Manufacturer Loehle Aircraft | ||
Loehle spad xiii ultralight experimental lightsport amateur built aircraft
The Loehle SPAD XIII is a family of American single-seat, biplane, conventional landing gear, single engine, ultralight aircraft produced in kit form by Loehle Aircraft for amateur construction. The aircraft meets the requirements of the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles regulations when equipped with a lightweight engine.
Contents
Design and development
The SPAD XIII is built predominantly from riveted aluminum tubing and stainless steel gussets and stamped aluminum wing ribs, all covered in doped aircraft fabric. The landing gear is of conventional configuration, with a tail skid. For scale requirements the cockpit is only 18 in (46 cm) wide.
The standard engine recommended for the design is the out-of-production 28 hp (21 kW) Rotax 277, with the also out-of-production 35 hp (26 kW) Rotax 377 as an option. Other recommended engines include the 40 hp (30 kW) Rotax 447 and 2si powerplants. Kit options include brakes and a long-range fuel tank.
The initial aircraft in the line is a scale replica of the First World War SPAD XIII. The same basic airframe has been developed, though the use of different rudders, wingtips, cowlings and other minor cosmetic differences, into replicas of other First World War fighter aircraft.
Reviewer Andre Cliche says about the SPAD XIII, that it "looks like a museum piece. But imagine that you can fly this museum piece and feel what the WWI pilots felt when they flew their war machines."
Variants
Specifications (SPAD XIII)
Data from Kitplanes and Loehle
General characteristics
Performance