Avid Flyer

Flyer
	Avid Flyer Mk.IV
Role	Two seat homebuilt aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Light Aero
Designer	Dean Wilson
First flight	1983
Number built	2,000+ (Avid Flyer + Avid Magnum) kits by 2001
Developed into	Avid Champion ; Avid Catalina ; Airdale Backcountry

Last updated November 29, 2024

The Avid Flyer is a family of American single engine, high-wing, strut-braced, conventional landing gear-equipped, two seat light aircraft designed for kit construction in the 1980s. Its several variants sold in large numbers. In 1987 a Flyer became the first ultralight to land at the North Pole.^{[ citation needed ]}

Design and development

The kitbuilt two seat lightplane was designed by Dean Wilson in 1983, the first prototype flying in 1983 and appearing at Oshkosh that year. Kits were produced by Light Aero with several names (Bandit, Lite, Magnum and Mk.IV) with many options including two wing designs, the choice of tricycle, tailwheel, ski or float undercarriages, rescue parachutes and a variety of engines. Lite Aero production continued until the company went bankrupt in 1998. Avid Aircraft reappeared in 2003, but by 2010 the kits, including new variants, and components were produced by Airdale Flyer.^[2]^[3]

The Avid Flyer is a conventional layout, single engine, side by side two seat light aircraft, with a strut-braced high wing configuration. Aluminum tubes serve as leading edge/main spar and rear spar, each wing being supported by a pair of tubular lift struts. Sawn plywood wing ribs are bonded to the aluminum tube spars using a filled epoxy compound. The Avid Flyer features Junkers style one-piece flaperons supported by three offset hinge arms. The Junkers design moves the control surfaces well underneath the wing, where they remain in undisturbed smooth airflow at low speed and/or higher climb angles.^{[ citation needed ]}

The welded steel tube fuselage is flat sided, narrowing towards a braced cruciform tail group. The horizontal tailplane is carried on the fin just above the upper fuselage line. The aircraft's conventional rudder and elevator controls are cable operated.^{[ citation needed ]}

Wilson's original intent developing the Avid Flyer was to offer an economical home-built aircraft to bridge the gap between conventional aircraft of the "Piper Cub" / "Taylorcraft" / "Aeronca" category and the minimalist ultralight aircraft such as the "Quicksilver" that had not yet matured into acceptable levels of reliability and safety in the early 1980s. The ability to fly from short, unimproved, and back-country strips was also one of Wilson's design priorities. Due to its light weight, good power-to-weight ratio, and design features such as the Junkers flaperons, the Avid Flyer excels in this type of environment and STOL operations. Recent developments in small aircraft engine design and reliability have brought the Avid Flyer well into the realm of being seen as a highly capable and economically viable choice for light sport use.^{[ citation needed ]}

Operational history

By about 2008, some 2,000 Flyer kits had been built over five continents.^[2] 346 Flyers and Magnums appear on the European (excluding Russian) civil registers.^[4] Perhaps the most remarkable flight was that made by Hubert de Chevigny in an Avid Lite 532 equipped with an additional 300 L (66 Imp gal, 79 US gal) fuel tank. Accompanied by Nicholas Hulot in an Aviasud Mistral, he left from Resolute, Canada on 2 April 1987, reaching the North Pole on 7 May in three stages. They were the first ultralights to do so.^[2]^[5]

Variants

Flyer: Early versions with straight trailing edge rudder, foldable wings and either 45 hp (30 kW) Cayuna or 65 hp (49 kW) Rotax 532 engines.

Mk IV: Fuller, curved edge rudder and either a 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 or a Rotax 912 engines. Baggage compartment added. Introduced 1992. The Mark IV was further developed into the Airdale Backcountry.^[6]^[7]
Bandit: Economy version with 50 hp (37 kW) Rotax 503.^[8]

Magnum: Heavier, powered by a 160 hp (119 kW) Lycoming O-320 or an engine in the 125 hp (93 kW) to 180 hp (134 kW) range.

Specifications (Mk IV STOL)

Data from Simpson 2001^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 17 ft 11 in (5.46 m)
Wingspan: 29 ft 10 in (9.09 m)
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Empty weight: 511 lb (232 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 1,151 lb (522 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 582 two cylinder two stroke, water cooled, 65 hp (48 kW)
Propellers: 2 blade-bladed

Performance

Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn)
Cruise speed: 92 mph (148 km/h, 80 kn)
Stall speed: 32 mph (51 km/h, 28 kn) ^{[ citation needed ]}
Range: 340 mi (550 km, 300 nmi)
Endurance: 5 hours^{[ citation needed ]}
Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,900 m) ^{[ citation needed ]}
g limits: +6/-3^{[ citation needed ]}
Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s) initial
Maximum climb angle: 45°^{[ citation needed ]}

Related Research Articles

The Aces High Cuby is a family of Canadian single engine, high wing, strut-braced, light sports planes with conventional landing gear that was marketed for homebuilding by Aces High Light Aircraft of London, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eipper Quicksilver</span> American ultralight aircraft

Quicksilver is a line of single and two-place high wing, single-engine, ultralight aircraft that evolved from weight-shift hang gliders including Bob Lovejoy's High Tailer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultraflight Lazair</span> Canadian ultralight aircraft

The UltraFlight Lazair is a family of Canadian designed and built twin-engine ultralight aircraft that were sold in kit form between 1979 and 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aero-Works Aerolite 103</span> American ultralight airplane

The Aero-Works Aerolite 103 is an American single seat, high-wing, pusher configuration ultralight aircraft, designed by Terry Raber and introduced by Aero-Works, Inc, of Millersburg, Ohio, in 1997. The aircraft's model number indicates that it was designed to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration FAR 103 ultralight rules.

