Agriplane Condor 2090

Single-seat single-engined flex-wing aircraft with weight-shift control. Rogallo wing with keel pocket. Pilot suspended below wing in trike unit, using bar to control pitch and yaw/roll by altering relative positions of trike unit and wing. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables; rigid cross-tube construction with single -surface (33% double-surface optional); not enclosing cross-tube; pre-formed ribs. Under-carriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; rubber suspension on all wheels. Push-right go-left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. Brake on nosewheel. Aluminium-tube trike unit, without pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.

Designed by Patrice Renaud with the assistance of M Michelot and C Cardineau, the prototype Agriplane flew for the first time in February 1981, which makes it the first agricultural weight-shift microlight in the world. Patrice was the victim of an accident in the course of a flight on another machine which laid him up for a long time, which explains why the machine was shown at the aeronautical and space salon at Le Bourget in June 1981, even though the first Agriplane Condors were not sold until March 1982.

Essentially intended for use as an agricultural tool, this microlight can nevertheless be fitted with a second seat and used as a tandem two-seater dual-control machine. A kit allows for this dual control adaption. The Condor is sup-plied with a glass-fibre seat with a foam covering which forms the 23.8 US gal (19.8 Imp gal, 90.0 litre) tank for the spray medium. An autonomous hand-controlled electric pump supplies the medium to the two spray booms mounted either side of the trike. Three lengths of boom were offered - 19.8, 26.6 and 39.5ft (6.0, 9.0 and 12.0 m) - fitted together with quick-release couplings, which allows their fitment in 3 min. Interchangeable atomisers allow the amount of product sprayed to be varied between 1.0 and 2.0 US gal/acre (0.84.6 Imp gal/acre, 15.30 litre/ hectare).

Engine: Hirth, 46 hp at 7800 rpm.            
Toothed- belt reduction.
Power per unit area 0.19hp/sq.ft, 2.0hp/sq.m.     
Fuel capacity 5.8 US gal, 4.8 Imp gal, 22.0 litre.
Length overall 13.1 ft, 4.0 m.             
Height overall 11.6 ft, 3.50 m.
Wing span 32.8 ft, 10.0 m.             
Dihedral 4 degs.
Nose angle 135 degs.                 
Total wing area 248 sq.ft, 23.0 sq.m.
Wing aspect ratio 4.3/1.                 
Wheel track 5.7ft, 1.70 m.
Nosewheel dia-meter overall 16 inch, 40 cm.         
Main wheels diameter overall 16 inch, 40cm.
Empty weight 298 lb, 135kg.             
Max take-off weight 696 lb, 315kg.
Payload 398 lb, 180kg.                 
Max wing loading 2.80 lb/sq.ft, 13.7 kg/sq.m.
Max power loading 15.1 lb/hp, 6.8kg/hp.         
Load factors; +5.5, -2.8 ultimate.
Max level speed 47mph, 75kph.             
Never exceed speed 53mph, 85kph.
Max cruising speed 40mph, 65kph.             
Economic cruising speed 34mph, 55kph.
Stalling speed 23 mph, 38 kph.             
Max climb rate at sea level 600 ft/min, 3.0 m/ls.
Best Wide ratio power off 7/1 at 34 mph, 55 kph.     
Take-off distance 82 ft, 25 m.
Landing distance 50 ft, 15 m.             
Range average cruise 68 mile, 110 km