What an ultralight airplane should look like!

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More photos of the Belite Burgundy Ultralight Aircraft, which even as I write this is being loaded on the truck to head to Sun N Fun!:

(more photos can be found here)

Belite Aircraft UltraCub climbs out.  Looks like nostalgic Cub.  :-)

Belite ultralight airplane:  UltraCub passes overhead.

Head on profile of Belite ultralight airplane.

Over the fence in an UltraCub from Belite!

Almost directly overhead in the burgundy Belite.

Taxiing for takeoff.

Belite one pointer landing, PPG in distance.

Short final in a Belite ultracub.  Sweet!

Belite UltraCub Detail Photos (AKA Burgundy II)

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Flew the Burgundy UltraCub II for the first time ever, yesterday.

Amazing.

Hit the power, plane got light and started flying too quickly.

Flew it with and without the turtledeck.

Looks just like a little cub.

Weighed it the morning before the flight:  278.8 pounds.  The legal max weight is 278.0, but we can remove a little and make it go under.  It includes a parachute, so FAR 103 says:  254 + 24 = 278 max weight.  Besides, we weighed it on two bathroom scales and mail scale.  At least the mail scale is accurate.  :-)

This is with the beefy, rumbly, reliable, good sounding, 4 stroke engine.

I have a cruise prop on, which is ridiculous.

Here's the pics:

(There are many more pics from this photo shoot on our flickr account.)

Belite UltraCub looks pretty

Cabin detail on Belite Ultralight Airplane

Belite UltraCub flies over.  4 Stroke 1/2VW engine.

Inside sunroof attach detail.

Landing an ultracub.  Turtledeck not yet installed.

Panel view. 

Turtledeck on, Belite UltraCub

Sunroof attach detail overhead view

Rudder view

Takeoff!!

Belite Ultralight Airplane Climbing out

I love this plane.

More windshield detail

More Belite Builder Pics

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 Here's a really nice Belite project by builder Steve:

He did a perfect job of bending the control box.  Our part labels are still on some of the material.

Everything's mated together.

Got the angle right.

Storm's coming -- car had to go back in the garage.

Tail Feather Construction, Part 2

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The construction of the horizontal stabilizer is very similar to the elevator construction, which we just finished in the last post.

Let's get going.  The ribs are glued to the main spar using 2216 adhesive; the "X" cross sections are glued to the ribs using high quality wood glue.  The front spar (from 1/2" aluminum tubing) has been given a mild bend to match the sweep angle.  The middle ribs have been glued together, along with a small wooden spacer.

Gluing up the horizontal stabilizer for a Belite ultralight airplane.

View from the front of the glue up process.

The bushing tubes are glued into the wooden support washers, which in turn are glued to the "X" brace using high quality wood glue.  (Some of our early production used a welded bushing tube on the spar; compensate accordingly.)

View of bushing tube with wooden washer on top and bottom of "X" brace.

Wooden washer and bushing near leading edge.

 Now glue the leading edge on using 2216 adhesive epoxy.

Gluing on the leading edge.

Detail of leading edge glue process.

 Using fiberglass cloth and epoxy, glue the leading and trailing edge in place over the "X" brace.

Fiberglassing the "X" brace in position.

After finishing this step, the strips of wood are glued over the trailing edge, and the wood balsa blocks are trimmed and glued on the ends.  Smooth and sand; finish with two coats of varnish to protect the wood.

That's it.   You're done.