Silent Family Silent Racer

Last updated
Silent Racer
Role Ultralight trike
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Silent Family
DesignerHelmut Grossklaus
StatusIn production (2013)
Unit cost
14,000 (2011)

The Silent Family Silent Racer is a German ultralight trike, designed by Helmut Grossklaus and produced by Silent Family of Westerrade. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft. [1]

Germany Federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north and the Alps, Lake Constance and the High Rhine to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

Ultralight trike powered hang glider with a Rogallo wing and a three-wheeled undercarriage

An ultralight trike is a type of powered hang glider where flight control is by weight-shift. These aircraft have a fabric flex-wing from which is suspended a tricycle fuselage pod driven by a pusher propeller. The pod accommodates either a solo pilot, or a pilot and a single passenger. Trikes grant affordable, accessible, and exciting flying, and have been popular since the 1980s.

Silent Family German aircraft manufacturer

Silent Family is a German aircraft manufacturer based in Westerrade and owned by Helmut Grossklaus. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of ultralight trikes.

Contents

Design and development

The Silent Racer was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category, including the category's maximum gross weight of 450 kg (992 lb). The aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 450 kg (992 lb). It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit with a windshield, retractable tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration. [1]

<i>Fédération Aéronautique Internationale</i> voluntary association

The Fédération aéronautique internationale, is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains world records for aeronautical activities including ballooning, aeromodeling, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), as well as flights into space.

Tandem arrangement in which people, machines, or animals are in line behind one another facing forward

Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction.

Tricycle landing gear aircraft undercarriage arranged with main gear under the wing or fuselage and a third set under the nose

Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or landing gear, arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle gear aircraft are the easiest to take-off, land and taxi, and consequently the configuration is the most widely used on aircraft.

The aircraft is made from composites, with its double surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. A variety of wings can be used from 10 to 12 m (32.8 to 39.4 ft) in span and 10 to 15 m2 (110 to 160 sq ft) in area, all supported by a single tube-type kingpost and employing an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The powerplant is a twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, dual-ignition 53 hp (40 kW) Hirth 2704 engine or 65 hp (48 kW) Hirth 2706. The aircraft has an empty weight of 200 kg (441 lb) and a gross weight of 450 kg (992 lb), giving a useful load of 250 kg (551 lb). With full fuel of 57 litres (13 imp gal; 15 US gal) the payload is 209 kg (461 lb). [1]

The Hirth 2704 and 2706 are a family of in-line twin cylinder, two stroke, carburetted aircraft engines, with optional fuel injection, designed for use on ultralight aircraft and especially two seat ultralight trainers, single seat gyrocopters and small homebuilts.

Specifications (Silent Racer)

Data from Bayerl [1]

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

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 221. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X