The Rainbow Aerotrike is a family of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n two-seat ultralight trikes, made by

Rainbow Aircraft Rainbow SkyReach (Pty) Ltd is a South African aircraft manufacturer based at the Springs Airfield in Dal Fouche, Springs, Gauteng. It was formerly known as Rainbow Aircraft (Pty) Ltd. The company specialises in the design and manufacture of fix ...

of Edenvale, Gauteng and available in kit form for amateur construction or fully assembled. The type has been noted for its long-distance flights.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page C-1. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 108. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XPurdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 235. BAI Communications. Downey, Julia: ''2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, page 49. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2005 Trikes 'Chutes and Rotorcraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 22, Number 2, February 2005, page 49. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', pages 219-220. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The current Aerotrike series comprises two variants of the same basic design, the ''Scout'' and ''Cobra''. Both share the same basic design, including the two-seat carriage frame, suspension, steering and folding inverted "V" mast assembly. The Scout is equipped minimally, while the Cobra has many options as standard equipment, including a cockpit pod fairing, windshield, instrument panel, saddle bags and wheel pants. Both models require 30–40 hours to assemble from the supplied kit.

Operational history

The Aerotrike series were the choice of Mike Blyth for his record long-distance flights. The first in 1995 was from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa to North Cape, Norway a distance of and the second was an around-the-world flight of .

Variants

;Cobra :Fully equipped version with full cockpit fairing. Standard engine is

Rotax 912UL The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, late ...

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

with the Rotax 912ULS optional. It was previously available with the Rotax 582 two-stroke powerplant. The standard wing is the Aeros Stream 16.2, with the Aeros Proto 15.5 and

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 ...

wings as optional. Standard fuel is . Still in production, 70 had been completed and flown by 2005. ;Naked Cobra :Cobra trike, but without the cockpit fairing included, making the aircraft lighter and less expensive. ;Safari :Very basic model without cockpit fairing. Standard engine is Rotax 503 with the Rotax 582 two-stroke optional. When it was still in production the Rotax 618 was available. The standard wing is the Aerotrike Spirit 14.8. Out of production, 45 had been completed and flown as of 2000. ;Scout :Basic-equipped version without cockpit fairing, but with suspension. Standard engine is Rotax 503 with the Rotax 582 two-stroke or

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 ...

four-stroke engine optional. When it was still in production the Rotax 618 was available as well. The standard wing is the Aerotrike Spirit 14.8, with the Aerotrike Spirit 16.2, La-Mouette Ghost 12.9, La Mouette Ghost 14.9 and La-Mouette Chronos 16 wings as optional. Standard fuel is . Still in production, 45 had been completed and flown as of 2000. ;Spirit :Fully equipped version with full cockpit fairing. Standard engine is Rotax 582 two-stroke. Standard fuel is . No longer in production.

Specifications (Scout with Spirit 14.8 wing)

References

External links