Thu, Mar 04, 2010
At the 2010 U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, Belite Aircraft unveiled
the successors to their existing Belite ‘254’ FAR Part
103 compliant ultralight aircraft. Belite Aircraft hopes the two
new models, deemed the “Trike” and the
“Superlite,” will provide higher aircraft performance
than the Belite 254 while maintaining economical pricing.
Both models feature the same weight-saving carbon fiber design
as the original Belite 254, but as C.E.O. James Wiebe explained,
“the results go beyond simply making an existing design
lighter and incorporating some optional features. At Belite,
we’ve been able to adapt and refine our designs to create
aircraft and kit options to make flying available to a broader
audience.”
According to Belite, the Superlite offers exceptional Short Take
Off and Landing (STOL) performance; flight test data shows a
minimum requirement of 100 feet for takeoff. Like the Belite
‘254,’ the Superlite utilizes a carbon fiber design,
featuring the same fuselage and carbon fiber wing as its
predecessor. In order to reduce weight, however, Belite
engineers used a more aggressive carbon fiber design in the
Superlite cockpit, as well as removing the fabric covering from the
fuselage rear.
In contrast to the ‘254’, these changes allow the
Superlite to equip a twin-opposed cylinder 50hp Hirth engine, while
still meeting FAR Part 103 weight requirements (under 278 pounds
due to the Superlite’s standard-equipped ballistic
parachute).
Unlike the Belite Superlite or ‘254,’ the aptly
named Belite Trike features a free castering nose wheel and
composite main gear, eliminating the need for tailwheel piloting
skills. The Trike features a lightweight aluminum tube
fuselage instead of the steel fuselage seen on the other Belite
aircraft. Though the alumimun tubing makes the Trike easier to
build than the other Belite models, it makes the aircraft heavier.
Customers can choose between a 28hp engine and 45hp engine,
though the latter requires lighter carbon fiber wing construction
to meet Part 103 weight requirements.
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