I.Ae.

22 DL

Technical Description: A monoplane build of wood, Tandem tandem

seat, acrylic cover, low wing with retractable landing gear for electric
drive, advanced training, designed by the Aircraft Institute in 1943.

Visual Aspects:

Short History:
During World War II, the scarcity of materials considered strategic,
mainly metals such as aluminum and steel, had negative repercussions
in the national aeronautical industry and Military Aviation that saw the
operation of its aircraft affected by the increasing lack of spare parts And
inputs in general. Seeing the imperative need to replace the virtually
paralyzed NA-16-1P fleet, was that the still Military Aircraft Factory
developed the project of an advanced trainer named FMA-21, which
consisted basically of a cell of N.A. 16, which was equipped with a new
metal wing and retractable landing gear, designed and manufactured in
the country. The project was very promising, but not feasible because it
required too many materials still difficult to obtain, but it turned out to
be the first step towards a fully Argentine coach. Creation of the Aircraft
InstituteOctober 20, 1943, the Military Factory of Airplanes happens to
depend on the Direction General of Military Manufacturing, to the
General Directorate of Army Aeronautical Material, thus becoming the
Air Technician Institute. This was not only a change of hands and title,
but an important change in the internal structure, dividing the institute
into five main services: Manufacturing, Technical, Inspection,
Administrative and General. Thus, on August 23, 1943, the modification
of the FMA-21 project began towards a solution entirely in wood called
IA-22. In 1944, he was appointed director of the Aeronautical
Engineering Institute, Juan Ignacio San Martn, being one of the
propellers in the country of the techniques of construction of aircraft in
wood that the De Havilland had applied in England for the construction
of the Mosquito .

Road to a plane without metal

The techniques de Havilland had applied to the woods improved their
strength through the use of plywood and the application of a new range
of adhesives and hot pressing processes. Thus, in March 1944, while the
first IA-22 prototype was being manufactured, the institute's laboratories
developed the adhesives that were not produced in the country at the
time, and turned out to be one of the fundamental and more specific
parts of the project. The manufacturing technology of aeronautical
plywood and improved timber was developed that once reached the
required quality, was transferred to domestic manufacturers of
commercial plywood. Finally, the firm Heller de Misiones produced all the
plywood used to manufacture all the aircraft of the series. Some of the
woods used were Spruce Pine, Missionary Cedar, Fresno and Walnut. The
propellers also required a special process, which consisted of the high
temperature pressing of fine sheets of missionary cedar, impregnated in
phenolic tail forming blocks Of improved wood, which were then
machined as if they were made of metal. Thus, the variable-pitch
propeller IA 2M-D-30 was developed with a CrNi steel bucket and
improved wooden blades by means of the process described above.

The Gaucho is born

The IA-22 engine should also be designed locally with the available
materials. To do this, the plans of Whirldwind R-975-E5 were used, which
Wright had assigned to the FMA when they acquired N.A.16, since it
could not assure the provision of engines in the future due to the war.
With this information, the IAI R16-SD1 "El Gaucho" engine was
developed, having to replace many of the unreachable materials, locally
redesigning the magnetos and the pumps of naphtha and getting to
manufacture the first experimental mono cylindrical of South America,
used for the Set-up of the die-cast pistons, which had originally been
designed in aluminum. The carburetor instead was developed directly by
a private firm. "El Gaucho" 9-cylinder star was air cooled and delivered
450 HP at 2250 RPM. 120 engines were manufactured between 1944
and 1947.

First flight
70 days after the start of the general project, on May 17, 1944, the first
flight of the IA-22 prototype was carried out with a Wright Whirldwind R-
975-E5 engine and a Hamilton Standard 2M-D-30 metal propeller. The
launch of "El Gaucho" took place on June 27, 1944, with 155 hours of
filming completed and homologated according to FAR-33 standards. On
August 8 of that year four preset aircraft were registered Ea-701 to 704
already equipped with the "El Gaucho" engine.

Private Participation

Once all the pieces were defined and all the problems solved, private
companies were invited to participate in the mass production of the
different pieces according to the technical capacities of each one,
counting with the assistance Technical and financial aspects of the
institute. Beginning in 1944 with 107 participating firms, and then
reaching more than 300 companies, which later formed the nucleus of
the Cordovan industrial pole and other regions of the country. Series
production of the IA-22 lasted until 1949, reaching 200 units in the
following sequence: 46 aircraft in 1945, 49 in 1946, 40 in 1947 and the
remaining 65 aircraft between 1948 and 1949.

