AeroLites Bearcat
{{Short description|American homebuilt aircraft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Bearcat | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Amateur-built aircraft | national origin=United States | manufacturer=AeroLites | designer= | first flight=1984 | introduced= | retired= | status=In production (2012) | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The AeroLites Bearcat is an American amateur-built aircraft, designed and produced by AeroLites, of Welsh, Louisiana and introduced in 1984. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 91. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 94. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. {{ISSN|1368-485X}}Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 100. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}{{cite web|url=http://aerofiles.com/_ab.html |title=American airplanes: Ab - Ak |accessdate=31 December 2014 |last=Aerofiles |date=n.d. |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121205051134/http://aerofiles.com/_ab.html |archivedate=5 December 2012 }}
Design and development
The Bearcat features a strut-braced parasol-wing, a single-seat open cockpit, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.
The aircraft fuselage is made from welded 4130 steel tubing with the wing constructed with an aluminum structure, with its flying surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth. The ribs slide into pockets in the fabric. Its {{convert|30|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} span wing employs a Clark Y airfoil and has an area of {{convert|150|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}. Standard engines available are the {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 447, the {{convert|50|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 503 and the {{convert|64|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 582 two-stroke powerplants. Equipment to convert the aircraft for aerial application is also available.{{Cite web|url = http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html|title = The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage|accessdate = 3 January 2012|last = Lednicer|first = David|authorlink = |year = 2010|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130809234123/http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html|archive-date = 9 August 2013|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}
The manufacturer claims that the supplied kit takes 60–90 hours to assemble.{{cite web|url = http://www.homebuilt.org/kits/aerolites/bearcat.html|title = Bearcat & Ag Bearcat|accessdate = 17 September 2012|last = AeroLites|date = n.d.}}
Operational history
Variants
;Bearcat
;Ag Bearcat
:Model equipped as an agricultural aircraft, originally equipped with a {{convert|64|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 532 engine.
Specifications (Bearcat)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=17
|length in=6
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=30
|span in=0
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=6
|height in=5
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=150
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=275
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=700
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|5|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Rotax 447
|eng1 type=twin cylinder, air-cooled, two stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=40
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=composite
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=5
|prop dia in=8
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=70
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=96
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=27
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=110
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=+6/-4
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=3.8
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ms=
|sink rate ftmin=
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=4.66
|wing loading note=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.homebuilt.org/kits/aerolites/bearcat.html}}
{{AeroLites aircraft}}
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft
Category:Parasol-wing aircraft