Buckeye Eclipse
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
| name=Eclipse | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type=Ultralight trike | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Buckeye Industries | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=Production completed | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | program cost= | unit cost= US$16,300 (Endeavor model, 2000) | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Buckeye Eclipse and Buckeye Endeavor are a family of American two-seat flying wing ultralight trikes that was designed and produced by Buckeye Industries. The aircraft were supplied fully assembled.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page C-6. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}
Design and development
Buckeye Industries was well known in the US ultralight business as one of the leading manufacturers of powered parachutes in the 1980s and 90s. The company decided to expand their line with the introduction of a line of trikes in the late 1990s. The aircraft were not strong sellers and the company went out of business in the mid-2000s.
The Eclipse features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat, open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration. Factory-supplied standard equipment included dual controls and electronic flight instruments. Optional equipment included a fiberglass cockpit fairing, windshield, wheel pants and electric starter.
The aircraft carriage is made from welded 4130 steel tubing, while the wing is constructed from bolted-together aluminum tubing and covered in Dacron sailcloth. The {{convert|167|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} area wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar.
Variants
;Eclipse
:Basic model powered by a Rotax 503 twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke engine of {{convert|50|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}, with a gross weight of {{convert|850|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. Price was US$14,500 in 2000.
;Endeavor
:Up-market model powered by a Rotax 582 twin cylinder, liquid-cooled, two-stroke engine of {{convert|64|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}, with a gross weight of {{convert|1000|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. Price was US$16,300 in 2000.
Specifications (Endeavor)
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References
{{reflist}}
{{Buckeye Industries aircraft}}
Category:1990s United States ultralight aircraft