The Sport Flight Talon is a
high-wing,
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 ...
single-engine,
conventional landing gear homebuilt aircraft or
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 ...
, that was produced by
Sport Flight Aviation of
Sandy, Oregon
Sandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, settled 1853 and named after the nearby Sandy River. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range, the city serves as the western gateway to the Mount Hood Corridor, a ...
in kit form for
amateur construction.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-59. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ][Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 73. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 256. BAI Communications. ][Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 162. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X][Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 127. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ]
The aircraft is no longer offered on the company website and seems to be out of production.
Design and development
The Talon was developed from the
Maxair Drifter
The Lockwood Drifter is a family of high wing, single engine, pusher configuration, open cockpit, one and two-seat kit aircraft that was first introduced in the 1980s by Maxair and remains in production today by Lockwood Aircraft of Sebring, Flor ...
and introduced into the market in 1989. The aircraft shares the Drifter's main fuselage tube, used as the aircraft's spine. The rudder pedals attach to the front of the tube, the seat and wing support structure to the center and the tail to the rear of the tube. The main improvements over the original Drifter include
strut-braced wings with
jury strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in c ...
s,
flaps, streamlined baggage area, optional enclosed cockpit,
wheel pants and brakes. The addition of many options and extras over the basic Drifter design means that the Talon cannot be constructed in the 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 ...
category, due to exceeding the maximum category empty weight and must instead be registered as a
homebuilt aircraft in the USA. In other countries, such as Canada, the Talon fits the ultralight or microlight aircraft category.
The aircraft's structure is made from
6061-T6 aluminum, with the main landing gear struts of
4130 steel
41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common ...
. The aluminum frame wing is covered in pre-sewn
Dacron envelopes. Construction time from the kit is reported as 120 hours.
The basic Talon design has been developed into a series of single and
tandem two seaters, with varying powerplants.
Variants
;Talon Magnum
:Single seat model, power range , standard engine
HKS 700E
The HKS 700E is a twin-cylinder, horizontally opposed, four stroke, carburetted aircraft engine, designed for use on ultralight aircraft, powered parachutes and ultralight trikes. The engine is manufactured by HKS, a Japanese company noted for ...
of . Optional engines include the
Rotax 447, the
Rotax 503 and the
Rotax 582. Twenty had been constructed by December 2007.
;Talon XP
:Two-seats-in-tandem model, power range , standard engine
HKS 700E
The HKS 700E is a twin-cylinder, horizontally opposed, four stroke, carburetted aircraft engine, designed for use on ultralight aircraft, powered parachutes and ultralight trikes. The engine is manufactured by HKS, a Japanese company noted for ...
of . Optional engines include the
Rotax 447, the
Rotax 503 and the
Rotax 582. This model has an increased wingspan of . Seventy had been constructed by December 2007.
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 120. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X]
;Talon Super Magnum
:Single model, standard engine
Rotax 582 of , with the
Rotax 447 or the
Rotax 503 optional. This model is the XP model with the rear seat area converted into additional baggage space. It has an increased wingspan of . Fits the
FAI microlight class.
;Talon Typhoon
:Single seat
aerobatic
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...
model.
Specifications (Talon XP)
See also
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.sport-flight.com/
Homebuilt aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft