HOOPPER is an ultralight single place airplane for fun flying. Large flaperons and leading edge slats give him capability of very short and steep starts and landings.
SPECIFICATIONS for |
|
| wing span | 6,8 m |
| wing area | 9,3 m2 |
| aspect ratio | 4,5 |
| wing airfoil | - |
| empty wt. | 120 kg |
| max payload | 90 kg |
| MTOW | 210 kg |
| stall speed | 40 km/hr |
| maneuvering Speed | 110 km/h |
| VNE | 165 km/h |
| max glide | - |
| max climb | - m/s |
| Performance based on preliminary calculations | |
HOOPPER VSTOL ULTRALIGHT
Some 3D computer images of design
Construction is very straightforward. It can be build on one straight bench. All is bolted and riveted together. There is no welded parts. The longest part of construction (wing) is only 3,3 m long, so workshop can be almost any available place. (Well, first you should ask your wife.. ) The building method is similar to other metal ultralights. Wings are very similar to those on Zenith aircraft STOL-CH 701 (look at link at bottom of this page). They are also equipped with fixed slats and with Junkers flaperons. Noething new..all well prooven features..
The powerful ROTAX 503, high lift devices on wing, light and tough construction give to this miniature ultralight ability of very short and steep take of and landings on small places. It can fly from places that no one ultralight can not.
Basic wing structural elements: wing spar and ribs. Wingspar is made from extruded anuminum angles riveted on aluminum plate shear web. In shear web are nested reinforced lightening holes. The ribs are made in two parts; nose and rear. They are pop riveted to wingspar. Ribs are molded over hardwood templates. The ribs also have lightening holes molded with simple homemade tool. Wing is covered with thin aluminum plates riveted on ribs and spar. In rear part there is also one secondary spar bent from aluminum plate. It is placed between ribs in rear wing strut attachment area. (not visible on this image)
3 view drawing. Not a beauty, but pure STOL performance... Pilot sits in partly enclosed cockpit with lexan rounded windshield in front rested on 3 tubes. Cockpit is quite narrow, so pilots shoulders and hands are partly in windstream so the open air feeling is more intens, but if pilot want to sit in fully enclosed cockpit, then there is an option of wider cabin equipped with window on one and door at other side. Cockpit is build around 3 bulkheads, a few extrusion longerons and aluminum skin. Of course parts are riveted and bolted together on flat workbench. There is no need for special jigs. The tail boom is simple box with corner extrusion longerons, few holowed bulkheads and aluminum skin.
Soon I will add more of construction details here...
This design (high lift wing design and construction methods) was strongly influenced by very sucsessful design Zenith STOL-CH701.
Zenith Aircraft Company Home Page