PowerTrike Light
{{Short description|German ultralight trike}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Light | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight trike and powered parachute | national origin=Germany | manufacturer=PowerTrike | designer= | first flight= | introduced= | retired= | status=Production completed (2014) | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The PowerTrike Light is a German ultralight trike and powered parachute, designed and produced by PowerTrike of Mackenbach. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 219. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
The same basic airframe is used to mount either a hang glider or paraglider wing and is known as the Light-Delta and Light-Para, respectively, in those configurations.
As of 2014 the design is no longer indicated as available on the company website.{{cite web|url = http://www.powertrike.de/products.html|title = Products|accessdate = 21 November 2014|last = powertrike.de|date = n.d.}}
Design and development
The aircraft was designed as an easy to pack nanotrike to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category and the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of {{convert|254|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat open cockpit without a cockpit fairing, tricycle landing gear 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|9.7|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} span Bautek Pico L wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is the single cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, {{convert|28|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Hirth F33 engine or the Briggs & Stratton twin cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke {{convert|30|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} engine. With the Briggs & Stratton engine and Pico L wing the aircraft has an empty weight of {{convert|120|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} and a gross weight of {{convert|220|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}, giving a useful load of {{convert|100|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}. With full fuel of {{convert|20|L}} the payload is {{convert|86|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.
A number of different wings can be fitted to the basic carriage, including the standard {{convert|17.2|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} area Bautek Bico and the {{convert|12.2|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} area Bautek Pico L, which is only used with the higher output Briggs & Stratton powerplant. Any hang glider wing with a sufficient gross weight capacity can also be used. The aircraft can easily be disassembled and folded to fit inside an automobile, with the wing carried on a roof rack.
Operational history
Variants
Specifications (Light with Bautek Pico L wing)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=met
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=
|length in=
|length note=
|span m=9.7
|span ft=
|span in=
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=12.2
|wing area sqft=
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=120
|empty weight lb=
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=220
|gross weight lb=
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|20|L}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Briggs & Stratton
|eng1 type=two cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=30
|prop blade number=3
|prop name=composite
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=120
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=90
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=45
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=3.2
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ms=
|sink rate ftmin=
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=22.7
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.powertrike.de/ Official website]
{{PowerTrike aircraft}}
Category:2000s German sport aircraft
Category:2000s German ultralight aircraft