Flylight Dragonfly
| Dragonfly | |
|---|---|
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| |
| Role | Ultralight trike |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Flylight Airsports |
| Designer | Ben Ashman |
| First flight | 2007 |
| Introduction | 2008 |
| Status | In production (2013) |
| Produced | 2008-present |
| Variants | Flylight Motorfloater Flylight E-Dragon |
The Flylight Dragonfly is a British ultralight trike, designed by Ben Ashman and produced by Flylight Airsports of Northamptonshire. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.[1]
Development of the Dragonfly started in 2007 with the aircraft entering series production in 2008.[2]
Design and development[edit]
The Dragonfly was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category, the UK Single-Seat De-Regulation (SSDR) guidelines, as well as the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules. It features a strut-braced Aeros Discus hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat open cockpit, retractable tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.[1]
The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its double surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 10.3 m (33.8 ft) span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is a single cylinder, air-cooled four-stroke, 22 hp (16 kW) Bailey V4 200 engine, with the single cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke 33 hp (25 kW) Simonini Mini-3 or 33 hp (25 kW) Simonini Mini-2 engines optional.[1]
With the Bailey engine and the Aeros Discus 15T wing the Dragonfly has an empty weight of 80 kg (176 lb) and a full fuel capacity of 20 litres (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal). With its manual, or optionally electrically retractable landing gear the aircraft can be folded up and ground transported in the trunk of a car.[1]
A number of different wings can be fitted to the basic carriage, including Aeros Discus 15T, 14 and 12 as well as the Aeros Combat 12T.[1]
Variants[edit]
- Flylight E-Dragon
- Electric aircraft version.[1]
- Flylight Motorfloater
- Simplified model with single surface wing and fixed landing gear.[1]
- Flylight Libelle
- High performance variant equipped with a single cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke 33 hp (25 kW) Simonini Mini-3 engine and the "topless" strut-braced Aeros Combat 12T wing.[1]
Specifications (Dragonfly)[edit]
Data from Bayerl[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Wingspan: 10.3 m (33 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 14.7 m2 (158 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 80 kg (176 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 20 litres (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal)
- Powerplant: 1 × Bailey V4 200 single cylinder, air-cooled four-stroke, aircraft engine, 16 kW (22 hp)
- Propellers: 3-bladed Powerfin
Performance
- Maximum speed: 100 km/h (62 mph, 54 kn)
- Cruise speed: 57 km/h (35 mph, 31 kn)
- Stall speed: 38 km/h (24 mph, 21 kn)
- Rate of climb: 2.5 m/s (490 ft/min)