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History

Towards 1947 ends, and after reuniting the ideas of the FMA designers, it was begun with a first draft denominated IA-33. As basic characteristics this airplane must have arrow wing, lodge a powerful engine, bubble cabin, low-mounted wing and i horizontal fin to half of the tail.

When is decided to display the project to the maximum authorities of the factory in the same meeting Professor Tank and his secretary Neuman was presented. In this same meeting, Tank did diverse considerations, being interested in the project. Here same he showed for the first time the planes of the Ta 183. This generate an interchange of ideas and reached the conclusion that the Tank project got greater maneuverability at 10,000 mts., and the one of the technicians and engineers of the FMA had greater speed at sea level. 

Like result of this interesting meeting, engineer San Martín arranged that was formed two teams; one German, lead by Tank, and another Argentinean lead by the engineer Morchio. Each team had to elaborate a project, which was in consideration of San Martín. Finally was made the presentation of both projects. They were analyzed by parts: The wings and the empennage were practically identical, thus I do not generate discussion. However the main differences were in the fuselage and the undercarriage. The fuselage projected by the Argentine technicians was of smaller diameter, and this added to the best air inlet efficiency, towards of which this had better performance, but limited the fuel capacity. As far as the undercarriage the Germans anticipated the retraction of the same one towards the wings, by means of a complex mechanism. However the Argentine equipment anticipated the retraction towards the fuselage. Finally was decided by the German design for the fuselage, and for the Argentinean for the undercarriage. As we can appreciate, there was a strong competition between the two projects, being both solved through the smaller construction difficulty. Finally, and according to own words of the Argentine designers, not take the project of Tank Ta-183 as base of development, but on the contrary, was modify the prototype of the Argentine technicians that was the base of the project.

Construction and prototypes

Once was finished the construction of the first prototype, was destiny this for static tests, not getting never fly. Not know either for sure if is this first prototype was destroyed in complete way, or was were its true destiny.

In the second airplane was placed the Rolls Royce Nene II turbine, to make its inaugural flight in June 16 of 1950 and was made by Captain Edmundo Weiss. This airplane presented vibrations when arriving at 700 km/h, according to Otto Behrens. Because of this it was decided to make a series of modifications. Once finished the own Tank makes the test flights in October of the same year. During 1951 was invited a group of fighter pilots of the FAA to fly the airplane. In one of these flights Captain Vedania Manuwal folds a wing due to the fault of  the subjection hooks of the wing. Although the pilot ejected, was killed in the attempt. The airplane was lost completely.

The Nr.3 was completed in 1952, and got important improvements in its aerodynamics. The empennage had been redesigned and the controls were most stable in flight. Nevertheless this airplane was accident in October of the same year, dying Otto Behrens, when not being able to quit the airplane from a curl at low height .

With the Nr.4, was believed to begin to produce the airplane in series. This airplane got machine guns, pressurized cabin and film machineguns. The tests was carry out by the Capt. Jorge Doyle, reaching the 1080 km/h in slope. As he describes. “the Pulqui was lack of power, the Nene II was little. Although in straight flight reached the 700 km/h, the cell could resist too much“.

Sources:

• Aeroespacio magazine.
• The PULQUI II , history of a frustration (Hernán Longoni).
• First draft of the Pulqui II (Norberto Morchio – Humberto Ricciardi)
• The wings of Perón

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