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The Joplin Tundra is a family of
;Tundra
:Two-seat model with tricycle landing gear and a wingspan. Fifteen were reported flying in 1998.
;1/2 Tun
:Single-seat model with conventional landing gear and a wingspan.
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
, 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 confi ...
, strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
Human anatomy
Part of the functionality o ...
-braced, pusher configuration
In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...
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 ...
that was originally produced by Back Forty Developments of Campbellford, Ontario
Campbellford is an unincorporated place and former town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, in the township municipality of Trent Hills. It lies approximately midway between Toronto and Ottawa. It is situated on both the Trent-Severn W ...
, 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 ...
and later by Joplin Light Aircraft of Joplin, Missouri and Laron Aviation of Borger, Texas for amateur construction. The aircraft is out of production.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, pages B-63 & B-110. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 145. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XPurdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 162-164. BAI Communications.
Design and development
The initial model of the Tundra family was the two-seats-in-tandem
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 ...
tricycle 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 ...
Tundra for the US ultralight trainer, homebuilt and European FAI microlight categories. The aircraft features a semi-enclosed cockpit with optional doors and can be fitted with skis or floats.
The Tundra is built from a welded steel cockpit cage with a fibreglass fairing. The tailboom, tail group and wings are of aluminium
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. I ...
construction, with the wings and tail surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. The wing incorporates a D-cell, Junkers-style ailerons and a single strut layout.
The standard engine is 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 Ro ...
twin-cylinder, two-stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...
aircraft engine, with the liquid-cooled Rotax 618
The Rotax 618 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, liquid cooled, gear reduction-drive engine that was formerly manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It was designed for use on ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pages 6-105. ...
, 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 ...
, Hirth 2706
The Hirth 2704 and 2706 are a family of in-line twin cylinder, two stroke, carburetted aircraft engines, with optional fuel injection, designed for use on ultralight aircraft and especially two seat ultralight trainers, single seat gyrocopt ...
or the SuziAir three-cylinder engines optional. Reported construction time for the two-seater is 250 hours.
The two-seater Tundra was later developed into a conventional landing gear
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
single-seat ultralight for the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles
Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries.
In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not requ ...
category, including meeting the category's stringent empty weight limit. The resulting aircraft was introduced in 1997 and was designated the ''1/2 Tun'' indicating it was "half a Tundra". This version had the wingspan reduced from the two-seater's to . The cockpit steel tube structure was also reduced, along with the cockpit fairing and the fuel tank was changed to capacity, from the two-seater's tank. Reported construction time for the 1/2 Tun is also 250 hours. The 1/2 Tun's standard engine is the Rotax 447
The Rotax 447 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.
Design and development
...
twin-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine.
Variants
;Tundra
:Two-seat model with tricycle landing gear and a wingspan. Fifteen were reported flying in 1998.
;1/2 Tun
:Single-seat model with conventional landing gear and a wingspan.
Specifications (1/2 Tun)
See also
References
External links
*{{Commons category inline 1990s Canadian ultralight aircraft