| GA-II Chiricahua | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Glider |
| National origin | United States |
| Designer | |
| Status | Production completed |
| Number built | one |
| History | |
| First flight | 1970 |
The Applebay GA-II Chiricahua is an American high-wing, single-seat, FAI Standard Class glider that was designed and constructed by George Applebay, first flying in 1970. [1]
Applebay started the Chiricahua as a standard class sailplane in 1959, but the aircraft was not completed for 11 years, first flying in 1970. [1] It was named for the Chiricahua people, a group of Apache Native Americans.
The aircraft is made from wood and covered in a combination of plywood and doped Ceconite. Its 15 m (49.2 ft) span wing employs a Göttingen 549 airfoil and features Schempp-Hirth style top surface airbrakes. As originally specified for the standard class, the landing gear was a fixed monowheel. [1] [2]
Only one example was built. [1]
On 7 July 1974 at New River, Arizona the prototype, N9413, was involved in an accident and substantially damaged. The aircraft was on a soaring flight, ran out of lift, made an attempted landing on a road in a 20 kn (37 km/h) crosswind and struck a tree. The 24-year-old pilot, who had 32 hours of flying time total, including 11 hours on type, was not injured. [3] The aircraft has since been re-registered as N53MB. [4]
Data from Sailplane Directory [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Related lists
