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The Earthstar Thunder Gull is a family of cantilever high-wing, tricycle gear ultralight aircraft, manufactured by Earthstar Aircraft of Santa Margarita, California as a kit for amateur construction or as a completed aircraft.〔Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, pages B-61 & B-107. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9680628-1-4〕〔Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', pages 148 and 307. BAI Communications. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1〕〔Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 44. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851〕〔Downey, Julia: ''2001 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 44. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851〕〔Downey, Julia: ''2002 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, pages 33-34. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851〕〔Newby-Gonzalez, Tori: ''2004 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 12, December 2003, page 65. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851〕〔Downey, Julia: ''2005 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 55. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851〕〔Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 49. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851〕〔Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 51. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851〕 ==Design and development== Designer Mark Beierle's original goals were an "airplane with the feel of a hang glider, the agility and visibility of a helicopter, the effortless smooth flight of a sailplane, and the utility and economy of a general aviation aircraft--all in the hopes of getting close to the feel and freedom of a bird." When queried by interviewer Don Downie if that was too much to ask, Beierle replied, "You bet! But it didn't stop me from trying." The Thunder Gull was introduced in 1987 as a development of the earlier ''Laughing Gull''. The aircraft was quite revolutionary when it was introduced due to its high performance and particularly high cruise speed of on just .〔 The aircraft is constructed from aluminum tubing and sheet parts and covered in aircraft fabric. The aircraft can meet the requirements of the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category, including its maximum empty weight limitation of when it is equipped with a lightweight engine.〔 The aircraft has a very small wing for the US ultralight category with a wing area of only and a wingspan of . The wing is equipped with flaps that give it a stall speed of . The small wing gives the aircraft a high cruise speed and better resistance to turbulence than a lighter-loaded wing. The one-piece wing is quickly removable for storage or transport.〔〔 Reported construction time of the kit is 150 hours.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Earthstar Thunder Gull」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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