P&M Explorer

{{Short description|British ultralight trike}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}

{{Infobox aircraft begin

| name= Explorer

| image=

| caption=

}}{{Infobox aircraft type

| type=Ultralight trike

| national origin=United Kingdom

| manufacturer=P&M Aviation

| designer=

| first flight=

| introduced=

| retired=

| status=Production completed

| primary user=

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}}

The P&M Explorer is a British ultralight trike that was designed and produced by P&M Aviation of Rochdale, Lancashire. Now out of production, when it was available it was supplied complete and ready-to-fly.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 236. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. {{ISSN|1368-485X}}

Design and development

The Explorer was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category, including the category's maximum gross weight of {{convert|450|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}. The aircraft has a maximum gross weight of {{convert|450|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.

The aircraft design features a strut-braced topless hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit with a cockpit fairing, tricycle landing gear with main gear wheel pants and a single engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its double surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its {{convert|13|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} span wing is supported by struts and lacks a kingpost. It uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is a four cylinder, air and liquid-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition {{convert|100|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 912ULS engine. Landing gear options include {{convert|15|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} wheels with 15X6 tyres, for operations on unimproved surfaces.

The aircraft has an empty weight of {{convert|235|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} and a gross weight of {{convert|450|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}, giving a useful load of {{convert|215|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}. With full fuel of {{convert|65|L}} the payload is {{convert|168|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.

A number of different wings can be fitted to the basic carriage, including the range of Quik wings.

Specifications (Explorer)

{{Aircraft specs

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|prime units?=met

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|crew=one

|capacity=one passenger

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|wing area sqm=9.26

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|empty weight kg=235

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|gross weight kg=450

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|fuel capacity={{convert|65|L}}

|more general=

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Rotax 912ULS

|eng1 type=four cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine

|eng1 kw=75

|eng1 hp=

|prop blade number=3

|prop name=composite, ground adjustable

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|max speed kmh=165

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|cruise speed kmh=140

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|stall speed kmh=60

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|wing loading kg/m2=48.6

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}}

References