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American homebuilt aircraft
The AeroLites Bearcat is an American
amateur-built aircraft , designed and produced by
AeroLites , of
Welsh, Louisiana and introduced in 1984. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.
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[2]
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Design and development
The Bearcat features a
strut-braced
parasol-wing , a single-seat open cockpit, fixed
conventional landing gear and a single engine in
tractor configuration .
[1]
[2]
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The aircraft
fuselage is made from welded
4130 steel tubing with the wing constructed with an
aluminum structure, with its flying surfaces covered in
Dacron sailcloth. The
ribs slide into pockets in the fabric. Its 30 ft (9.1 m) span wing employs a
Clark Y
airfoil and has an area of 150 sq ft (14 m2 ). Standard engines available are the 40 hp (30 kW)
Rotax 447 , the 50 hp (37 kW)
Rotax 503 and the 64 hp (48 kW)
Rotax 582
two-stroke powerplants. Equipment to convert the aircraft for
aerial application is also available.
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The manufacturer claims that the supplied kit takes 60–90 hours to assemble.
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Operational history
By 1998 the company had reported that nine Bearcats and two Ag Bearcats were flying.
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Variants
Bearcat
Base model
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Ag Bearcat
Model equipped as an
agricultural aircraft , originally equipped with a 64 hp (48 kW)
Rotax 532 engine.
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Specifications (Bearcat)
Data from Bayerl and AeroLites
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General characteristics
Crew: one
Length: 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Wing area: 150 sq ft (14 m2 )
Empty weight: 275 lb (125 kg)
Gross weight: 700 lb (318 kg)
Fuel capacity: 5 U.S. gallons (19 L; 4.2 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 ×
Rotax 447 twin cylinder, air-cooled,
two stroke
aircraft engine , 40 hp (30 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed composite, 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) diameter
Performance
Maximum speed: 70 mph (110 km/h, 61 kn)
Cruise speed: 60 mph (96 km/h, 52 kn)
Stall speed: 27 mph (43 km/h, 23 kn)
Never exceed speed : 110 mph (180 km/h, 96 kn)
g limits: +6/-4
Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (3.8 m/s)
Wing loading: 4.66 lb/sq ft (22.8 kg/m2 )
References
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a
b
c
d
e
f Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12 , page 91. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
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a
b
c Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16 , page 94. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.
ISSN
1368-485X
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a
b
c
d
e
f Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition , page 100. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.
ISBN
0-9636409-4-1
^
a
b Aerofiles (n.d.).
"American airplanes: Ab - Ak" . Archived from
the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2014 .
^ Lednicer, David (2010).
"The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage" . Archived from
the original on 9 August 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2012 .
^
a
b
c
d
AeroLites (n.d.).
"Bearcat & Ag Bearcat" . Retrieved September 17, 2012 .
External links