The Ryson ST-100 Cloudster is a
tandem
Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction.
The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...
two-seat,
low-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 ...
,
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 ...
motor glider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flight ...
that was designed by
T. Claude Ryan first flown in 1976 and certified in 1983. The aircraft was intended to be used as both a motor glider and a light aircraft and was
type certified
A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...
in both categories.
[Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, ]Soaring Magazine
''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of in ...
'', page 126. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920
Design and development
T. Claude Ryan had a long and illustrious career as an aerospace engineer, starting many storied companies, including
Ryan Aeronautical Corporation and the
Ryan Aeronautical Company
The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, in 1934. It became part of Teledyne in 1969, and of Northrop Grumman when the latter company purchased Ryan in 1999. Ryan built several historically and tec ...
. Late in his career, in 1969 he sold Ryan Aeronautical to
Teledyne
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated is an American industrial conglomerate. It was founded in 1960, as Teledyne, Inc., by Henry Singleton and George Kozmetsky.
From August 1996 to November 1999, Teledyne existed as part of the conglomerate All ...
and it became
Teledyne-Ryan, with Ryan remaining as ''chairman emeritus''. He started yet another company
Ryson Aviation with his son,
Jerome Ryan and designed a new aircraft designated the ''ST-100'' and named the Cloudster in honour of the
Douglas Cloudster
The Douglas Cloudster was a 1920s American biplane aircraft. It was the only product of the Davis-Douglas Company, and was designed to make the first non-stop flight coast-to-coast across the United States.
Development
The Davis-Douglas Comp ...
that he had purchased in 1925 and renamed the ''Ryan Cloudster'' at that time.
Ladislao Pazmany
Ladislao Pazmany (November 25, 1923 – August 21, 2006) was an aviation pioneer, aeronautical engineer, designer, pilot, teacher, speaker, and author. Born a Hungarian, Pazmany grew up, went to school and worked in his formative years in Arg ...
is credited with contributions to the aircraft's design, as well.
The ST-100 was intended to be first and foremost a motor glider and second a light aircraft to be flown cross country under power. The aircraft is made with all-metal construction and features a wingspan. The wing has
flaps with a range of -12 to +60° and a flap-
aileron interconnect. The landing gear is conventional and features
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. ...
. Power is supplied by a
Continental O-200-A
The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admin ...
mounted 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 ST-100 has two batteries to ensure that the engine can be restarted in flight.
The prototype, registered N2RY, serial number 001, was completed in 1976. The type was certified on 29 July 1983 under separate type certificates for both FAR Part 23 and Part 26 as a light aircraft and also as a powered glider, for day
visual flight rules
In aviation, visual flight rules (VFR) are a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better ...
flight only. The aircraft is also certified for
aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...
. Production was planned, but the elder Ryan died on 11 September 1982 at age 84 and no aircraft beyond the one prototype were produced. In March 2011 the prototype ST-100 was still owned by Ryson Aviation of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
.
Specifications (ST-100)
See also
References
{{Reflist
External links
Photo of the ST-100ST-100 in flight
1970s United States sailplanes
ST-100
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1976
Motor gliders