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Sportavia Pützer RS 180 Sportsman

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Top speed
  
320 km/h

Length
  
7.15 m

Manufacturer
  
Sportavia-Pützer

Wingspan
  
10 m

First flight
  
1978

Designer
  
René Fournier

Sportavia-Pützer RS 180 Sportsman httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

The Sportavia-Pützer RS-180 Sportsman is a four-seat sport aircraft that was produced in Germany in the late 1970s.

Contents

The aircraft is a conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage. The pilot and passengers are seated in 2+2 configuration under a large bubble canopy. The structure is of wood, covered in plywood and given an outer skin of fibreglass.

Design and development

Rhein-Flugzeugbau (RFB) was founded in 1956. In 1976 it acquired the assets of Sportavia-Pützer, which had been formed in 1966 to take over from Alpavia SA the production of several light aircraft types designed by René Fournier. Sportavia-Pützer produced Fournier aircraft beginning in 1966, and in 1970 Fournier initiated the design of a new four-seat cabin monoplane, the Sportsman. The first prototype Sportsman first flew on 1 March 1973, but the second prototype, which made its maiden flight on 28 April 1976, was a completely redesigned version which was created by Sportavia. This redesigned model was designated the RF-6C Sportsman when it entered production in late 1976, and was renamed RS-180 Sportsman when a new empennage design was added in early 1978, following the fatal crash of the prototype in May 1977. The extensive redesign included reshaping the horizontal tail and relocating it part-way up the fin, changing the wing profile, and removing the turned-down wingtips of the RF-6C. In this form, the RS-180 gained German type certification in 1978.

Basic structure of the Sportsman is wood, with a low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration. The surface is covered with fibreglass. A fixed nosewheel undercarriage with wheel fairings is used. The cabin employs a large bubble canopy.

At the end of 1980, Sportavia-Pützer was integrated into the RFB organisation, the RS-180 being re-designated FRB RS-180 Sportsman. Production was halted in early 1981, after fewer than two dozen units had been completed.

Specifications (RS 180)

Data from Wurster 2001, p. 89; Mondey, p. 218

General characteristics

  • Crew: one pilot
  • Capacity: three passengers
  • Length: 7.15 m (23 ft 5½ in)
  • Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5½ in)
  • Height: 2.56 m (8 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 14.5 m2 (156.08 ft2)
  • Aspect ratio: 7.60
  • Empty weight: 640 kg (1,411 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,100 kg (2,425 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-360-A3A, 134 kW (180 hp) each

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 320 km/h (200 mph)
  • Cruising speed: 225 km/h (140 mph)
  • Range: 1,210 km (746 miles)
  • Service ceiling: 5,400 m (17,715 ft)

    • References

    Sportavia-Pützer RS 180 Sportsman Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA