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Celair Eagle 300

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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

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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

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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]

By 1993, development had ceased and Celair was out of business.[7] In February 1993, the rights to the Eagle design were put up for sale.[3]

Specifications

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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

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References

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  1. ^ Taylor 1993, p.926
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Lambert, Munson & Taylor 1992, p.263
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Airscene Headlines, p.61
  4. ^ a b Flugerprobung, p.21
  5. ^ a b c Celair starts Eagle test program
  6. ^ a b c d e f Becker 1990, p.288
  7. ^ Taylor, Lambert & Munson 1993, p.343

Bibliography

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  • "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.
  • Taylor, Michael J.H.; Lambert, Mark; Munson, Kenneth, eds. (1993). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1993-94 (84th ed.). Coulson, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group.