Rutan Solitaire
| Solitaire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Kit-builtmotor glider |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Rutan Aircraft Factory |
| Designer | Burt Rutan |
| First flight | 1982 |
| Introduction | 1982 |
| Status | Production completed |
TheRutan Model 77 Solitaireis anAmerican,single seat,canard,mid-wingmotor gliderthat was developed byBurt Rutanin response to the 1982 Sailplane Homebuilders Association Design Contest for ahomebuilt glider.It first flew in 1982.[1]The Solitaire was declared the winner of the contest and its unusual layout attracted a great deal of attention. For a time in the 1980s the aircraft was available as plans and as a kit.[2][3]
Design and development
[edit]Like many Rutan designs, the Solitaire uses a canard layout, with a lifting foreplane with elevators for pitch control at the nose, and a rudder at the rear of a tail boom. The pilot sits under abubble canopyand the electro-hydraulically retractable gasoline engine occupies the space between the pilot's feet and the canard. The aircraft is constructed fromfiberglassonNomexhoneycomb and urethane foam.[2][3]
The 41.75 ft (12.7 m) wing has a built-in mid-span twist to offset the effects of the canard's downwash, with the inboard 7.4 ft (2.3 m) having 2 degrees less twist than the outboard portion of the wing. The wing is equipped with very effectivetrailing edgespoilers,consisting of aflapthat deploys down while also protruding itsleading edgeupward into the airflow.[2][3]
The canard configuration is designed so that the forward surfacestallsbefore the main wing, making the aircraft unstallable, and alsounspinnable.This does not mean, however, that the aircraft cannot be maneuvered into a flight regime where a high rate of descent is achieved.[2][3]
When it was in production, the kit included all the hardware to assemble the prefabricated fiberglass parts. Thefuselagehalves came with Nomex honeycomb cores and a special film adhesive to bond the halves together. The main wing spars supplied usedS-glassroving spar caps that had been molded in metal molds. The kits also included many molded parts, including the seat pan, canopy pre-mounted in its frame, turtledeck, fuselage bulkheads, wing root fairings, wheel fairings, wingtips and the foam cores used in the wings and the canard.[4]
The initial engine was the 22 hp (16 kW)Zenoah G-25,but this was changed to a Robin engine and then later the 20 hp (15 kW)Cuyuna 215.TheKFM 107e22 hp (16 kW) engine has also been used.[4][5]
Operational history
[edit]Within two months of the aircraft's introduction in 1982, 50 to 60 sets of plans had been sold. In March 2011 there were seven Solitaires registered in the United States, including one in theEAA AirVenture Museum.[3][6]
Aircraft on display
[edit]Specifications (Solitaire)
[edit]Data fromSailplane Directory, Soaring and EAA[2][3][4]
General characteristics
- Crew:one
- Wingspan:41 ft 8 in (12.70 m)
- Wing area:102.44 sq ft (9.517 m2)
- Aspect ratio:10.78
- Airfoil:Roncz517 (root), Roncz 515 (tip), Roncz 1052 (canard)
- Empty weight:380 lb (172 kg)
- Gross weight:620 lb (281 kg)
- Fuel capacity:5 US gallons (19 litres)
- Powerplant:1 ×Cuyuna 215,20 hp (15 kW)
- Propellers:2-bladed fixed pitch
Performance
- Maximum glide ratio:32:1
- Rate of sink:150 ft/min (0.76 m/s)
- Wing loading:6.05 lb/sq ft (29.5 kg/m2)
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"J2mcL Planeurs - Fiche planeur n°".j2mcl-planeurs.net.RetrievedMay 21,2022.
- ^abcdeActivate Media (2006)."Solitaire Rutan".Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2011.RetrievedMarch 14,2011.
- ^abcdefSaid, Bob:1983 Sailplane Directory,Soaring Magazine,page 126. Soaring Society of America, November 1983. USPS 499-920
- ^abcdExperimental Aircraft Association(2011)."Rutan-Matheny Solitaire – N142SD".RetrievedMarch 14,2011.
- ^Experimental Aircraft Association(2011)."Rutan-Matheny Solitaire – N142SD Specifications".RetrievedMarch 14,2011.
- ^Federal Aviation Administration(March 2011)."Make / Model Inquiry Results".Archived fromthe originalon July 21, 2011.RetrievedMarch 14,2011.
