The Loehle Sport Parasol is an American single-seat,
parasol 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 confi ...
ed, single engine,
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 ...
produced in kit form by
Loehle Aircraft
Loehle Aircraft Corporation (pronounced "Low-lee") was an aircraft manufacturer located in Wartrace, Tennessee, that produced aircraft kits and a complete line of paints for all types of aircraft, including metal, composite and fabric covered.Do ...
for
amateur construction. The aircraft meets 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 ...
regulations.
[Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 55. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 61. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-44. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ][Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 197. BAI Communications. ][Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 60. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 115. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ]
When the design was introduced to the market it garnered a high degree of attention for its very low kit price, although the initial price did not include the engine, propeller, instruments or covering supplies. It was still one of the lower cost kit aircraft in 2010.
Loehle Aircraft is believed to have ceased operations in 2017.
Design and development
The Sport Parasol was introduced in 1991. The aircraft is conventional in construction, built predominantly from wood and riveted
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, covered in doped
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 wings are double-surface, with half-span
aileron
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...
s. The wings detach and the
tailplane
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplane ...
folds for trailer transport and storage. The landing gear is of
conventional configuration, with
bungee-sprung main gear and a steerable tailwheel.
The initial engine recommended for the design was the now out-of-production
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 ...
. Recommended engines today include
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
...
and 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 ...
. Kit options include brakes, an extra fuel tank, spoked wheels, floats and skis. Construction time from the kit is reported as 350 hours.
Reviewer Andre Cliche describes the aircraft as "a very attractive and simple parasol design that flies perfectly."
Bayerl et al. said of the aircraft, "for very low-cost flying this is pretty much it...
he Sport Parasoloffers plenty of fun for little money."
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 108. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X]
Specifications (Sport Parasol)
See also
References
External links
Last archived copy of official Web site - 1 July 2017Photo of Sport Parasol
{{Loehle Aircraft
1990s United States ultralight aircraft
Sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Parasol-wing aircraft