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= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
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
|prime units?=met
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|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
|length m=
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|span m=13
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|wing area sqm=9.26
|wing area sqft=
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|empty weight kg=235
|empty weight lb=
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|gross weight kg=450
|gross weight lb=
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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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|climb rate ms=5
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|wing loading kg/m2=48.6
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References
{{reflist}}
{{P&M Aviation aircraft}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:PandM Explorer}}
Category:2010s British sport aircraft
Category:2010s British ultralight aircraft