Fry Esprit VFII

Last updated
Esprit VFII
Role Amateur-built aircraft
National origin Switzerland
Manufacturer Fry Aircraft Design
Designer Valentino Fry
Status Plans available (2015)
Unit cost
€620 (2015)

The Fry Esprit VFII is a Swiss amateur-built aircraft, designed by Valentino Fry and produced by Fry Aircraft Design of Wilen bei Wollerau. The aircraft is supplied as plans for amateur construction. [1] [2]

Switzerland federal republic in Central Europe

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country situated in western, central and southern Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The sovereign state is a federal republic bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million people is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities are to be found: among them are the two global cities and economic centres Zürich and Geneva.

Contents

Design and development

The Esprit VFII features a cantilever low-wing, a single-seat enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed conventional landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration. [1] [2]

Bubble canopy

A bubble canopy is a canopy made without bracing, which attempts to provide 360° vision to the pilot. Bubble canopy designs vary. Some, like on later versions of the F4U Corsair, are built into the upper rear fuselage, while others, like the canopy of the P-51D Mustang and most modern fighter aircraft, are built flush with the fuselage, providing unobstructed rear visibility.

Conventional landing gear aircraft undercarriage arrangement with main gear forward plus tail support

Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail. The term taildragger is also used, although some claim it should apply only to those aircraft with a tailskid rather than a wheel.

Tractor configuration arrangement of propellers on an aircraft to face forward

An aircraft constructed with a tractor configuration has the engine mounted with the airscrew in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air, as opposed to the pusher configuration, in which the airscrew is behind and propels the aircraft forward. Through common usage, the word "propeller" has come to mean any airscrew, whether it actually propels or pulls the plane.

The aircraft is of carbon fibre composite construction. Its 6.09 m (20.0 ft) span Burt Rutan-designed wing has an area of 6.07 m2 (65.3 sq ft) and unidirectional carbon-fibre spars. The recommended engines are the 140 hp (104 kW) Walter Minor and the turbocharged 140 hp (104 kW) Lom Praha four-stroke powerplants. The Esprit has a cruise speed of 343 km/h (213 mph). [1] [2]

Composite material material made from a combination of two or more dislike substances

A composite material is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. The individual components remain separate and distinct within the finished structure, differentiating composites from mixtures and solid solutions.

Burt Rutan American aerospace engineer

Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is a retired American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. He designed the record-breaking Voyager, which in 1986 was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, and the sub-orbital spaceplane SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X-Prize in 2004 for becoming the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space twice within a two-week period. With his VariEze and Long-EZ designs, Rutan is responsible for helping popularize both the canard configuration and the use of moldless composite construction in the homebuilt aircraft industry.

Walter Minor inline piston aircraft engine family

The Walter Minor is a family of four- and six-cylinder inverted inline air-cooled engines, developed under auspices of ing. Šimůnek and used on light aircraft. First produced in 1929, the Minor engines' family has an advanced design for the period and sports steel cylinders, aluminum heads and overhead valves, with identical bore and stroke of 105 mm (4.1 in) and 115 mm (4.5 in), respectively. Typical power ratings varied from 105 hp to 160 hp. After Walter concentrated on the turbine powerplants only, the production of piston engines has been transferred to the Avia company that further developed the family, bringing fuel injection, as the Avia M-137 and M-337. Nowadays the smallest of the family, the four-cylinder carburetted Minor, is produced by a small company in the Czech Republic, while the M337 was available from the LOM Prague.

Specifications (Esprit VFII)

Data from Bayerl and Tacke [1] [2]

General characteristics

Aircraft engine Engine designed for use in powered aircraft

An aircraft engine is a component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines, except for small multicopter UAVs which are almost always electric aircraft.

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 389 km/h (242 mph; 210 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 343 km/h (213 mph; 185 kn)
  • Stall speed: 100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn)
  • Rate of climb: 9 m/s (1,800 ft/min)
  • Wing loading: 80.7 kg/m2 (16.5 lb/sq ft)

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 103. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 109. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN   1368-485X
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