The Loehle SPAD XIII is an American single-seat ultralight aircraft scale replica of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

SPAD XIII The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII. During early 1917, the French designer Louis ...

fighter produced in kit form by Loehle Aircraft for amateur construction. The aircraft meets the requirements of 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 req ...

regulations when equipped with a lightweight engine.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-44. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 56. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2001 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 60. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2002 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, page 52. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Newby-Gonzalez, Tori: ''2004 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 12, December 2003, page 66. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2005 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 69. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 61. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 203. BAI Communications. Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 60. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851

Design and development

The SPAD XIII is built predominantly from riveted

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 ...

tubing and stainless steel gussets and stamped aluminum

wing rib In an aircraft, ribs are forming elements of the structure of a wing, especially in traditional construction. By analogy with the anatomical definition of "rib", the ribs attach to the main spar, and by being repeated at frequent intervals, form ...

s, all covered in 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 landing gear is of conventional configuration, with a tail skid. For scale requirements the cockpit is only wide. The standard engine recommended for the design is the out-of-production

Rotax 277 The Rotax 277 is a , single-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Euro ...

, with the also out-of-production

Rotax 377 The Rotax 377 is a , twin-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was 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. Development The Ro ...

as an option. Other recommended engines include 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 ...

and 2si powerplants, both also out of production. Kit options include brakes and a long-range fuel tank. The initial aircraft in the line is a scale replica of the

. The same basic airframe has been developed, though the use of different rudders,

wingtip A wing tip (or wingtip) is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft. Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of sha ...

s, cowlings and other minor cosmetic differences, into replicas of other First World War fighter aircraft. Reviewer Andre Cliche says about the SPAD XIII, that it "looks like a museum piece. But imagine that you can fly this museum piece and feel what the WWI pilots felt when they flew their war machines." Reviewers Roy Beisswenger and Marino Boric wrote in a 2015 review, "the kit is very complete and builder-friendly, leaving you only the fabric covering, the paintwork and the fitting of the engine and instruments before you take off for your dawn patrol."Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 115. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Variants

;SPAD XIII :Version as a replica of the

, with six flying by the end of 2011.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 108. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X ;SE5a :Version as a replica of the

SE5a The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the fast ...

, with seven flying by the end of 2011. ;Fokker DVII :Version as a replica of the

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...

, with three flying by the end of 2011.

Specifications (SPAD XIII)

References

External links

Official website archived page
on

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{Loehle Aircraft 1990s United States ultralight aircraft Spad Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Homebuilt aircraft