Earthstar Aircraft Thunder Gull Odyssey 03

The Earthstar Thunder Gull is a family of cantilever high-wing, tricycle gear

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 ...

, manufactured by Earthstar Aircraft of Santa Margarita, California 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. 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 requ ...

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-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 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 model with dual controls and a wingspan. Standard engine is the Rotax 503 and the acceptable power range is . The Rotax 582 and Rotax 618 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 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 Rotax 503 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 for ...

has also been installed. It first flew in April 1995 and was introduced at

Sun 'n Fun Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo (officially styled SUN 'n FUN) is a nonprofit organization in Lakeland, Florida dedicated to the promotion of aviation education. It is best known for the annual week-long fly-in and airshow at Lakeland Linder Intern ...

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 An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...

version has been flown. ;Soaring Gull : Motorglider version with wingspan and 16:1 glide ratio. Standard engine was the Rotax 277 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. Standard engine was the

Zanzottera MZ 34 The Zanzottera MZ 34 and MZ 35 are a family of single-cylinder, two-stroke, single ignition aircraft engines designed for powered paragliders, one and two place powered parachutes, single place ultralight trikes, light single place ultralig ...

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