Custom Flight North Star
{{Short description|Canadian homebuilt light aircraft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=North Star | image=Custom Flight Northstar C-GLAD 02.JPG | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Amateur-built aircraft | national origin=Canada | manufacturer=Custom Flight | designer=Morgan Williams | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=In production (2012) | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built=24 (2014) | developed from= Piper PA-18 Super Cub | variants with their own articles=Custom Flight Lite Star }} |
The Custom Flight North Star is a Canadian amateur-built aircraft, designed by Morgan Williams and produced by Custom Flight of Tiny, Ontario. The aircraft is based on the Piper PA-18 Super Cub and is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 50. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 144. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}
Design and development
The North Star features a strut-braced high-wing, a single-seat, a two-seats-in-tandem enclosed cockpit that is {{convert|29|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} wide, 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 from aluminum sheet and all surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its {{convert|36.3|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} span wing employs a USA 35B airfoil, has an area of {{convert|190.7|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} and mounts flaps. The wing is supported by "V"-struts and jury struts. The aircraft's recommended engine power range is {{convert|150|to|180|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} and standard engines used include the {{convert|150|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Lycoming O-320 four-stroke powerplant. Construction time from the supplied kit is 1200 hours. The aircraft can be mounted on wheels, floats or skis.
Operational history
By December 2011 the company indicated that 20 examples had been completed and flown. By December 2015, 27 examples had been registered with Transport Canada and 13 in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.{{cite web|url = http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/CCARCS-RIACC/RchSimp.aspx|title = Canadian Civil Aircraft Register|accessdate = 19 December 2015|last = Transport Canada|date = 19 December 2015}}{{cite web|url = http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=NORTH+STAR&PageNo=1|title = Make / Model Inquiry Results|accessdate = 19 December 2015|last = Federal Aviation Administration|date = 19 December 2015|archive-date = 4 March 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063912/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=NORTH+STAR&PageNo=1|url-status = dead}}
Specifications (North Star)
File:Custom Flight Northstar C-GLAD 01.JPG
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
|length m=
|length ft=22
|length in=6
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=36
|span in=4
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=190.7
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=1170
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=2350
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|52|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Lycoming O-320
|eng1 type=four cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=150
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed pitch propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=115
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=25
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=690
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=1100
|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=12.3
|wing loading note=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Official website|http://www.customflightltd.com/}}
{{Custom Flight aircraft}}