The Ruppert Archaeopteryx ( en, ancient wing) is a Swiss

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 ...

, pod-and-boom, single-seat, microlift glider that was designed by Roger Ruppert and is produced by Ruppert Composite GmbH.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 42. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X The aircraft is named for the feathered Archaeopteryx dinosaur.

Design and development

The Archaeopteryx was conceived as a foot-launchable microlift sailplane, with the design goals of a light empty weight, low stall speed with gentle stall characteristics, good maneuverability and good high speed performance. A further goal was a sailplane that could be foot-launched in zero wind conditions. The Archaeopteryx design started in 1998 at the

Zurich University of Applied Sciences The Zürich University of Applied Sciences (German: ''Zürcher Fachhochschule'', ZFH) is a governing body composed of four separate universities. It is located in the city of Winterthur, with facilities in Zürich and Wädenswil, is the second la ...

(ZHAW) as a research project. The first flight of the initial prototype was in September 2001. Based on initial lessons the prototype was modified and reflown in May 2002. Further flight tests and modifications were carried out, with the prototype re-flying in its new form in March 2003. The production prototype design was started in 2006 and completed in 2009. The first series production started in the summer of 2009 and production deliveries to customers commenced in May 2010. By the summer of 2021, 18 aircraft had been delivered to customers in Australia, Argentina, Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland. 06-10-R002 CS90 2011-1024

View from inside Archaeopteryx during flight

The controls are conventional, with a stick for ailerons and

elevator 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 a ...

and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

pedals. The aircraft uses flaps for glidepath control, which function as airbrakes when set to 45-70 degrees. A

ballistic parachute A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute, is a parachute ejected from its casing by a small explosion, much like that used in an ejection seat. The advantage of the ballistic parachute over a co ...

with an area of is also fitted. The aircraft can be rigged for flight by one person in 15 minutes. It has been launched by foot,

aero-tow Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is a ...

bungee launch Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is a ...

auto-tow Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

and winch-launch and has been landed on its wheel and foot-landed as well. The aircraft can accommodate pilots from in height and . The company further developed a prototype equipped with two electric motors to provide self-launch capability. This prototype did not have satisfactory performance, and a single electric motor version was developed instead. This electric propulsion was introduced in mid-2014 to allow self-launching. About two dozen have been sold (and some were retrofitted to earlier sold models). Takeoff roll distance is and rate of climb when fully charged is . It can run at full power for 11 minutes on one charge. The electrical motor uses 10.5 kW at 3800 rpm, and the propeller delivers 370 N when flying at 75 km/h. Storage is a 14s1p

lithium polymer battery A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyt ...

(Kokam) with 40 Ah capacity, delivering 2.07 kWh, maximum 58.8 V and maximum continuous current of 200 amps.Flughandbuch für das Fluggerät Archaeopteryx; Version 2.2; 27 December 2016; Ruppert Composite GmbH

Variants

;Archaeopteryx Standard :Basic design without cockpit fairing ;Archaeopteryx Performance :Basic design, with cockpit fairing; no longer in production ;Archaeopteryx Race :Basic design, with cockpit fairing and windshield ;Archaeopteryx Electro :Race version with electrical propulsion

Specifications (Standard)

References

External links

*{{official, https://www.ruppert-composite.ch/en/
Archaeopteryx foot launch
at YouTube
Archaeopteryx bungee launch
at YouTube
Archaeopteryx landing
at YouTube
Archaeopteryx Electro take-off and landing
at YouTube 2000s Swiss sailplanes Sailplanes designed for foot-launching High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2001

Design and development

Variants

Specifications (Standard)

See also

References

External links