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{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
|name = LH-10 Ellipse
|name = LH-10 Ellipse
|image = LH-10 Ellipse F-WWML.JPG
|image = File:LH-10 Ellipse F-WWML.JPG
|caption = LH-10 Ellipse F-WWML at the 2008 [[Farnborough Airshow]]
|caption = LH-10 Ellipse F-WWML at the 2008 [[Farnborough Airshow]]
}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
}}{{Infobox aircraft type
|type = Light Aircraft
|type = Light aircraft
|manufacturer = [[LH Aviation]]
|manufacturer = [[LH Aviation]]
|first flight = 2007
|first flight = 2007
|introduced =
|introduced =
|retired =
|retired =
|status = I production
|status = In production
|primary user = Benin
|primary user = [[Benin Air Force]]
|more users = Dubai (pending)
|more users =
|produced =
|produced = 2007-present
|number built = 3
|number built = 3
|unit cost = [[Euro|€]]1.3 million<ref>"[http://www.lhaviation.com/lh-aviation-announces-sale-of-ten-lh-10-ellipse/?lang=en LH Aviation announces sale of ten LH-10 Ellipse]" ''[[LH Aviation]]'', 23 April 2014</ref><!--€13 million for 10--> (list price for the military version with optronics)
|unit cost = [[Euro|€]]1300000 (list price for the military version with optronics), [[Euro|€]] ~145000 for the civilian version
|developed from =
|developed from =
|variants with their own articles =
|variants with their own articles =
Line 20: Line 20:
|}
|}


'''The LH-10 Ellipse''' is a two-seat light aircraft [[kitplane]] designed by [[LH Aviation]] of France. It is a low-wing single-engine [[pusher configuration]] with a [[tandem]] seating arrangement, and is constructed of [[composite materials]].<ref name="Ellipse website">{{cite web |url = http://www.lhaviation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=37&lang=en |title = LH Aviation |author = LH Aviation |accessdate = 2013-06-23 }}</ref><ref name="WDLA11">Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 63. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X</ref> The plane is marketed in a surveillance configuration as the '''Grand Duc''' ([[Eurasian Eagle-Owl|eagle-owl]]).
The '''LH Aviation LH-10 Ellipse''' is a two-seat light aircraft [[Homebuilt aircraft|kitplane]] designed by [[LH Aviation]] of France and manufactured by Morocco . It is a low-wing single-engine [[pusher configuration]] with a [[tandem]] seating arrangement, and is constructed of [[composite material]]s.<ref name="Ellipse website">{{cite web |url = http://www.lhaviation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=37&lang=en |title = LH Aviation |author = LH Aviation |accessdate = 2013-06-23 }}</ref><ref name="WDLA11">Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 63. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X</ref> The plane is marketed in a surveillance configuration as the '''Grand Duc''' ([[Eurasian eagle-owl]]).


== Development ==
== Design and development ==
⚫
The LH-10 Ellipse was conceived by Frenchman Sébastien Lefebvre, starting as an engineering [[Grandes écoles|grande école]] (university) project to conceive "a small plane with different design and performance than available for private pilots".<ref name=figaro201306>{{cite news | title = Bourget: consécration d'une PME | newspaper = Le Figaro | language = fr | date = 2013-06-23 | url = http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/2013/06/23/97002-20130623FILWWW00041-bourget-consecration-d-une-pme.php | accessdate = 2013-06-23}}</ref> This led to the founding of the company, LH Aviation, in May 2004.


