Raven Explorer II
{{Short description|American homebuilt autogyro}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name = | image = | caption = }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type = Autogyro | national origin = United States | manufacturer = Raven Rotorcraft | designer = | first flight = | introduced = | retired = | status = Production completed | primary user = | more users = | produced = | number built = | developed from = | variants with their own articles = Raven Rotor-Plane }} |
The Raven Explorer II is an American autogyro designed by Raven Rotorcraft of Boulder Colorado and later El Prado, New Mexico, introduced in the 1990s. No longer in production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 328. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}{{cite web|url = http://www.raven-rotor.com/html/rotocraft.html|title = The Shape of Things to Come|accessdate = 3 April 2015|author = Raven Rotorcraft|date = }}
Introduced in the mid-1990s the Explorer II design is now out of production as the company is developing into the Raven Rotor-Plane for the light-sport aircraft category.
Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in side-by-side configuration open cockpit without a windshield and conventional landing gear. The acceptable power range was {{convert|90|to|120|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} and the standard engine used is a three cylinder in-line, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, {{convert|90|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Geo Metro automotive conversion powerplant in tractor configuration.
The aircraft fuselage is made from welded 4130 steel and bolted-together aluminum tubing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of {{convert|27|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}. The aircraft's specifications include a typical empty weight of {{convert|365|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and a gross weight of {{convert|890|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, giving a useful load of {{convert|525|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. With full fuel of {{convert|8|u.s.gal}} the payload for the pilot, passengers and baggage is {{convert|477|lb|kg|abbr=on}}.
The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a {{convert|90|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} engine is {{convert|400|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} and the landing roll is {{convert|50|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}.
The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 100 hours.
Operational history
In April 2015 no examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration and it is not clear if any were produced at all.{{cite web|url = http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=EXPLORER+II&PageNo=1|title = Make / Model Inquiry Results|accessdate = 3 April 2015|last = Federal Aviation Administration|date = 3 April 2015}}
Specifications (Explorer II)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
|length m=
|length ft=15.80
|length in=
|length note=
|width m=
|width ft=
|width in=
|width note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=365
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=890
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|8|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Rotax 912ULS
|eng1 type=four cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=100
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed pitch
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|rot number=1
|rot dia m=
|rot dia ft=27
|rot dia in=0
|rot area sqm=
|rot area sqft=572
|rot area note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=100
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise 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=12000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=700
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|disk loading kg/m2=
|disk loading lb/sqft=1.5
|disk loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.raven-rotor.com/html/rotocraft.html}}
{{Raven Rotorcraft aircraft}}
Category:1990s United States sport aircraft
Category:1990s United States ultralight aircraft