El gaucho vs. Cheetah

In 1947 a controversy arose about the reliability of the engine "El

Gaucho" and added that the Institute was completely dedicated to the
construction of the parts of the Pulqui and Calquin, caused the
deactivation of the mass production of the engine "El Gaucho ". It was
then decided to replace it in the following series of the IA-22 with
Armstrong Siddeley British engine "Cheetah Mk XXV" 7-cylinder star and
a power of 475 HP at 2250 RPM with a Dowty metallic two-bladed
propeller. For this, the original cell had to be modified significantly to
accept the new engine, this series of approximately 100 aircraft is called
IA-22C. The final result was that the English engines did not perform as
expected, A short time of installed, several problems of vibrations and
failures of cylinders and rockers were detected, which drastically
reduced the time between inspections and the general reliability. Image
The IA-22 operated in the Military Aviation School, forming military
aviators from 1944 to 1958, being always an airplane very appreciated
by the great majority of its pilots. He was also employed in the 1st Air
Brigade in Reconquista and in the 2nd Air Brigade in Tandil. The IA22's
armament consisted of two 7.65mm machine guns with 450 projectiles
and an axial machine gun in the back position. In addition it could carry
three bombs of 50kg or nine of 15kg or six rockets of 11kg. The 31 of
December of 1958 definitively they deprogramaron the nine active
airplanes in the EAM and the eight assets in II the Air Brigade. Image
Final Destination The first preseason plane, the Ea-701 was on display
for many years at the National Aeronautics Museum, reaching a
significant deterioration level. Currently, it is in immaculate condition
thanks to a complete restoration carried out by the personnel of the
Aerial Material Rio IV and in exhibition under the new facilities of the
National Museum of Aeronautics in Morn.

Configuration: Trainer/ Observation Aircraft

Production Status

First flight: August 8th 1944

Introduction year: random year [source number; page number]

Status: retired

Number built: 201

Crew Data
Number of crew: 2
Roles of crew: Pilot and gunner/trainer

Basic Geometric Data

Length: 9.20m
Wing span: 12.60m
Wing area: 23.29 m2
Height: 2.82m
Flap area:
Elevator area:
Rudder area:
Aileron area:

I.Ae 22
I.Ae 22-C

Engine Data (Piston Aircraft)

Manufacturer: FMA
Armstrong Siddeley
Name: I.Ae 16 El Gaucho
Cheetah
Number of engines: 1
1
Number of cylinders: 9
7
Configuration: Simple Star

Cooling: Air-Cooled
Supercharger / Turbo:
Fuel:
Dry weight:
Gear ratio: 2250rmp

Compression Ratio: 6,3:1

Rotation: Crankshaft, clockwise

(From pilots view)

Fuel Data
Fuel tanks:
Fuel consumption: 80l/h
(Cruise regime)
Power Data
WEP:
Take Off Power: 450hp(2,250rpm)
Maximum Power: 450hp(2,200rpm)
475hp
Cruising Power: 275hp(1900rpm)

Maximum Cruising Power: 325hp

Propellor Data
Manufacturer: Hamilton Standard
Rotol
Type: 2M-D30

Number of blades: 2
2
Blade diameter:
Weight Data
Empty weight: 1520kg
1800kg
Loaded weight: 2220kg
2460kg

General Performance Data

Maximum speed: 290km/h
305km/h

Minimum speed:

Landing speed: 110km/h

110km/h
Cruising speed: 260km/h
275km/h
Service ceiling: 6000m
6400m
Range: 1100km
1168km

Max Speed Chart

At 450m: 290km/h

Rate of Climb
.. at 1.000 meters
.. at 2.000 meters
.. at 3.000 meters
.. at 4.000 meters

Armament
Fix Armament: 2x 7,65mm Madsen machineguns with 450 bullets each
Bomb load: 3x 50 kg bombs or 6 rockets of 11kg

Some models had a gunner machinegun (the same guns that that the
ones of the wings)

Ammunition:

Notes

<if applicable>

Sources

1. Alas de Peron

2.argentinas wooden warrior