⚫
As a surveillance plane, Sébastien Lefebvre conceives of the plane as an alternative to [[unmanned aerial vehicle|drone UAVs]], the latter being costly to operate, especially near airports. The Ellipse aims to "deliver 80% of the range of drone missions for 20% of the cost".<ref name=figaro201306 /> The potential of the plane for surveillance and military missions led the investment fund ''Magellan Industries'' to become a shareholder in LH Aviation. The Ellipse was thus further developed in collaboration with [[Thales Group|Thales]] as a modular platform for civilian and military missions with different equipment systems, including day and night vision, rocket launching, and on-board communication systems.<ref name=figaro201306 />
⚫
The LH-10 Ellipse was conceived by Frenchman Sébastien Lefebvre, starting as an engineering [[grande école]] (university) project to conceive "a small plane with different design and performance than available for private pilots".<ref name=figaro201306>{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = Bourget: consécration d'une PME | newspaper = Le Figaro | location = | pages = | language = French | publisher = | date = 2013-06-23 | url = http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/2013/06/23/97002-20130623FILWWW00041-bourget-consecration-d-une-pme.php | accessdate = 2013-06-23}}</ref> This led to the founding of the company, [[LH Aviation]], in May 2004.
[[File:LH Avn LH-10 Ellipse F-WWML FAR 20.07.08R edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|Side view of the LH-10 Ellipse exhibited at the 2008 Farnborough Air Show]]
⚫
The LH-10 Ellipse is a low-wing, tandem two-seat light kit aircraft, powered by a 100&nbsp;hp Rotax petrol engine in a pusher-propeller configuration. Its low weight and unusual configuration is designed to deliver a very high cruising speed with exceptional fuel economy.<ref name="WDLA11" /> This high speed and a relatively high 50-knot stall speed will exclude it from the UK [[Ultralight aviation|Microlight]] or United States [[Light-sport aircraft|LSA]] categories, so a full [[Private pilot licence#Categories_and_classes|single-engine private pilot certificate]] will be the minimum certification requirement to fly it in these countries, which are not the immediate target of the manufacturer, anyway. At the 2008 [[Farnborough Airshow]] LH-Aviation said that for the future they would be looking into LSA/ELA compliant production, possibly for the United States.


The airframe is constructed of [[composite material]] based on ingredients produced by [[DSM (company)|DSM]].<ref name="Ellipse website"/> The production model is powered by a [[Rotax 912]] four-cylinder reciprocating engine. (It has been tested using the 100&nbsp;hp ULS variant,<ref name="WDLA11" /> other options having been tested and discarded.)<ref name="Ellipse website"/> The [[Landing gear|undercarriage]] is a tricycle design, and will be available in fixed or electrically retractable front wheel configuration.<ref name="Ellipse website"/> The plane's design, with propeller in the tail and a short-nosed [[fuselage]] with a forward pilot seat in [[glider (aircraft)|glider]] configuration, offers a field of view of 300 degrees.<ref name=figaro201306 />
⚫
As a surveillance plane, Sébastien Lefebvre conceives of the plane as an alternative to [[unmanned aerial vehicle|drone UAVs]], the latter being costly to operate especially near airport. The Ellipse aims to "deliver 80% of the range of drone missions for 20% of the cost".<ref name=figaro201306 /> The potential of the plane for surveillance and military missions led the investment fund ''Magellan Industries'' to become a shareholder in LH Aviation. The Ellipse was thus further developed in collaboration with [[Thales Group|Thales]] as a modular platform for civilian and military missions with different equipment systems including day and night vision, rocket launching, and on-board communication systems.<ref name=figaro201306 />


The design follows the [[Bede BD-5]] configuration, but is longer, more streamlined and of lighter composite material.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ellipse-is-licensed-to-thrill-215053/ | title=Ellipse is licensed to thrill] | work=FlightGlobal}}</ref>
⚫
The LH-10 Ellipse is a low-wing, tandem two-seat light kit aircraft, powered by a 100&nbsp;hp Rotax petrol engine in a pusher-prop configuration. Its low weight and unusual configuration is designed to deliver a very high cruising speed with exceptional fuel economy.<ref name="WDLA11" /> This high speed and a relatively high 50-knot stall speed will exclude it from the UK [[Microlight]] or US LSA categories so a full [[Private Pilot License#Categories and classes|single-engine private pilot license]] will be the minimum license requirement to fly it in these countries, which are not the immediate target of the manufacturer anyway. At the 2008 [[Farnborough Airshow]] LH-Aviation said that for the future they would be looking into LSA/ELA compliant production, possibly for the US.


