Delta Sailplane Nomad

Design and development

The Nomad and Honcho were both designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 254 lb (115 kg). Both have a standard empty weight of 189 lb (86 kg). They feature a strut-braced high-wing, a single-seat, open cockpit and a single engine in pusher configuration. The Nomad is the motorglider version with monowheel gear and a longer wing, while the Honcho has tricycle landing gear and a shorter wing.

The aircraft are both made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with the wings and tail surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric covering. The high wing is supported by V-struts with jury struts. The pilot sits on an open seat with no windshield. Engines used include the 26 hp (19 kW) Lloyd DS1, 28 hp (21 kW) Lloyd DS2 and the 18 hp (13 kW) Solo 210.

The assembly time is 120–150 hours.

Variants

Honcho

Tricycle landing gear version with nosewheel steering, an auxiliary tailwheel and a 32.2 ft (9.8 m) span wing.

Nomad

Monowheel gear version with a 36.1 ft (11.0 m) span wing, wing area of 147 sq ft (13.7 m²), wing loading of 2.77 lb/sq ft (13.5 kg/m²) and a cruise speed of 55 mph (89 km/h).

Specifications (Honcho)

Data from Cliche and Virtual Ultralight Museum

General characteristics

Crew: one

Length: 18.5 ft (5.6 m)

Wingspan: 32.2 ft (9.8 m)

Wing area: 131 sq ft (12.2 m²)

Empty weight: 189 lb (86 kg)

Gross weight: 407 lb (185 kg)

Fuel capacity: 2.5 U.S. gallons (9.5 L; 2.1 imp gal)

Powerplant: 1 × Lloyd DS1 , 26 hp (19 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 60 mph (97 km/h; 52 kn)

Stall speed: 27 mph (43 km/h; 23 kn)

Endurance: 2.0 hours

Rate of climb: 620 ft/min (3.1 m/s)

Wing loading: 3.1 lb/sq ft (15 kg/m²)