The Designer's Last Innovation
The Taylor TA-2 Bird emerged from the creative mind of C. Gilbert Taylor, the legendary aircraft designer whose earlier work had fundamentally shaped American general aviation. By the late 1970s, Taylor had already established his legacy through the seminal E-2 Cub design of 1930, which evolved into the famous Piper Cub lineage, and his subsequent Taylorcraft company that produced thousands of aircraft including 1,726 L-2 military trainers during World War II.
Development and First Flight
Taylor began developing the TA-2 Bird as a personal project in the mid-1970s, aiming to create a modern general aviation aircraft that would incorporate several innovative features. The aircraft made its public debut in partially completed form at the 1977 EAA Airshow, generating interest among aviation enthusiasts for its unconventional design approach.
After two years of development work, the prototype achieved its first flight on July 17, 1979. This milestone marked both an achievement for the aging designer and what would prove to be his final contribution to aviation, as the project never progressed beyond the single prototype stage.
Innovative Design Features
The TA-2 Bird incorporated several unique design elements that set it apart from conventional general aviation aircraft of its era. Most notably, the aircraft featured a forward-sliding nose section that served as the primary entry point to the cabin, eliminating the need for traditional cabin doors. This innovative approach simplified the aircraft's structure while providing easy access for both occupants in the tandem seating arrangement.
The mid-wing configuration combined with the pusher propeller arrangement provided excellent visibility for both pilot and passenger, while the foldable wing tips offered practical advantages for hangar storage. The aluminum stressed-skin fuselage construction represented contemporary building techniques, though Taylor's implementation included his own refinements based on decades of aircraft design experience.
Perhaps most significantly, the aircraft employed a custom propeller speed reduction unit that Taylor developed specifically for the project. This reduction gear system was produced in limited quantities even after the aircraft project ended, suggesting that Taylor believed the technology had broader applications in general aviation.
The Taylor Legacy
By the time the TA-2 Bird flew, C. Gilbert Taylor had already established one of the most significant careers in American aviation history. His original Taylor Aircraft Company, founded in 1930, had grown from producing 22 E-2 Cubs in 1931 at $1,325 each to a thriving enterprise that he sold to William T. Piper in 1935.
Following that sale, Taylor immediately founded Taylor Aviation Company, later renamed Taylorcraft Aviation Corporation, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This second venture proved equally successful, growing to employ 750 workers by the late 1930s and producing eight aircraft daily at its Alliance, Ohio facility. The company's L-2 Grasshopper became a crucial liaison and observation aircraft for the U.S. Army during World War II.
However, by the 1970s, Taylor's manufacturing empire had long since ceased operations under his direct control. Piper Aircraft had evolved from his original company after William T. Piper renamed it in 1937 following a factory fire, while Taylorcraft continued in various forms until 1991 but never regained its wartime prominence.
Limited Production Reality
Despite the innovative features and Taylor's reputation, the TA-2 Bird never achieved commercial success. Only the single prototype was completed, with no evidence of series production ever beginning. The aircraft represented a personal passion project for the veteran designer rather than a serious commercial venture backed by adequate financing and marketing resources.
The prototype's fate remains unknown, with no records indicating whether it continued flying beyond its initial test phase or was eventually scrapped. Unlike Taylor's earlier designs that numbered in the thousands, the Bird exists only in aviation history as a footnote to a remarkable career.
Technical Innovation vs. Market Reality
The TA-2 Bird's failure to reach production illustrated the challenges facing individual designers in the changing general aviation market of the late 1970s. While Taylor's innovations showed continued creativity and engineering insight, the era of small manufacturers producing successful new designs was largely ending, replaced by established companies with extensive certification and marketing capabilities.
The custom propeller reduction unit, perhaps the project's most significant technical achievement, survived the aircraft's commercial failure and was produced in small quantities for other applications. This suggests that Taylor's engineering remained sound even as market conditions worked against independent aircraft development.
The Taylor TA-2 Bird thus stands as both a testament to C. Gilbert Taylor's enduring innovative spirit and a reminder of the practical challenges facing aircraft development in the modern era, representing the end of an era when individual designers could single-handedly create new aircraft types.