In February 2010 the aircraft began a series of tests required to achieve the French CNSK standard (an acromym for ''Certificat de Navigabilité Spécial Kit'', the French kitplane certification). The company reported that "all construction documents have been validated in December 2009 by the French and English authorities." <ref>Air et Cosmos n°2206 - February 19, 2010 - pp.14</ref>
In February 2010, the aircraft began a series of tests required to achieve the French CNSK standard (an acronym for ''Certificat de Navigabilité Spécial Kit'', the French kitplane certification). The company reported that "all construction documents have been validated in December 2009 by the French and English authorities."<ref>Air et Cosmos n°2206 - February 19, 2010 - pp.14</ref>


==Operational history==
==Design==
⚫
The [[Benin Armed Forces]] ordered two Grand Ducs to monitor their coastlines around the capital [[Porto-Novo]]. The Grand Duc is a so-called "aerial territory surveillance system" and differs from the original version only in its more extensive on-board instrumentation, including an autopilot, equipment for night flying, GPS, Iridium satellite communications, transponder, digital camera and a Geobox system for tracking the aircraft from the ground.<ref>[http://www.lepoint.fr/chroniqueurs-du-point/jean-guisnel/le-grand-duc-un-avion-pour-l-afrique-21-11-2010-1265066_53.php Le Point report on Benin order]</ref>
The airframe is constructed of [[composite material]] based on ingredients produced by [[DSM (company)|DSM]].<ref name="Ellipse website"/>
The production model is powered by a [[Rotax 912]] (it has been tested using the 100&nbsp;hp ULS variant),<ref name="WDLA11" /> other options having been tested and discarded.<ref name="Ellipse website"/>
The [[undercarriage]] is a tricycle design, and will be available in fixed or electrically retractable front wheel configuration.<ref name="Ellipse website"/>


The first production Grand Duc appeared at the June 2011 Paris Air Show, painted in the colours of the [[Benin Air Force]].<ref>Air-Britain Aviation World September 2011, p.140</ref> The first unit was delivered to [[Benin]] in late 2012 and the second unit was scheduled to be delivered in September 2013. By 2018, no aircraft were operational.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Housnou|first=Lucien|display-authors=etal|title=Entretien Avec Le Lieutenant-Colonel Hermann Avocanh, Chef D'etat-Major Des Forces Aériennes "Il faudra réorganiser les Forces Aériennes"|journal=Le Mirador|date=10 September 2018|volume=16|pages=24–27|url=http://defense.bj/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/LE-MIRADOR-n°16.pdf|accessdate=6 September 2019|language=fr}}</ref>
The plane's design, with propeller in the tail and a short-nosed [[fuselage]] with a forward pilot seat in [[glider (aircraft)|glider]] configuration, offers a field of view of 300 degrees.<ref name=figaro201306 />


⚫
At the 2013 [[Paris Air Show]], the company announced that it had received an order for 10 planes from [[Dubai]]-based Jet Energy. The planes are to be used in monitoring pipelines, oil rigs, and in tracking the [[dhow]]s that conduct contraband trade between [[Iran]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref name=figaro201306 />
==Users==

⚫
The [[Military of Benin|Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin]] has ordered two ''Grand Duc'' to monitor their coastlines around the capital [[Porto-Novo]]. The Grand Duc is a so-called "aerial territory surveillance system" and differs from the original version only in its comprehensive on-board instrumentation including autopilot, equipment for night flying, GPS, Iridium satellite communications, transponder, digital camera, Geobox system for tracking the aircraft from the ground, etc.<ref>[http://www.lepoint.fr/chroniqueurs-du-point/jean-guisnel/le-grand-duc-un-avion-pour-l-afrique-21-11-2010-1265066_53.php Le Point report on Benin order]</ref>

The first production Ellipse appeared at the June 2011 Paris Air Show, painted in the colours of the Air Force of Benin.<ref>Air-Britain Aviation World September 2011, p.140</ref> The first unit was delivered to [[Benin]] in late 2012 and the second unit was scheduled to be delivered in September 2013.

