The Robin ATL (''Avion Très Léger'', "very light aircraft") is a French two-seat light aircraft designed by
Avions Robin
Robin Aircraft is a French manufacturer of light aircraft. It succeeds to ''Centre-Est Aéronautique'', ''Avions Pierre Robin'' and Apex Aircraft (''Avions Robin'' and ''Robin Aviation'').
History
Centre-Est Aéronautique was formed by Pierre ...
in the 1980s to meet a need for an economical two-seat aircraft to equip flying clubs. It is a single-engined monoplane with a fixed tricycle undercarriage, conventional control stick, and is, unusually, fitted with a
V-tail
The V-tail or ''Vee-tail'' (sometimes called a butterfly tail or Rudlicki's V-tailGudmundsson S. (2013). "General Aviation Aircraft Design: Applied Methods and Procedures" (Reprint). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 489. , 9780123973290) of an aircraft ...
. Due to the large bubble canopy, visibility is excellent. Its benign flight characteristics, moderate speeds and low fuel consumption, as well as some unique details, like an engine starter button which can only be pressed when the fuel selector switch is open, made the ATL a good trainer.
Development and design
In the early 1980s, Avions Pierre Robin started design of an ultra-lightweight two-seat light aircraft intended to meet the requirements of French flying clubs for a low-cost light trainer, as existing
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
training aircraft were becoming increasingly expensive, which was not helped by an unfavourable exchange rate, which resulted in a competition to supply a new light trainer, which could be mass-produced for supply to subsidised French flying clubs. Robin won the competition in 1983 with their ATL design, a single-engined low-winged monoplane with a fixed undercarriage and a
V-tail
The V-tail or ''Vee-tail'' (sometimes called a butterfly tail or Rudlicki's V-tailGudmundsson S. (2013). "General Aviation Aircraft Design: Applied Methods and Procedures" (Reprint). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 489. , 9780123973290) of an aircraft ...
. The ATL's fuselage was of
Glass-reinforced plastic
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 cloth ...
construction, with a wooden wing, while the V-tail is a conventional all-metal construction.
[Blech 1985, p.26.]
The first prototype flew on 17 June 1983, powered by a single 35 kW (47 hp) JPX PAL 1300, a new design of
two stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
, three-cylinder
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...
.
However, testing showed that the new engine was prone to vibration, and in order to speed development and certification, the prototype was re-engined with a converted
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
car engine,
[''Flight International'' 26 November 1983, p.1418.] which formed the basis for production. As the four-cylinder car engine was heavier than the original engine, the aircraft's wings were swept forward to maintain the aircraft's
centre of gravity
In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the balance point) is the unique point where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. This is the point to which a force may ...
in an acceptable position.
Operational history
First orders, for 30 ATLs were placed by the French National Aviation Federation in November 1983, with initial deliveries starting (under a limited airworthiness approval) in April 1985. Full French
certification
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
followed on 15 January 1986.
The ATL was prone to engine problems, however, which forced the recall of early production aircraft for modification, and limited the attractiveness of the aircraft, particularly for export.
[Donald 1997, p.775.]
One solution to this problem was re-engining with a more reliable engine, and Robin developed a version for the German market powered by a 52.5 kW (70 hp)
Limbach. While the Limbach was also a modified VW car engine, crucially, it had dual ignition instead of the single ignition on the JPX-modified engines normally used, this being certified in 1989.
[''Flight International'' 1 July 1989, p.20] This came too late, however, and production ended in 1991 after the completion of 132 aircraft, of which 10 were powered by the Limbach engine.
Variants
;ATL Club
:Initial production version, named Bijou in the UK.
;ATL Club Model 88
:Late production version, with smaller propeller giving greater ground clearance and more fuel.
;ATL Club Model 89
:Limbach powered version.
Specifications (ATL Club)
See also
References
*
Robin ATL flies with VW. ''Flight International'', 26 November 1983. p. 1418.
*
. ''Flight International'', 1 July 1989. p. 20.
*Blech, Robin.
. ''
Flight International
''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
'', 22 June 1985. pp. 26–30.
*Donald, David (ed.).''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'' Leicester:Blitz, 1997. .
*Taylor, John W R. (ed.). ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1988. .
{{Robin aircraft
1980s French civil utility aircraft
ATL
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
V-tail aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1983