Gyroflug Speed Canard
The Gyroflug SC01 Speed Canard is a two-seat German light aircraft from fiberglass reinforced plastic. It is a canard ( duck airplane). The seats are arranged behind one another.
History
The two pilots Peter Krauss and Jörg Elzenbeck built in 1976, the first VariEze in Germany with original construction plans of Burt Rutan after. The VariEze was built under the auspices of Oskar Ursinus Association in 3000 working hours in Germany. Developed in the 1970s machine, a so-called duck airplane with elevator to the plane tip and a pusher propeller at the rear and with built- in winglet rudders, decreed in comparison to conventional single-engine aircraft over considerable flight performance.
The two came up with the idea to develop its own, significantly improved aircraft, which should be also offered as a standard product. To redesign the company finally Gyroflug Engineering GmbH Stuttgart was founded in 1978. As Hull bond the front part of a glider, Grob G 103 Twin Astir of was used. In order to increase the performance further, the drive was planned with two jet engines KHD T117 from Klockner- Humboldt -Deutz, which should allow a maximum speed of about 420 km.
With the accidental death of Peter Krauss on 17 July 1979, the project was delayed initially. But Jörg Elzenbeck led with the help of his team, which, inter alia, Rudolf Voit - Nitsch man belonged, the project to an end and the first flight of the prototype was performed on December 2, 1980 in Baden -Baden. The airworthiness certification by the Federal Aviation Authority finally took place on 30 September 1983 then began the series production. The Speed Canard was the first pattern -legal in Germany Aircraft in duck design.
The end of 1984 took Justus Dornier Gyroflug and launched a further development of the machine. In 1986, the SC -01B appeared with lengthened by 25 cm winglets, which could be retrofitted to the previously manufactured machines. The drive could now optionally be ordered with 116 kW of power and three-blade propeller, also strong Lycoming O -320. For 26 of the 58 aircraft built were ordered with this drive, nine further converted to this engine. In April 1988, drew Gyroflug order by quantity and changed his name to 1990 Society for aircraft and fiber composite technology ltd.
Construction
The aircraft is an aircraft with ducks elevator at the fuselage nose. It is powered by a four-cylinder boxer engine Lycoming O -235 -M1 with 85 kW with a pusher propeller at the rear. There are winglets where the rudder are integrated at the ends of the wings. The control is effected by a mechanical side stick on the right side of the cockpit. Compared to Rutan's DIY construction VariEze the maximum load factors were less spectacular, but both in terms of travel speeds achieved and, above all, the range, the Speed Canard the VariEze is superior by up to 30 %. This can be explained on the one with the higher aerodynamic quality of the Speed Canard, on the other hand result the flight performance of the then state of the art wing. One advantage of the canard design, the share both patterns alike, the stable security.
A special feature is the chassis: The two rear legs are rigid and provided with an aerodynamic wheel cover, while the nose gear is retractable. To facilitate getting in and out, it can be run again on the ground. The speed Canard then rests on a small rubber pads mounted on the outside of the nose landing gear.
Use
The optics and the then novel sidestick control of their time probably " too far " ahead. Other disadvantages, such as limited payload or the low storage space with only 15 kg of allowed load ensured that the Speed Canard despite their excellent flight data was able to open up any wider customer base.
Even private spectacular flights, such as a 70 -hour overseas flight of a SC -01 B -160 with the registration D - EJDC to Oshkosh and back, with the standard instrumentation approximately 300,000 DM expensive machine sold sluggishly since 1990. After 58 machines, nine of which were delivered in the United States, the former Gyroflug on December 9, 1992 was forced to declare bankruptcy. Of the machines built to fly in Europe alone, yet 35 (December 2010).