The Kalbermatten Woopy is a
Swisshigh-wing, single-place,
hang glider that was designed by Laurent de Kalbermatten of
Villars-sur-Glâne. The aircraft seems to have been just developed to
prototype stage and it is not clear if production was undertaken.[1]
Design and development
The Woopy
fuselage is made from
aluminum tubing, with a conventional tail, a seated pilot position and weight shift controls. The wing is inflatable and based on the same concept as an
air mattress, kept inflated by two small battery-powered fans. Launch and landing is carried out on foot.[1]
Much of the development was undertaken using
scale flying models to speed construction and reduce pilot risk.[1]
Two models were developed, the Woopy Fly and the Woopy Jump, plus a powered version of the Woopy Fly.[1]
Variants
Woopy Fly
Initial model. Its 9.7 m (31.8 ft) span wing is inflatable and has an
aspect ratio of 4.58:1 and a wing area is 20.5 m2 (221 sq ft). The glider empty weight is 17 kg (37 lb) and it has a
glide ratio of 9:1.[1]
Powered Woopy Fly
A powered version of the Woopy Fly was developed in
Siberia and flown with a 150 cc (9.2 cu in)
two-stroke engine that gave it an empty weight of 33 kg (73 lb) and a cruise speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) with a 70 cm (28 in) propeller.[1]
Woopy Jump
More portable development model. Its wing is also inflatable and the glider empty weight is 7 kg (15 lb) and the aircraft can be folded into a bag 160 cm (63 in) long.[1]