The Ibis GS-501 Urraco (

Magpie Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...

) is a Colombian homebuilt aircraft that was designed and produced by

Ibis Aircraft Ibis Aircraft S.A. is a Colombian aircraft manufacturer based in Santiago de Cali. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of light aircraft in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft for the American light-sport aircraft category, and ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

, introduced in 2000. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft or as a kit for amateur construction.Jackson, Paul (ed): ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2012-2013'', pages 166-167. Jane's Information Group, 2012.

Design and development

The GS-501 Urraco features a

strut-braced 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 ...

high-wing, a two-seats-in- side-by-side configuration enclosed cabin with vertically-hinged doors, fixed tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration. The aircraft is made from sheet aluminium "all-metal" construction, with the wing tips and cowling made from composite material. Its span wing employs a NACA 650-18m

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. ...

, mounts flaps and has a wing area of . The wing is supported by V-struts and

jury struts 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 ...

. Two wings are available, the ''SuperSTOL'', with double slotted flaps and the ''Express''. The main landing gear is sprung

7075-T6 aluminium 7075 aluminium alloy (AA7075) is an aluminium alloy with zinc as the primary alloying element. It has excellent mechanical properties and exhibits good ductility, high strength, toughness, and good resistance to fatigue. It is more susceptible to ...

, while the nose gear has lever suspension using rubber pucks and helical springs. The main wheels include hydraulic

disc brakes A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

. The acceptable power range is and the standard engines used are the Rotax 912ULS and the

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

Rotax 914 powerplant, driving a three-bladed

Ivoprop Ivoprop Corporation, founded in 1984 by Ivo Zdarsky, is an American manufacturer of composite propellers for homebuilt and ultralight aircraft, as well as airboats. The company's headquarters are in Long Beach, California.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCraf ...

propeller.

Continental Motors, Inc. Continental Aerospace Technologies is an aircraft engine manufacturer located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was originally spun off from automobile engine manufacturer Continental Motors Company in 1929 and own ...

Lycoming Engines Lycoming Engines is a major American manufacturer of aircraft engines. With a factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming produces a line of horizontally opposed, air-cooled, four, six and eight-cylinder engines including the only FAA-certi ...

powerplants up to may also be fitted. The aircraft has a typical empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . With full fuel of the payload for pilot, passenger and baggage is . The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a engine is and the landing roll is .

Operational history

By 2010 the company reported that 58 Urracos had been delivered.

Specifications (GS-501 Urraco)

References

External links

* {{Ibis Aviation aircraft GS-501 Urraco 2000s Colombian civil utility aircraft 2000s Colombian ultralight aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Homebuilt aircraft