Wings of Freedom Flitplane
{{Short description|American ultralight airplane}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Flitplane | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight aircraft | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Wings of Freedom | designer=Ed Fisher | first flight=1995 | introduced=1995 | retired= | status=Production ended (2019) | primary user= | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Wings of Freedom Flitplane is an American single-seat, high-wing, single-engine ultralight aircraft that is available as a kit aircraft or as plans for amateur construction from Wings of Freedom of Hubbard, Ohio.Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 76. Belvoir Publications. {{ISSN|0891-1851}}Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page B-19. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 295. BAI Communications. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}{{cite web|url = http://www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com/flitplane.html|title = Flitplane|accessdate = 2009-10-14|last = Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc |authorlink = |year = 2008}}
The Flitplane was designed as a low-cost aircraft with the look of an antique aircraft design for the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category with its maximum {{convert|254|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} empty weight requirement.{{cite web|url=http://www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com/flitplanehomebuilding.htm |title=Flitplane - Homebuilding available |accessdate=2009-10-14 |last=Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc |year=n.d. |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617061703/http://www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com/flitplanehomebuilding.htm |archivedate=June 17, 2009 }}
In late 2019 the company website had been taken down and it is likely that production had ended.{{cite web|url = http://www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com/|title = Wings of Freedom|access-date = 6 March 2020|author=Wings of Freedom|work = www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com|archiveurl = |archivedate = }}
Development
The Flitplane was designed in 1995 by Ed Fisher who also designed the Skylite ultralight and the Micro-Mong home-built aircraft. The design was acquired by Joe Naylor and Mark W. Klotz who formed Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc. in 1996 to develop the design and market it.{{cite web|url = http://www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com/aboutus.htm|title = About us|accessdate = 2009-10-14|last = Wings of Freedom Aviation Inc |authorlink = |year = n.d.}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}
Naylor and Klotz made many changes to the design but retained the antique look of the aircraft and its distinctive large triangular windshield.
The Flitplane's fuselage is fabricated from a welded truss of 4130 steel tubing. The {{convert|27|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} wings are of aluminum "ladder-type" construction, are strut-braced and utilize jury struts. The fuel tank is integrated into the wing centre-section. The wings and tail are covered in doped aircraft fabric. The engine is mounted in front of the high wing, above the cockpit. The original powerplant was a {{convert|35|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Cuyuna 460 engine, with a {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Rotax 447 optional. Later engine options added included the {{convert|28|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Hirth F-33, the {{convert|45|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Zanzottera MZ 201 and the Kawasaki 440 {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} engine.
The conventional landing gear is suspended using fibreglass axles. The tailwheel is steerable. The controls are conventional three-axis and include full-span ailerons. The large, flat-plate triangular windshield protects the pilot from the propeller blast and has distinctive cut-outs for the rudder pedals.
The Flitplane is available as plans, a complete kit, partial kits or as a finished and ready-to-fly aircraft. The company claims that the aircraft can be built from the kit in 100 hours or 500 hours from plans.
Specifications (Flitplane)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units? = imp
|crew=one
|capacity=360 lbs (163 kg) useful load, no passengers
|length ft= 15
|length in= 9
|length m=4.80
|span ft=27
|span in=0
|span m=8.24
|wing area sqft= 145
|wing area sqm= 13.49
|empty weight lb= 240
|empty weight kg= 109
|max takeoff weight lb= 600
|max takeoff weight kg= 272
|eng1 name=Hirth F-33
|eng1 type= two-stroke, dual capacitor discharge ignition single-cylinder engine with 2.5:1 reduction belt drive
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 hp= 28
|eng1 kw=21
|prop dia in=64
|prop dia m= 1.62
|cruise speed mph= 63
|cruise speed kmh=102
|stall speed mph= 34
|stall speed kmh= 55
|never exceed speed mph= 70
|never exceed speed kmh= 113
|climb rate ftmin= 600
|climb rate ms= 3.05
|wing loading lb/sqft=3.4
|wing loading kg/m2=20.16
|power/mass=14.3 lb/hp (0.077 kW/kg)
}}
See also
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
- Aero-Works Aerolite 103
- Ameri-Cana Eureka
- Avid Champion
- Beaujon Mach .07
- Beaujon Enduro
- Birdman WT-11 Chinook
- Chotia Gypsy
- Fisher Avenger
- Flightstar
- Hummel Bird
- ISON Airbike
- Skystar Kitfox Lite
- Spectrum RX-28 Beaver
|lists=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20190718143906/http://www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com/flitplane.html Official website archives]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120227181541/http://www.eaa897.org/images/2004_0821Image0009.jpg Photo of a Flitplane]
- [https://www.bydanjohnson.com/pilotreport/wings-of-freedom-flitplane/ Wings of Freedom Flitplane review]
{{Wings of Freedom aircraft}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wings Of Freedom Flitplane}}
Category:1990s United States ultralight aircraft
Category:Wings of Freedom aircraft
Category:Aircraft first flown in 1995
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft