Earthstar Aircraft Thunder Gull Odyssey 03

The Earthstar Thunder Gull is a family of cantilever

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 ...

tricycle 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 ...

ultralight aircraft, manufactured by Earthstar Aircraft of

Santa Margarita, California Santa Margarita ( Spanish for " St. Margaret") is a town and census-designated place located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It was founded in 1889 near Cuesta Peak and San Luis Obispo along State Route 58. The town's name comes from the ...

as a kit for amateur construction or as a completed aircraft.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, pages B-61 & B-107. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', pages 148 and 307. BAI Communications. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 44. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2001 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 44. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2002 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, pages 33-34. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Newby-Gonzalez, Tori: ''2004 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 12, December 2003, page 65. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2005 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 55. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 49. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 51. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851

Design and development

Designer Mark Beierle's original goals were an "airplane with the feel of a hang glider, the agility and visibility of a helicopter, the effortless smooth flight of a sailplane, and the utility and economy of a general aviation aircraft--all in the hopes of getting close to the feel and freedom of a bird." When queried by interviewer Don Downie if that was too much to ask, Beierle replied, "You bet! But it didn't stop me from trying." The Thunder Gull was introduced in 1987 as a development of the earlier ''Laughing Gull''. The aircraft was quite revolutionary when it was introduced due to its high performance and particularly high cruise speed of on just . The aircraft is constructed from aluminum tubing and sheet parts and covered in

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 aircraft can meet the requirements of the US

FAR 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 ...

category, including its maximum empty weight limitation of when it is equipped with a lightweight engine.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 44. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. The aircraft has a very small wing for the US ultralight category with a wing area of only and a wingspan of . The wing is equipped with flaps that give it a stall speed of . The small wing gives the aircraft a high cruise speed and better resistance to turbulence than a lighter-loaded wing. The one-piece wing is quickly removable for storage or transport. Reported construction time of the kit is 150 hours.

Operational history

The prototype Laughing Gull was flown coast-to-coast across the USA seven times with of baggage and a pilot.

Variants

;Laughing Gull :Original model introduced in 1976. First models had wire bracing and later

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

-bracing before development of the cantilever wing. Production completed. ;Thunder Gull :Single-seat, high-wing ultralight aircraft with a cantilever wing. The name was changed from ''Laughing Gull'' for marketing purposes. Production completed. ;Thunder Gull J :Improved model with wingspan. Standard engine is 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 ...

and the acceptable power range is . First flight was March 1987 and it was available as a kit or ready-to-fly. Production completed. ;Thunder Gull JT2 :Two seats in

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 ...

model with dual controls and a wingspan. Standard engine is 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 ...

and the acceptable power range is . 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 618 The Rotax 618 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, liquid cooled, gear reduction-drive engine that was formerly manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It was designed for use on ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pages 6-105. ...

two-stroke engines were optional. It was available as a kit or ready-to-fly and production is completed. First flight was June 1989. ;Thunder Gull Odyssey :Two seats in an unusual staggered

side-by-side configuration 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 ...

with dual controls in the form of a shared center stick and a wingspan. The staggered seating was used to provide most of the benefits of side-by-side seating without the associated drag penalty. The seat stagger is sufficient to provide pilot shoulder clearance. Standard engine is the

and the acceptable power range is . 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 f ...

has also been installed. It first flew in April 1995 and was introduced at Sun 'n Fun in 1995. It is available as a kit or ready-to-fly. Fifteen were reported completed by December 2011 and still in production in 2012.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 43. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X An electric aircraft version has been flown. ;Soaring Gull :

Motorglider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...

version with wingspan and 16:1 glide ratio. Standard engine was the

and then later the

Hirth F-33 The Hirth F-33 is a single cylinder, two stroke, carburetted aircraft engine designed for use on ultralight aircraft, including powered paragliders and ultralight trikes. the engine is noted for its extremely light base weight of . It is ma ...

. The acceptable power range is . First flew in November 1993. Ten reported as completed by December 2011 and still in production in 2012. ;Gull 2000 :Updated version with wingspan, wider cockpit enclosure built 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 clo ...

. Standard engine was the Zanzottera MZ 34 of and then later the

. The acceptable power range is . Fifteen reported as completed by December 2011 and still in production in 2012. ;eGull 2000 :Electric powered variant EGull2000Flight

Specifications (Thunder Gull)

References

External links