By ANN Correspondent John Ballantyne

Dobro Hajek has been hard at work... and his labors were on display in the ultralight area of the EAA AirVenture this year. Dobro graduated from the Aeronautics Institute of Czechoslovakia and has been involved with the aircraft industry for 30 years. His redesign of the Straton D-9 motorglider is an attempt to remake the model D-8 into an easier-to-construct and less expensive format. Dobro hopes to begin flight tests within a few weeks.

The design purpose of the Straton D-9 ultralight motorglider is recreational flying -- soaring and cross-country. The construction is aluminum and fabric. All components will be preformed, pre-cut, machined, and all welding is to be done at the factory,

The wing is comprised of a single aluminum spar with aluminum leading edge and Styrofoam ribs forming a very rigid D-cell unit. Push-pull aluminum tubes actuate aileron movement and the frame will be covered with standard aircraft fabric. The V-tail is similarly constructed.

The Fuselage is a simple classic aluminum tube and gusset framework with plywood bulkheads and aluminum bodywork around the canopy. Consistent with its sailplane configuration, the aircraft rolls on a single (belly mount) landing wheel. Power for the glider is provided by a Hirth F-33 (28 HP) mounted on a welded, chrome-moly steel structure.

With a predicted stall speed of 25 mph, a glide ratio of 18:1 and a sink rate of 3.0 feet per second, the Straton D-9 could be a hit for those who have sought the simplicity of ultralight soaring flight with the ability to self-launch.

Patriot Aircraft, formerly Aero Dovron, will produce the Straton D-9. Now owned by Jim and Aaron Tripp, they have been designing and building aircraft since 1990.

FMI: www.patriotaircraft.com