Designed and built by the New Mexico-based firm of Aero Tek under the direction of George Applebay, the Zuni, previously known as the Aero Tek Model V Zuni.
The single-seat 15-meter Zuni, which first flew on 18 November 1976 in New Mexico, was in limited production from 1977 until 1983.
It is sailplane of conventional layout, with a flush transparent canopy and a T-tail. It made its first fight on 18 November 1976, and is of glassfibre construction overall. The cantilever shoulder-mounted wing has a Wortmann wing section developed at the Akaflieg Stuttgart and has full-span camberchanging flaps and ailerons. The flaps and ailerons may be operated separately or interconnected. There is provision for up to 180kg (397lb) of water ballast in the wing, and the undercarriage consists of a single monowheel with a tail bumper fairing under the fin; the forward fuselage tapers to a slimmer boom section carrying the tail unit, and the wings have rectangular inner sections and tapered outer panels.
The fuselage features a roomy cockpit with a semi-reclining seat and in-flight adjustable rudder pedals under a large one-piece canopy. The controls for flaps and landing gear are mounted on the left-hand side of the cockpit, with a side-mounted control stick on the right. The all-moving tailplane is trimmed with a press-button on the control stick.
The two-piece high-set wings contain control linkages which engage automatically when the sailplane is rigged. The interconnecting flaps and ailerons extend the full span of the wings. Flaps can be lowered to +90° for landing or for use as airbrakes. The landing gear consists of a large manually operated retractable monowheel, designed to withstand landings at maximum weight including water ballast, and a tail wheel.
The Zuni II model has carbon spar caps and optional carbon control surfaces, and water ballast capacity is increased to 219 kg. / 483 lb.
Aero-Tek Model V Zuni
Length: 22.047 ft / 6.72 m
Height: 4.265 ft / 1.3 m
Wingspan: 49.213 ft / 15.0 m
Aspect ratio: 22.2
Wing area: 108.716 sq.ft / 10.1 sq.m
Height: 4 ft 8in
Max take off weight: 959.2 lb / 435.0 kg
Weight empty: 493.9 lb / 224.0 kg
Max. speed: 157 kts / 290 km/h / 207mph (in smooth air)
Min sinking speed: 1.71 ft/sec at 50mph
Landing speed: 37 kts / 68 km/h
Cruising speed: 45 kts / 84 km/h
Wing load: 8.82 lb/sq.ft / 43.0 kg/sq.m
Crew: 1
Zuni II
Wing span: 15m / 49.2ft
Wing area: 10.13sq.m / 109sq.ft
Empty Weight: 238kg / 525lb
Payload: 306kg / 675lb
Gross Weight: 544kg / 1000lb
Wing Load: 53.7kg/sq.m / 11.01lb/sq.ft
Water Ballast: 220kg / 483lb
L/DMax: 38@ 98 kph / 53 kt / 61 mph
Aspect ratio: 22
MinSink: 0.55 m/s / 1.8 fps / 1.07 kt
Airfoil: Wortmann mod.
Structure: all fiberglass
No. of Seats: 1
Applebay Zuni
Wing span: 15.0 m (49 ft 2 l/2 in)
Length: 6.71 m (22 ft 0 in)
Height: 1.3 m (4ft 3 in)
Wing area: 10.13 m 2 (109.0 sq ft)
Wing section: Wortmann FX-67K-1707150
Aspect ratio: 22.2
Empty weight: 249 kg (550 lb)
Max weight: 544 kg (1,200 lb)
Water ballast: 181 kg (400 lb)
Max wing loading: 53.7 kg/sq.m (11.0 lb/sq ft)
Max speed: 180 kt (334 km/h)
Stalling speed: 34 kt (63 km/h)
Min sinking at 43.5 kt (80 km/h): 0.52 m (1.71 ft) /sec
