The Spartan DFD Aerotome, or DFS Aerotome Dual, is an American two-seat ultralight trike that was designed and produced by

Spartan Microlights Spartan Microlights is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Astoria, New York. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of powered parachutes, ultralight trikes and powered paragliders in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft in ...

.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page C-27. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, page 48. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 111. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The aircraft was designed as a US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries. In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not requ ...

rules two-seat trainer. It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in- tandem open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...

. The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its single surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. Unlike the

Spartan DFS Trike The Spartan DFS Trike is an American ultralight aircraft designed and produced by Spartan Microlights. The aircraft was the first ultralight introduced that could be flown with a hang glider-style wing as an ultralight trike or with a powered ...

the Aerotome uses only a trike delta wing and cannot be converted for powered parachute use. The standard engine supplied was the twin cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled Rotax 503, with a fuel tank. When in production it came with optional dual controls, aero-towing hardware, larger engines and fuel tank. Thirty had been completed and flown by February 2000.

Specifications (Aerotome)

References

{{Spartan Microlights aircraft 1990s United States ultralight aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Ultralight trikes Spartan Microlights aircraft