⚫
At the 2013 [[Paris Air Show]], the company announced that it had received an order for 10 planes from [[Dubai]]-based Jet Energy. The planes are to be used in monitoring pipelines, oil rigs, and in tracking the [[dhows]] that conduct contraband trade between [[Iran]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref name=figaro201306 />


==Specifications==
==Specifications==
{{Aircraft specs
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12<ref>{{cite book |title= Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011-12|last= Jackson |first=Paul |coauthors= |edition= |year=2011|publisher= IHS Jane's|location=Redhill, UK|isbn=978-0-7106-2955-5|page=207}}</ref>
|ref=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12<ref>{{cite book |title= Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011-12|last= Jackson |first=Paul |year=2011|publisher= IHS Jane's|location=Redhill, UK|isbn=978-0-7106-2955-5|page=207}}</ref>
|prime units?=met
|prime units?=met<!-- imp or kts first for US aircraft, and UK aircraft pre-metrification,
met(ric) first for all others. You MUST choose a format, or no specifications will show -->
<!--
General characteristics
-->
|genhide=


|crew=2
|crew=Two
|capacity=
|capacity=
|length m=5.11
|length m=5.11
Line 87: Line 75:
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=70 L (15.4 Imp gal, 18.5 USS gal)
|fuel capacity=70 L (15.4 Imp gal, 18.5 US gal)
|more general=
|more general=

<!--
Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Rotax 912 ULS]]
|eng1 name=[[Rotax 912|Rotax 912 ULS]]
|eng1 type=flat 4-cylinder piston, air- and water-cooled
|eng1 type=flat 4-cylinder piston, air- and water-cooled
|eng1 kw=73.5<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 kw=73.5
|eng1 hp=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 hp=
|eng1 shp=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 kn=<!-- jet/rocket engines -->
|eng1 lbf=<!-- jet/rocket engines -->
|eng1 note=
|eng1 note=

|power original=
|power original=
|more power=
|more power=
Line 106: Line 90:
|prop blade number=4
|prop blade number=4
|prop name=ground adjustable pusher
|prop name=ground adjustable pusher
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|prop note=

<!--
Performance
-->
|perfhide=


|max speed kmh=370
|max speed kmh=370
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|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=1500
|range km=1408
|range miles=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range nmi=
Line 144: Line 123:
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=+4.4/-2.2<!-- aerobatic -->
|g limits=+4.4/-2.2
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate ftmin=
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|more performance=
|more performance=
|avionics=
|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{Commonscat|LH Aviation LH-10 Ellipse}}
{{aircontent
|related=
|similar aircraft=
*[[Bede BD-5]]
|lists=
}}
}}


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{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.lhaviation.com/index.php}}


[[Category:LH Aviation aircraft|LH-10]]
[[Category:LH Aviation aircraft|LH-10]]
Line 168: Line 154:
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Homebuilt aircraft]]
[[Category:Homebuilt aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 2007]]

Latest revision as of 15:41, 25 October 2022

LH-10 Ellipse
LH-10 Ellipse F-WWML at the 2008 Farnborough Airshow
Role Light aircraft
Manufacturer LH Aviation
First flight 2007
Status In production
Primary user Benin Air Force
Produced 2007-present
Number built 3

The LH Aviation LH-10 Ellipse is a two-seat light aircraft kitplane designed by LH Aviation of France and manufactured by Morocco . It is a low-wing single-engine pusher configuration with a tandem seating arrangement, and is constructed of composite materials.[1][2] The plane is marketed in a surveillance configuration as the Grand Duc (Eurasian eagle-owl).

Design and development

[edit]

The LH-10 Ellipse was conceived by Frenchman Sébastien Lefebvre, starting as an engineering grande école (university) project to conceive "a small plane with different design and performance than available for private pilots".[3] This led to the founding of the company, LH Aviation, in May 2004.

