Chasle YC 100 Hirondelle

Design and development

Yves Chasle worked as an Aérospatiale stress engineer and independently designed several light aircraft, starting with the Chasle YC-12 Tourbillon. His YC-100 Hirondelle is a largely wooden framed and fabric covered single-seat sports aircraft of conventional pusher layout. It has a strut braced high wing of constant chord with styrofoam ribs. The fuselage of the Hirondelle is a slender, rectangular cross-sectioned beam with the pilot's seat upon it ahead of the wing leading edge. Behind the pilot a central structure supports the wing just above head level; on its trailing edge, one of several types of small piston engine, with power outputs typically around 20 kW (27 hp), drives a pusher propeller. The fin is broad and straight-tapered and the horizontal tail is attached to the fuselage underside. The Hirondelle has a short, fixed tricycle undercarriage.

Its first flight was on 1 May 1985, powered by a 18 kW (24 hp) König SC 430 engine, a 430 cc (26.2 cu in), air-cooled, three-cylinder radial. The second prototype, built in Brazil, had a 16 kW (22 hp) JPX PUL 425/503 engine, a 212 cc (12.9 cu in) air-cooled flat-twin two stroke.

The number built is uncertain; in 2009 two examples, both YC-100s, appeared on European civil registers, one in Spain and one in France.

Variants

Plans for these were available but only the YC-100 is known to have been built.

YC-100

As described below but could also be fitted with a 16 kW (22 hp) JPX PUL 425/503.

YC-101

As YC-100 but span increased to 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in). Recommended engines were the JPX PUL 865, the 21 kW (28 hp) König SD 570 or the 22 kW (30 hp) KFM 107ER.

YC-110

Shorter span (8.25 m (27 ft 1 in) wings with NACA 23015 section and Junkers type, two part, full span auxiliary airfoil ailerons or flaperons. Recommended engines as YC-100 and also the König SD 570.

YC-111

Longer span (9.35 m (30 ft 8 in)) YC-110. Recommended engines were the König SD 570, KFM 107ER, JPX PUL 865 and also the Rotax 377 or 447, respectively 26 kW (35 hp) and 29.4 kW (39.4 hp).

Specifications (YC-100 prototype)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988/89

General characteristics

Crew: one

Length: 5.43 m (17 ft 10 in)

Wingspan: 8.30 m (27 ft 3 in)

Height: 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)

Wing area: 11.25 m² (121.1 sq ft)

Airfoil: 3.20.16Y (an Aérospatiale V.16F variant)

Empty weight: 110 kg (243 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 210 kg (463 lb)

Fuel capacity: 24 l (6.3 US gal; 5.3 Imp gal)

Powerplant: 1 × König SC 430 air-cooled three cylinder 430 cc (26.24 cu in) radial engine, 18 kW (24 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 130 km/h (81 mph; 70 kn)

Cruising speed: 100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn)

Stall speed: 45 km/h (28 mph; 24 kn)

Take-off run, grass: less than 100 m (330 ft)

Landing run, grass: about 27 m (90 ft)