Fournier RF 3
{{Short description|French motor glider, 1963}}
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
| name=Fournier RF-3 | image=Fournier_RF-3_01.JPG | caption=Belgian-registered RF-3 in 2012 }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type= motor glider | national origin=France | manufacturer=Societé Alpavia | designer=René Fournier | first flight=1963 (RF-3) | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user= | number built=1 (RF-1) | developed from= | variants with their own articles=Fournier RF 4 }} |
The Fournier RF-3 is a single-seat motor glider designed by René Fournier and first flown in 1960.
Design and development
Fournier produced the Volkswagen-powered RF-1 single-seat motor-glider with a high-aspect ratio low-mounted wing, registered F-WJGX it first flew on 6 July 1960. Fournier followed it with an improved variant, the RF-2 using a Rectimo AR.1200 engine, the first of two-built, with the help of Centre Est, first flew in June 1962.
Fournier started a company Societé Alpavia to manufacture a production variant of the RF-2, named the RF-3. The first RF-3 was exhibited at the June 1963 Paris Air Show. Series production commenced later that year.
An aerobatic variant with a strengthened airframe was produced as the Fournier RF 4.
Variants
;RF-1
:Prototype Avions Planeur first flown in 1960, one built.
;RF-2
:Improved variant, first flown in 1962, two built.
;RF-3
:Production variant first flown in 1963, 89 built by Alpavia at Gap-Tallard.
Specifications (RF-3)
File:G-BLXH Alpavia-Fournier RF.3 (9693412360).jpg]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66Taylor 1965, p. 30.
|prime units?=met
|genhide=
|crew=1
|capacity=
|length m=6.00
|span m=11.20
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|wing area sqm=11.0
|wing area sqft=
|aspect ratio=11.4:1
|airfoil=NACA 23015 at root, NACA 23012 at tip
|empty weight kg=240
|empty weight lb=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=
|max takeoff weight kg=350
|fuel capacity={{convert|30|L|abbr=on}}
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Rectimo
|eng1 type=air-cooled horizontally-opposed four-cylinder piston engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=39
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=190
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|cruise speed kmh=160
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note= (econ cruise)
|never exceed speed kmh=270
|never exceed speed note=
|stall speed kmh=70
|range km=500
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|ceiling m=5800
|ceiling ft=
|climb rate ms=4.0
|climb rate ftmin=
|sink rate ms=1.20
|sink rate note= (engine off)
|more performance=*Take-off run to 15 m (50 ft): {{convert|270|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
- Landing run from 15 m (50 ft): {{convert|230|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|avionics=
}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
}}
- {{cite book |last= Simpson| first= R.W. |title= Airlife's General Aviation|year= 1991|publisher= Airlife Publishing|location= Shrewsbury, England|isbn=1-85310-194-X}}
- {{cite book|last=Taylor|first=John W. R.|author-link=John W. R. Taylor|title=Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66|year=1965|publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd|location=London}}
External links
{{commons category|Fournier RF 3}}
{{Fournier aircraft}}
Category:1960s French sailplanes