LiteWing Aircraft LiteTrike
{{Short description|American ulgtralight trike}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=LiteTrike | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight trike | national origin=United States | manufacturer=LiteWing Aircraft | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=Production completed | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built=20 (February 2000) | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The LiteWing Aircraft LiteTrike, also called The Lite Trike, is an American ultralight trike that was designed and produced by LiteWing Aircraft of Caryville, Tennessee in the late 1990s. The aircraft was supplied fully assembled.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page C-13. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}Downey, Julia: 2000 Trike and 'Chute Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 2, February 2000, page 46. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851
Design and development
The aircraft 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|180|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. It features a very minimalist design, 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, with its single or double-surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its {{convert|34|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. The engine factory supplied was the {{convert|22|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Zenoah G-25 single cylinder, two-stroke powerplant although the carriage can support engines up to the {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 447. Although the standard model did not include a cockpit fairing, one was an available factory option.
The LiteTrike was designed to use any hang glider wing that the owner might have and to facilitate this the manufacturer provided strengthening kits with keel sleeves and thicker flying wires. When equipped with the Rotax 447 engine a stronger wing is required and the factory also supplied purpose-designed trike wings for this role.
Specifications (LiteTrike)
{{Aircraft specs
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|span ft=34
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|height ft=7
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|wing area sqft=200
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|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=180
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|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=440
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|fuel capacity={{convert|5|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Zenoah G-25
|eng1 type=single cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=22
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=wooden
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|cruise speed mph=30
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|stall speed mph=15
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|never exceed speed kmh=
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|range km=
|range miles=90
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|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=10000
|ceiling note=
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|climb rate ftmin=400
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References
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{{LiteWing Aircraft}}
Category:1990s United States ultralight aircraft