Ekin_Airbuggy

Ekin Airbuggy

Ekin Airbuggy

Type of aircraft

The Ekin WHE Airbuggy is a British single-seat autogyro designed and built by the W. H. Ekin (Engineering) Company in Northern Ireland.

Quick Facts WHE Airbuggy, Role ...

Development

The company was formed in 1969 to manufacturer six McCandless M-4 Gyroplanes under licence. The company improved the design to produce the Airbuggy which was first flown on 1 February 1973. It was a conventional single-seat autogyro with a rear-mounted 75 hp (56 kW) Volkswagen flat-four motor car engine. It had a fixed tricycle landing gear with an open cockpit in a nacelle forward of the rotor pylon. The first Airbuggy was delivered in December 1975.[1]

Specifications

Data from Jane's all the world's aircraft, 1975-76[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
  • Height: 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
  • Empty weight: 355 lb (161 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 650 lb (295 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × 1600-1800cc Volkswagen air cooled engine 4-cyl. air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 75 hp (56 kW)
  • Main rotor diameter: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)
  • Main rotor area: 405.0 sq ft (37.63 m2)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed Hoffman pusher propeller, 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) diameter

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 69 kn (80 mph, 128 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: 52 kn (60 mph, 97 km/h)
  • Never exceed speed: 69 kn (80 mph, 128 km/h)
  • Range: 121 nmi (140 mi, 225 km)
  • Rate of climb: 1,000.6 ft/min (5.083 m/s)
  • Disk loading: 1.7 lb/sq ft (8.5 kg/m2)
  • Power/mass: 0.188 kW/kg (0.115 hp/lb)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. [1]
    "English sale of new gyroplane". Flight International. 11 December 1975. p. 852.
  2. [2]
    Taylor, John W.R., ed. (1975). Jane's all the world's aircraft, 1975-76 (66th annual ed.). New York: Franklin Watts Inc. ISBN 978-0531032503.

Bibliography
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