The Fisher Flyer was a single seat
tricycle landing 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 g ...
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
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 ...
first flown by Michael Fisher in July 1980. It was the first aircraft designed by Fisher and became the first of more than 3500 Fisher aircraft flying by 2007.
[Taylor, John WR: ''Janes All the Worlds Aircraft 1982–83'' page 642, Janes Publishing Company, 1982. ]
Development
The Flyer was intended to meet the requirements of the US
FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category under regulatory consideration at the time the aircraft was built, including that category's maximum empty weight.
The aircraft was a conventional single seat ultralight based on the wings taken from the Easy Riser
hang glider
Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...
. The
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
and tail were of original design. The airframe structure was of
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, covered with
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 landing gear was of a fixed
tricycle configuration.
The Flyer was fitted with a Zenoah engine. The aircraft had an empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of just
Operational history
Only one Flyer was built and, because FAR Part 103 was not in effect yet, the aircraft was registered as an
Experimental – Amateur-built. As of October 2009 the aircraft is no longer registered with the FAA.
Specifications (Flyer)
See also
References
{{Fisher Flying Products
1980s United States ultralight aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1980
Single-engined tractor aircraft