Viking Dragonfly

Design and development

The Dragonfly is a two-seater variant of the Rutan Quickie. The aircraft features a tandem wing layout with a forward wing mounted low and the other behind the cockpit in a shoulder position, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The cockpit is 43 in (109 cm) wide

The aircraft is made from composites. Its forward 20 ft (6.1 m) span wing employs a GU25-5(11)8 mod airfoil, when the aft wing (span 22 ft) uses an Eppler 1212 airfoil. Both wings have a total area of 92.2 sq ft (8.57 m²). Standard engines used include the 60 hp (45 kW) Volkswagen air-cooled engine and the 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200 four-stroke powerplants. Construction time from the supplied kit is estimated as 700 hours, while from plans is estimated at over 1200 hours.

Operational history

The Dragonfly was given the Outstanding New Design Award at the EAA Convention in 1980. By 1998, 500 examples of all variants were reported as flying.

Variants

Dragonfly Mk I

Original version with main landing gear mounted in fairings at the lower wing tips. Operations require paved runways and wide taxiways due to widely spaced main wheels.

Dragonfly Mk II

Version with conventional landing gear.

Dragonfly Mk III

Version with tricycle landing gear.

Specifications (Mark III Millenium)

Data from

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Capacity: 1 passenger

Length: 19 ft 0 in (5.79 m)

Wingspan: 22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)

Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)

Wing area: 92.1 sq ft (8.56 m²)

Empty weight: 600 lb (272 kg)

Gross weight: 1,250 lb (567 kg)

Powerplant: 1 × Jabiru 2200 air-cooled flat-four

Performance

Cruise speed: 130 mph (209 km/h; 113 kn)

Stall speed: 55 mph (89 km/h; 48 kn)

Never exceed speed: 180 mph (290 km/h; 156 kn)

Range: 500 mi (434 nmi; 805 km)

g limits: +4.4, -2.0

Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.3 m/s)