The Wezel Apis 2 is a German
mid-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 ...
,
T-tail
A T-tail is an empennage configuration in which the tailplane is mounted to the top of the fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs from the standard configuration in which the tailplane is ...
ed, single-seat
motor glider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...
that was designed and produced by
Wezel Flugzeugtechnik.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 60. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ] It first flew in 200
Often confused with the very similar
Albastar Apis
__NOTOC__
The Albastar Apis WR is a single seater sailplane of Slovenian manufacture, the first aircraft created entirely by this manufacturer, Albastar Ltd. An Ultralight Class glider, it has set five world records in this class.Bertrand, Noel ...
, the two designs are not related.
The rights to the Apis 2 design were sold to
Yuneec International
Yuneec International is a Chinese aircraft manufacturer based in Jinxi, Kunshan, a town in Jiangsu owned through an off-shore Cayman Islands holding company, Yuneec Holding Limited. Yuneec was originally a manufacturer of radio-controlled mode ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 2011 with the intention of selling only an
electric version
''Electric Version'' is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers. It was released on Matador Records and Mint Records on May 6, 2003.
''Electric Version'' placed at number seven in ''The Village Voice''s Pazz & J ...
. Wezel announced in June 2012 that the move of production had been delayed indefinitely.
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 138. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ]
Design and development
The Apis 2 is a retractable engine motor glider that is powered by a
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 ...
single cylinder,
two-stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...
powerplant, fitted with a tractor propeller. The engine is retracted into a bay behind the cockpit for
soaring
Soaring may refer to:
* Gliding, in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes
* Lift (soaring), a meteorological phenomenon used as an energy source by some aircraft and birds
* ''Soaring'' (magazine), a magazine produced ...
flight. The Apis 2 is built predominantly of
composites. The span wing features
winglet
Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
s and produces a 39:1
glide ratio
In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under give ...
. The landing gear is a retractable
monowheel 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 ...
.
In 2003 the aircraft was offered for
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
50,950 complete.
Specifications (Apis 2)
See also
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.apis2.com/
2000s German sailplanes
T-tail aircraft
Motor gliders
Aircraft first flown in 2002
Mid-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft