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Mystery Plane
By Andrew Hoyt, EAA 884474, for Experimenter
Jim Rice’s Turner T-40
This design has been around for more than 50 years. It’s been through many design changes and includes several options. It can be built with conventional or tricycle landing gear. It was introduced as a single-seat design that later evolved into a two-place by widening the fuselage to fit the occupants next to one another.
This is the Turner T-40 designed and built by E.L. (Gene) Turner from 1958 to 1960, starting out as a single-seat design. In 1962 Gene entered the T-40 into the EAA Design Competition for a one- or two-place airplane with folding wings. The T-40 captured second place!
It was later redesigned into the T-40A which is the two-seater shown in the opening photo. There were many other design changes done by various builders. Gene provides engineering plans for this plane but doesn’t offer a kit. The builders then have discretion to make modifications, but it’s always recommended to converse with Gene on any changes. If Gene approves of and likes the change, he has been known to incorporate the change in the plans for others to use.
Gene Turner after the first flight of the Turner Model T-40A/B, MojaveAirport 1969. It was the only airplane operating from the MojaveAirport at the time.
So with a large variety of options to choose from, the aircraft is quite a neat design. It allows the builder to choose the style and look he wants to build.
Here are some of the other looks - all the same aircraft.
 Prototype T-40A (1969) |
 T-40A/B wings folded and on trailer |
 T-40A built by Leighton Mangels |
 Jim Mandley’s T-40A |
| Specifications | ||
| Single-place | Side-by-side | |
| Wingspan | 22 feet, 3 inches | 25 feet, 6 inches |
| Wing chord | 3 feet, 6 inches | 3 feet, 6 inches |
| Wing length | 19 feet, 9 inches | 20 feet, 6 inches |
| Wing area | 75 square feet | 90 square feet |
| Flaps | 9.9 square feet | 9.9 square feet |
| Rudder area | 9.6 square feet | 9.6 square feet |
| Elevator area | 11.34 square feet | 12.0 square feet |
| Gross weight | 1,140 pounds | 1,580 pounds |
| Empty weight | 850 pounds | 1,105 pounds |
| Useful load | 320 pounds | 530 pounds |
| Fuel | 108 pounds (18 gallons) | 144 pounds (24 gallons) |
| Baggage | 20 pounds | 30 pounds |
| Height (top of cabin) | 6 feet | 6 feet |
| Height with wings folded | 7 feet, 10 inches | 7 feet, 10 inches |
| Cockpit width | 2 feet | 4 feet |
| Performance | ||
| Vmax – max speed | 170 mph | 175 mph |
| Vcr – cruise speed | 143 mph | 147 mph |
| Vs – stall, clean | 55 mph | 56 mph |
| Vso – stall, flaps | 49 mph | 50 mph |
| Va – maneuvering speed | 120 mph | 125 mph |
| Vne – redline | 220 mph | 220 mph |
| Range – max, no wind | 482 miles | 625 miles |
| Rate of climb at sea level | 1,000 fpm | 1,300 fpm |
| Service ceiling | 15,000 feet | 14,000 feet |
| Takeoff distance | 600 feet | 950 feet |
| Landing distance | 470 feet | 1,100 feet |
| Note: Performance figures based on the following—T-40 with conventional landing gear, T-40A with conventional landing gear and 125-hp engine. | ||
Andrew Hoyt posing in front of his T-40A project he acquired from his uncle, who bought the project partially completed by the original builder
Where Did My T-40A Come From?
Many years ago when I was a teen, I made a family trip to visit an uncle of mine. He purchased a project that had been started by the original builder back in 1979. The plane didn’t really resemble an aircraft at this point. I’ve had my pilot certificate since I was 18 and have always loved airplanes, so I thought this was the neatest thing!
Well, many years had gone by since that time when I saw the plane in my uncle’s basement. I got word that my uncle was considering moving out of the country. That caused me to wonder if he was going to take the plane with him; I gave him a call. He said, “Funny you should ask because I was considering trying to sell it here at the local airport.” I was very excited! I live in Colorado, but my uncle lived in Michigan. So I loaded up the family in my crew-cab truck, and we made a long weekend trip to retrieve the project.
We fit the entire plane in the back of the truck with the fuselage hanging over the cab by a few feet.
After getting back to Colorado, the plane lived in my basement for a few years since I didn’t have a good place to start working on it. We recently moved to a large house that has a huge shop which is perfect for airplane building. I now have my project moving along, slowly but steady.
I’ve built many model aircraft as a kid but nothing quite like this. I had tons of questions! Several years ago I ran across a new group on the Internet that was just getting started. It is a Yahoo! group that allows for members to discuss the T-40, share pictures, and ask questions. The group has really started to take off and has been an excellent resource! We have one member with an operating T-40A and several others that have T-40s in various building stages. Please stop by and check out the T-40 group.
You can still get plans from Gene Turner via his website.
A set of plans were printed in three parts in the 1965 issues of Sport Aviation: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Gene
Little boy’s eyes look up to the sky,
dreaming of the day he would learn to fly.
Building a model, flying a kite,
watching a nearby beacon light.
He joined the Air Corps,
his dreams to fulfill,
and went through college on the G.I. Bill.
Fly he did and moved to fame,
designed and built his beautiful plane.
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