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The B-10 is a product that wears many hats.
It can be enjoyed as a foot-launched hang glider, an
Ultra-Light, or an Ultra-Light Motor Glider. And because it
can be assembled and torn down in less than 15 minutes,
towed with a small trailer, hauled in a pickup truck or even
packed on and in a station wagon, operational costs are kept
to a minimum.
When the B-10 needs to be relocated, you just fold up the
8.5 foot outboard panels on top of the center section. Or
they may be removed if desired. Three pins connect each
outboard panel to the center section. Quick release pins
connect the cage to the main wing body and the rudders are
attached to their tube seats with removable bolts. Within
minutes the B-10 is apart and ready to be stored in your
garage. No tie-down fees or hangar rent.
The B-10 wing is based on NACA's 230-15
airfoil. It has been described as the finest ever developed
for good lift and inherent stability. It's a well-proven
design, judging from the testimonial of its many records and
trophies.
It was back in the early 1940's that Don
Mitchell first became involved with flying wing glider
design and construction. But WWII interrupted his research
and experiments. The War's specific needs for large payload
capacity and space ruled out the flying wing design and
Mitchell's vision lost its place in aviation history.
Then in 1974, with the advent of hang glider mania, the
Mitchell Wing resurfaced. It was at that time Dr. Howard
Long took an interest in the half-forgotten project and
asked Mitchell to make him a flying wing hang glider. The
result was the foot-launched Mitchell Wing and it astounded
the world of hang gliding.
George Worthington, holder of eight world records in hang
gliding and author of the book In Search of World Records,
wrote in the book..."I predict that the Mitchell Wing will
be the highest performance foot-launched hang glider we'll
see for a long time." He was right and it was from this
preliminary design that Mitchell developed his later powered
models. The B-10 and U-2 Superwing.
The leading edge of the Mitchell Wing has a
single built-up "D" spar with aircraft birch plywood torsion
proof leading edge. Foam ribs placed every 4.5 inches hold
the D shape. The built-up truss ribs aft of the spar are
covered with fabric. This structural design is simple,
extremely strong and light. Net weight is under 80 lbs.
In the B-10 the pilot is positioned inside an
open-frame cockpit below the wing and controls the flight of
the wing through the use of a "joystick", just like a
regular sailplane. The STABILATORS give the wing stability,
with pitch and roll control. Wing-tip rudders, sensitive to
a bar under the feet, are used to initiate a turn and to
steepen the glide path for landing. Thus the pilot has
aerodynamic control about all three axes.
Ignition and
throttle are conveniently located near the left hand and the
joystick reaches down from the wing toward the pilot's right
hand. The cushioned "bucket" style seat puts the ultralight
pilot in the familiar supine position and offers him superb
visibility to the front, sides and rear.
The extremely flat glide and low sink of the
B-10 allows the plane to be used for soaring. The 8.5 foot
outboard wing panels turn up in a 6 degree dihedral. This,
added to the main wing-body's 12 degree sweep back, gives
the Mitchell Wing the stability one would normally suspect
might be missing due to its lack of a tail. B-10's have
taken off and landed in "no wind" conditions. They have also
flown in extreme turbulence, taking off with winds gusting
30-37 miles per hour.
According to FAA regulations the B-10, being
a true Ultralight, requires no pilot's certificate to fly. Because no pilot's certificate is required to
fly a B-10, no medical is necessary and there is no need for
aircraft registration. This opens the door for people who
would not normally be able to experience the thrill of
flying an aircraft.
So what are you waiting for? Take to the air
in the best --a Mitchell Wing B-10! |
