Acrolite 1T
ultralight aircraft, Acrolite 1T experimental aircraft, Acrolite 1T experimental light sport aircraft (ELSA), Lightsport Aircraft Pilot News
newsmagazine.
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Lightsport
Aircraft Pilot is a directory of aircraft that generally fit
into what are described as ultralight aircraft, advanced ultralight
aircraft,
light sport aircraft, experimental light sport aircraft, experimental
aircraft, amateur built aircraft, ELSA or homebuilt
aircraft in the United States and Canada. These include
weight shift aircraft, more commonly known as trikes,
powered parachutes, and powered para-gliders.
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Acrolite 1T ultralight, experimental
lightsport, amateur built aircraft.
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Manufacturer
www.acrolite.org
The Triplane construction is identical
to the 1B biplane except that on the prototype we used a
fiberglas skin for the wings instead of plywood.
This gave a much smoother
surface to the wing than the plywood. The wings for the
triplane are made with a wooden frame and covered with
fiberglass or plywood. The remainder of the construction
methods are the same as the biplanes.
Flying the Acrolite 1T Aircraft
The aircraft accelerates and lifts off the ground very
quickly and climbout is exceptional. We were concerned that
with the ailerons on only the center wing that the roll rate
would not be adequate but this was not the case. Compared to
the biplanes aileron response is just a bit slow initially
but once it starts moving it is quite good. |
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It does not roll as fast as the biplanes but the turning
radius is a lot smaller so I think it may just out turn the
biplanes. The stall is more pronounced
in the triplane and unlike the biplane that will fly itself
out of a stall even with full back stick. the triplane
requires proper stall recovery technique. In a 1000 ft climb
out contest with the 80 hp biplane the triplane lagged only
slightly behind. A full throttle, level flight, speed run
showed 115 mph indicated at 6800 rpm.
The triplane flew
hands off on the first flight with no changes required in
trim and it is very stable in pitch. Visibility is very
good, especially on approach and it feels easier to land
than the biplanes because it does not seem to float as much
at touchdown. Rudder authority is very good and it will make
a really neat flat turn, just cut the throttle back to half,
give it about ? rudder and it will do a 120 degree flat turn
in the blink of an eye.
The Triplane flight testing has been completed and the
aircraft sports a new shiny polyurethane finish. We are very
pleased with its flight characteristics and its performance
and reliability. This aircraft required no changes and had
no problems at all during its flight testing. Other than
trying a couple of different props (we finally ended up with
a two blade GCS ground adjustable so the blades from the
Warp Drive prop will go into a new 3 blade hub for the
Acrolite 1C.) We made no changes to the airplane at all. The
construction drawings and builders manual are completed and
are now available. |
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Acrolite 1T ultralight -
experimental lightsport aircraft |
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