Nesmith Cougar
Encyclopedia
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The Nesmith Cougar was a light aircraft developed in the United States
in the 1950s and marketed for homebuilding
.
with fixed tailwheel undercarriage
. The pilot and a single passenger were seated side-by-side. The fuselage
and empennage
were of welded steel-tube construction, while the wings were of wood, and the whole aircraft was fabric-covered.
The original Cougar design was marketed by Nesmith himself. His intent was to market a low-cost aircraft for homebuilders. He also used the aircraft as a troubled youth project to encourage teens to work together toward a goal. When a modified Cougar won an Experimental Aircraft Association
(EAA) design competition in 1963, that organization took over selling plans. Rights to the design were eventually purchased by Acro Sport
.
The aircraft shape was influenced by the Beechcraft Staggerwing
and Wittman Tailwind
. The name came from the college of Nesmith's daughter, the University of Houston
, whose athletic mascot is The Cougar.
landing gear, called the "Chigger". The aircraft was capable of being towed backward behind a car.
The Nesmith Cougar was a light aircraft developed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1950s and marketed for homebuilding
Homebuilt aircraft
Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits.-Overview:...
.
Development
The design, by Robert Nesmith, was for a conventional high-wing, strut-braced monoplaneMonoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
with fixed tailwheel undercarriage
Conventional landing gear
thumb|The [[Piper PA-18|Piper Super Cub]] is a popular taildragger aircraft.thumb|right|A [[Cessna 150]] converted to taildragger configuration by installation of an after-market modification kit....
. The pilot and a single passenger were seated side-by-side. The fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
and empennage
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
were of welded steel-tube construction, while the wings were of wood, and the whole aircraft was fabric-covered.
The original Cougar design was marketed by Nesmith himself. His intent was to market a low-cost aircraft for homebuilders. He also used the aircraft as a troubled youth project to encourage teens to work together toward a goal. When a modified Cougar won an Experimental Aircraft Association
Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
(EAA) design competition in 1963, that organization took over selling plans. Rights to the design were eventually purchased by Acro Sport
Acro Sport
Acro Sport Inc is an aircraft manufacturer based in Hales Corners, Wisconsin that markets plans for homebuilt aircraft.The company markets plans for the Acro Sport I and Acro Sport II aerobatic biplanes, but also owns the rights to a number of other designs, including the Nesmith Cougar, Pober...
.
The aircraft shape was influenced by the Beechcraft Staggerwing
Beechcraft Staggerwing
The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative stagger , that first flew in 1932.-Development:...
and Wittman Tailwind
Wittman Tailwind
|- References :* * Wittman Buttercup-External links:*...
. The name came from the college of Nesmith's daughter, the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, whose athletic mascot is The Cougar.
Variants
One example was built with folding wings and Culver CadetCulver Cadet
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4.* Mormillo, Frank B...
landing gear, called the "Chigger". The aircraft was capable of being towed backward behind a car.