Description
The single seat Airbike was designed to meet the requirements of the United States FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles, including the maximum 254 lb (115 kg) empty weight. The tandem-seat model was intended to be licensed as an ultralight trainer or an amateur-built aircraft.
The single-seater can achieve an empty weight as low as 251 lb (114 kg) with the use of a light-weight engine, such as the 28 hp (21 kW) Rotax 277 or the 22 hp (16 kW) Zenoah G-25.
The name Airbike was chosen for the aircraft because it has a narrow fuselage and the pilot’s feet rest on rudder pedals that are on the outside of the aircraft, in a similar manner to a motorcycle
General characteristics:
Crew: one
Capacity: no passengers
Length: 16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
Wingspan: 26 ft 0 in (7.93 m)
Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Wing area: 118 sq ft (10.98 sq m)
Empty weight: 257 lb (116 kg)
Useful load: 303 lb (137 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 560 lb (254 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 447 fixed pitch, 40 hp (30 kW)
Propellers: 1 propeller, 1 per engine
Performance:
Maximum speed: 80 mph (130 km/h)
Cruise speed: 63 mph (102 km/h)
Stall speed: 30 mph (49 km/h)
Range: 150 nautical miles (279 km)
Rate of climb: 1000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
Wing loading: 4.75 lb/sq ft (23.1 kg/sq m)
Power/mass: 14 lb/hp (0.12 kW/kg)
