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EspañolAVE MIZAR
The 'AVE Mizar' (frequently misspelled "Mitzar", but named after the star Mizar) was a flying car built between 1971 and 1973 by Advanced Vehicle Engineers (AVE) of Oxnard, California. The company was started by Henry Smolinski, a Northrop-trained engineer.
The prototypes of the ''Mizar'' were made by mating the rear portion of a Cessna Skymaster to a Ford Pinto. The pod-and-twin-boom configuration of the Skymaster was an ideal starting point for a hybrid automobile/airplane. The passenger space and front engine of the Skymaster were removed leaving an airframe ready to attach to a small car. AVE planned to have their own airframe purpose-built by a subcontractor for production models, rather than depending on Cessna for airframes.
According to ''Peterson's Complete Ford Book'', by mid-1973, two prototypes had been built and three more were under construction. One prototype was slated for static display at Galpin Ford, owned by AVE partner Bert Boeckmann of Sepulveda, California. The other prototype, fitted with a Teledyne Continental 210-hp engine, was unveiled to the press on May 8, 1973. It then began a series of taxi tests at Van Nuys, California. AVE made special arrangements to do flight testing at the US Navy's test facilities at Point Mugu, California. AVE stated that FAA certification flights were under way in mid-1973.
The Mizar was intended to use both the aircraft engine and the car engine for takeoff. This would considerably shorten the takeoff roll. Once in the air the car engine would be turned off. Upon landing the four-wheel braking would stop the craft in 525 feet (160 m) or less. On the ground, telescoping wing supports would be extended and the airframe would be tied down like any other aircraft. The Pinto could be quickly unbolted from the airframe and driven away.
Production was scheduled to begin in 1974. AVE stated that you could drive/fly your own Mizar off the lot for between US$18,300 and US$29,000.
On September 11, 1973, during a test flight at Oxnard, California, the right wing strut detached from the Pinto. Some reports say the wings folded and others say the Pinto separated from the airframe. Smolinski and the pilot, Harold Blake, were killed in the resulting fiery crash. Even though the Pinto was a light car, the total aircraft was already slightly over gross weight without passengers or fuel. One observer reported that the wing struts were attached to the car with sheet-metal screws and that, "...everything was really bad". However, in addition to poor design and loose parts, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that bad welds were partly responsible for the crash.
{{aircraft specifications
|plane or copter?= plane
|jet or prop?= prop
|ref={name of first source}
|crew= one, pilot
|capacity=three passengers
|length main=
|length alt=
|span main= 38 ft 0 in
|span alt= 11.58 m
|height main=
|height alt=
|area main= 201 ft²
|area alt= 18.7 m²
|airfoil=
|empty weight main=
|empty weight alt=
|loaded weight main=
|loaded weight alt=
|useful load main=
|useful load alt=
|max takeoff weight main=
|max takeoff weight alt=
|more general=
|engine (prop)=Continental IO-360-C
|type of prop=
|number of props=1
|power main= 210 hp
|power alt= 157 kW
|power original=
|max speed main=
|max speed alt=
|cruise speed main=
|cruise speed alt=
|never exceed speed main=
|never exceed speed alt=
|stall speed main=
|stall speed alt=
|range main=
|range alt=
|ceiling main=
|ceiling alt=
|climb rate main=
|climb rate alt=
|loading main=
|loading alt=
|thrust/weight=
|power/mass main=
|power/mass alt=
|more performance=
|armament=
|avionics=
}}
★ Peterson, ''Peterson's Complete Ford Book'' 3rd Edition (1973)
★ The Unofficial Cessna Skymaster Web Site
★ Mitzar, Flying Pinto?
★ A Pinto for Icarus
★ NTSB accident report
| Contents |
| Development |
| Specifications (AVE Mizar) |
| References |
| External links |
| Related content |
Development
The prototypes of the ''Mizar'' were made by mating the rear portion of a Cessna Skymaster to a Ford Pinto. The pod-and-twin-boom configuration of the Skymaster was an ideal starting point for a hybrid automobile/airplane. The passenger space and front engine of the Skymaster were removed leaving an airframe ready to attach to a small car. AVE planned to have their own airframe purpose-built by a subcontractor for production models, rather than depending on Cessna for airframes.
According to ''Peterson's Complete Ford Book'', by mid-1973, two prototypes had been built and three more were under construction. One prototype was slated for static display at Galpin Ford, owned by AVE partner Bert Boeckmann of Sepulveda, California. The other prototype, fitted with a Teledyne Continental 210-hp engine, was unveiled to the press on May 8, 1973. It then began a series of taxi tests at Van Nuys, California. AVE made special arrangements to do flight testing at the US Navy's test facilities at Point Mugu, California. AVE stated that FAA certification flights were under way in mid-1973.
The Mizar was intended to use both the aircraft engine and the car engine for takeoff. This would considerably shorten the takeoff roll. Once in the air the car engine would be turned off. Upon landing the four-wheel braking would stop the craft in 525 feet (160 m) or less. On the ground, telescoping wing supports would be extended and the airframe would be tied down like any other aircraft. The Pinto could be quickly unbolted from the airframe and driven away.
Production was scheduled to begin in 1974. AVE stated that you could drive/fly your own Mizar off the lot for between US$18,300 and US$29,000.
On September 11, 1973, during a test flight at Oxnard, California, the right wing strut detached from the Pinto. Some reports say the wings folded and others say the Pinto separated from the airframe. Smolinski and the pilot, Harold Blake, were killed in the resulting fiery crash. Even though the Pinto was a light car, the total aircraft was already slightly over gross weight without passengers or fuel. One observer reported that the wing struts were attached to the car with sheet-metal screws and that, "...everything was really bad". However, in addition to poor design and loose parts, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that bad welds were partly responsible for the crash.
Specifications (AVE Mizar)
{{aircraft specifications
|plane or copter?= plane
|jet or prop?= prop
|ref={name of first source}
|crew= one, pilot
|capacity=three passengers
|length main=
|length alt=
|span main= 38 ft 0 in
|span alt= 11.58 m
|height main=
|height alt=
|area main= 201 ft²
|area alt= 18.7 m²
|airfoil=
|empty weight main=
|empty weight alt=
|loaded weight main=
|loaded weight alt=
|useful load main=
|useful load alt=
|max takeoff weight main=
|max takeoff weight alt=
|more general=
|engine (prop)=Continental IO-360-C
|type of prop=
|number of props=1
|power main= 210 hp
|power alt= 157 kW
|power original=
|max speed main=
|max speed alt=
|cruise speed main=
|cruise speed alt=
|never exceed speed main=
|never exceed speed alt=
|stall speed main=
|stall speed alt=
|range main=
|range alt=
|ceiling main=
|ceiling alt=
|climb rate main=
|climb rate alt=
|loading main=
|loading alt=
|thrust/weight=
|power/mass main=
|power/mass alt=
|more performance=
|armament=
|avionics=
}}
References
★ Peterson, ''Peterson's Complete Ford Book'' 3rd Edition (1973)
External links
★ The Unofficial Cessna Skymaster Web Site
★ Mitzar, Flying Pinto?
★ A Pinto for Icarus
★ NTSB accident report
Related content
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psst.. try this: add to faves
