The Aerocar Mini-IMP (Independently Made Plane) is a light aircraft designed by Moulton Taylor and marketed for homebuilding by Aerocar International. It is a scaled-down derivative of his original Aerocar IMP design. A two-seat version called the Bullet was also built. The Mini-IMP follows the same unconventional layout as its larger predecessor, with a center mounted engine, long driveshaft to a tail propeller, and inverted-V rudder/elevators.
The aircraft is available in the form of plans for amateur construction. Following Taylor's death, the plans and licensing for the Mini-IMP have been marketed by the Mini-IMP Aircraft Company of Weatherford, Texas.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011–12, page 111. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015–16, page 117. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 61. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
Design and development The aircraft features a cantilever high-wing, a single-seat enclosed cockpit, fixed or retractable tricycle landing gear or conventional landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.
The aircraft is made from riveted aluminum sheet. Its span wing is mounted well behind the pilot and employs a NASA GA(PC)-1 airfoil. The engine is mounted behind the pilot's seat driving the propeller through an extension shaft. Engines used include the Volkswagen air-cooled engine four-stroke.
Taylor claimed the Mini-IMP was not an original design, but an updated version of the 1912 Edson Fessenden Gallaudet Bullet, a design that was capable of 110 mph in the earliest days of flight.
In the late 1970s inquiries were made concerning a military version of the Mini-IMP, skinned with Kevlar, armed with two 7.62-millimeter machine guns, and with room in the baggage compartment for a considerable quantity of ammunition. Nothing came of the proposal.Jane's Information Group. Jane's All The World's Aircraft, 1981–1982 edition.
Specifications (typical Mini-IMP)
See also Related development: Holcomb Perigee IMP Micro-IMP
References
External links