Earthstar Gull 2000
ultralight aircraft, Earthstar Gull 2000 experimental aircraft, Earthstar Gull 2000 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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Earthstar Gull 2000 ultralight, experimental
lightsport, amateur built aircraft.
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Manufacturer/www.thundergull.com
Earthstar Aircraft, manufacturer of the Thunder Gull line of
single-seat ultralights and 2-seat ultralight trainers and
light sport aircraft, is offering a new engine/prop
combination on their Thunder Gull 2000* single-seat
ultralight. The Gull 2000 features a 4130 chromoly steel
fuselage mated to an aluminum wing and tail section.
"Testing has been completed on the Gull 2000 ultralight with
the 25-hp Hirth F-33 [single-cylinder 2-cycle] aircraft
engine and the Powerfin E Model 3-blade composite
propeller," the company reports. |
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Earthstar was testing the single-cylinder 26-hp Zanzottera
MZ 34 2-cycle engine, which "had a wide power band and good
performance, but had a lot of vibration," says Earthstar
president and Thunder Gull designer Mark Beierle. Since
then, Beierle has installed the Hirth F-33 and the Powerfin
prop. "This combination flies the Gull 2000 quite well, with
very little vibration," Beierle claims. He has about 35
hours on the engine, belt drive and prop combination and
indicates it performs very similarly to a single-cylinder
26-hp Rotax 277 2-cycle engine, "but a lot smoother, and
with phenomenal fuel economy." Using the F-33 engine and
Powerfin propeller, "the Gull 2000 can fly along at cruise
speed with as little as 3,800 rpm," Beierle says.
"The smoothness of [the Hirth F-33 and Powerfin prop]
combination is uncharacteristic of a single-cylinder
engine," Earthstar notes.
Significantly for ultralighters flying under the provisions
of Federal Aviation Regulation Part 103, the new engine and
prop reduce the total empty weight of the Gull 2000 to 236
pounds, well under the 254-pound maximum empty weight
requirement for Part 103 single-seat ultralights in the
United States.
"It gives the kind of performance I am used to, but with
very little weight," says Beierle. The Gull 2000's 236-pound
empty weight allows pilots to add additional instruments,
navigation or communication equipment (like a GPS unit or
aircraft transceiver) or other systems, and still stay under
the Part 103 weight limit. |
Earthstar Gull 2000 ultralight -
experimental lightsport aircraft |
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