The Chandelle Mk IV is an American
ultralight aircraft that was designed by Nile Downer and produced by
Chandelle Aircraft. The aircraft was supplied as a kit for
amateur construction.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-4. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ]
Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US
FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It features a
strut-braced 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 ...
, a single-seat, open cockpit,
tricycle landing 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 ...
and a single engine in
pusher configuration.
The aircraft is made from bolted-together
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 ...
tubing, with the wings and tail surfaces 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 tapered planform, single-surface, span wing is supported by both
lift 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 ...
s and
jury struts. The wing features 3/4 span
ailerons. The pilot is accommodated in an open seat without a windshield. The tail surfaces are mounted on tubes that travel beside and below the pusher engine and
propeller. The tricycle landing gear features main gear suspension.
The Mark IV appeared just before the collapse of the US ultralight market in 1984 and so few were produced or sold.
Specifications (Mk IV)
References
{{reflist
External links
Photo of a Mk IV
1980s United States ultralight aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft