Aerbul HB-4
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| Aerbul HB-4 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | World class competition glider |
| National origin | Argentina |
| Manufacturer | Aerbul S.R.L |
| Designer | Horacio Bulacio Campos |
| Number built | 2 |
| History | |
| First flight | 5 January 1993 |
The Aerbul HB-4 was a 1990s, Argentine contender in the IGC's World Class competition sailplane contest. It did not win and only two were built before a fatal accident terminated the programme.
The Aerbul HB-4 was designed and built over a three-year period begun in 1989 and was intended to take part in a competition organized by the IGC in 1988 to select a moderate cost competition sailplane. The chosen design would be the only one used in all World Class contests.[1]
It was built from fibreglass and had a 15 m (49 ft 3 in) span wing. Apart from a T-tail, it closely resembled the earlier Aerbul HB-1 Club, though details of the HB-4 are sparse. Its shoulder wing had a rectangular plan out to about 60% span and outer, trapezoidal panels with a slightly different section and trailing edges filled by the ailerons. The inner sections carried Schempp-Hirth spoilers at mid-chord.[2]
Its smoothly rounded fuselage was deepest ahead of the wings. The single seat cockpit had a long, single-piece canopy which continued the upper forward fuselage profile back almost to the wing leading edge. The fuselage tapered aft to a rather angular tail, where a large, tapered fin had a markedly trapezoidal profile. In contrast, the rudder was almost rectangular and quite narrow, as were the horizontal surfaces. Its tailplane was mounted on top of the fin.[2]
The HB-4 landed on a retractable monowheel, mounted ahead of the wings and fitted with a brake, and a small tailwheel.[1][2]