The Mathews Petit Breezy is an American
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 designed by Lyle Matthews in conjunction with his partners Al Petit and Kindall and Wink Turner. It was made available in the form of plans for
amateur construction. The aircraft was inspired by the larger
RLU-1 Breezy
The RLU-1 Breezy is a homebuilt aircraft known for its "no cockpit" high wing pusher configuration. It is designed to seat the pilot and passenger with a maximum unobstructed view.Taylor, John W. R.. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1982–8 ...
.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-23. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ]
Design and development
The Petit Breezy was designed to comply with 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 ...
rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It 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 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 ...
, a single-seat, open cockpit,
tricycle landing 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 ...
and a single engine in
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 ...
.
The aircraft is made 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 has ...
tubing, with the wings and tail covered in
doped aircraft fabric. Its span wing is supported by V-struts with
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 ...
. The wing features half-span
aileron
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...
s. The tail is a strut-braced
cruciform tail. 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 aircraft t ...
consists of an aluminum keel tube that runs from the nose wheel to the tail. The pilot is accommodated on an open seat mounted to the main keel tube and a second seat can be fitted under the wing.
In 2011 plans were still available for the design from the
Vintage Ultralight Association. Construction time from the plans is estimated at 200–300 hours
Specifications (Petit Breezy)
See also
References
External links
Photo of Mathews Petit Breezy{{Lyle Mathews aircraft
Petit Breezy
1980s United States ultralight aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft