Applebay Zuni
The Applebay Zuni is a single-seat glider made of plastic. It is designed as a shoulder wing with a T- tail . Zuni and Zuni II have been designed for performance gliding in the 15 meter class.
history
In 1975 , George Applebay designed the Zuni for the 15-meter class. With this type he hoped to be able to break the dominance of the European sailplane manufacturers, who also controlled most of the US market. In 1980 the Zuni II was announced which should be completely revised. For example, the proportion of components reinforced with carbon fibers increased and the original sidestick was replaced with a conventional control stick. The Zuni was not granted much success. The production came to a few copies.
construction
The fuselage is made of GRP and has relatively large radii at the transition to the tail unit and wings, which give the Zuni a characteristic appearance. The very high wing is also unusual for an aircraft of its class and time. The wing spars of Zuni II are made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and the landing gear door from aramid - composite material .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| span | 15 m |
| Wing area | 10.13 m² |
| Wing extension | 22.2 |
| Hull length | 6.5 m |
| Height at the tail | 1.50 m |
| Wing profile | Wortmann type unknown |
| Empty weight with minimum equipment | approx. 238 kg |
| Max. Take-off mass | 544 kg |
| Wing loading (85 kg perm.) | 31.9 kg / m² |
| Max. Water ballast | 220 kg |
| Top speed | km / h |
| Minimum speed | km / h |
| lowest sinking (single seat) | m / s |
| Glide ratio | ~ 38 |