Sunrise Clipper, originating from the USA as a high wing aircraft available either in single or two seat configuration, or with a choice of taildragger or tricycle gear. Powerplants can either be the 28 or 40hp Rotax.
Engine: Rotax 447
Empty wt: 252 lbs
Max wt: 580 lb
Wing span: 30 ft
Wing area: 150 sq.ft.
Wing loading: 3.87 lbs/sq.ft
Power loading: 12.08 lbs/hp
Max speed: 85 mph
Cruise mph: 60
Stall: 20 mph
Vne: 100 mph
Seats: 1
The 1937 Sundorph Aeronautical Corp A-1 Special was a four-place racer with metal fuselage and fabric-covered wood-frame wing, registered NR2599 c/n 2.
Powered by a 225hp Jacobs L-4 engine, it developed wing flutter in the 1937 Bendix race and was never flown again.
In 1932 Sundorph Aeronautical Corp of Cleveland OH. Built a two-place open cockpit monoplane. Registered NX12886 c/n 1, it was powered by a 100hp ACE (Cirrus) engine.
A one-seater powered parachute, constructed with 6061T6 – Tubing + Plate, 304SS – Stainless Steel, and AN bolts. The risers are nylon webbing. The airframe/ cart, seat belts, and upholstery colour range is optional.
Single Controls: Throttle + Steering
Price: $17,000.00 Canadian Dollars, assembled, in 2009.
Engine: Rotax 503, 52 hp
B box, recoil start
Prop: Powerfin or GSC
Length: 101 in
Width: 76 in
Height: 84 in
Parachute: Apco 500
Empty weight: 302 lb
Maximum Payload: 377 lbs
Air speed: 28 to 33 mph
Takeoff Distance: 60 – 200 ft
Landing Distance: 30 – 100 ft
Glide Ratio: 4 – 5 to 1
Rate Of Climb: 300 – 800 ft/min.
Sink Rate: 500 – 700 ft/min
Fuel Tank: 5 or 10 UGS
One of a steadily increasing number of American companies catering for the burgeoning homebuilder’s market, Sun Aerospace is a comparatively small concern based at Nappanee, Indiana. Sun Aerospace’s main product is the Sun Ray 100, a canard type that first flew in prototype form during September 1983 and is one of many sporting lightplanes clearly derived from the pioneering canard work of Burt Rutan.
The type is available in kit form, and it is estimated that some 500 man-hours are required for assembly of such a kit. The result is a trim single-seater with enclosed accommodation and non-retractable tricycle landing gear, but the overall appearance is perhaps marred by the size of its twin vertical surfaces, located above the main wing to the sides of the engine and its pusher propeller.
Sun Aerospace Sun Ray 100 Article
The construction of the Sun Ray 100 is typical of many current aircraft for the homebuilt market, and is centred on a fuselage that uses a primary structure of welded aluminium alloy tubes covered with three pre-moulded glassfibre shells. The main wing is attached to the top of the rear fuselage, and is sharply anhedralled to the locations of the vertical surfaces, and is flat outboard of that point: the wing structure has extensive reinforcement of spruce and comprises a pre-moulded glassfibre leading edge, an aluminium alloy trailing edge and glassfibre-wrapped ribs all covered with Ceconite or Stits Poly-Fiber. The canard foreplanes use pre-moulded glassfibre skins, and all the control surfaces (twin rudders, two wing-mounted ailerons and two canard-mounted elevators) are made of aluminium tubing.
Companies such as Sun Aerospace are keen to capitalize on all the possibilities of a successful basic design, and it is thought that under development are an amphibious version of the Sun Ray 10 and a two-seater known as the Sun Ray 200.
First flying on 13 January 1987, N222SR, another showed up at the 1987 Paris Air Show, N103SR c/n 100-103
Type: sport lightplane
Powerplant: one 38.8-hp (52-kW) Rotax 503
Maximum cruising speed 100 mph (161 km/h)
Initial climb rate 800 ft (244 m) per minute
Service ceiling 13,500 ft (4115 m)
Range 425 miles (684 km)
Empty weight 550 lb (249 kg)
Maximum take-off 850 lb (386 kg)
Wingspan 32 ft (9.75 m)
Length 13 ft (3.96 m)
Height 6 ft (1.83 m)
Wing area 157 sq.ft (14.59 sq.m) including canard foreplanes
Accommodation: one
Single seat single engined monoplane with conventional three axis control. Wing has swept back leading and trailing edges, and tapering chord; no tail, canard wing. Pitch control by elevator on canard; yaw control by fin mounted rudders; control inputs through stick for pitch/roll and pedals for yaw. Retractable undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation. Ground steering by differential braking; (limited castoring nosewheel optional). Composite construction fuselage, partially enclosed (totally enclosed optional). Engine mounted level with centre part of wing driving pusher propeller.
Russ Mcdonald of Sun Aerospace announced that the test flights on the prototype, which is radical both in terms of its aerodynamics and the technology used, were under way from the end of March 1983 and the aircraft was scheduled to he shown in August at Oshkosh, where the Sun Ray will be in the running for the $10,000 prize offered by DuPont to promote the use of advanced materials and design concepts in lightweight aircraft construction.
