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Chrislea CH.3

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For a description of the format and data included in Production Tables, see here.

Contents

Type Description
Projected Variants

Type Description

  • CH.3 Ace
  • (Later CH.3 Srs. 1 Ace after creation of the Srs.2) Four seat cabin monoplane with tricycle undercarriage and twin fins and an unusual 'steering wheel' control arrangement with no rudder bar. Initially it was fitted with single fin and rudder, but the turbulence created by the wide cabin had made the tail controls largely ineffective when flying just above stalling speed. The twin fin and rudder assembly was designed to operate outside this area of turbulence. The strut braced high wing was of wooden construction, comprising two box spars, plywood ribs and plywood covering. The fuselage was a fabric covered, welded tubular steel structure. The original narrow chord tailplane was a wooden structure, similar to the wing. The tailplane chord was mich increased with the incorporation of the twin fins. Originally intended to be powered by one 85 h.p. Frankin, the 100 h.p. Monaco powerplant, it was eventually powered by one 125 h.p. Lycoming O-290-3.
  • CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace
  • CH.3 modified with wing and tailplane as metal structures, the wing having tubular steel booms and tubular bracing, pressed aluminum ribs, all fabric covered, plus a light alloy leading edge. All metal trailing edge split flaps extended out to the ailerons. The fuselage sides were now metal clad from the firewall back to the cabin doors, and the top deck was now metal covered. The 'steering wheel' control remained but a rudder bar was now fitted. One 145 h.p. de Havilland Gipsy Major 10 powerplant.

Specification
Span Length Height Wing Area Empty Wt Max AUW Cruise Speed Maximum Speed Range Service Ceiling
36 ft 21 ft 6 in 7 ft 2 in 157 sq ft 1344 lb 2350 lb 112 mph/ 97 kn 126 mph/ 109 kn 400 mi
10.97 m 6.55 m 2.18 m 14.59 m2 610 kg 1066 kg 180 kph 203 kph 644 km

  • CH.3 Srs. 4 SkyJeep
  • CH.3 further modified with a tailwheel landing gear, a conventional control stick instead of the wheel and removable top decking on the rear fuselage, to allow conversion to an air ambulance. Fuel was moved to wing tanks from the fulage location of earlier versions. One 155 h.p. Blackburn Cirrus Major 3 powerplant.

Projected Variants

  • CH.3 Srs. 3 Skyjeep
  • Military A.O.P. and ambulance aircraft, essentielly similar to the Series 4.

Production Details

C/n Initial
Registration		 Type Notes
33 aircraft built by The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter (except CH.3 Ace, built at Heston). Built between April 1946 and October 1948.
100 G-AHLG CH.3 Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Heston.
101 G-AKFD CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Australia as VH-BRP, but destroyed by fire as deck cargo, Port Said, Egypt, July 1949.
102 VP-YGI CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To S.R. Sommerville, Bulawayo, Rhodesia. to VP-KGY.
103 VP-YGM CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To S.R. Sommerville, Bulawayo, Rhodesia.
104 G-AKUV CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To Mrs Richarda Morrow-Tait, Cambridge, named 'Thursdays Child'.
105 G-AKUW CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To F.G. Fox (Estates) Ltd.
106 G-AKUX CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To Enterprise Aviation Services (London) Ltd for operation in Amman, Jordan and Beirut, Lebanon.
107 G-AKUY CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Casa Iturrat, Buenos Aires, as LV-RXV in November 1948
108 G-AKUZ CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Casa Iturrat, Buenos Aires, as LV-RXW in November 1948
109 G-AKVA CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To Suffolk Trust Ltd, London. To H.V. Franklin, Accra, as VP-AEE in September 1954.
110 G-AKVB CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To John Chapman, Halstead, Essex, in May 1953, via C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd.
111 G-AKVC CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To R. Grut, Bernam Oil Pals Ltd, Kuala Lumpur, as VR-RBI in May 1949
112 G-AKVD CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To Autocars (Worcester) Ltd. To Honda Motors, Yokohama as JA3062 in February 1953.
113 G-AKVE CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To A.X. da S.J. Machado as PT-AJG in May 1950.
114 G-AKVF CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Lahore Flying Club as AP-ADT in August 1950.
115 G-AKVG CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Ferdinand Buser, Basel, as HB-EAA in May 1950.
116 G-AKVH CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; completed but not flown.
117 G-AKVI CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; completed but not flown.
118 G-AKVJ CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; completed but not flown.
119 G-AKVK CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; completed but not flown.
120 G-AKVL CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; completed but not flown.
121 G-AKVM CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; not flown.
122 G-AKVN CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; not flown.
123 G-AKVO CH.3 Srs. 4 SkyJeep To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; not flown.
124 G-AKVP CH.3 Srs. 4 SkyJeep To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To C.E. Harper Aircraft Co. Ltd., March 1952; not flown.
125 G-AKVR CH.3 Srs. 4 SkyJeep To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Arthur T. Tindall, Tambo, Qld., as VH-BRP in July 1951. To VH-RCD; VH-OLD; G-AKVR.
126 G-AKVS CH.3 Srs. 4 SkyJeep To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Aero Club d'Air, France, as F-AOMP in October 1952.
127 G-AKVT CH.3 Srs. 4 SkyJeep To The Chrislea Aircraft Co. Ltd, Exeter. To Intendencia Fray Bentos as an air ambulance as CX-AMR in December 1950.
128 ZK-ASI CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To Engineering Alliance Ltd, Hastings, NZ.
129 ZK-ASJ CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To Engineering Alliance Ltd, Hastings, NZ. to VH-BAE.
130 ZK-ASK CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace Registered to Engineering Alliance Ltd, Hastings, NZ, but not completed.
131 ZK-ASL CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace Registered to Engineering Alliance Ltd, Hastings, NZ, but not completed.
132 VH-BRO CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace To Richard I Green, Nelia, Qld.
Total Production  22
Total Production (Not Flown/Completed)  11

Production Summary

All Aircraft By Type
Type Built New Conv Canc'd Total
CH.3 Ace 1 1
CH.3 Srs. 2 Super Ace 18 9 27
CH.3 Srs. 4 SkyJeep 3 2 5
22 (0) 11

Production References

  1. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 2nd Ed., 1973)
  2. Air Britain Aviation World 2012/1
  3. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/chrislea/chrislea.htm