The Wings of Freedom Flitplane is an American single-seat, high-wing, single-engine
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 is available as a
kit aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...
or as plans for amateur construction from
Wings of Freedom
Wings Of Freedom, Inc. was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Hubbard, Ohio. The company was previously located in Middlefield, Ohio. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of plans and ...
of
Hubbard, Ohio
Hubbard is a city in southeastern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. It is formed from part of Hubbard Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, Hubbard Township, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 7,636 at the 20 ...
.
[Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 76. Belvoir Publications. ][Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-19. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ][Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 295. BAI Communications. ]
The Flitplane was designed as a low-cost aircraft with the look of an antique aircraft design for the US
FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category with its maximum empty weight requirement.
In late 2019 the company website had been taken down and it is likely that production had ended.
Development
The Flitplane was designed in 1995 by
Ed Fisher who also designed the
Skylite
Skylite Recording Company is a Memphis based gospel music label started by The Statesmen Quartet and The Blackwood Brothers in 1959. Along with The Blackwood Brothers and The Statesmen Quartet, Skylite signed, among others, The Speer Family, an ...
ultralight and the
Micro-Mong home-built aircraft. The design was acquired by Joe Naylor and Mark W. Klotz who formed Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc. in 1996 to develop the design and market it.
[ ]
Naylor and Klotz made many changes to the design but retained the antique look of the aircraft and its distinctive large triangular windshield.
The Flitplane's fuselage is fabricated from a welded truss 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 ...
tubing. The wings are of aluminum "ladder-type" construction, are
strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
Human anatomy
Part of the functionality o ...
-braced and utilize
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. The fuel tank is integrated into the wing centre-section. The wings and tail are covered in doped
aircraft fabric. The engine is mounted in front of the high wing, above the cockpit. The original powerplant was a
Cuyuna 460 engine, with a
Rotax 447
The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, 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.
Design and development
...
optional. Later engine options added included the
Hirth F-33
The Hirth F-33 is a single cylinder, two stroke, carburetted aircraft engine designed for use on ultralight aircraft, including powered paragliders and ultralight trikes. the engine is noted for its extremely light base weight of . It is ma ...
, the
Zanzottera MZ 201
The Zanzottera MZ 201 and MZ 202 are a family of twin-cylinder, in-line two-stroke, dual ignition aircraft engines designed for ultralight aircraft and motor gliders.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page G ...
and the
Kawasaki 440
The Kawasaki 440, also called the T/A 440, is a Japanese twin-cylinder, in-line, two-stroke engine that was designed for snowmobiles and produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries until the early 1980s.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's G ...
engine.
The
conventional landing gear
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
is suspended using
fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
axles. The tailwheel is steerable. The controls are conventional three-axis and include full-span
ailerons. The large, flat-plate triangular windshield protects the pilot from the propeller blast and has distinctive cut-outs for the rudder pedals.
The Flitplane is available as plans, a complete kit, partial kits or as a finished and ready-to-fly aircraft. The company claims that the aircraft can be built from the kit in 100 hours or 500 hours from plans.
Specifications (Flitplane)
See also
References
External links
Official website archivesPhoto of a FlitplaneWings of Freedom Flitplane review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wings Of Freedom Flitplane
1990s United States ultralight aircraft
Wings of Freedom aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1995
High-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft