The history of SKYLEADER
aircraft goes back to the early 90s, when
the first conception of a modern, four-seat
airplane was created. This airplane, with
a designation Z90, was designed as
a substitution for the existing Z40 series
from the company Moravan. It was in the
time, when the function of a chief designer
of the L 410 and L 610 aircrafts at the
former company LET Kunovice. Z90 had also
a lighter variant - TP41, whose study had
been already worked out in the Institute of
Aerospace Engineering (IAE). At that time
the existing economical and organizational
conditions in the country initiated some
irrational steps in the Czech aircraft
industry and thus did not allow the
realization of the Z90 project. Nevertheless
the concept of a modern all-metal airplane
was set up. When the possibility, to build
an ultra-light version of the aircraft Z90
or TP41 came along, I seized the opportunity
with enthusiasm as a member of the
professional team of KAPPA 77 company.
Most of the workers came from
the former Aero Holding prominent company -
JIHLAVAN, so it was no wonder that the
development of the aircraft was very quick
and the prototype was ready just one year
after the design work was started. The
design criteria for this aircraft were
strictly set from the very beginning of the
design work. First of all the aircraft had
to be equipped with a retractable landing
gear, adapted for an operation on unpaved
and grassed runways. The excellence of
performance, given by the general conception
and aerodynamic clearness, as well as low
stall speed, which led to the use of Fowler
flaps, was a must. From a technological
point of view, the airplane was made out of
very thin duralumin plates, joint by the use
of blind rivets. Integral fuel tanks were
built in and many other solutions found
implementation in this plane, which rather
corresponded to the higher class of GA.
After the first flight, it
was immediately obvious that the projected
parameters will be reached. KP-2U SOVA was
shown at the Jihlava Aerosalon in 1996 for
the first time, drew the attention of the
general public, and started wholly new
concept of ultra-light aircrafts, with speed
range above 200km/h. It is necessary to
mention that there has been no need to
change radically anything on KP-2U Sova
(RAPID) since the prototype and the aircraft
went successfully into serial production and
on the market. But this is another story,
where economics of production, marketing,
operating conditions etc. have an important
role. It is obvious that SKYLEADER 200 UL or
500 LSA with factory production in JIHLAVAN
airplanes, s.r.o. Czech Republic has real
preconditions for growth and economic
success.
Anton?
P?ěk, prof. Eng. CSc. is currently working
as a professor at the Brno University of
Technology on the position of a Director of
the Institute of Aerospace Engineering. His
areas of interest are aircraft design,
stress analyses of aircraft structures,
mechanics, finite element methods,
experimental stress analysis of aircraft
structures, etc. He has worked more than 30
years in the aerospace industry as a head of
the team in the stress analysis and design
and research departments and a chief
designer of the small transport aircrafts L
410 UVP and L 610 at the aircraft works LET,
a.s. Kunovice, CZ. Since 1992 he works in
the Institute of Aerospace Engineering and
he is its Director since 1993.
He is the author of
several aircraft projects ? first of which -
KP-2U RAPID has serial production in
JIHLAVAN airplanes, s.r.o. He is currently
leading the project of a five seat, modern
conception aircraft VUT 100 ? Cobra (under
certification), together with the team of
the company Evector, s.r.o. Mr. P?ěk is
a member and a national representative for
the Czech Republic in ICAS (International
Council of the Aeronautical Science), m
ember of the operation commission of the
Aero-Space and Defence Industries
Association of Europe (ASD), member of the
Advisory group for Aviation in EU, member of
the Parliament Board for Aviation of the
Economic Committee of the Parliament of the
Czech Republic. Since the year 2000 he is
the leader of the granted project from the
Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic
for the foundation of the Aerospace Research
Centre (ACR).