The Sawyer Skyjacker II 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 and produced by Ralph V. Sawyer of

Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United ...

, in 1974. It first flew on 3 July 1975. The aircraft was intended as a

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and as such only one was built.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', page 152. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977.

Design and development

The Skyjacker II was designed to explore ultra-low aspect ratio wing designs and in particular the stability, controllability and capability of the configuration. The design was intended to be easily scalable to much larger aircraft. It has no complex curves and was designed to be easy to construct. It features a cantilever

mid-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 con ...

, a two-seats-in-

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enclosed cockpit under a glazed canopy, fixed

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 ...

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 pusher configuration. The aircraft is made from sheet

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 ha ...

, has an span wing and is powered by a Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D engine. The aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . With full fuel of the payload is . The aircraft proved to be stall and spin proof. Its standard day, sea level take off run is and landing roll is . The sole example built was 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 ...

in 1974, but its registration was cancelled in August 2013.

Specifications (Skyjacker II)

References

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External links

Photos of the Sykjacker in 2010Photos of the Skyjacker
Skyjacker II 1970s United States experimental aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Mid-wing aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1975