwheel undercarriage and powered by 200 hp (150 kW) O-360-A engine.^[3]
MFI-10D Phönix: Proposed by RFB - civil version with nosewheel undercarriage.^[3]

Operators

Sweden

Swedish Army

Specifications (MFI-10B)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969-70 ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 3 passengers
Length: 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 10.73 m (35 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 15.70 m² (169.0 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 7.35:1
Airfoil: NACA 25012
Empty weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 1,175 kg (2,590 lb)
Fuel capacity: 200 L (44 imp gal; 53 US gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-360-A1A air-cooled flat-four engine, 130 kW (180 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed Hartzell constant-speed propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 236 km/h (147 mph, 127 kn)
Cruise speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn) at 2,100 m (6,900 ft)
Never exceed speed: 310 km/h (190 mph, 170 kn)
Range: 1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
Service ceiling: 4,260 m (13,980 ft)
Rate of climb: 3.4 m/s (670 ft/min)
Takeoff run: 180 m (590 ft)

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Taylor 1969, p.171.
^ Harrison Flight International 7 May 1964, p. 779.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lambert 1993, p. 687.

References

Harrison, Neil (7 May 1964). "In the Air: No. 184: Malmö MFI-10 Vipan". Flight International. Vol. 85, no. 2878. pp. 779–780. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
Lambert, Mark, ed. (1993). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1993–94. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Data Division. ISBN 0-7106-1066-1.
Taylor, John W. R., ed. (1969). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969-70. London: Jane's Yearbooks.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.

[Janes_69_p171-1] Taylor 1969, p.171.

[fi7564p779-2] Harrison Flight International 7 May 1964, p. 779.

[jawa93p687-3] Lambert 1993, p. 687.

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