Snipe Diamond
{{Short description|1980s British ultralight aircraft}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Snipe Diamond}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2023}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
|name =Snipe Diamond |image =Snipe_Diamond_ultralight_aircraft.jpg |caption =Front quarter view of the Snipe Diamond }} {{Infobox aircraft type |type =Ultralight aircraft |national origin =United Kingdom |manufacturer =Snipe Aircraft Developments Ltd |designer =Arthur Luff |first flight =1985 |introduction = |retired = |status = |primary user = |more users = |produced = |number built =1 |program cost = |unit cost = |developed from = |developed into = |variants with their own articles = }} |
The Diamond was a British single seat ultralight aircraft, developed by Arthur Luff in the 1980s. It was notable for its radical design.
Design and development
Arthur Luff, a former Rolls Royce engineer and an RAF gliding instructor, designed a closed wing aircraft. Originally called the Snipe, it was later termed the Diamond, in acknowledgement of the wings' configuration. The aircraft featured two wings, of equal span and chord, with the front wing swept back by 20° and the rear wing swept forward by 20°. The wings were joined at the wingtip, where tip rudders were located. The aircraft had a fully enclosed fuselage, and was equipped with a single engine, powering a tractor propeller, and had a tricycle undercarriage. The aircraft featured three-axis control, with pitch control being by elevators on the rear wing; roll control by ailerons located on the outboard wings; directional control by rudders incorporated into the wingtip fins.
Operational history
Specifications
{{Aircraft specs|ref=Ultralight and Microlight Aircraft
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=13
|length in=4
|span m=
|span ft=24
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|height m=
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|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=132
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=150
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=370
|max takeoff weight note=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=JPX PUL 425
|eng1 type=2 cylinder, 2 stroke
|eng1 hp=22
|eng1 note=
|max speed kmh=
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|never exceed speed kmh=
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|g limits=+5/-3
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=2.80
|wing loading note=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=3
|prop dia in=4
|prop dia note=
}}
See also
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