Wings of Freedom Flitplane

Flitplane
Role Ultralight aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Wings of Freedom Aviation
Designer Ed Fisher
First flight 1995
Introduction 1995
Status Kits in production
plans available
Number built 50 (Dec 2011)[1]

The Wings of Freedom Flitplane is an American single-seat, high-wing, single-engine ultralight aircraft that is available as a kit aircraft or as plans for amateur construction from Wings of Freedom Aviation of Hubbard, Ohio.[1][2][3][4]

The Flitplane was designed as a low-cost aircraft with the look of an antique aircraft design for the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category with its maximum 254 lb (115 kg) empty weight requirement.[3][5]

Development

The Flitplane was designed in 1995 by Ed Fisher who also designed the Skylite ultralight and the Micro-Mong home-built aircraft. The design was acquired by Joe Naylor and Mark W. Klotz who formed Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc. in 1996 to develop the design and market it.[6]

Naylor and Klotz made many changes to the design but retained the antique look of the aircraft and its distinctive large triangular windshield.[2]

The Flitplane's fuselage is fabricated from a welded truss of 4130 steel tubing. The 27 ft (8.2 m) wings are of aluminum "ladder-type" construction, are strut-braced and utilize jury struts. The fuel tank is integrated into the wing centre-section. The wings and tail are covered in doped aircraft fabric. The engine is mounted in front of the high wing, above the cockpit. The original powerplant was a 35 hp (26 kW) Cuyuna 460 engine, with a 40 hp (30 kW) Rotax 447 optional. Later engine options added included the 28 hp (21 kW) Hirth F-33, the 45 hp (34 kW) Zanzottera MZ 201 and the Kawasaki 440 40 hp (30 kW) engine.[2][4]

The conventional landing gear is suspended using fibreglass axles. The tailwheel is steerable. The controls are conventional three-axis and include full-span ailerons. The large, flat-plate triangular windshield protects the pilot from the propeller blast and has distinctive cut-outs for the rudder pedals.[2][4]

The Flitplane is available as plans, a complete kit, partial kits or as a finished and ready-to-fly aircraft. The company claims that the aircraft can be built from the kit in 100 hours or 500 hours from plans.[2][5]

Specifications (Flitplane)

Data from Company website[4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Capacity: no passengers
  • Length: 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m)
  • Wingspan: 27 ft 0 in (8.24 m)
  • Height: ()
  • Wing area: 145 sq ft (13.49 sq m)
  • Empty weight: 240 lbs (109 kg)
  • Useful load: 360 lbs (163 kg)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 600 lbs (272 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hirth F-33 two-stroke, dual capacitor discharge ignition single-cylinder engine with 2.5:1 reduction belt drive, 28 hp (21 kW)
  • Propeller diameter: 64 in (1.62 m)

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. 1 2 Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 76. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page B-19. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9680628-1-4
  3. 1 2 Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 295. BAI Communications. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  4. 1 2 3 4 Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc (2008). "Flitplane". Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  5. 1 2 Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc (n.d.). "Flitplane - Homebuilding available". Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
  6. ↑ Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc (n.d.). "About us". Retrieved 2009-10-14.
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