The La Mouette Topless is a French single-place,
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 ...
that was designed and produced by
La Mouette
La Mouette ( en, Seagull) is a French aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Fontaine-lès-Dijon. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of hang gliders, paragliders and ultralight trikes. At one time they also produced paramotor ...
.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 46. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X]
Design and development
The Topless was introduced in 1995 and was the first commercially produced modern hang glider without 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 ...
and upper
flying wires
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...
. Intended as a competition glider, it was based on the development work of Christof Krazner.
The aircraft is made from
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 ...
tubing, with the wing covered in
Dacron
Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...
sailcloth. It was built in three different sizes, designated by their metric wing areas and all with a nose angle of 132°.
Variants
;Topless 11
:Small-size model for lighter pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of and an
aspect ratio of 8.8:1. Pilot hook-in weight range is .
;Topless 12.8
:Medium-size model for mid-weight pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of and an aspect ratio of 8.0:1. Pilot hook-in weight range is .
;Topless 13.5
:Large-size model for heavier pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of and an aspect ratio of 7.5:1. Pilot hook-in weight range is .
Specifications (Topless 12.8)
References
External links
Photo of a Topless{{La Mouette aircraft
Topless
Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness.
Expose ...
Hang gliders