The Peris JN-1 is an American

homebuilt 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 ...

that was designed by Jim Peris of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. When it was available the aircraft was supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 220. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. The plans for the JN-1 were originally marketed by the designer and then after his death, by his wife, Nancy Peris. Following her death the plans became no longer available.

Design and development

The JN-1 was designed to be a very economical aircraft to build and fly. The prototype was constructed for

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

2500 in the mid-1980s. It features a strut-braced

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 ...

, a single-seat, enclosed cockpit accessed via a door, fixed

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 ...

with

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 a single engine in

tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher co ...

. The aircraft is made from a combination of wood, foam and

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 ...

. The main structure is built from sheet foam and covered in fiberglass, as are 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 ...

bulkheads, the

wing ribs 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 ...

, stabilizers, and the rudder. The fuselage longerons, wing and tail spars, the

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

mounts, and firewall are all made from Douglas fir, with the spars solid, not laminates. The formers are made from foam, fiberglassed on both sides for strength. All fittings are made from 4130 steel. The landing gear is fabricated from an automotive

leaf spring A leaf spring is a simple form of spring commonly used for the suspension in wheeled vehicles. Originally called a ''laminated'' or ''carriage spring'', and sometimes referred to as a semi-elliptical spring, elliptical spring, or cart spring, i ...

wrapped with 3-inch fiberglass and mounts wheelbarrow wheels. The wheel pants are made from foam, covered in fiberglass and then hollowed out. Its span wing has no flaps, has a wing area of and folds for ground storage or transportation. The acceptable power range is and the standard engine used is the

Kawasaki 440 The Kawasaki 440, also called the T/A 440, is a Japanese twin-cylinder, in-line, two-stroke engine that was designed for snowmobiles and produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries until the early 1980s.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's G ...

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

powerplant. The JN-1 has a typical empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . With full fuel of the payload for the pilot and baggage is . The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off and landing roll with a engine is . The manufacturer estimates the construction time from the supplied plans as 800 hours. Builders have indicated that the plans are not very clear or complete and much is left up to the builder to figure out. The designer said of the aircraft: "I didn’t go for any high-tech sort of plane; this one was fun to design and build. Really a very inexpensive hobby! I guess you could spend $2,500 in a couple of years playing golf or bowling. The test flight was a couple of hours long, and we had a lot of fun with a J-4 Cub and a Vagabond, all flying formation and taking pictures. It flies very stable, no bad habits, and cruises 55 to 60 mph. Takeoff is in 250 feet with climbout at 40 mph. Rate of climb is 600 feet/minute. Approach at 40 mph and land at about 28 mph. All speeds are indicated."

Operational history

By 1998 the designer reported that 20 aircraft were completed and flying. In January 2014 three examples were registered in the United States 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 ...

, although a total of seven had been registered at one time.

Specifications (JN-1)

References

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External links

Photos of the JN-1
JN-1 1980s United States sport aircraft 1980s United States ultralight aircraft 1980s United States civil utility aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Homebuilt aircraft