The US Light Aircraft Hornet is an American two-seats-in-

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 ...

tricycle 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 ...

, 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 confi ...

ultralight aircraft, that was produced US Light Aircraft Corporation of

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between 1994 and circa 2008 in kit form for amateur construction. It was also available as a factory-completed light-sport aircraft.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-84. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 74. Primedia Publications. Downey, Julia: ''2001 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 79. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 278. BAI Communications. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', pages 22–23. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. After US Light Aircraft ceased production the design was taken up by Higher Class Aviation and then later Oklahoma Light Aircraft of

Blackwell, Oklahoma Blackwell is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 177 and State Highway 11 along Interstate 35 (exit #222). The population was 7,092 at the 2010 census and 6,085 in the 2020 Census. Blackwel ...

, which reportedly had the Hornet in production in 2011.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 66. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. By July 2012 Oklahoma Light Aircraft's website had been removed from the internet and the aircraft was no longer advertised as being for sale.

Design and development

The Hornet was first introduced at Sun 'n Fun in 1994. Externally the aircraft greatly resembles the

Quad City Challenger II The Quad City Challenger is a family of one and two seats-in-tandem, pusher configuration, tricycle landing gear ultralight aircraft that is designed and produced by Quad City Aircraft Corporation of Moline, Illinois. The Challenger was ...

, but internally the structure is very different. When it was available the Hornet was priced considerably higher than the Challenger II. The Hornet structure is built up from

aluminium 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. I ...

tubing, riveted together with gussets. The aircraft is then covered with doped

aircraft fabric Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...

. The Hornet's wing incorporates dual bridge-section

spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

s, with a single strut and V-

jury strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

s. The wing was sandbag-tested to 7 g without failure. The aircraft includes electric flaps and trim, dual controls and two wing-mounted fuel tanks. The landing gear incorporates pneumatic suspension on all three wheels, including the steerable nosewheel, and hydraulic brakes on the mainwheels. The Hornet can also be equipped with floats or skis. Early production aircraft experienced

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 ...

flutter at speeds in excess of but this was addressed by mass-balancing the elevator. Reported construction times from the kit are 250–300 hours.

Operational history

The Hornet won ''Grand Champion Light Plane'' at both Sun 'n Fun and

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in 1995.

Variants

;Hornet :Base model, powered by a

Hirth 2703 The Hirth 2702 and 2703 are a family of in-line twin cylinder, two stroke, carburetted aircraft engines designed for use on ultralight aircraft and especially two seat ultralight trainers, single seat gyrocopters, and small homebuilts. It ...

, or optionally the

Hirth 2706 The Hirth 2704 and 2706 are a family of in-line twin cylinder, two stroke, carburetted aircraft engines, with optional fuel injection, designed for use on ultralight aircraft and especially two seat ultralight trainers, single seat gyroco ...

engine. ;Super Hornet :Light sport model, fully assembled and powered by an

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, l ...

or optionally 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, later ...

engine

Specifications (Hornet)

References

{{reflist

External links

US Light Aircraft website archives
on

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...