The Remos G3 Mirage and Remos GX are

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

high wing, two seat, single engine light aircraft, built by Remos AG of

Pasewalk Pasewalk () is a town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. Located on the Uecker river, it is the capital of the former Uecker-Randow district, and the seat of the Uecker-Randow-Tal ''Amt'', of ...

. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or complete and ready-to-fly.

Design and development

The aircraft is marketed in the United States as a

Light Sport Aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

, and as an

ultralight 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 ...

in most of Europe. It is a high-wing design, mostly using engines from the

Rotax 912 The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, late ...

family. It was developed from the similar Remos Gemini Ultra. The Mirage has the same layout, landing gear and structure but has a span reduced by 1.00 m (3 ft 3 in), is 170 mm ( 6.7 in) longer and is 34 kg (75 lb) heavier. The Mirage also adds an

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

trim tab Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilise the boat or aircraft in a pa ...

and electrical

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and he ...

operation. The Gemini's standard two-stroke 48 kW (64 hp)

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 ...

engine was replaced in the Mirage by a 60 kW (80 hp) four-stroke

Rotax 912UL The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, late ...

. The wings of the G3 Mirage have a constant chord centre section with straight tapered outer panels. The inboard sections carry electrically operated flaps. There is a single lift strut on each side, attached to the lower fuselage. Behind the cabin the fuselage is slender and carries a low set, straight tapered tailplane with horn balanced

elevators An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They are ...

. The fin and rudder are straight edged and sharply tapered, the latter horn balanced and ending at the top of the fuselage. There is a small underfin. The GX version introduced a long, integrated dorsal fin. The G3 Mirage has a

tricycle undercarriage 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 ge ...

with cantilever legs mounted to the fuselage and with faired wheels. The Remos is somewhat unusual among modern certificated/LSA aircraft in that it can be flown with the doors removed. The prototype and most production Mirages have been powered by 80 hp or 100 hp variants of the

flat four engine. The Mirage RS/L version had a

Jabiru 2200 The Jabiru 2200 is a lightweight naturally aspirated, pushrod four-stroke, flat four, air-cooled aircraft engine produced by Jabiru Aircraft. Design and development The conventional direct-drive engine is fitted with an alternator, silencers, ...

and one aircraft (''D-MPCJ'') had a two-cylinder, 72 hp Swiss Auto SAB 430 turbocharged car engine, which saved 30 kg (66 lb). The G3 Mirage first flew on 20 September 1997 with the lower powered Rotax. The first production aircraft also used this engine but had some small horizontal control surface modifications plus the addition of a horn balance to the rudder. The GX has been the current production model since 2006 and features folding wings and

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

carbon fiber construction. Its wing has a different

airfoil An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine. ...

than the G3, improving roll rate and giving better penetration of turbulence. The GX is fitted with either a Junkers or BRS ballistic parachute recovery system. The GX2009 was introduced at the Sebring Expo. There were improvements to the instrument panel and interior and a new

chromoly 41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common va ...

steel tube landing gear, which replaced the earlier composite undercarriage, is retrofitable to older models.

Operational history

The G3 Mirage/GX has been produced to meet both European ultralight and US LSA regulations. By early 2009 over 300 of all variants had been sold worldwide. About half were in Europe: in mid-2010 there were 156 G3 and GX aircraft on European civil registers west of Russia. The rest went to countries including New Zealand,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and the United States. Mirages were also sold to police forces in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and to a military agency in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. An analysis of the operating economics by ''Aviation Consumer'' magazine of the G3 versus the

Cessna 152 The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed- tricycle-gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150 incorporating a number of minor design changes and a slightly ...

in flight school use during 2013 showed that the G3 cost 50% more to operate than the thirty-year-old Cessna did.

Variants

''Data from'' Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2010/11 ;G3 Mirage :First production version with 60 kW (80 hp)

engine, 1999 ;G3 Mirage S :

Rotax 912 ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, later ...

engine, 1999 ;G3 Mirage RS :Changes to rudder and undercarriage, roof window added, 2001 ;G3 Mirage RS/L :

A engine, lightened by 10 kg (22 lb), 2003 ;G3 Mirage ARF :Kit built, almost ready-to-fly, 2003 ;G3/600 :Changes to take advantage of the increased ultralight maximum takeoff weight (472.5 kg, 1,042 lb) allowed by 2003 regulations, 2004 ;G3 RaLi :Marketed by Jordanian Aerospace Industries 2004-6 ;GX :Current (2010) version introduced in 2006, with new carbon fibre wing; more integrated fuselage with dorsal fin and more storage space; ground adjustable pitch propeller ;GX eLite :Version lightened by for the European

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...

microlight category, with an empty weight of and a gross weight of . The standard engine available is the

.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 72. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 76. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ;GXNXT :Introduced in 2011 and marketed in the US as the GXnXES. The standard engines available are the

and the

Rotax 912ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, late ...

Specifications (Remos GX)

References

External links

{{commons category, Remos GX
Remos - G3 Light Sport AircraftG3 Ecolight specifications2008 In Review; a Look at the Year for LSA Sales
1990s German sport aircraft Light-sport aircraft High-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1997