Cloth-wing ultralight aircraft

Eipper quicksilver MX

A cloth-wing ultralight aircraft is an ultralight aircraft with a rigid wing made from a flexible material (cloth), often allowing (roll) control using piano wires.

Design

Unlike most ultralight trikes, a cloth-wing ultralight aircraft does not have a Rogallo wing, but a regular fixed wing that incorporates ribs. These ribs allow the use of a wing profile, and a higher life span for the wing (Rogallo-type wings last but 4 years^[1]). The use of a flexible material (cloth) also still allows rolling, hence not (necessairily) requiring the aircraft to have flaps, allowing a considerable weight reduction. The drawback however, when compared to a flap-equipped aircraft, is that the roll control happens allot slower.

Cloth-wing ultralight aircrafts developed before 1918 had very thin airfoils. More recent cloth-wing ultralight aircraft still have very thin airfoils (ie NACA 23112 used on APEV Pouchel, Rhodes St. Genese 32 used on Beaujon Enduro).

Examples

• Octave Chanute 1896 glider
• 1903 Wright Flyer
• Blériot IX
• Fokker Spin
• Gotha G.V
• Sopwith Camel
• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
• Eipper Quicksilver MX
• Beaujon Enduro
• ...

See also

• Early_flight
• 3-axis control
• Flexwing
• Wire bracing
• World_War_I_Aviation
• NACA_airfoil

References

1. ^ long to hang glide Life span of Rogallo wing