The Aeroprakt A-20 Vista is a family of

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

two-seat

high-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing co ...

, strut-braced, pusher configuration

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

, ultralight aircraft, produced by Aeroprakt. The A-20 was introduced into the North American market at

AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsi ...

1999.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-67. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 116. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

Design of the A-20 began in 1990, with the first prototype making its maiden flight on 5 August 1991, with the first production aircraft flying on 15 August 1993.Jackson 2003, p. 463. The A-20 is constructed with a

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

forward fuselage and cockpit with

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

wings and tail surfaces covered in doped

aircraft fabric Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...

. The wing is fitted with half-span ailerons and flaps. The flaps are quite effective and lower the landing speed to .

Flaperons A flaperon (a portmanteau of flap and aileron) on an aircraft's wing is a type of control surface that combines the functions of both flaps and ailerons. Some smaller kitplanes have flaperons for reasons of simplicity of manufacture, while ...

are available on some models. The conventional landing gear has steel sprung main gear legs. The A-20 was originally designed for the

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. As of 2011 the Rot ...

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

aircraft engine. The low drag airframe produces acceptable performance on this low power output. Optional engines include the

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operating ...

and

Rotax 912ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, later ...

Operational history

An A-20 won the European Microlight Championship in 2002.

Variants

;A-20 Vista :Initial version with a

engine. ;A-20 Vista STOL : STOL version with a

engine and standard slotted flaperons. ;A-20 Vista SS :Higher cruise speed version with a reduced span wing and a

engine. ;A-20 Cruiser :Higher cruise speed version with a reduced span wing and a

engine. ;A-20 Cruiser-S :Higher cruise speed version with a reduced span wing, a

engine and standard slotted flaperons. ; A-26 Vulcan :A highly modified twin engine pusher. ;A-30 Vista Speedster:A high performance derivative of the A-20.

Specifications (A-20)

References

Notes Bibliography *Jackson, Paul. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004''. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 2003. . *

External links

* {{Aeroprakt aircraft 1990s Ukrainian ultralight aircraft

Vista Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

Single-engined pusher aircraft High-wing aircraft