Celair Eagle 300
| Eagle 300 | |
|---|---|
| Role | General aviation light aircraft |
| National origin | South Africa |
| Manufacturer | Celair (Pty) Limited |
| Designer | Pieter Celliers |
| First flight | 4 April 1990 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Celair Eagle 300 was a light aircraft with STOL capability[1] developed in South Africa in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[2] Only a single prototype was constructed.
Design[edit]
The Eagle 300 was a strut-braced, high-wing monoplane of conventional design.[2] The pilot and up to five passengers sat in an enclosed cabin, but the passenger seats were removable to make room for cargo.[2] It had a conventional tail and was equipped with fixed, tailwheel undercarriage.[2] The portside, rear fuselage incorporated a large, upward hinging door for cargo loading.[2]
The central fuselage was built from a steel tube structure, and the wings had a single steel spar,[2][3] but otherwise, the Eagle 300 was constructed largely of composite materials.[2][3][4][5] A honeycomb of low-pressure/elevated-temperature (LPET) fibreglass and Nomex honeycomb was used throughout.[2]
Development[edit]
Pieter Celliers' firm Celair was the South African distributor for Christen and Pitts.[6] In August 1987, Celliers engaged the South African government's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to develop a 4-6 seat aircraft[3][6] that was simple and rugged.[3][5][6]
Celliers wanted to use composite materials for construction, and developed a sailplane, the Celair GA-1, in parallel with the Eagle to validate construction methods.[3][6] When the GA-1 proved successful, he began construction of the Eagle[6] at Celair's Roodewal factory near Ermelo.[3]
The prototype, registered ZS-WLD, made its first flight on 4 April 1990.[2] Shortly after this, Celliers displayed it at the Aviation Africa 90 trade show at Rand Airport.[6]
Celliers' plans for the Eagle were to obtain American FAR 23 and South African DCA certification[2] and to put it into production by 1992.[2][4][5]
In February 1993, the rights to the Eagle design were put up for sale.[3]
Specifications[edit]
Data from Lambert, Munson & Taylor 1992, p.263
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Capacity: 5 passengers
- Length: 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 11.20 m (36 ft 9 in)
- Height: 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 16.20 m2 (174.4 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 900 kg (1,984 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,750 kg (3,858 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Textron Lycoming IO-540-K six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled piston engine, 220 kW (300 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 300 km/h (190 mph, 160 kn) at speed level
- Cruise speed: 259 km/h (161 mph, 140 kn) at sea level
- Range: 1,090 km (680 mi, 590 nmi) with 15% reserves
- Rate of climb: 6.75 m/s (1,329 ft/min)
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- "Airscene Headlines". Air International. Vol. 52, no. 8. Stamford, Lincolnshire: Key Publishing. February 1993. pp. 58–64.
- Becker, Dave (August 1990). "The Celair Eagle 300". Air Pictorial. Vol. 52, no. 8. Ascot, Berkshire: Profile Books. p. 288.
- "Celair starts Eagle test program". Flight International. Surrey: Reed Business Publishing. 11–13 June 1990. p. 20.
- "Flugerprobung" [Flight testing]. Flug Revue. No. 8. Stuttgart: Motor Press. 1990. p. 21.
- Lambert, Mark; Munson, Kenneth; Taylor, Michael J.H., eds. (1992). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1992-93 (83rd ed.). Coulson, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1993). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.