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The Aerotique Parasol is an American
The Aerotique Parasol is an American parasol-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 con ...
, strut-braced, 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 ...
, single-seat, open cockpit, single engine in tractor configuration
In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher co ...
, ultralight aircraft that was designed as an ultralight version of the 1926 vintage Heath Parasol
The Heath Parasol is an American single or two seat, open-cockpit, parasol winged, homebuilt monoplane.
Design and development
In 1926, Edward Bayard Heath, a successful American air racer and the owner of an aircraft parts supply business, b ...
. It was originally produced by Yesteryear Aviation and later by Aerotique Aviation. The aircraft was supplied as factory-built only.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-2. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001.
Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the USFAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles
Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries.
In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not req ...
rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The Parasol's factory standard empty weight was .
The aircraft's fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
is built with an 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 ...
tube structure, with wooden wings, all covered with doped aircraft fabric covering. Early production models used wooden wing ribs, while later models transitioned to aluminium ribs. Its span wing uses parallel lift strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
s supported by jury strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
s and flying wires
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
. The wings are removable for transportation or storage and take about an hour to remove. The factory installed engine was the Rotax 277
The Rotax 277 is a , single-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Euro ...
, single cylinder, 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 ...
powerplant of . Other than the engine and the wheels, all parts are certified aircraft parts.
The Parasol has conventional three-axis controls, including half-span ailerons. The main landing gear is bungee-suspended and the tail has a steerable skid. Brakes were optional and taxiing the aircraft without them was described as "a little tricky".
As is the case with many parasol designs where the pilot sits directly underneath the wing on the aircraft's center of gravity
In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the balance point) is the unique point where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. This is the point to which a force ma ...
, the cockpit access is restricted by the close proximity of the wing.
Specifications (Parasol)
See also
References
{{reflist 1980s United States ultralight aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft