Aircraft

Spratt Control wing

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Dr G A Spratt’s first powered airplane with pivoting wings was a single-place, open cockpit biplane, built in 1912, and powered by a 40hp Curtiss V-8 air-cooled engine.

The second controlwing was a single-place open cockpit high-wing monoplane built in 1934, powered by a 25hp Jacobs outboard motor modified to air cooling (now in EAA Museum), and registered N14763. With an empty weight of 180 lb, it was the first controlwing airplane to do any real flying.

The 1939 Controlwing further development of Spratt’s controllable-wing theory was a two place, open cockpit, mid-wing flying boat. A 65hp Lycoming pusher engine was mounted in the bow, driving a prop by a long shaft. The wing is mounted over a twin-tailed, boat-shaped fuselage.

The 1947 version, N3915A, had a 65hp Continental mounted aft of the cockpit. Spratt’s project continued well into the 1970s with several successful flying boats. Plans marketed to home-builders; 80 sets sold by 1982.

The 1973 Controlwing 105 N49888 was a two-place cabin, high-wing monoplane landplane with a 60ci Mercury marine engine. The span was 22’0″ and length 12’6″. Spratt’s continuance of design numbers from his days at Convair sometimes lead to confusion of this plane with Convair-Stinson 106 Skycoach.

The 1964 Controlwing 106 N910Z was a two-place, open cockpit high-wing monoplane flying boat.

Circa 1975 the Controlwing 107 was a two-place, open cockpit high-wing monoplane flying boat, powered by a modified 80hp Mercury marine engine. The span was 24’0″, length 17’0″, and useful load: 500 lb.

Seats: 2

Sport Performance Aviation Panther

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The Sport Performance Aviation LLC Panther is a versatile, mid-sized, single seat low wing Sport or LSA aerobatic airplane with quick fold wings. The Panther is designed for handling manners and gentleman aerobatics, combining looks, handling and critical build elements meant to keep the cost down.

The base kit was $15,995 and that includes pre-drilled aluminum wing skins, a steel fuselage structure that’s been fully welded and powder coated, the canopy and landing gear legs. The Panther is built around the Corvair six-cylinder engine and that helps keep costs down; however, other engines in the 80–160 hp range can be used. Powerplant options include Continental C-85 thru 0-200, Lycoming 0-235 thru 0-320 (Panther Sport), UL power, Jabiru 3300.

Two Panther versions were available: one with 93 square feet of wing for LSA compliance and one with a smaller, 85-square-foot wing for better performance. Total build cost was $28–50k.

Construction
6061 aluminum / flush blind rivets (solid optional)
4130 steel tube construction from seat back to firewall. All critical attachment points like Landing gear, wing pin, engine mount, 5 point harness, ballistic chute, rollover bar, control Hard points etc. will be welded in the fixture. This allows quick accurate construction of all Critical points.
Skinned in AL
Quick easy to build tail cone rivets/bolts on to the forward fuselage
Simple control surface design
Simple strong wing spar with only seven components per spar (plus bolts/rivets)

The Panther features
Quick (2 min or less) easy single person wing fold, no controls to disconnect
Fit in 18ftx7x7 space (trailer) when folded
Large cockpit with adjustable rudder pedals and seat back, room for big guys and a parachute
Forward (2cu ft) and rear baggage area
Pilot rollover protection
Ballistic chute capable
Bubble canopy replaceable by small windshield and skirt for open cockpit flying
excellent visibility

Panther
Engine: Corvair/3.0L, 100hp @ 3100 rpm
Propeller: Sensenich/Wood over Composite, 2-blade
Wingspan: 23 ft 6 in
Maximum gross weight: 1115 lb
Typical empty weight: 725 lb
Typical useful load: 425 lb
Fuel capacity: 27 gal
Full-fuel payload: 262 lb
Wing loading: 11.8 lb/sq. ft
Baggage capacity: 40 lb
Max speed: 170 mph
Cruise speed: 165 mph @8000ft
Stall speed (landing configuration): 46 mph
Stall speed (clean): 51 mph
Maximum rate of climb: 1500 fpm
Takeoff distance (to 50 ft agl): 1000 ft
Landing distance (from 50 ft agl): 1200 ft
Seats: 1
Cabin width: 28 in

Sport Flight Sky Pup

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Single seat single engine high wing monoplane with two axis control. Conventional tail. Pitch control by elevator on tail; yaw control by fin mounted rudder; no separate roll control; control inputs through stick for pitch and pedals for yaw. Cantilever wing; wing profile; double surface. Undercarriage has two wheels with tailskid. Wood/foam fuselage, partially enclosed. Engine mounted at wing height driving tractor propeller.

Announced in 1983, the Sky Pup is a development of Steven Wood’s one off ultralight called the Blue Light Special. With the Sky Pup, the accent is on simplicity and low build cost; the aircraft is only sold in the form of plans, the company reckoning that the machine can be built for less than $1000 excluding power pack.

The design principle is to use foam to carry shear loads and wood to carry bending loads. Ribs and fuselage panels are cut from foam and then bonded to wood capstrips and gussets, with plywood covering for the leading edge and dope and fabric covering for the rest of the flying surfaces.

