The Antares MA-32 is the first model in a large 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 ...

ultralight trike An ultralight trike is a type of powered hang glider where flight control is by weight-shift. These aircraft have a fabric flex-wing from which is suspended a tricycle fuselage pod driven by a pusher propeller. The pod accommodates either a ...

s that is designed and produced by Antares Aircraft and at one time marketed by Leading Edge Air Foils as the LEAF Antares. The aircraft are supplied as kits for amateur construction.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page C-4. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, page 46. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 95. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The MA-32 is a two-seat design that was originally developed for European microlight competition flying. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It features a cable-braced

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

-style

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 conf ...

, weight-shift controls, an open cockpit,

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

and a single engine in

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in n ...

. The aircraft is made from bolted-together

aluminum 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. It ha ...

tubing, with

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion i ...

used on the carriage structure and wing attachment. The wing is covered in

Dacron Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and fo ...

sailcloth. Its span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. A number of single or double surface purpose-designed trike wings are optional, including the Aeros Still-17, Aeros Stream-16, Aeros Stranger 2, Aeros Profi, Aerossa Sprinter-15, Aerossa Stratos and the Aerossa Stratos-13. The

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Mart ...

uses a unique curved, slab-sided, main gear leg design made from

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 cl ...

that reduces

aerodynamic drag In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called air resistance, a type of friction, or fluid resistance, another type of friction or fluid friction) is a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding ...

. All wheels have suspension and the steerable nose wheel also features a drum brake. A fiberglass cockpit fairing is optional. Series engines include the Rotax 447

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 , Rotax 503 of , the liquid-cooled Rotax 582 of , the

Rotax 912 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, la ...

and 912S

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either direct ...

powerplants of and and the

HKS 700E The HKS 700E is a twin-cylinder, horizontally opposed, four stroke, carburetted aircraft engine, designed for use on ultralight aircraft, powered parachutes and ultralight trikes. The engine is manufactured by HKS, a Japanese company noted for ...

of . The aircraft can all be quickly folded for storage or ground transportation.

Variants

; A-10 R503 Solo :Base single-seat model with Rotax 503 of and gross weight of . The model has the same undercarriage and other features of the MA-32. Wings that can be fitted include the Aero Stranger 2, Aeros Stranger 2M, Aeros Still 17, Aeros Stream 16 or the Aeros Profi.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 204. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X ;MA-32 :Base two-seat model with Rotax 447 two-stroke powerplant of ;MA-32 R503 :Two-seat model with Rotax 503 of ;MA-32 R582 G :Two-seat model with Rotax 582 of , with optional twin floats ;MA-33 and MA-33M R582 :Two-seat model with Rotax 582 two-stroke powerplant of Downey, Julia: ''2005 Trikes 'Chutes and Rotorcraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 22, Number 2, February 2005, page 47. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 ;MA-33M R912 :Two-seat model with

powerplant of or

of ;MA-34 R912 Ranger :Two-seat model with

four-stroke powerplant of and a fuel tank ;MA-34R912S Beaver :Two-seat model with Rotax 912ULS four-stroke powerplant of ;MA-34 Open Country :Two-seat model with Rotax 912ULS four-stroke powerplant of , tundra tires and an Aeros Stratos 15.5 wing ;MA-34 R582XB Crop Duster :Two-seat model with Rotax 582 two-stroke powerplant of and spray equipment for

aerial application Aerial application, or what is informally referred to as crop dusting, involves spraying crops with crop protection products from an agricultural aircraft. Planting certain types of seed are also included in aerial application. The specific sp ...

;LEAF Antares 503 :Base model marketed by Leading Edge Air Foils, with the Aeros Stream-16 wing, circa 2000. Two-seat model with Rotax 503 of ;LEAF Antares 582 :Model marketed by Leading Edge Air Foils, with the Aeros Stranger-15 wing, circa 2000. Two-seat model with Rotax 582 of

Specifications (MA-32)

References

External links

* {{LEAF aircraft MA-32 1990s Ukrainian ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Ultralight trikes Leading Edge Air Foils aircraft