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 ...

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