|
The Spectrum Beaver is a family of single and two-place, pusher configuration, high-wing ultralight aircraft that were first introduced by Spectrum Aircraft of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada in 1983.〔Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 37. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851〕〔Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, pages B-9, B-70, B-103 & E-6. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9680628-1-4〕 The Beaver ultralights have evolved as designs over time, have been produced by several companies and remain in production in the 21st century.〔 ==Development== The first model Beaver was the RX-28, a simple, lightweight single seat aircraft that was intended to comply with the US FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category, including the maximum empty weight. The model designation indicated that it was ''Rotax-28 hp'' as it was powered by the Rotax 277 single cylinder, two stroke powerplant. With this engine the RX-28 had an empty weight of .〔 The availability of the Rotax 377 engine lead to a higher powered version of the RX-28, which was designated as the RX-35. This Beaver model was fitted with floats and continued in production by Spectrum Aircraft until they ceased business in 1992.〔 Building on the success of the single-seat Beaver models, Spectrum Aircraft introduced the two place Beaver RX 550 in 1986 and it quickly became the most popular ultralight trainer in Canada. The combination of its predictable and docile handling, along with the reliable Rotax 503 engine, ensured its success.〔 Intending to improve on the RX 550, Spectrum introduced the Beaver RX 650 in 1991, intending to place it in the Advanced Ultra-light Aeroplane category (AULA) in Canada. The RX 650 has doors that fold upwards, making it ideal for use on floats. The cockpit cage was changed to welded steel tube, from the previously-used aluminum and a sprung tail wheel was added. In service the 650 quickly proved to have structural issues and its acceptance in the AULA category was rescinded by Transport Canada until the issues could be rectified. Most customer 650s were kept flying by operating them in the Basic Ultralight Aeroplane category. Spectrum Aircraft went out of business in 1992, prior to rectifying the issues with the 650.〔 A new company, Beaver RX Enterprises acquired the design and commenced production of the RX 550, placing it in the AULA category. They did not produce the single seaters or the RX 650. Despite demand for the Beaver, the company soon went out of business.〔〔 Fun Flight Inc of Alexandria, Virginia, United States also produced the RX550 model in the late 1990s.〔Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', pages 166 and 168. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1〕 In 1995 Aircraft Sales and Parts (ASAP) of Vernon, British Columbia purchased the Beaver tooling and redesigned the RX 550. The new version, designated the ''RX 550 Plus'' incorporated a new wing with a greater number of wing ribs and standard aircraft fabric replacing the Dacron covering. The ASAP RX 550 Plus remains in production and available in kit form. It can be registered in the Canadian Basic and Advanced ultralight categories as well as in the US and Canadian amateur-built aircraft categories. By the end of 2007 a total of 2000 RX 550s had been produced by all manufacturers.〔〔〔 In 1996 a new company, Freedom Lite of Walton, Ontario reintroduced the Beaver RX 650, first displaying it at Sun 'n Fun that year. The improved RX 650 incorporated 186 changes over the previous RX 650 design and the company renamed it the Freedom Lite SS-11 Skywatch. The wings use conventional aircraft fabric instead of Dacron, giving build times of about 250 hours. The company placed the aircraft in the Canadian AULA category. Freedom Lite soon went out of business and the design was acquired by Legend Lite of New Hamburg, Ontario. This new company also closed its doors in the early 2000s.〔〔〔 In 2000 the current manufacturer of RX 550 Plus kits, ASAP, reintroduced a single seat version of the Beaver, designated as the ''Beaver SS'' (Single Seat). This is similar to the original RX-28, but powered by a Rotax 447 engine and with a wing derived from the RX 550 Plus design, with additional ribs. The new wing is covered in standard aircraft fabric and incorporates drag tubes in place of the original drag wires. The empty weight has increased somewhat to , putting it above the maximum empty weight for the US FAR 103 category. In Canada it can be flown in the basic ultralight category or amateur-built. By the end of 2007 ten had been completed and flown.〔〔 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「Spectrum Beaver」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|