The ISON Airbike and Tandem Airbike are a family of American high-wing, tractor configuration ultralight aircraft, that were available in kit form. The single-seat Airbike was introduced in 1994 and the two-seat Tandem Airbike was unveiled in 1996.

The Spectrum Beaver is a family of single- and two-place, pusher configuration, high-wing ultralight aircraft that were designed by Larry Croome and first introduced by Spectrum Aircraft of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, in 1983.

The Avid Champion is an American single-seat, high-wing ultralight aircraft that was produced starting in 1998 as a kit by Avid Aircraft of Caldwell, Idaho, later Ennis, Montana.

The Airdrome Dream Classic is a minimalist, high wing, single seat, single engine ultralight aircraft inspired by the 1908 Santos-Dumont Demoiselle and produced in kit form by Airdrome Aeroplanes of Holden, Missouri.

The Wings of Freedom Flitplane is an American single-seat, high-wing, single-engine ultralight aircraft that is available as a kit aircraft or as plans for amateur construction from Wings of Freedom of Hubbard, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fisher Dakota Hawk</span> Canadian homebuilt light aircraft

The Fisher Dakota Hawk is a Canadian side-by-side two-seat, conventional landing gear, single-engined, high-wing monoplane kit aircraft designed for construction by amateur builders.

The InterPlane Skyboy is a two-seat, side-by-side, high wing, single engine, pusher configuration ultralight aircraft that was manufactured as a completed aircraft by InterPlane Aircraft of Zbraslavice, Czech Republic.

The Rocky Mountain Wings Ridge Runner is a family of American high wing, strut-braced, single engine, conventional landing gear aircraft that were designed by Stace Schrader and were produced by Rocky Mountain Wings of Nampa, Idaho for amateur construction from 2000 to 2018.

The Flying K Sky Raider is a family of American, high wing, strut-braced, single engine, conventional landing gear ultralight aircraft that was designed by Ken Schrader and produced by Flying K Enterprises and later Sky Raider LLC of Caldwell, Idaho for amateur construction.

The Carlson Sparrow is a family of American, high wing, strut-braced, single engine, ultralight aircraft that was designed by Ernst W. Carlson and produced by Carlson Aircraft of East Palestine, Ohio and later Skyline Technologies of Salem, Ohio for amateur construction.

The Sport Flight Talon is a high-wing, pusher configuration single-engine, conventional landing gear homebuilt aircraft or ultralight aircraft, that was produced by Sport Flight Aviation of Sandy, Oregon in kit form for amateur construction.

The Bailey-Moyes Dragonfly is an Australian-American two-seats-in-tandem, high-wing, strut-braced, open cockpit, conventional landing gear-equipped ultralight aircraft. The aircraft has been in production since 1990 and was designed as a special-purpose tug for hang gliders and ultralight sailplanes. It is available as a complete aircraft or as a kit for amateur construction. The aircraft has been variously produced by Moyes Microlights, Bailey-Moyes Microlights and currently LiteFlite of Botany, New South Wales, all different iterations of the same company.

The Denney Kitfox is a series of small side-by-side, two-seat, high-wing, single engine kit aircraft, designed and originally manufactured by Dan Denney and his company Denney Aerocraft of Boise, Idaho. The aircraft is amateur-built and not type-certified. Over 4500 kits have been delivered in 42 countries.

The Avid Aircraft Magnum is an American two-seat homebuilt cabin monoplane which was designed and sold as kits by Avid Aircraft of Caldwell, Idaho.

The Apollo Fox is a Hungarian ultralight and light-sport aircraft produced by Apollo Ultralight Aircraft, of Eger. The aircraft is supplied complete ready-to-fly.

The Bushcaddy R-80 is a Canadian ultralight and light-sport aircraft that was designed by Jean Eudes Potvin of Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec in 1994 and produced by his company Club Aeronautique Delisle Incorporated (CADI). It was later built by Canadian Light Aircraft Sales and Service (CLASS) of St. Lazare, Quebec and later Les Cedres, Quebec and now Bushcaddy of Lachute, Quebec.

References

1 2 Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. pp. 64–5. ISBN 1-84037-115-3.
1 2 3 Perrier, Patrick (2010). Fox-Papa Les avions de construction amateur. Rennes: Marines Edition. pp. 48–9. ISBN 978-2-35743-048-8.
↑ "Airdale sportplane and supply". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
↑ Partington, Dave (2010). European registers handbook 2010. Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85130-425-0.
↑ "20 April - 7 May 1987, North Pole". Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-07-14.
↑ Bayerl, Robby; Berkemeier, Martin (2011). "World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12". World Directory of Light Aviation. Lancaster UK: WDLA UK: 92. ISSN 1368-485X.
↑ Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 38. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
↑ Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 120. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Simpson-1] 1 2 Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. pp. 64–5. ISBN 1-84037-115-3.

[FP-2] 1 2 3 Perrier, Patrick (2010). Fox-Papa Les avions de construction amateur. Rennes: Marines Edition. pp. 48–9. ISBN 978-2-35743-048-8.

[Airdale-3] "Airdale sportplane and supply". Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-20.

[EuReg-4] Partington, Dave (2010). European registers handbook 2010. Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85130-425-0.

[NP-5] "20 April - 7 May 1987, North Pole". Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-07-14.

[WDLA11-6] Bayerl, Robby; Berkemeier, Martin (2011). "World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12". World Directory of Light Aviation. Lancaster UK: WDLA UK: 92. ISSN 1368-485X.

[KitplanesDec2011-7] Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 38. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851

[Aerocrafter-8] Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 120. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

v t e Avid Aircraft
Aircraft	Amphibian Bandit Catalina Champion Magnum Mark IV Flyer Airdale Backcountry
Companies	Airdale Sportplane and Supply Avid Aircraft Light Aero