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South African ultralight aircraft From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rainbow Cheetah a South African ultralight and light-sport aircraft, designed by Vladimir Chechin and produced by Rainbow Aircraft. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.[1]
Cheetah | |
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Role | Ultralight aircraft and Light-sport aircraft |
National origin | South Africa |
Manufacturer | Rainbow Aircraft |
Designer | Vladimir Chechin |
Status | In production (2012) |
Developed from | Best Off Skyranger |
Variants | Rainbow Cheetah XLS |
The aircraft was derived from the Best Off Skyranger[1] and designed to comply with Canadian Advanced Ultralight criteria and the US light-sport aircraft rules. It features a strut-braced high-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit with optional doors for access, fixed tricycle landing gear or optionally conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.[1][2]
The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 9.6 m (31.5 ft) span wing has an area of 13.25 m2 (142.6 sq ft) and mounts flaps. Standard engines available are the 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 two-stroke, the 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL and the 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS four-stroke powerplants.[1]
The Cheetah XLS has been accepted by Transport Canada as an Advanced Ultralight as both a land plane and seaplane, powered by the Rotax 582 two-stroke, the Rotax 912UL, the Rotax 912ULS, the Verner VM133 and the 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200A engines.[3]
By August 2012 there were three Cheetahs on the Federal Aviation Administration registry and two on the Transport Canada Civil Aircraft Register.[4][5]
Data from Bayerl and manufacturer[1][8]
General characteristics
Performance