| Lewis Ascender | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The Lewis Ascender at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2023 | |
| Role | Homebuilt bush aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Designer | Alec Wild Eric Lewis Doug Keller |
| First flight | April 2018 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Wild DoubleEnder |
The Lewis Ascender is an American homebuilt bush aircraft designed by Alec Wild and Eric Lewis.
The Ascender is a single-engined development of the Wild DoubleEnder, which itself is derived from the Piper PA-18 Super Cub. [1] Work on the Ascender began in 2016, with the aircraft being fully designed in CAD. [1] The wings were initially to be taken from the DoubleEnder, but were later entirely redesigned with mechanically actuated double-slotted flaps. [1] The leading-edge slats present on the DoubleEnder were removed on the new Ascender wing to reduce drag. [1] The Ascender's tail, which resembles that of the Super Cub, features a horizontal stabilizer with a symmetrical airfoil and an enlarged vertical stabilizer. [1] The Ascender's landing gear is fitted with 35-inch tires and oversized disc brakes. [1] The fuselage of the Ascender is built with 4130 chromoly steel, while the wings are aluminum. [1] The cockpit features a large bubble canopy and seats two in a side-by-side layout, and a bench seat behind the cockpit seats two additional passengers. [1] The aircraft was initially powered by a single 180 hp (130 kW) Superior Air Parts XP-400 engine mounted above the cockpit, but this was later replaced by a 225 hp (168 kW) Lycoming YIO-390-EXP. [1] Fuel is provided by a pair of 24-gallon tanks located in the wings. [1] A ballistic parachute can be installed as an option. [2]
After a construction period of 18 months, the Ascender was first flown in April 2018. [1] [2] Flight testing resulted in modifications to the engine cowling and ailerons. [1] In July 2018, the Ascender's Superior XP-400 engine suffered a crankshaft failure which resulted in the aircraft ditching in a lake in Alaska and sinking. The aircraft was subsequently recovered and, after two years of repairs, flew once again with a new Lycoming engine. [1]
Alec Wild and Eric Lewis have expressed interest in making an Ascender kit aircraft available to the public. [2]
Data from [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Avionics
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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