PAR Special
Parks Alumni Racebuilders · United States · first flew 1950 · light aircraft
The PAR Special was a high-speed experimental monoplane built by a consortium of aviation engineers, and competed in air races in the early 1950s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.1 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | V-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Shoulder-wing monoplane with a tapered cantilever wing, 20 ft in span, without sweep or dihedral
- Y tail with an inverted tailfin giving the propeller ground clearance
- Propeller aft of the empennage, driven by an extension shaft from a centrally located engine
It had a variable-incidence wing adjustable in flight by a jackscrew, from 0.5 to 13.5 degrees. The pilot sat just ahead of the wing under a bubble canopy, the undercarriage had tandem main wheels, and skateboard wheels were attached to the trailing edge of each wingtip.
Specifications
- The PAR Special has a length of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was a project of four St. Louis-based McDonnell Aircraft employees who formed Parks Alumni Racebuilders, named after the Parks Air College they had all attended. Art Beckington first flew it in February 1950.
Variants
Only one was built. Its wings, rear fuselage and tail passed to Thomas Trefethen and Harvey Mace, who used them in the Mace-Trefethen Seamaster.
Where you'll see it
From 1950 to 1952 it competed in several air races, achieving lap speeds of 181 mph. It was less competitive than expected, and in 1952 it was retired and later dismantled.
Related aircraft
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