Sunny (airplane)
| Sunny | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Microlight |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
AIRKRAFT light aircraft construction |
| First flight: |
1989 |
| Production time: |
until 2010 |
| Number of pieces: |
250 |
The Sunny is a microlight with closed wing -Tragflächenkonzept.
history
The Sunny was developed by Dieter M. Schulz-Hoos in the early 1980s. The first prototypes of this aircraft were tested from 1987. The patent application for an ultra-light composite wing aircraft with the European Patent Organization was made on October 29, 1988, the patent was granted on May 17, 1989. From 1989 the Sunny was produced in series (approx. 150 pieces). After the designer's company had to file for bankruptcy, production was resumed between 1999 and 2008 by Dewald Leichtflugzeugbau under the new name of the Sunny (light = without front panel) (28 pieces). In 2008 the company AIRKRAFT Leichtflugzeugbau GmbH from Beringen acquired the facilities and rights for the production and was responsible for the prototype support. The company filed for bankruptcy in July 2010 .
Many of the remaining machines can now be found on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean and form a small "fleet" there.
construction
Aerodynamic design
The Sunny is a double-decker without a conventional tail unit . The longitudinal stability is achieved by the graduation of swept-back top and straight lower surface. The wing ends of both wings are connected by vertical stabilizing surfaces. The lower surface has rudders that are used as a combined aileron and elevator . Control around the vertical axis is carried out by spoilers . Thanks to its box wing design, the aircraft is, according to the manufacturer, easy to fly.
Mechanical construction
Constructed in a tube-fabric construction , the load-bearing structure consists of screwed, aerospace-approved aluminum tubes of largely the same dimensions. Consistent manufacturing accuracy is achieved through the use of a semi-automatic, CNC-controlled drilling device. The wings and rudders are covered with a UV- stable mesh film equipped with a tear-stop function.
The tube-fabric construction corresponds to the classic ultra-light construction of the 80s, which is still relevant today. The type of pipe connections in which an identical repeat fitting or halving it creates all connections - approx. 60 - is part of the patent for the Sunny ultralight aircraft and, together with the standard pipe type of the main structure, reduces the construction time for a ready-to-fly aircraft to less than 100 hours . A special feature of these repeat fittings is that they connect elastically to a limited extent, so that the tubular structure remains largely free of load peaks.
Similar attempts at standardized connections were known as early as the 1920s and can be seen in some of the exhibits in the German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology in Munich .
drive
The following motors are used as drive:
- Hirth 3203EV, 2-stroke, 65 hp
- Rotax 582 , 2-stroke, 65 hp
- Rotax 912 , 4-stroke, 80 hp
- BMW 1000 , 4-stroke, 65–80 hp
- Hirth 3702E, 2-stroke, 80 hp
- Verner SVS, 4-stroke, 80 hp
Dewald also presented a four-engine variant: the concept included four individual 1-cylinder engines, each with an output of 28 hp. However, since this concept was refused approval in Germany, it stayed with this unique piece.
variants
- Sunny Light , 450 kg take-off weight
- Sunny Sport , 375/400 kg take-off weight (no longer being built)
- Sunny side-by-side , seat arrangement next to each other 400/450 kg take-off weight
- Sunny Targa , variant of the Sunny Side-by-Side , with full GRP cladding, approx. 30 pieces from 1991 to 1994
Individual evidence
- ↑ European Publication Server: Publication number EP 0315843 of May 17, 1989 (accessed on August 12, 2010)
- ↑ Swiss Official Gazette: daily Registration no. 1134 of July 5, 2010 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.1 MB)
