Viking Dragonfly
| Dragonfly | |
|---|---|
United States of America | |
| Manufacturer | Viking Aircraft LLC |
| History | |
| First flight | June 16, 1980[1] |
| Developed from | Rutan Quickie |
The Viking Dragonfly is an American
amateur-built aircraft, designed by Bob Walters [2] and produced by Viking Aircraft LLC of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The aircraft is supplied as a kit or as plans for amateur construction.[3]
Design and development
The Dragonfly is a two-seater aircraft that features a
side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The cockpit is 43 in (109 cm) wide[3]
The aircraft is constructed from composites, based on construction techniques pioneered by Burt Rutan at Rutan Aircraft Factory (RAF). The airframe design is visually similar to the RAF's
four-stroke powerplants. Construction time from the supplied kit is estimated as 700 hours, while from plans is estimated at over 1200 hours.[1][3]
Operational history
The Dragonfly was given the Outstanding New Design Award at the EAA Convention in 1980.[5] By 1998, 500 examples of all variants were reported as flying.[3]
Variants
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- Dragonfly Mk I
- Original version with main landing gear mounted in fairings at the lower wing tips. Operations require paved runways and wide taxiways due to widely spaced main wheels.[3]
- Dragonfly Mk II
- Version with conventional landing gear.[3]
- Dragonfly Mk III
- Version with tricycle landing gear.[3]
Specifications (Mark III Millenium)
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 1 passenger
- Length: 19 ft 0 in (5.79 m)
- Wingspan: 22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)
- Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
- Wing area: 92.1 sq ft (8.56 m2)
- Empty weight: 600 lb (272 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,250 lb (567 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × flat-four
Performance
- Cruise speed: 130 mph (210 km/h, 110 kn)
- Stall speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)
- Never exceed speed: 180 mph (290 km/h, 160 kn)
- Range: 500 mi (800 km, 430 nmi)
- g limits: +4.4, -2.0
- Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.3 m/s)
See also
- Similar aircraft
References
- ^ a b c Jackson 2003, pp. 734–735.
- ^ Bill Cox : "...Bob Walters, an ex-Navy fighter pilot with a penchant for designing his own airplanes. Walters came up with his two-seat adaptation of the Quickie..." in Homebuilt Aircraft, March 1985, "New legs for a Dragonfly", page 18
- ^ ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
- ^ Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
- ^ "General Flight" Flight International, 1 November 1980 p1681
- Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Viking Dragonfly.