Tipsy Nipper
Encyclopedia
The Tipsy Nipper T.66 is a light aircraft, developed in 1952 by Ernest Oscar Tips of Avions Fairey
at Gosselies
in Belgium
. It was designed to be easy to fly, cheap to buy and cheap to maintain. It was designed for both factory production and homebuild. "Nipper" was the nickname of Ernest Tip's first grandchild.
The first aircraft flew on 12 December 1957, with test pilot Bernard Neefs. It featured an open cockpit
and had a
length of 4.56 metres, a span of 6 metres and a range of 400 kilometres extendable with tip tanks to 720 kilometres.
and rudder
with a wooden and fabric covered
wing, tailplane
and elevator
. It weighs 165 kg without an engine. Early aircraft were equipped with a 40 hp Stamo VW-engine with later types using either 40 hp Pollman-Hepu or 45 hp Stark Stamo engines. Production was between 1959 and 1961 with Avions Fairey
delivering 59 complete aircraft and 78 kits. Avions Fairey
stopped production to make capacity available for F-104G Starfighter assembly for the Belgian Air Force
.
During 1962 the rights and a large assortment of uncompleted parts were sold to Cobelavia SA -Compagnie Belge d'Aviation, and they assembled 18 Nippers. The type was renamed as the Cobelavia D-158 Nipper.
In June 1966 the license was sold to Nipper Aircraft Ltd at Castle Donington
and new Mk.III aircraft were built for them by Slingsby Sailplanes
at Kirkbymoorside
. Production was ended by the fire at Slingsby's in late 1968 and the subsequent bankruptcy. Several partly constructed Nippers were transferred to Castle Donington.
In May 1971 Nipper Aircraft Ltd. stopped work and sold the license to a company called
Nipper Kits and Components, a company that helps home builders with parts and plans.
.
Tipsy Nipper T.66 Mk 2
Nipper Mk III
Avions Fairey
Avions Fairey was the Belgian-based subsidiary of the British Fairey Aviation that built Fairey aircraft designs for the Belgian government.-History:...
at Gosselies
Gosselies
Gosselies is a section of the Belgian town of Charleroi within the Walloon region in the Province of Hainaut. It was a commune of its own before the merger of the communes in 1977. Gosselies is the home for the headquarters of Caterpillar Belgium, and Solar Turbines Europe....
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It was designed to be easy to fly, cheap to buy and cheap to maintain. It was designed for both factory production and homebuild. "Nipper" was the nickname of Ernest Tip's first grandchild.
The first aircraft flew on 12 December 1957, with test pilot Bernard Neefs. It featured an open cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
and had a
length of 4.56 metres, a span of 6 metres and a range of 400 kilometres extendable with tip tanks to 720 kilometres.
Design and development
The aircraft has a welded steel tube fuselageFuselage
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 rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
with a wooden and fabric covered
wing, tailplane
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
and elevator
Elevator (aircraft)
Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
. It weighs 165 kg without an engine. Early aircraft were equipped with a 40 hp Stamo VW-engine with later types using either 40 hp Pollman-Hepu or 45 hp Stark Stamo engines. Production was between 1959 and 1961 with Avions Fairey
Avions Fairey
Avions Fairey was the Belgian-based subsidiary of the British Fairey Aviation that built Fairey aircraft designs for the Belgian government.-History:...
delivering 59 complete aircraft and 78 kits. Avions Fairey
Avions Fairey
Avions Fairey was the Belgian-based subsidiary of the British Fairey Aviation that built Fairey aircraft designs for the Belgian government.-History:...
stopped production to make capacity available for F-104G Starfighter assembly for the Belgian Air Force
Belgian Air Force
The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded in 1909, it is one of the world's first air forces, and was a pioneer in aerial combat during the First World War...
.
During 1962 the rights and a large assortment of uncompleted parts were sold to Cobelavia SA -Compagnie Belge d'Aviation, and they assembled 18 Nippers. The type was renamed as the Cobelavia D-158 Nipper.
In June 1966 the license was sold to Nipper Aircraft Ltd at Castle Donington
Castle Donington
Castle Donington is a village, with a population of around 7000 in the North West of Leicestershire, part of the Derby postcode area and on the edge of the National Forest. It is the closest town to East Midlands Airport.-Transport and housing:...
and new Mk.III aircraft were built for them by Slingsby Sailplanes
Slingsby Aviation
Slingsby Aviation is a British aircraft company based in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. The Slingsby business was founded on the building and design of gliders and sailplanes. From the early 1930s to about 1970 it built over 50% of all British club gliders and had success at national and...
at Kirkbymoorside
Kirkbymoorside
Kirkbymoorside is a small market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England which lies approximately 25 miles north of York midway between Pickering and Helmsley, and has a population of approximately 3,000.-History:...
. Production was ended by the fire at Slingsby's in late 1968 and the subsequent bankruptcy. Several partly constructed Nippers were transferred to Castle Donington.
In May 1971 Nipper Aircraft Ltd. stopped work and sold the license to a company called
Nipper Kits and Components, a company that helps home builders with parts and plans.
Operational history
In 2000, about 45 Nippers were still active, mostly in the UK. In 2010, 34 Nippers were registered with the British Civil Aviation AuthorityCivil Aviation Authority
This is a list of national and supra-national civil aviation authorities.-See also:* Air route authority between the United States and the People's Republic of China* National Transportation Safety Board -External links:****...
.
Variants
Tipsy Nipper T.66 Mk 1- First production model, powered by a 30 kW (40 hp) Pollman-Hepu engine. Enclosed canopy.
Tipsy Nipper T.66 Mk 2
- Second production model; as first but powered by a 33.5 kW (45 hp) Stark Stamo engine.
Nipper Mk III
- Slingsby-built for Nipper Aircraft normally with 1500 cc, 33.5 kW (45 hp) Rollason Ardem Mk X engines, 32 built. Tip tanks optional.
Specification (Mk.2)
Further reading
- http://www.tipsy-histories.com/site/
- http://www.tipsynipper.com/forum/