US Aviation Super Floater

Last updated

Super Floater
Role Glider
National origin United States
Manufacturer US Aviation
Wind Walker Aircraft Co
Designer Klaus Hill and Larry Hall
First flight1970
Introductionearly 1970s
StatusProduction completed

The US Aviation Super Floater (also called the SuperFloater and Superfloater) is an American high-wing, strut-braced, single-seat glider that was designed by Klaus Hill and Larry Hall and produced by US Aviation initially, and later by Wind Walker Aircraft Co. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] It first flew in 1970. [7]

Contents

Design and development

The Super Floater is an ultralight sailplane that is designed for fun flying, rather than competition, and as such it has a glide ratio of just 15:1. It is very similar to the primary gliders of the 1930s in concept, performance and appearance. Designed to fit into the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles regulations, most are not registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. Most were factory built and delivered completed and ready to fly, although some may have been completed as homebuilt aircraft. [1] [2] [5]

The aircraft is made from aluminium tube, covered with Dacron. Its 38 ft (11.6 m) span wing is braced by twin "V" struts and jury struts. The cruciform tail is strut-braced. The controls consist of a side stick and rudder pedals. The landing gear is a monowheel gear, mounted directly behind the pilot. A ballistic parachute was factory-optional equipment. [1]

The aircraft was initially produced by US Aviation in the early 1970s, but production ended in the 1980s. It was briefly re-introduced by Wind Walker Aircraft Co in 1995, following a redesign, with US Aviation as distributor for US$5,995 fully assembled. [2]

Operational history

In about 1994 Dave Chapman flew a Super Floater to an altitude of 12,500 ft (3,810 m) in mountain wave lift north of Salt Lake City, Utah. [2]

Specifications (Super Floater)

Data from Sailplane Directory and Hang Gliding Magazine [1] [2]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

Advanced Aeromarine Sierra American glider

The Advanced Aeromarine Sierra was an American high-wing, strut-braced, single-seat, glider that was designed and produced by Advanced Aeromarine, as a kit for amateur construction.

Schweizer SGS 1-23

The Schweizer SGS 1-23 is a United States Open and Standard Class, single-seat, mid-wing glider built by Schweizer Aircraft of Elmira, New York.

Windward Performance SparrowHawk

The Windward Performance SparrowHawk is an American mid-wing, single-seat glider that was designed and produced by Windward Performance. It first flew in 2002.

Slingsby T.21 British two-seat glider, 1944

The Slingsby T.21 is an open-cockpit, side-by-side two-seat glider, built by Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd and first flown in 1944. It was widely used by the Royal Air Force, Sri Lanka Air Force and by civilian gliding clubs.

PIK-5 Glider aircraft

The PIK-5 was a training glider produced in Finland in the 1940s, and 1950s, equipping the country's gliding clubs with an aircraft greater in performance than primary gliders but less than competition sailplanes.

Slingsby Kirby Gull

The Slingsby T.12 Gull was a British single-seat glider designed and built by Slingsby Sailplanes and first flown in 1938.

Slingsby Prefect British single-seat glider, 1948

The Slingsby T.30 Prefect is a 1948 British modernisation of the 1932 single-seat Grunau Baby glider. About 53 were built for civil and military training purposes.

Marske Monarch American glider

The Marske Monarch is a single-seat, high-wing, strut-braced, tailless ultralight glider and motor glider that was offered both as plans and a kit for amateur construction by Marske Aircraft.

Johnson RHJ-6 Adastra American glider

The Johnson RHJ-6 Adastra was an American mid-wing, two-seat glider that was designed and constructed by Dick Johnson and first flown on 3 April 1960.

The Czerwiński Sparrow, sometimes known as the de Havilland Canada glider, was a single seat glider, designed and built by a group of de Haviiland engineers in Canada in 1942. It was intended to popularise gliding and be suitable for both basic training and thermal soaring.

Hütter Hü 17 Utility train glider

The Hütter Hü 17, is a German high-wing, strut-braced, single-seat, utility training glider that was designed by brothers Ulrich Hütter and Wolfgang Hütter in the 1930s.

Schleicher Ka-4 Rhönlerche II German two-seat glider, 1953

The Schleicher Ka-4 Rhönlerche II, sometimes called the KA-4 or even K 4, is a West German high-wing, strut-braced, two-seat glider that was designed by Rudolf Kaiser and produced by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.

The Reinhard Cumulus is a West German high-wing, strut-braced single-seat, glider that was designed by Gerhard Reinhard for amateur construction.

The Bailey-Moyes Tempest, is an Australian-American high-wing, strut-braced, single-seat, microlift glider that was designed by Bob Bailey of Florida, United States and produced by Moyes Microlights of Waverley, New South Wales, Australia.

Volmer VJ-24W SunFun American ultralight aircraft

The Volmer VJ-24W SunFun is an American high-wing, strut-braced, single-seat, pod-and-boom motor glider and ultralight aircraft that was designed by Volmer Jensen and provided as plans for amateur construction by his company Volmer Aircraft of Glendale, California.

Sandlin Bug American ultralight glider

The Sandlin Bug is an American biplane, cable-braced, single-seat, ultralight glider that was designed by Mike Sandlin and is provided in the form of technical drawings for amateur construction.

Sandlin Goat American ultralight glider

The Sandlin Goat is an American parasol wing, single-seat, ultralight glider that was designed by Mike Sandlin and is provided in the form of technical drawings for amateur construction.

Technoflug Piccolo German motor glider

The Technoflug Piccolo is a German high-wing, T-tailed, single-seat motor glider that was designed and produced by Technoflug of Schramberg. It first flew in 1980.

Mitchell Wing B-10 American ultralight aircraft

The Mitchell Wing B-10 is an American high-wing, open cockpit, single-seat, tailless, ultralight aircraft and motor glider designed by Don Mitchell and based on his Mitchell Wing hang-glider. It has been produced by a variety of companies in the form of kits and plans for amateur construction. It first flew in 1980.

Scheibe Specht German two-seat glider, 1953

The Scheibe Specht is a tandem seat training glider produced in Germany in the early 1950s. More than fifty were built.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Activate Media (2006). "Super Floater US Aviation" . Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Johnson, Dan (March 1995). "Product Lines March 1995". Hang Gliding Magazine. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  3. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (August 2011). "Make / Model Inquiry Results" . Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  4. ↑ Downey, Julia: 1999 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 74. Primedia Publications. ISSN   0891-1851
  5. 1 2 Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 314. BAI Communications. ISBN   0-9636409-4-1
  6. ↑ Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 59. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN   1368-485X
  7. ↑ "J2mcL Planeurs - Fiche planeur n°". www.j2mcl-planeurs.net. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
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.