Engine is a Cuyuna 215RR coupled to the company’s own propeller via a reduction drive. Unlike most two axis aircraft, the Sky Pup is not purely stick controlled. The centre-mounted stick moves fore and aft only, to control pitch, while pedals are used for rudder control. The plans cost $50 in the US, $52 in Canada, $56 elsewhere.

Engine: Rotax 277
Empty wt.: 205 lbs
Max wt.: 400 lbs
Height 5’2”
Width 74”
Length 15’11”
Wing span: 31 ft
Wing area: 130 sq.ft.
Wing loading: 3.1 lbs/sq.ft
Power loading: 14.3 lbs/hp
Max speed: 61 mph
Cruise: 57 mph
Stall: 26 mph
Vne: 69 mph
Seats: 1
Vne 69 mph
L/D 12:1
Minimum sink rate 260 fpm
Takeoff roll 200’
Climb rate 450 fpm
Load factors +6, -3 G’s

Engine: Cuyuna 215RR, 20 hp at 5500 rpm
Propeller diameter and pitch 58 x 24 inch, 1.47 x 0.61 m
Reduction 2.3/1
Power per unit area 0.15 hp/sq.ft, 1.7hp/sq.m
Length overall 15.9 ft, 4.85 m
Height overall 4.3ft, 1.32m
Wing span 31.0ft, 9.45m
Mean chord 4.2ft, 1.28m
Dihedral 6.5 deg
Total wing area 130 sq.ft, 12.1 sq.m
Wing aspect ratio 7.4/1
Empty weight 195 lb, 88kg
Max take off weight 400 lb, 181kg
Payload 205 lb, 93kg
Max wing loading 3.08 lb/sq.ft, 15.0kg/sq.m
Max power loading 20.0 lb/hp, 9.1kg/hp
Load factors design; +6.0
Never exceed speed 69mph, 111 kph
Cruising speed 55mph, 88kph
Stalling speed 26mph, 42kph
Max climb rate at sea level 450 ft/min, 2.3 m/s
Best glide ratio with power off 12/1

Sport Cub S2

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The Sport Cub S2 is literally a reinvention of the classic Piper Super Cub. With stick and rudder flying, complimented with modern touches such as adjustable seating, cabin heating and standard AmSafe airbags. There’s enough space for up to 120 pounds of cargo. With extensive weight saving carbon fiber and a 100 Horsepower Continental engine, it offers a climb rate comparable to aircraft with much more power and are still capable of 100 mph and a range of over 450 miles.

Engine Continental O-200A 100 hp

Sportavia SFS 31 Milan / Scheibe SFS 31 Milan

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Designed by Rene Fournier and Egon Scheibe, Sportavia built the SFS 31 Milan, a single seat development of the Fournier RF4D with a sailplane wing of the Scheibe SF-27M motorglider and a feathering prop. The Milan’s designation is formed by adding together the manufacturers’ initial letters and the numbers in the designations of these two aircraft.

Like all of Rene Fournier’s designs, it had a big bubble canopy. It has spoilers for approach control and outrigger wheels and a steerable tailwheel to aid in taxiing. The cantilever wings are low-set instead of in the shoulder position of the SF-27M and Zugvogel V, with 4° dihedral from the roots, and are wooden structures with a pine box spar and plywood ribs covered with birch plywood and fabric; Schempp-Hirth glassfibre/metal air brakes are fitted in the upper surfaces. The SF-27M’s wings were made stronger than those of the unpowered SF-27 Zugvogel V, and it is powered by a 26hp Hirth Solo vertically-opposed four-cylinder engine. The Milan’s powerplant is a 39hp Rectimo (converted Volkswagen) 4 AR 1200 ‘flat four’ engine in a conventional tractor installation, driving a Hoffman two-blade fixed-pitch or fully-feathering wooden propeller, of 4ft 4in of 4ft 5.5in diameter respectively. The single fuel tank in the fuselage has a capacity of 7.7 Imp gallons. The landing gear is similar to the RF4D’s, but with spring-assisted retraction of the main wheel.

The Milan prototype, D-KORO, made its first flight on 31 August 1969. The SFS 31 was produced jointly by Sportavia and Scheibe.

Milan SFS-31
Engine: 29kW / 39 bhp Rectimo 4AR 1200
Wing span: 15 m / 49 ft 2.5 in
Wing area: 12 sq.m / 129 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 18.6
Airfoil: Wortmann
Length: 19 ft 10.25 in
Height: 5 ft 1.75 in
Empty Weight: 310 kg / 682 lb
Payload: 130 kg / 286 lb
Gross Weight: 440 kg / 968 lb
Wing Load: 36.67 kg/sq.m / 7.5 lb/sq.ft
Max cruising speed: 112 mph at sea level
L/DMax: 29 95 kph / 51 kt / 59 mph
MinSink: 0.82 m/s / 2.7 fps / 1.60
Take-off run: 690ft
Range with max fuel: 415 miles
Structure: wood
Seats: 1
No. Built: 24