The Chotia Gypsy is an American single engine, high-wing,
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 ...
-equipped
ultralight aircraft
Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...
that was designed by John Chotia in 1980.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-18. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ][Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 286. BAI Communications. ]
The Gypsy design was also produced as a
kit plane
Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...
in the early 2000s by
Endeavor Aircraft & Automation as the Explorer. Even though kits are no longer available the
Vintage Ultralight and Lightplane Association still offers plans for the design.
Development
Designer John Chotia created the Gypsy in 1980 as a development of the
Chotia Woodhopper. The Woodhopper was itself a development of the
Chotia Weedhopper
The Weedhopper is an American high-wing, tractor configuration, tricycle gear, two-axis control ultralight aircraft originally developed by John Chotia during the height of the 1970s ultralight boom and introduced in 1977. When it was in prod ...
. The Gypsy was intended as an easier design for amateur builders to construct than the Woodhopper, with its all-wood construction. The Gypsy features bolted
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 has ...
tube construction, a wire-braced wing with a span of , with the ground wires supported by a
kingpost
A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above fro ...
. The wing is of aluminum tube construction, with foam ribs and a covering of 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 design has a standard empty weight of easily allowing it to qualify for the US
FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category, with its maximum empty weight requirement. The initial engine was a two stroke powerplant of and the recommended power range is . The engine is mounted on the overhead keel tube 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 c ...
.
Unlike the open-air pilot seat of the Woodhopper, the Gypsy design places the pilot in a cockpit ''bathtub'' pod with a windshield that provides wind protection. The main landing gear has no suspension and the tailwheel is attached to, and steered by, the rudder directly. The controls are conventional three-axis.
The Gypsy was put into production in 2000 as a kit aircraft by Endeavor Aircraft & Automation of
Paw Paw, Michigan
Paw Paw is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,534 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County.
Overview
The village is located at the confluence of the east and south branches of the Paw Paw River ...
at a price of
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
6,900 for a complete kit. Production was completed in the mid-2000s and the kit is no longer available. Endeavor specified 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 for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995.
Development
The ...
as the standard engine and recommended a power range of . The kit version has a higher empty weight of .
Variants
;Chotia Gypsy
:1980 version, plans still available.
;Endeavor Explorer
:Kit version, production commenced in 2000, out of production.
Specifications (Explorer)
See also
References
{{John Chotia aircraft designs
Chotia Gypsy
1980s United States ultralight aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1980
Single-engined tractor aircraft
High-wing aircraft