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By: - 5th December 2011 at 14:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Wheeler Scout 49,4 kg empty !
This weight could be hard to beat.
By: - 6th December 2011 at 02:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Paramotors ... propulsion unit ~35kg ... plus chute ~6kg
By: - 6th December 2011 at 11:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
They are lite...but are they air craft ( AC ) ?
How lite could a plane with protection for the pilot from rain and birds be ?
By: - 6th December 2011 at 16:53 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Well the Cri-cri came in at about 78kg and that's a twin that can fly on one engine.
Colomban has also designed the Luciole that's not a whole lot heavier and a practical single seater.
By: - 6th December 2011 at 17:08 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Luciole MC-30 GT
That has nosewheel and sharply drooped wing tips...I saw a pic somewhere.
here; http://luciole18.over-blog.com/article-mc-30-gt-a-mortagne-85938456.html
That could be the lightest with cockpit and nosewheel.
It is generally 97 kg; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colomban_MC-30_Luciole
By: - 8th December 2011 at 00:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
They are lite...but are they air craft ( AC ) ?How lite could a plane with protection for the pilot from rain and birds be ?
Well paramotors (and paragliders) are technically classed by the CAA as aeroplanes.
But although I fly them myself it is hard to think of them as 'aeroplanes'. I carry mine in a big bag that probably weighs less than the avionics in a PA28.
I prefer to think of them as aircraft in the same way a basic microlight is one. To me an aeroplane has a door and instruments, and ailerons and an elevator or stabilator. If it don't have those kittens it isn't an aeroplane to me.
I learned to fly in the 1970s on Cessnas and Pipers and all these microlite and ultralight aircraft don't 'feel' like real aeroplanes either. But some of them rock!
By: - 8th December 2011 at 08:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I agree VeeOne !
I have flown an aeroplane model succesfully with monowheel/ski without the rudder control..but tricycle landing gear would need a rudder steering too.
I'll save few kilos when leaving the pedals away on my monowheel design.
I think also that ac would need to have a feeling that you are protected from the hard slipstream, hails, byrds and possibly engine room slightly warming your hands and feet while flying in a cold weather.
By: - 15th December 2011 at 18:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Musculair I was 28 kilos..and flown with father and daughter configuration..with musclepower of course.
Garbrick built a 90 lbs plane for his son and he flew it..a teeenager.
Airy-Plane is the smallest twin ever by Wilbur Staib.
By: - 4th February 2014 at 09:53 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I think I reached 45 kilos on paper !
Posts: 2,619
By: topspeed - 3rd December 2011 at 15:12
The muscle powered planes can be really lite.
What is the world lightest "real" combustion engine based ac ?
Is it Whing Ding II ?
http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/international-aircraft-directory/homebuiltkitbuilt-aircraft/hovey-whing-ding-ii.html
...or is it Pterodactyl Ascender of 56,7 kilos ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterodactyl_Ascender
Neither has closed cockpit and top speed is limited to 55 mph region.
I am currently wondering if a 50 kilo plane with 100 mph top speed was possible.
In fact I have 3-views of such ( of my own design ), but not made model of it yet.
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Reason why there are no more 120-150 lbs planes is possibly the fact that US FAA allows heavier planes to operate without pilot lisence; http://www.usua.org/Rules/faa103.htm