Polaris FIB
{{Short description|Italian ultralight trike}}
{{distinguish|Polaris AM-FIB}}
{{COI|date=March 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=AM-FIB | image=Polaris Flying Inflatable Boat 01.jpg | caption=Polaris FIB hull and motor on display at Sun 'n Fun 2004 }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight trike | national origin=Italy | manufacturer=Polaris Motor | designer= | first flight= | introduced=mid-1980s | retired= | status=In production (2013) | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | program cost= | unit cost= | developed from= | variants with their own articles=Polaris AM-FIB }} |
The Polaris FIB ("Flying Inflatable Boat") is an Italian flying boat ultralight trike, designed and produced by Polaris Motor of Gubbio. The aircraft was introduced in the mid-1980s and remains in production. It is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 218. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XBertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 107. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
Design and development
The FIB complies with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category, including the category's maximum gross weight of {{convert|450|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}. The FIB has a maximum gross weight of {{convert|406|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.
The aircraft features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit, an inflatable boat hull and a single engine in pusher configuration. The FIB has no wheeled landing gear, but as a result of customer demand it was later developed into the amphibious Polaris AM-FIB.
The FIB's single surface wing is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing and covered in Dacron sailcloth. The {{convert|11.15|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is a twin cylinder, liquid-cooled, two-stroke, dual-ignition {{convert|64|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 582 engine.
The aircraft has an empty weight of {{convert|216|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} and a gross weight of {{convert|406|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}, giving a useful load of {{convert|190|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}. With full fuel of {{convert|40|l}} the payload is {{convert|161|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.
The company continues to develop the design and in 2010 introduced a new hull shape to increase performance in the water and in the air.
Dimitri Delemarie, writing in The World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, said of the design, "It will never win any speed records, but if there were an award for fun, it would be right up there at the top."
Since 1986 Polaris Motor has sold an average of 80-100 trikes and 200 wings per year. Naturally all Polaris wings can be easily installed in other brands of trikes, with the possibility of personalization.
Operational history
Variants
In the early 2000s the company offered a version with the same wing, but without a boat hull, using a conventional minimalist trike frame mounted on wheeled landing gear or optionally skis. Even though it did not have a boat hull it was still marketed under the FIB name.
Specifications (FIB)
{{Aircraft specs
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|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
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|wing area sqm=19.6
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|empty weight kg=216
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|gross weight kg=406
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|fuel capacity={{convert|40|l}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Rotax 582
|eng1 type=twin cylinder, liquid-cooled, two stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=48
|eng1 hp=
|prop blade number=3
|prop name=composite
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|max speed kmh=80
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|cruise speed kmh=70
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|stall speed kmh=48
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|climb rate ms=4.5
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|wing loading kg/m2=20.7
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References
{{Commons category|Polaris FIB}}
{{reflist}}
{{Polaris Motor aircraft}}