The Aviastroitel AC-7M is a Russian

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 con ...

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 ...

ed, two-seats in

side-by-side configuration Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

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 by Vladimir Egorovich Fedorov and produced by Aviastroitel, now Glider Air Craft.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 174. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

Development of the AC-7M was started in 2002, it was first flown in 2005 and by 2006 two prototypes had been completed. The AC-7M is a conventional self-launching sailplane, but is equipped with a more powerful retractable pusher configuration Hirth F30A25A

two stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

engine than is normal in these types, allowing it to be also used as a

glider tug Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is a ...

and as touring motor glider. The aircraft is capable of cruising at for while burning only of fuel. The AC-7M uses a two bladed wooden propeller of diameter. The span wing employs a Wortmann FX60-157 airfoil and mounts

Fowler flap A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landi ...

s. The wings are mounted on the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

with a single cam-pin and the ailerons and air brakes hook-up automatically. The fixed

landing 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 ...

consists of a narrow track pair of rubber-suspended main wheels, a nose wheel and a tail caster. The main wheels incorporate lever-actuated drum brakes. The cockpit can accommodate pilots up to in height. The canopy provides 300° field of view and is jettisonable. Assembly from its trailer takes four people 20 minutes. The AC-7M was later developed into the unpowered and redesigned AC-7.

Variants

;AC-7M :Side-by-side, two seat motor glider with a retractable Hirth F30A25A

engine. ;AC-7K : Development of the AC-7M, but with a fuselage-mounted

Rotax 912ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, later ...

four stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directi ...

engine, driving a retractable diameter, two bladed wooden propeller.

Specifications (AC-7M)

References

External links

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Photo of an AC-7MPhoto of an AC-7M
{{Aviastroitel aircraft 2000s Russian sailplanes Aircraft first flown in 2005 Motor gliders

Design and development

Variants

Specifications (AC-7M)

See also

References

External links