Tandem cockpitRear viewView showing small frontal areaAirborne Snark
The Barber Snark[1] is an innovative two-seater kit-plane, designed and built in New Zealand by Bill Barber.[2][unreliable source?] It first flew in late 1987. At least six aircraft[3][unreliable source?] have been built, and some of these have varying specifications, such as different engines and control surfaces.
The Snark's tandem layout, its small frontal area, and its low wetted area mean that the aircraft has excellent performance, being able to cruise at over 110 knots despite having an engine output of only 80 bhp.
Design and development
(Source materials for this section are derived from Tim Cripp's article in Today's Pilot magazine of September 2006)
The Snark is a tricycle aircraft of composite construction. Its glider-like cockpit accommodates a pilot and passenger in tandem, the passenger sitting behind and higher than the pilot. The centrally mounted shoulder-wing lies behind the pilot, who has unrestricted visibility. The 80hp (60kW) engine is sited behind the cockpit, driving a pusher propeller. Wing control surfaces on the third Snark are flaperons, while the fourth aircraft has conventional ailerons and flaps.[4][unreliable source?] Above the propeller, and aft of the cockpit is a slender boom to its T-tailempennage. The high-level tailplane is mounted above the propeller slipstream. There is a springy nylon skid beneath the fin to protect the propeller from ground strikes.
Former RNZAF Squadron Leader and aviation journalist Tim Cripps[5] wrote an extensive article in Today's Pilot, highly praising the Snark, and describing its history, ingenious design, and flying ability.[6][verification needed] The aircraft under test, ZK-JPS, was fitted with Rotax912S flat-four engine producing 100hp.
Pivoting main gear
The main undercarriage struts are made from a Grove alloy beam. The struts are pivoted to-and-fro by a hydraulic pump hand-operated within the cockpit. On the ground, the wheels are positioned aft of the empty CG; once aboard, the pilot pivots the wheels forward to allow a correct CG for flight. Back on the ground and parked, the wheels are moved back again before dismounting. This design means that when the cockpit is vacated, there is no inherent tendency for the aircraft to tip backwards, thereby avoiding the risk (common in tandem microlights) of the aircraft left vulnerable to being blown over.
Wings
The removable wings have a "near-laminar Riblett GA 37 a 315 section", chosen as it has a very low pitching moment since the point of maximum thickness is at 37% of the chord, which is further aft than other typical microlights. The wings taper from root to tip, with both chord and thickness reducing symmetrically.
Propeller
On ZK-JPS, its Arplast composite three-blade variable pitcher pusher propeller is not mounted directly onto the engine gearbox, but has an 18" extension tube to allow clean airflow right to the propeller hub. A Barber-designed flexible clutch successfully overcame torsional vibrations at low engine speeds.
Reception
The Snark received positive reviews in the UK and NZ press. David Laing, a former WWII pilot who built the fourth Snark, declared it to be "one of the nicest planes I've ever flown".[2] Tim Cripps added in Today's Pilot, "this is the most enjoyable of the many aircraft I have flown - and that includes the Hunter".
↑ Note: In 2007 The Western Telegraph reported that Cripps was badly injured in a flying accident when a homebuilt microlight he was flying from Andreas airfield in the Isle of Man crashed shortly after takeoff:
↑ Today's Pilot magazine article, September 2006 page 90
External links
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