ICA IAR-35

The ICA IAR-35 is a Romanian glider designed and built in the 1980s primarily for aerobatics, though capable of general purpose use. Several production prototypes were constructed.

IAR-35
Role	aerobatic glider
National origin	Romania
Manufacturer	Inteprinderea de Constructii Aeronautice (ICA), Brașov
First flight	May 1986
Number built	at least 4

Design and development

The IAR-35 is an all-metal, single seat, short span glider developed for aerobatic flight. Its three spar shoulder wing, with metal ribs and bonded metal skinning, has a constant chord centre section and tapered outer panels. There is no dihedral on the centre section but 2° outboard. The whole trailing edge is occupied by all-metal, statically balanced ailerons, each fitted with an automatic trim tab. DFS (Schempp-Hirth) airbrakes extend both above and below the wings.^[1]

Its fuselage is a metal semi-monocoque with aluminium alloy framing and duralumin skin. The cockpit is ahead of the wing with the pilot under a long, single piece Perspex canopy. On the underside, below the wing there is a monowheel, fitted with a brake, which retracts behind a pair of doors. The IAR-35 also has a fixed, semi-recessed tailwheel and a skid under the nose. The wing tips are protected by small, sprung balance wheels. Its fuselage becomes more slender behind the wing, mounting a conventional empennage with tall, straight edged, swept vertical surfaces and a dorsal fillet. The rudder is statically balanced and has a vertical trailing edge. A braced tailplane is mounted forward on the fin, a little above the fuselage, carrying similarly balanced elevators fitted with trim tabs.^[1]

The IAR-35 first flew in May 1986.^[1] Only a few were built but four remained on the Romanian civil register in 2010.^[2]

Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1990/91,^[1] Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 6.47 m (21 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 12.0 m (39 ft 4 in)
• Height: 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 10.80 m² (116.3 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 13.3
• Airfoil: NACA 64-015
• Empty weight: 250 kg (551 lb) - 270 kg (595.2 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 380 kg (838 lb)

Performance

• Stall speed: 86 km/h (53 mph, 46 kn)
• Never exceed speed: 380 km/h (240 mph, 210 kn) in smooth air
• Max rough air speed (V_A): 202 km/h (109 kn; 126 mph)
• g limits: +7 -5
• Maximum glide ratio: 26
• Best glide speed: 100 km/h (54 kn; 62 mph)
• Rate of sink: 0.85 m/s (167 ft/min) *Minimum sink speed: 95 km/h (51 kn; 59 mph)
• Wing loading: 35.19 kg/m² (7.21 lb/sq ft)

References

1. Lambert, M. (1990). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1990-1991. London: Jane's Information Group. pp. 648–9. ISBN 07106 0908 6.
2. Partington, Dave (2010). European registers handbook 2010. Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85130-425-0.
3. John W.R. Taylor, ed. (1988). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89. London: Jane's Information Group. p. 628. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.