The Weedhopper is an American

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 ...

tricycle gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

, two-axis control

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 ...

originally developed by John Chotia during the height of the 1970s ultralight boom and introduced in 1977. When it was in production the aircraft was sold as a kit for amateur construction and could be assembled in 25-30 man-hours.Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 80. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-64 and B-111. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 294. BAI Communications. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 167. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XDowney, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 76. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2001 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 82. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2002 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, page 55. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Newby-Gonzalez, Tori: ''2004 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 12, December 2003, page 65. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2005 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 88. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 By early 2013 the company website had been blanked and put up for sale and it is likely that the company has closed and production ended.

Design and development

Many of the early ultralights used a "weight shift" method of control, requiring the pilot to push a control bar to shift the

center of gravity In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the balance point) is the unique point where the weight function, weighted relative position (vector), position of the distributed mass sums to zero. Thi ...

of the aircraft. The Weedhopper differed from most other ultralights of the period in that it has a control stick which moves the rudder and elevator, giving it two axis control in pitch and yaw. The pronounced dihedral of the wings, along with the swept

leading edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

causes it to bank into the turn, and results in a very stable, easy-to-fly aircraft. The Weedhopper differs from many of the other early ultralights in that it had a

strut-braced 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 ...

wing, whereas most period ultralights have wire-braced wings. The Weedhopper is constructed from

aluminium 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. I ...

tubing and covered with

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 ...

pre-sewn envelopes. The early versions of the aircraft developed a poor reputation due to the lack of reliable engines available in the 1970s. This was rectified with the adoption of the

Rotax 277 The Rotax 277 is a , single-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Development The ...

and later the Rotax 447 powerplant.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 127. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X Over 13,000 Weedhoppers have been sold. It was popular because it offered people an inexpensive way to fly for pleasure. The aircraft could be easily disassembled and put on a trailer for home storage. It was not necessary to rent an expensive hangar. It could also be flown from just about any field because of its short takeoff and landing requirements (about with no obstacles). The kits originally sold for $2,000, and in 2011 the Weedhopper model 40 sold for

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

8,495. In its home country versions of the aircraft are eligible for the

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, the experimental amateur-built category and the

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 ...

category.

Variants

;Weedhopper A :Initial production version, also known as the ''JC-24A''. ;Weedhopper B :Improved production version, also known as the ''JC-24B''. ;Weedhopper C :Improved production version, also known as the ''JC-24C''. ;Weedhopper Standard :Basic model with a

engine and an empty weight of for the US amateur-built category. ;Weedhopper Deluxe :Improved production model with a Rotax 447 engine. ;Weedhopper 40 :Current production model with a Rotax 447 engine. ;Weedhopper Super :Up-engined model with a Rotax 503 engine, many extras and an empty weight of for the US amateur-built category. ;Weedhopper II :Current production two seat side-by-side seating model with a Rotax 503 engine. Also known as the ''Weedhopper Two Place''.

Aircraft on display

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

Specifications (Weedhopper Model 40)

Comparable aircraft

AmEagle American Eaglet The AmEagle American Eaglet was a highly unorthodox ultralight sailplane marketed in the U.S. for homebuilding. It was a one-seat, high-wing braced monoplane that carried an inverted V-tail on a long boom extending from a pod-like fuselage. Inte ...

Avid Champion The Avid Champion is an American single-seat, high-wing ultralight aircraft that was produced starting in 1998 as a kit by Avid Aircraft of Caldwell, Idaho, later Ennis, Montana.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edit ...

Beaujon Enduro The Beaujon Enduro is a single-seat, American high-wing, pusher configuration ultralight aircraft. The Enduro was introduced in 1978 and remains available as plans from Beaujon Aircraft of Ardmore, Oklahoma.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Air ...

* Beaujon Mach .07 *

Birdman TL-1 __NOTOC__ The Birdman TL-1 was an extremely minimalist aircraft sold in kit form in the United States in the mid-1970s for US$1,395.

Pterodactyl Ascender The Pterodactyl Ascender is a family of United States, U.S. designed and built ultralight aircraft that were sold in kit form between 1979 and 1984 under Pterodactyl Limited and is currently being sold by DFE Ultralights. With a total ...

* Mitchell U-2 Superwing *

Ultraflight Lazair The UltraFlight Lazair is a family of Canadian designed and built twin-engine ultralight aircraft that were sold in kit form between 1979 and 1984. It was one of the first twin-engined ultralights. More Lazairs have been registered i ...

Eipper Quicksilver Quicksilver is a line of single and two-place high wing, single-engine, ultralight aircraft that evolved from weight-shift hang gliders including Bob Lovejoy's High Tailer. The earliest powered version, the Quicksilver C, was created as a se ...

References

External links

Official website archives
{{John Chotia aircraft designs 1970s United States ultralight aircraft Light-sport aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft