The InterPlane Skyboy is a two-seat, side-by-side, high wing, single engine, pusher configuration ultralight aircraft that was manufactured as a completed aircraft by InterPlane Aircraft of Zbraslavice,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Design and development

The Skyboy was designed in 1992 specifically for the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

market as a trainer. It was adapted for the US FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category for use as a two-seat trainer under the FAR 103 trainer exemption. It later became available as a US light-sport aircraft. The aircraft is available in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

as an Advanced Ultralight Aeroplane. The Skyboy wing is built 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 ...

extrusions for the

spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

s and wing ribs and covered with doped

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 wing's leading edge is

Mylar BoPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and a ...

covered in fabric, to increase stiffness. The wing is supported by "V" struts and utilizes jury struts. 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 ...

is built upon an aluminum main tube that runs from the tail right to the rudder pedals. The wings and horizontal tail surfaces can be folded for trailering or storage. The cabin is constructed from two

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

shells, joined together. The rear of the cabin is covered in aircraft fabric. The optional cabin doors open upwards. Controls are conventional three-axis. The control stick is a centrally mounted "Y" stick, between the two seats that can be used from either seat. The Skyboy has a distinctive main landing gear, consisting of a trailing idler link, with suspension consisting of a coil spring mounted over a shock absorber. The company describes the main landing gear: "one of the best landing gears in the market (makes bad landings look good)". The available engines include the

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operating ...

, Rotax 912,

Rotax 912S 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, ...

and the

Jabiru 2200 The Jabiru 2200 is a lightweight naturally aspirated, pushrod four-stroke, flat four, air-cooled aircraft engine produced by Jabiru Aircraft. Design and development The conventional direct-drive engine is fitted with an alternator, silencers, ...

. The

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. As of 2011 the Rot ...

was available at the beginning of production, but did not provide adequate performance. The Skyboy has never been available as a

kit aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

, but only as a factory-complete, ready-to-fly product. Labour wage levels in the Czech Republic have meant that its price has been generally similar to buying unassembled kits for North American buyers. In 2008 the completed Skyboy base model sold for about US$60,000.

Operational history

Aside from its flight training and recreational aircraft roles, the Skyboy has been employed in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

for surveillance duties, in Australia for professional aerial photography and in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

for tourist sightseeing flights.

Variants

;Skyboy UL :To stay below the exemption's empty weight limit the aircraft was marketed without cabin doors,

wheel pants An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

and hydraulic brakes, using mechanical brakes instead and with a gross weight. The initial engine was the

and later the

. ;Skyboy S :Higher gross weight version for Europe and Canada, with the

or larger engines. ;Skyboy ZK : gross weight version, with the

engine.

Specifications (Skyboy S)

Bibliography

;Notes ;References * - Total pages: 432 * - Total pages: 310

External links