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FAQ’s on Belite’s “UltraCub” and ½ VW Four Stroke engine
The following information is subject to change without
notice
1)
Q: What is a
Belite UltraCub?
A:
The Belite UltraCub is an ultralight airplane manufactured by
Belite. One configuration
has the following major characteristics:
a)
4 stroke engine
b)
Traildragger configuration
c)
Rear turtledeck which gives it the appearance of a Piper J3 Cub.
d)
Legal Ultralight under U.S.
FAR Part 103
also,
e) Users
may build an UltraCub from a kit from Belite.
The single defining characteristic is the rear TurtleDeck option.
 |
| Belite UltraCub with 1/2VW engine |
Finally,
f)
The TurtleDeck is available as a build option by Belite for any factory
built airplane.
 |
| TurtleDeck on Belite UltraCub |
2) Q: What
standard features and benefits does it have?
A: They are:
a) Standard
basic instruments: hour meter/tach,
inclinometer, EGT/CHT, Oil pressure warning, Oil temp gauge, ASI. All other instruments are optional.
b) spring
steel main landing gear, which are much better than bungees, softens landings
and taxiing
c) differential
(independent) main gear disc brakes with heel pedals
d) Single
color ( with color selected by owner) Oracal (vinyl) finish over the entire
airframe, fuselage, wings and tail feathers.
Very beautiful finishes!
e) Rear
steerable tailwheel with steel tail wheel spring. In conjunction with brakes, gives easy ground
manners.
f) Aluminum
fuselage – riveted construction utilizing mainly 2024T3 longerons; also 7075
and 6061T6 aluminum in critical areas.
Other alloys are also used.
g) Lightweight
6061T6 aluminum lift struts.
h) 5”
Azusa nylon
aircraft wheels with 5” wheels
i)
4130 Chromaloy steel landing gear “A” frames
j)
Polycarbonate windshield and sunroof
k) Easily
and quickly foldable wings
l)
Enhanced wing area (40” x 144”)
m) Enhanced
flaperons (12” x 120”), reduces stall speed and improves roll control.
n) Functional
Winglets, increasing lift, reducing vortices, reducing drag, increasing
flaperon effectiveness
o) Intermixed
aileron / flap controls, providing standard stick (aileron) and standard flap
(flap handle) control with 3 notches of flaps.
p) Multiple
storage compartments under seat
q) 5
gallon plastic fuel tank.
r) This
aircraft does not include an engine cowl.
s) A
hand deployed emergency parachute is included.
t) The
engine has single electronic ignition.
3)
Q: What does an
UltraCub cost?
A:
$27,995 + $2.25/mile delivery charge (one way) to any US destination. Other configurations are available for as
little as $16,495.
4) Q: What does an UltraCub kit cost?
A: $7995 (base Belite Kit cost) + $500
(turtledeck kit cost). This doesn’t
include main gear springs or brakes, but it does include solid gear links, and
mechanical (drum) brakes are available for $100 extra. It also doesn’t include a fuel tank, but we
buy ours at Walmart for about $12, and you can too.
5) Q: What type of construction is used in the
fuselage?
A: It is straightforward aluminum
construction. Most of the gussets have
pre-drilled pilot holes, and the rear fuselage is pre-aligned, mostly
pre-drilled and ready for you to start riveting. All main cabin bulkhead formers and gussets
are CNC cut and have many pre-drilled pilot holes as well. The builder has to cut cabin longerons and
members, but as these lengths are short, and all formers are square, the
resulting assembly process is easy and straightforward. Aluminum may be cut with a carbide blade
table saw, or a band saw, or a hack saw.
6) Q: What type of construction is used in the
wings?
A: The wings are built with aluminum spars and
CNC cut Baltic Birch ribs. Everything
slips together and is locked in place with Gorilla glue.
 |
| Belite wing with aluminum spars, CNC cut Baltic Birch |
7) Q: What type of construction is used in the tail
feathers?
A: The purchaser may select between aerodynamic
horizontal stabilizer/elevator or pre-welded stabilizer/elevator. The pre-welded feathers simply need to be
covered. The aerodynamic feathers are
easy to build and very straightforward, like a big model airplane wing.
8) Q: How is the structure covered?
A: We use generic Dacron, glued and shrunk to
the underlying wing or fuselage structure.
We use a special glue (Hipec) for attachment of fabric to the underside
of the wing. We use Stewart Systems glue
for most other fabric work, and we use Oracal vinyl (available in about 80
colors) for covering over the shrunk fabric.
Kit builders may use whatever system they are comfortable with.
9) Q: What does an UltraCub weigh?
A: As built by Belite, with a four stroke
engine, and as described in this document, it weighs 278 pounds. This is the maximum allowed by FAR Part
103. (Our configuration includes a
parachute which is deployed by hand, for which FAR Part 23 provides a 24 pound
allowance.) The rear turtledeck is not included in this weighing, as it is
removable for flight. (The rear
turtledeck weighs about 7 pounds). Much
lighter weights are possible by using two stroke engines.
10) Q:
I see that your configuration doesn’t include an engine cowl. How could I add one?
A: It is available as an option for $350. We don’t weigh them as they are removable for
flight.
11) Q: What other options are available?
A: Bigger Tires and Carbon Fiber main spars will
be popular options. The Carbon Fiber
spars save 9 pounds, which would allow nice big 5.00 x 5 tires. $2400 total. Doors and trailering kits are also
available.
12) Q: Are other instruments available?
A: We are happy to install any instrument
manufactured by Belite Electronics, including Turn Coordinators, fuel gauges,
etc. We do not install other
instruments. We recommend you have other
installations (EG, radio) performed by your local instrument shop.
13) Q: Does the four stroke engine have electric
start?
A: No.
The 1/2VW are very easy to hand prop, and the electric start option is
too heavy for our FAR Part 103 usage. It
would be a great option for aircraft built as ‘experimental’, though.
14) Q: What power does the 1/2VW four stroke engine
develop?
A: 45HP.
 |
| 1/2 VW Engine |
15) Q: Who is the engine vendor?
16) Q: Will other 1/2VW four stroke engines work?
An online build
manual for 1/2VW engines may be found here:
17) Q: What about the motor mount for a Belite and a
half V/W?
A: We designed it, and it is pretty sweet. It includes a Chromalloy steel mount and
aluminum mount plate. $300.
 |
| Engine Mount for 1/2VW on Belite Ultralight Airplane |
18) Q: What kind of fuel consumption does the engine
have?
A: We expect fuel economy to be about 2 GPH in
cruise. This number will be verified in
August.
19) Q: What kind of gasoline does the engine use?
A: 91 Octane automotive.
100LL will work, but be aware of lead fouling issues.
