The Rotec Rally is a family of American

ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

that was designed by Bill Adaska in 1977 and produced by Rotec Engineering of

Duncanville, Texas Duncanville is a city in southwestern Dallas County, Texas, United States. Duncanville's population was 40,706 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes Duncanville, Cedar Hill, T ...

. Adaska had been an

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, United States as well as commercial heli ...

and the French helicopter manufacturer, Aerospatiale, prior to starting Rotec. The aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-30. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001.

Design and development

The earliest Rallys were derived from

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

s and comply with the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft exist outside of the United States. In most countries, ultralights are a class of aircraft. A completely different legal concept is valid within the USA. The FAA makes explicitly clear that ultralight vehicles are not air ...

rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The Rally 2, for instance, has a standard empty weight of . The series all feature a cable-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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...

, a single-seat, open cockpit,

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft Landing gear, undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the Center of gravity of an aircraft, center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail ...

and a single engine in

pusher configuration In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, wh ...

. The series was highly successful due to its low price and solid engineering. The aircraft is made from

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

tubing, with the flying surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth. The wing is cable braced from a single kingpost mounted on top of the wing. The tailwheel is sprung. The first Rallys were simple powered hang gliders and grew in sophistication as the model numbers increased. More than 2000 Rallys were delivered.

Operational history

In reviewing the Rally, All-Aero said:

Variants

;Rally 1 :Early powered hang glider model introduced in 1977. ;Rally 2 :Improved powered hang glider model with weight shift control for pitch and roll with a seat-cable controlled rudder introduced in 1979. Standard engine is the

Solo 210 The Hirth F-36 is a single-cylinder, two-stroke, carburetted aircraft engine designed for use on ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing ...

of . It has a empty weight and a cruise speed of . ;Rally 2B :Development of the Rally 2, with a conventional three-axis control system, including wing-mounted

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...

s. In production models after 1981 the ailerons were replaced with spoilers for roll control. The control stick on the Rally 2B is hinged from the top, which simplified control runs to the high wing. Standard engine supplied was the Cuyuna 430

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...

. ;Rally 3 :Two seat version of the Rally 2B, introduced in 1981. ;Rally Sport :Structurally strengthened version of the Rally 2B 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 "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

, with a empty weight, wingspan and glide ratio of 8:1. Introduced in January 1983.

Aircraft on display

Southern Museum of Flight The Southern Museum of Flight is a civilian aviation museum Birmingham, Alabama. The facility features nearly 100 aircraft, as well as engines, models, artifacts, photographs, and paintings. In addition, the Southern Museum of Flight is home ...

- Rally 2B * Texas Air Museum - Stinson Chapter - Rally 2B

Specifications (Rally 2B)

References

External links

Photo of Rally
{{Rotec Engineering aircraft Rotec Engineering aircraft 1980s United States ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft