Aeronca Sedan - Design and Development

Design and Development

Like those of other Aeronca designs, the Sedan’s fuselage and tail surfaces are constructed of welded metal tubing. The outer shape of the fuselage is created by a combination of wooden formers and longerons, covered with fabric. The cross-section of the metal fuselage truss is triangular, a design feature which can be traced back to the earliest Aeronca C-2 design of the late 1920s.

In a significant design departure from previous Aeronca aircraft, the strut-braced wings of the Sedan are all-metal assemblies. Such combinations of construction types were not common. While the Sedan mated a fabric-covered fuselage to all-metal wings, the contemporary Cessna 170 mated an all-metal fuselage to fabric-covered wings. Also unique to the Sedan, among Aeronca designs, are the single-piece wing struts.

The landing gear of the Sedan is in a conventional arrangement, with steel tube main gear, and a steerable tailwheel. Unlike its siblings the Champ and Chief, both of which employ oleo struts for shock absorption, the Sedan makes used of bungee cords to absorb landing and taxi loads.

The Sedan is powered by the Continental C-145-2 or Continental O-300-A engine of 145 horsepower (108 kW); the Franklin 6A4-165-B3 and Franklin 6A4-150-B3, of 165 and 150 horsepower (110 kW), respectively, are also approved for installation. The Sedan features an electrical system, including a starter, as standard equipment.

As it had with many of its other models, Aeronca certified a seaplane version of the Sedan, the model S15AC. While the standard Sedan was equipped with a single entry door on the right side, the seaplane version offered a left-side door as well.