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The Birdman TL-1 was an extremely minimalist
aircraft sold in
kit form in the
United States in the mid-1970s for US$1,395.
''A 100-pound plane from a kit''
"What's New," Popular Science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
, June 1975, p. 70]
Design and development
The TL-1's fuselage is nothing more than a boom connecting a set of wings with a V-tail. The pilot's seat and a pedestal carrying the pusher engine are attached to the top of the boom just forward of the wing. Flight control is provided by a series of spoilers.[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-6. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ]
Construction is of wood covered with Monokote MonoKote is commercially available lightweight plastic shrink wrap film available in various colors. It has a heat-activated adhesive on one side and is used to cover the surfaces of a model aircraft. The material is cut to size and applied to the a ...
and the aircraft was designed to be quickly dismantled for transport or storage.
Variants
;TL-1A
:Base model with longer span wing.
Specifications (TL-1)
See also
References
*
* {{cite book , last= Taylor , first= Michael J. H. , title=Jane's Pocket Book 14: Home-Built Aircraft, year=1977 , publisher=Macdonald , location=London
* ''Trade a Plane'' November 1975
* ''Sports Flying'' December 1975
1970s United States ultralight aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
TL-1
Aircraft first flown in 1975
Low-wing aircraft
V-tail aircraft