The Seedwings Europe Kestrel is an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
high-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 ...
, 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
Seedwings Europe of
Schlitters
Schlitters is a municipality in the Schwaz district in the Austrian state of Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was histo ...
. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied complete and ready-to-fly.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 48. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ]
Design and development
The Kestrel was designed as an intermediate-level hang glider with an emphasis on a light empty weight, easy rigging and good performance. It 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 double-surface 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. The nose angle is 129° for all models.
The models are each DHV2 certified and are named for their rough wing area in square feet.
Variants
;Kestrel 133
:Small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its span wing is
cable braced from a single
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 ...
. The wing area is . The pilot hook-in weight range is .
;Kestrel 148
:Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots. Its span wing is cable braced from a single kingpost. The wing area is . The pilot hook-in weight range is .
;Kestrel 158
:Large-sized model for heavier pilots. Its span wing is cable braced from a single kingpost. The wing area is . The pilot hook-in weight range is .
Specifications (Kestrel 133)
References
{{Seedwings Europe aircraft
Kestrel
The term kestrel (from french: crécerelle, derivative from , i.e. ratchet) is the common name given to several species of predatory birds from the falcon genus ''Falco''. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour ...
Hang gliders