Parnall Elf

The Parnall Elf is a British two seat light touring aircraft of the 1920s. Built by George Parnall & Co. the Elf was the last aircraft designed by Harold Bolas before he left the company to go to the United States.

Elf
Role	Two-seat light aircraft
Manufacturer	Parnall & Co
Designer	Harold Bolas
First flight	1929
Number built	3

Parnall Elf G-AAIN, Shuttleworth

Design and development

The Parnall Elf was designed by Harold Bolas, chief designer of the reformed George Parnall & Co. The type made its public debut at Olympia in July 1929.^[1] The Elf was a biplane of wood and fabric construction with staggered wings set well forward on the fuselage as a feature to assist crew escape in an emergency. The wings were unusually braced with 'vee' interplane struts which dispensed with any flying wires^[1] and could be folded for ease of hangarage. The main fuel tank was fitted in the fuselage, while a pump raised the fuel to a small tank in the wing centre section where it was then fed to the engine by gravity. An Elf placed fifth in the 1930 King's Cup Air Race out of a field of 88 entrants. The purchase price of the aircraft at this time was between £875 and £890.^[2]

Survivors

• Parnall Elf, G-AAIN, is maintained and operated by the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire, England and may be flown regularly throughout the summer months. 'G-AAIN' flew at the "At The Movies" Drive-In airshow on 2 August 2020, hosted by the Shuttleworth Collection

Specifications (Elf Mk.II)

Parnall Elf 3-view drawing from Aero Digest January,1930

Data from Parnall Aircraft since 1914^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 22 ft 10.5 in (6.972 m)
• Upper wingspan: 31 ft 3.5 in (9.538 m)
• Lower wingspan: 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m)
• Width: 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) folded
• Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
• Wing area: 195 sq ft (18.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 900 lb (408 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,700 lb (771 kg)
  

1,500 lb (680 kg) for aerobatics

• Fuel capacity: 21 imp gal (25 US gal; 95 L) in a fuselage main tank and centre-section gravity tank
• Powerplant: 1 × Cirrus Hermes II 4-cylinder air-cooled in-line piston engine, 120 hp (89 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 116 mph (187 km/h, 101 kn) at sea level

112 mph (97 kn; 180 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m)

• Cruise speed: 103 mph (166 km/h, 90 kn)
• Stall speed: 40 mph (64 km/h, 35 kn)
• Range: 400 mi (640 km, 350 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,900 m)
• Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s)
• Time to altitude: 10,000 ft (3,048 m) in 21 minutes

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• de Havilland DH.60 Moth