Sharp Tartan

Single-seat single-engined flex-wing aircraft with weight-shift control. Rogallo wing with keel pocket. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; floating cross-tube construction with 70% double-surface. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; no suspension on any wheels. Push-right go-left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. No brakes. Aluminium-tube trike unit, with optional pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.

By 1982 four Tartan trike units have been made; three with 330 cc Robin engines and one with a 250.

The Tartan, so named because of its distinctive seat covering, is most commonly flown with an Airwave Nimrod wing and was largely inspired by the Ultrasports Tripacer. It is a beefier structure using heavier-gauge tube, a cast engine bearer and solid plastic tubing inserts, to prevent bolts crushing the tubing.

While the Tartan is a thoroughly conven-tional trike unit, a high proportion is made in-house - not just the tubework but also the engine bearers, prop-eller, silencer and reduction drive.

Engine: Robin EC34PM
Propeller diameter and pitch 54x30 inch, 1.37x0.76m
Toothed-belt reduction, ratio 2.3/1
Fuel capacity 2.4 US gal, 2.0 Imp gal, 9.1 litre
Length overall 11.8ft, 3.60m
Wing span 32.8ft, 10.0m
Nose angle 120 deg
Total wing area 165 sq.ft, 15.3 sq.m
Wing aspect ratio 6.5/1
Nosewheel diameter overall 16 inch, 41 cm
Main wheels diameter overall 16 inch, 41 cm
Max climb rate at sea level 650 ft/min, 13 m/s

Engine: Robin EC25PS
Propeller diameter and pitch 54x27 inch, 1.37x0.69m
Toothed-belt reduction, ratio 2.3/1
Fuel capacity 2.4 US gal, 2.0 Imp gal, 9.1 litre
Length overall 11.8ft, 3.60m
Wing span 32.8ft, 10.0m
Nose angle 120 deg
Total wing area 165 sq.ft, 15.3 sq.m
Wing aspect ratio 6.5/1
Nosewheel diameter overall 16 inch, 41 cm
Main wheels diameter overall 16 inch, 41 cm