The Laister LP-46 and LP-49 are a family of American

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 ...

, single-seat, gliders that were designed by Jack Laister and produced by Laister Sailplanes both as

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 ...

and as

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

complete aircraft.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory,

Soaring Magazine ''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of in ...

'', page 14. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920

Design and development

The original model, the LP-46 was first flown in 1966, with the ''LP'' designating ''Laister Products''. The LP-46 features a wingspan and the first LP-46 has fixed monowheel landing gear. The LP-49 is an improved version of the LP-46, designed for the Standard Class with a wingspan. The LP-49 has a metal wing with 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 ...

64(3)-618 laminar flow airfoil and all-metal tail surfaces. The control surfaces are all counter-weighted with internal weights. 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 a

semi-monocoque The term semi-monocoque or semimonocoque refers to a stressed shell structure that is similar to a true monocoque, but which derives at least some of its strength from conventional reinforcement. Semi-monocoque construction is used for, among ot ...

fiberglass 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 ...

design, mounting a shock-strut suspended retractable monowheel landing gear with an automatic swivelling and retractable tailwheel. The ailerons and

dive brake Dive brakes or dive flaps are deployed to slow down an aircraft when in a dive. They often consist of a metal flap that is lowered against the air flow, thus creating drag and reducing dive speed.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, ...

s automatically hook up on aircraft assembly. Due to the fuselage construction the aircraft type certificate contains the restriction "All external portions of the fuselage exposed to sunlight must be painted white, except for a minimum amount of light shaded markings." The LP-49 was static-tested to 12 g and is approved for

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...

including loops,

spins The spins (as in having "the spins")Diane Marie Leiva. ''The Florida State University College of Education''Women's Voices on College Drinking: The First-Year College Experience"/ref> is an adverse reaction of intoxication that causes a state of ...

and wing-overs. The aircraft is often called ''The Forty-Niner''.

Operational history

In March 2011, there were two of the three LP-46s built registered with the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

in the US, all certified aircraft. Also in March 2011, there were 24 LP-49s registered. Of the registered LP-49s 17 are certified and seven are amateur-built.

Variants

;LP-46 :Original version with a wingspan, first flown in 1966 and certified on 22 October 1971.

Vne In aviation, V-speeds are standard terms used to define airspeeds important or useful to the operation of all aircraft. These speeds are derived from data obtained by aircraft designers and manufacturers during flight testing for aircraft type- ...

is . Three built. ;LP-49 :Improved version for the

FAI Standard Class Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports. Instead classes have arisen because of: * t ...

, with a wingspan. Certified on 29 August 1968. Vne is .

Aircraft on display

US Southwest Soaring Museum The US Southwest Soaring Museum is an aviation museum, located at 918 E US Route 66, in Moriarty, New Mexico, United States that focuses on the history of gliding in the western United States. The museum is an affiliate member of the Soaring Socie ...

- LP-46

Specifications (LP-49)

References

External links

Photo of an LP-49
{{Laister aircraft 1960s United States sailplanes LP-49 Aircraft first flown in 1966 High-wing aircraft