LiteWing Aircraft LiteWing

The aircraft was designed to be a US homebuilt aircraft as its empty weight exceeds the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, which imposes a category maximum empty weight of 254 lb (115 kg). The LiteWing has a standard empty weight of 280 lb (127 kg). It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a single-seat, open cockpit with a three-piece fiberglass cockpit fairing, tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in pusher configuration.^[1][2]

The aircraft is made from welded and bolted 6061-T6 aluminum tubing, with its NorthWing 157 wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 32 ft (9.8 m) span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. The engine factory supplied was the 40 hp (30 kW) Rotax 447 twin cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled aircraft engine. The aircraft can accept engines of 40 to 50 hp (30 to 37 kW). Brakes on the main wheels are standard equipment.^[1][2]

Twenty examples had been completed and flown by February 2000.^[2]

Data from Cliche and Kitplanes^[1][2]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft (9.8 m)
• Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
• Wing area: 160 sq ft (15 m²)
• Empty weight: 280 lb (127 kg)
• Gross weight: 600 lb (272 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 6 U.S. gallons (23 L; 5.0 imp gal)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 447 twin cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, 40 hp (30 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed wooden

Performance

• Cruise speed: 60 mph (97 km/h, 52 kn)
• Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)