The Avenger is a single-seat,

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

low-wing,

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 ...

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 ...

. The Avenger was introduced in 1994 and is available as a kit or as plans from

Fisher Flying Products Fisher Flying Products is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that produces kits for a wide line of light aircraft. The company's kits all feature wooden construction with aircraft fabric covering. Many of the designs are reproductions of classic ...

.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 53. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Kitplanes Staff: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 70. Primedia Publications. IPM 0462012Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-7. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''Kit Aircraft Directory 2005'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 58. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 Fisher Flying Products was originally based in

Edgeley, North Dakota Edgeley is a city in LaMoure County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 585 at the 2020 census. History Edgeley was founded in 1886 by Richard Sykes, a landowner from England who named it after Edgeley, Cheshire, where he was born. ...

, United States, but relocated to

Vaughan, Ontario Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...

, Canada.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 101. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 107. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Development

The Avenger was designed to meet the requirements of the United States FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' regulations, including the maximum empty weight. Design goals included low cost, an attractive appearance, and accommodation for a tall, pilot. Although originally designed to accept the

Half VW The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankcase, and forged steel crankshaft and con ...

powerplant (a Type 1 Volkswagen engine block cut in half), the aircraft empty weight can be reduced to with the use of a lighter weight engine, such as 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 ...

or the 2SI 460-35. The Avenger was initially marketed with the now-discontinued Rotax 277 engine, which was criticized as leaving the aircraft dangerously underpowered. Reviewer Andre Cliche says:

Design

The Avenger structure is entirely constructed from wood, with a low wing braced to the landing gear. The wooden-framed wing is covered with aircraft fabric. The engine cowling is

fibreglass 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 ...

. The

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 ...

features a steerable tailwheel and main-gear suspension. The cockpit has a removable canopy. The Avenger has an estimated construction time of 400 hours from the kit. In 2022 the kit price (without paint, varnish, pilot/passenger restraints, instruments, upholstery, or engine) was

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 ...

9320, with the plans selling for US$350. Recommended engines include 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 Ro ...

Rotax 447 The Rotax 447 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. Design and development ...

, 2SI 460-35 or 1/2 VW.

Operational history

In December 2004, the company reported that 50 Avengers were flying, the majority as US unregistered ultralights.

Variants

;Avenger :With a regular firewall for two-stroke engines. Engine options are

, or

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 ...

or 2SI 460-35. Thirty-five had been completed and flown by the end of 2011. ;Avenger V :With a 2" narrower firewall to accommodate VW engines. Engines include the

1/2 VW The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankcase, and forged steel crankshaft and con ...

and the

Volkswagen air-cooled engine The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankcase, and forged steel crankshaft and co ...

. Thirty had been completed and flown by the end of 2011.

Specifications (Avenger with Rotax 503)

References

External links

Official websitePhoto of a Fisher Avenger with VW engine - rear viewPhoto of a Fisher Avenger with VW engine - front view
{{Uncertified aircraft developed in Canada 1990s Canadian ultralight aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1994 Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft