The Avian Cheetah is a British

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 co ...

, single-place, competition

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame cover ...

, designed by Steve Elkins and Neil Hammerton and produced by

Avian Limited Avian Limited is a British aircraft manufacturer that produces a line of recreational and competition hang gliders. The company also markets recreational aviation products from other companies, including rigid wing hang gliders from A-I-R Atos ...

Hope Valley, Derbyshire The Hope Valley is a rural area centred on the village of Hope, Derbyshire, in the Peak District in the northern Midlands of England. The name also applies to the post town that includes the surrounding villages. Valley Although the Hope Va ...

.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 42. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The Cheetah is a development of the

Avian Java The Avian Java is a British high-wing, single-place, advanced sports hang glider, designed by Steve Elkins and Neil Hammerton and produced by Avian Limited of Hope Valley, Derbyshire.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leis ...

and is a "topless" design without a

kingpost A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above f ...

or top wire rigging, although it retains the lower

flying wires 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 ...

. The current production Cheetah 150 model is made from

aluminum 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. It ha ...

and

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

tubing, with the wing covered in

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 foo ...

sailcloth. Its span wing has a nose angle of 130deg; and an aspect ratio of 7.5:1. The acceptable pilot hook-in weight is . The glider can be broken down to a package, in length for ground transportation on a car top.

Variants

;Cheetah 150 :Current production version.

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA), based in Leicester, is the governing body in the UK for hang gliding and paragliding. Association details The BHPA is recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the ...

certified. ;Cheetah 160 :Version offered circa 2003 with span wing, with an area of , a nose angle of 125° and an aspect ratio of 7.0:1.

Specifications (Cheetah 150)

References

External links

Official webpage archive
on

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{Avian Limited aircraft Hang gliders