The Sun Ray is a conventional control aircraft with a side mounted control stick. Its wing has a laminar profile and is made up of two outer half wings with a large dihedral and a central inverse V wing forming the engine housing and carrying the pusher propeller. Below the joints between the centre section and the outer wings are twin parallel booms, which ensure the structural rigidity of the assembly by running forward to carry a canard at the nose of the fuselage, while above each joint is a fin and rudder assembly, inclined slightly outwards.
The fuselage forms the hull and has a float attached, adding to the buoyancy of the parallel twin booms, which act as under wing floats. The single hull float and the outboard sponsons are detachable to take advantage of US law, which dictates that removable floats are not included in the empty weight of an ultralight. For ease of transportation, the outer wing and canard sections are removable, leaving a structure 8ft (2.4m) wide.
The Sunray makes extensive use of the Dupont fibre Kevlar, which is lighter and stronger than glass fibre and which allows more elaborate shapes while giving an impeccable surface finish.
In 1984 the Sun Ray kits started at $7595.
Engine: Kawasaki TA 440, 30 hp
Power per unit area 0.24hp/sq.ft, 2.6 hp/sq.m
Length overall 13.3 ft, 4.06 m
Height overall 6.0ft, 1.83m
Wing span 32.0ft, 9.75m
Canard span 8.0ft, 2.44 m
Total wing area 126 sq.ft, 11.7 sq.m
Empty weight 250 lb, 113kg
Max take off weight 510 lb, 231kg
Payload 260 lb, 118kg
Max wing loading 4.05 lb/sq.ft, 19.7 kg/sq.m
Max power loading 17.0 lb/hp, 7.7kg/hp
Max level speed 63 mph, 101 kph
Never exceed speed 85 mph, 137 kph
Max cruising speed 56 mph, 90 kph
Economic cruising speed 43 mph, 69 kph
Stalling speed 27 mph, 43 kph
Max climb rate at sea level 600 ft/min, 3.1 m/s
Service ceiling 13,500ft, 4100m
Range at average cruising speed 145 mile, 233 km
In 1999 ASAP designed the Summit Powered Parachute. The SUMMIT II, the very first SLSA registered powered parachute in North America.
The Summit Powered Parachute has the 4 point canopy pick up to eliminate the pendulum effect, the tire placement to protect the propeller cage from damaging the prop, the true 2 seat placement for very comfortable seating and the innovative fuel seat tank. The Summit II also has foot steering and the anodized airframe, inside and out. The Summit is a bolt together kit that affords customers choice of both 2 stroke or 4 stroke engine including Rotax 503, Rotax 582, Rotax 912 and the HKS 700E. Each Summit II comes complete with the engine choice, engine accessories, GSC 3 blade GA propeller, Taskem EIS unit, Azusa tires and rims, full suspension with front brake and the S-Series Mustang square canopy. Options include canopy color choices, engine choices, and airframe color choices.
The kit include the airframe with 4” fuselage, ground steering Dyno-Focal engine mount, parts pre-cut, pre-measured, pre-drilled for ease of assembly, and no welding required.
Price 2009: 15950 USD
Summit II Powered Parachute
Cruise: 28 kt / 32 mph / 51 kmh
Empty Weight: 141 kg / 310 lbs
MTOW Weight: 431 kg / 950 lbs
Glide Ratio: 5:1
Take-off distance (50ft obstacle): 100 ft / 30 m
Landing distance (50ft obstacle): 75 ft / 23 m
In 1999, at the Sun n Fun airshow in Florida, the Summit II made its debut.
The two seat placement has separate seats and a single fuselage tube had every attach point triangulated. A slider foot control system is for canopy steering, and stainless steel rails around the pilot and passenger provide protection. A four point pick up system for the risers provides control against any pendulum affect. All the kits were anodized.
The landing gear was designed to be back under the engine so that in the event of a hard landing, the wheels would touch first, not the protective propeller guard.
Summit SS (single seat)
Cruise: 30 kt / 35 mph / 56 kmh
Empty Weight: 106 kg / 233 lbs
MTOW Weight: 249 kg / 550 lbs
Take-off distance (50ft obstacle): 200 ft / 61 m
Landing distance (50ft obstacle): 100 ft / 30 m
In 1941 Summit Aeronautical Corp was testing and developing HM-5 two-seat cabin monoplane designed by Howell Miller and built by Vidal process (molding under fluid pressure), for which company held license from Aircraft Research Corporation. War production of other items then supervened.
Only one was built, NX25332, the design evolving into 1940 Westfield.
Engine: 75hp Continental A-75
Windspan: 28’0″
Length: 22’0″
Max speed: 142 mph
Stall: 38 mph
Seats: 2
Undercarriage: retractable
In 1930 Sullivan Aircraft Manufacturing Co built a low-wing cabin monoplane which was developed as the K-3 Crested Harpy. Laird Co’s Jake Moellendick reportedly was involved to some extent.
A three-place cabin monoplane, it is known that two were built, NR127V and X370M, and perhaps more.
Engine: 100hp Kinner K-5
Wing span: 36’0″
Length: 24’0″
Useful load: 766 lb
Max speed: 126 mph
Cruise: 105 mph
Stall: 44 mph
Seats: 3
All Aero 