APEV Pouchel Light
{{Short description|French homebuilt aeroplane}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Pouchel Light | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Amateur-built aircraft | national origin=France | manufacturer=APEV | designer=Daniel Dalby | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=In production (kit, 2012) | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= APEV Pouchel II | variants with their own articles=APEV Pouchelec }} |
The APEV Pouchel Light ({{langx|en|Ladder Flea Light}}) is a French amateur-built aircraft, designed by Daniel Dalby and produced by APEV of Peynier. The aircraft is supplied as plans or as a kit for amateur construction.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 93. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 97. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. {{ISSN|1368-485X}}
Design and development
The Pouchel Light replaced the Pouchel II in production, which in turn replaced the original APEV Pouchel. The original Pouchel was constructed using three commercially available aluminium ladders, hence APEV is the Association pour la Promotion des Echelles Volantes, or in English, Association for the Promotion of Flying Ladders. Later models were forced to move to rectangular aluminium tubing when the ladder manufacturer grew concerned about liability.
The Pouchel Light is a re-designed, {{convert|50|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} lighter version of the Pouchel II that it replaces in production, with an empty weight of {{convert|100|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}. The Pouchel series are all derivatives of the classic 1930s Henri Mignet-designed Mignet Pou-du-Ciel (Flying Flea).{{cite web|url = http://www.pouchel.com/english/index_eng.php?p=pouchel_eng.htm|title = Pouchel Light, the Pouchel in a lighter version|accessdate = 19 September 2012|last = APEV|date =}}
The Pouchel Light features a cantilever rear wing with a strut-braced parasol front wing, a single-seat open cockpit without a windshield, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminium tubing. The wings are the same as those used on the Scoutchel and are built around a single aluminium spar, with ribs made from extruded polystyrene with plywood bracing, all bonded to fibreglass leading and trailing edges, covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its {{convert|6|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} span front wing and {{convert|4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} span rear have a combined area of {{convert|12|m2|sqft|0|abbr=on}} and both employ NACA 23112 airfoils. Recommended engines are the {{convert|35|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 377 or the {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 447 two-stroke powerplants.
Specifications (Pouchel Light)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=met
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|crew=one
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|upper span m=6
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|lower span m=4
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|wing area sqm=12
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|airfoil=NACA 23112
|empty weight kg=100
|empty weight lb=
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|gross weight kg=225
|gross weight lb=
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|fuel capacity={{convert|30|L|1}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Rotax 377
|eng1 type=twin cylinder, air-cooled, two stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=35
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|cruise speed kmh=90
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|stall speed kmh=40
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|never exceed speed kmh=120
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|g limits=+4/-2
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|climb rate ms=3
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|wing loading kg/m2=18.75
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References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.pouchel.com/english/index_eng.php?p=pouchel_eng.htm Official website]
{{APEV aircraft}}