The Shark.Aero Shark is a conventionally laid out, single engine, low wing

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 ...

and

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

which seats two in tandem. It was first flown on 19 August 2009 and is built in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic by Shark.Aero. It has optionally fixed or retractable landing gear.

Design and development

The Shark, which was formally announced at AERO Friedrichshafen in April 2007, was designed to fit into both European UL and US LSA categories. Structurally, it is a mixture of carbon-fibre and a small amount of

glass fibre Glass fiber ( or glass fibre) is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass. Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the inventio ...

composites, with PVC foam filled aramid honeycomb structures sandwiched between panels. The wing main spar is a dismountable two-piece carbon fibre beam which joins under the front seat; an auxiliary spar carries the

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 ...

and flap mountings. In plan, the leading edge is elliptical, and there is slight taper on the outer trailing edge where the ailerons are mounted. Single slotted, electrically-operated flaps occupy the rest of the trailing edge. Like the wings, the slightly swept tailplanes are easily detached for storage or transport. There is an electrically operated trim tab in the elevator. The fuselage of the Shark is formed with integral fin, seat backs, floors and instrument panel. The fin, set forward so the rudder trailing edge is above the elevator hinge line, is shaped like a shark's dorsal fin, strongly swept and with a curved leading edge. There is also a small ventral fin. From the fin forward the upper fuselage line rises rapidly to merge into the side hinged, single piece canopy. There is baggage space behind the cockpit. Both of the adjustable tandem seats have flight controls; the Shark is flown by a sidestick. It is powered by a Rotax 912ULS or Rotax 914

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

powerplant, driving a three-blade or a two-blade

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. The Shark UL has

retractable gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

and a

variable-pitch propeller Variable-pitch propeller can refer to: *Variable-pitch propeller (marine) *Variable-pitch propeller (aeronautics) In aeronautics, a variable-pitch propeller is a type of propeller (airscrew) with blades that can be rotated around their long a ...

.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 79. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. The prototype Shark, Czech registered as ''OK-OUR01'', first flew on 19 August 2009. The first flight of the UL was expected early in 2010 but had not happened by January 2011. The design entered production in mid-2011. The Shark's wings and tail were adapted for use on the Slovenian

OneAircraft One The OneAircraft One is a Slovenian light-sport aircraft (LSA) and certified light aircraft designed by Iztok Šalamon and produced by OneAircraft (One Pro, d.o.o.) of Celje. The aircraft is supplied complete and ready-to-fly.Tacke, Willi; Mar ...

design.

Operational history

The third Shark was registered in France as 83AJR with callsign ''F-JSOR'' in early 2011. It was destroyed whilst competing in the Paris- Madrid air race on 21 June 2011. It appears, however, that this aircraft was later rebuilt, as the callsign was noted using hex-code 381BBD from May 2015. The fourth appears on the Czech register, flying as a demonstrator in Germany. In 2015, the design, equipped with a modified engine and a special DUC propeller, set a world record for class RAL2T (Microlights: Movable Aerodynamic Controls/Landplane/Flown with two persons/Thermal Engine) for speed over a straight course at . In 2021 and early 2022, 19-year-old British-Belgian pilot Zara Rutherford flew a Shark UL variant on an around-the-world flight. Rutherford set a new record for the youngest woman in history to carry out a solo circumnavigation and also the first woman to complete a circumnavigation in a microlight aircraft. On 24 August 2022, Zara's brother,

Mack Rutherford Mack Rutherford (born 21 June 2005) is a British-Belgian aviator. On 24 August 2022, under the name Macksolo, he became the youngest person ever to fly solo around the world (and first ever minor/under eighteen years old). He holds four Guinness ...

, age 17, landed in

Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

, thus becoming the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world. Like his sister, Rutherford flew a modified Shark.

Variants

;Shark LS :European UL, fixed undercarriage, fixed-pitch propeller. ;Shark UL :European UL, retractable undercarriage, variable-pitch propeller. ;SportShark :Planned US

(LSA), longer span and heavier, with fixed undercarriage. Announced in 2011, by June 2022 it was not listed as an accepted US LSA. ;Shark 600, retractable undercarriage, constant-speed propeller, mLSA eligible, 600kg / 1323lb gross weight.

Specifications (UL)

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.shark.aero/ 2000s Slovak ultralight aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2009