The Winds Italia Orbiter is a family of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

paramotor Paramotor is the generic name for the harness and propulsive portion of a powered paragliding, powered paraglider ("PPG"). There are two basic types of paramotors: foot launch and wheel launch. Foot launch models consist of a frame with harness ...

s that were designed by Randy Haney and produced by his company Winds Italia of

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

for

powered paragliding Powered paragliding, also known as paramotoring or PPG, is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a back-pack motor (a paramotor) which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, and on ...

. Now out of production, when the series was available the aircraft were supplied complete and ready-to-fly.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 77. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003.

Design and development

The Orbiter series was designed to comply with the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries. In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not requ ...

rules as well as European regulations. They feature a

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

-style wing, single-place accommodation and a single engine in

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...

with a

reduction drive A reduction drive is a mechanical device to shift rotational speed. A planetary reduction drive is a small scale version using ball bearings in an epicyclic arrangement instead of toothed gears. Reduction drives are used in engines of all kinds t ...

and a diameter two-bladed wooden propeller. The fuel tank capacity is . As is the case with all paramotors, take-off and landing is accomplished by foot. Inflight steering is accomplished via handles that actuate the canopy brakes, creating roll and yaw. Reviewer Rene Coulon noted the Orbiter's design for both its aesthetics and robustness.

Variants

;Orbiter :Model with a

Radne Raket 120 The Radne Raket 120 ( en, Rocket) is a lightweight single cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine used for powered hang gliders, paramotors and ultralight aircraft that is built by Radne Motor AB of Haninge, Sweden.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeie ...

engine in

with a 3.54:1 ratio

and a diameter two-bladed wooden propeller. ;Orbiter XP :Higher powered model with a Cors'Air M21Y engine in pusher configuration with a 1.9:1 ratio reduction drive and a two-bladed wooden propeller. Other reduction ratios were factory available as options. The XP was supplied without an electric starter or battery to save weight. The resulting unit empty weight was .

Specifications (Orbiter)

References

{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation

Orbiter A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, pl ...

2000s French ultralight aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Paramotors

Design and development

Variants

Specifications (Orbiter)

See also

References