Cosmos Samba
{{Short description|French ultralight trike}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Samba | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight trike | national origin=France | manufacturer=Cosmos ULM | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=In production | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Cosmos Samba, named after the dance of the same name, is a French ultralight trike that is produced by Cosmos ULM of Fontaine-lès-Dijon, France. The aircraft is supplied as a complete aircraft and is not available as a kit.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 98. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485XCliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page C-8. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 142. BAI Communications. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}
Design and development
The Samba is a minimalist aircraft, sometimes referred to as a nanolight-trike. It was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of {{convert|254|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of {{convert|210|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. It 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.
The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing. The Tedlar-covered single surface wing is a French La Mouette Topless M design that uses an internal Kevlar cross-bar reinforcement in place of a kingpost and ground wires. The lower flying wires are retained, however, giving the aircraft a load rating of +6/-3g. Control is weight-shift via an "A" frame control bar.
The lack of the kingpost and associated cables allows the Samba a top speed of {{convert|93|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} on only {{convert|16|kW|hp|0|abbr=on}} of power provided by a Zenoah G-25 single cylinder, two stroke powerplant. Because of its low drag the aircraft is suitable for power-off soaring flight and the engine can be restarted in flight.
The Samba can be disassembled for storage or car-top transport in 20 minutes.
Specifications (Samba)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Cliche, Bertrand and Purdy
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|crew=one
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|length ft=6
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|wing area sqft=152
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|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=210
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=450
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|10|L}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Zenoah G-25
|eng1 type=single cylinder, two stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=16
|eng1 hp=
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|max speed kmh=93
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|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=45
|cruise speed kts=
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|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=25
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|range km=
|range miles=80
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|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=18000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=+6/-3
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|climb rate ftmin=600
|climb rate note=
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|sink rate ftmin=300
|sink rate note=
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References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.cosmos-ultralight.com/wwwsitio_ing/aviones.php}}
- [http://footflyer.com/Articles/Ultralights/SambaHGTrike300.jpg Photo of a Cosmos Samba]
{{Cosmos ULM aircraft}}
Category:1990s French ultralight aircraft