The Fisher Barnstormer is a single-seat
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 ...
,
reverse-staggered biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
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 ...
designed by Michael Fisher and introduced in mid-1982.
[Taylor, John WR: ''Janes All the Worlds Aircraft 1983-84'', Janes Publishing Company, 1983, p.660.][Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-5. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ]
Development
The Barnstormer was intended to meet the requirements of the US
FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category, including that category's maximum empty weight.
The aircraft is a single-seat ultralight with an unusual reverse-stagger on its biplane wings, the top wing being behind the bottom wing. The
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
used is a
NACA
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets ...
2305 section. The control system is a conventional three-axis type with
ailerons
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in Flight dynamics, roll (or ...
,
elevators
An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They are ...
and
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
. The airframe structure is of
6061T6 and
2024T3 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 has ...
tube, covered with Stits Polyfibre
aircraft fabric
Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...
. The landing gear is of a fixed
tricycle configuration with
bungee-suspension, main wheels and brakes.
The Barnstormer is fitted with a
Kawasaki 440A
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 with a reduction drive system. The aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of .
The aircraft was not successful commercially and was quickly replaced in the Fisher line by newer designs. Reviewer Andre Cliche stated "This ultralight is handicapped by its awkward and cluttered appearance."
Specifications (Barnstormer)
See also
References
{{Fisher Flying Products
1980s United States ultralight aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1982
Biplanes with negative stagger
Single-engined tractor aircraft