As a surveillance plane, Sébastien Lefebvre conceives of the plane as an alternative to drone UAVs, the latter being costly to operate, especially near airports. The Ellipse aims to "deliver 80% of the range of drone missions for 20% of the cost".[3] The potential of the plane for surveillance and military missions led the investment fund Magellan Industries to become a shareholder in LH Aviation. The Ellipse was thus further developed in collaboration with Thales as a modular platform for civilian and military missions with different equipment systems, including day and night vision, rocket launching, and on-board communication systems.[3]

Side view of the LH-10 Ellipse exhibited at the 2008 Farnborough Air Show

The LH-10 Ellipse is a low-wing, tandem two-seat light kit aircraft, powered by a 100 hp Rotax petrol engine in a pusher-propeller configuration. Its low weight and unusual configuration is designed to deliver a very high cruising speed with exceptional fuel economy.[2] This high speed and a relatively high 50-knot stall speed will exclude it from the UK Microlight or United States LSA categories, so a full single-engine private pilot certificate will be the minimum certification requirement to fly it in these countries, which are not the immediate target of the manufacturer, anyway. At the 2008 Farnborough Airshow LH-Aviation said that for the future they would be looking into LSA/ELA compliant production, possibly for the United States.

The airframe is constructed of composite material based on ingredients produced by DSM.[1] The production model is powered by a Rotax 912 four-cylinder reciprocating engine. (It has been tested using the 100 hp ULS variant,[2] other options having been tested and discarded.)[1] The undercarriage is a tricycle design, and will be available in fixed or electrically retractable front wheel configuration.[1] The plane's design, with propeller in the tail and a short-nosed fuselage with a forward pilot seat in glider configuration, offers a field of view of 300 degrees.[3]

The design follows the Bede BD-5 configuration, but is longer, more streamlined and of lighter composite material.[4]

In February 2010, the aircraft began a series of tests required to achieve the French CNSK standard (an acronym for Certificat de Navigabilité Spécial Kit, the French kitplane certification). The company reported that "all construction documents have been validated in December 2009 by the French and English authorities."[5]

Operational history

[edit]

The Benin Armed Forces ordered two Grand Ducs to monitor their coastlines around the capital Porto-Novo. The Grand Duc is a so-called "aerial territory surveillance system" and differs from the original version only in its more extensive on-board instrumentation, including an autopilot, equipment for night flying, GPS, Iridium satellite communications, transponder, digital camera and a Geobox system for tracking the aircraft from the ground.[6]

The first production Grand Duc appeared at the June 2011 Paris Air Show, painted in the colours of the Benin Air Force.[7] The first unit was delivered to Benin in late 2012 and the second unit was scheduled to be delivered in September 2013. By 2018, no aircraft were operational.[8]

At the 2013 Paris Air Show, the company announced that it had received an order for 10 planes from Dubai-based Jet Energy. The planes are to be used in monitoring pipelines, oil rigs, and in tracking the dhows that conduct contraband trade between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.[3]

Specifications

[edit]

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12[9]

General characteristics

  • Crew: Two
  • Length: 5.11 m (16 ft 9 in) excluding nose probe
  • Wingspan: 8.00 m (26 ft 3 in)
  • Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
  • Wing area: 4.50 m2 (48.4 sq ft)
  • Aspect ratio: 14.2
  • Empty weight: 300 kg (661 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 70 L (15.4 Imp gal, 18.5 US gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912 ULS flat 4-cylinder piston, air- and water-cooled, 73.5 kW (98.6 hp)
  • Propellers: 4-bladed ground adjustable pusher

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 370 km/h (230 mph, 200 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 269 km/h (167 mph, 145 kn)
  • Stall speed: 106 km/h (66 mph, 57 kn)
  • Never exceed speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn)
  • Range: 1,408 km (875 mi, 760 nmi)
  • Endurance: 10 hr
  • g limits: +4.4/-2.2

See also

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to LH Aviation LH-10 Ellipse.

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d LH Aviation. "LH Aviation". Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  2. ^ a b c Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 63. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  3. ^ a b c d e "Bourget: consécration d'une PME". Le Figaro (in French). 2013-06-23. Retrieved 2013-06-23.
  4. ^ "Ellipse is licensed to thrill]". FlightGlobal.
  5. ^ Air et Cosmos n°2206 - February 19, 2010 - pp.14
  6. ^ Le Point report on Benin order
  7. ^ Air-Britain Aviation World September 2011, p.140
  8. ^ Housnou, Lucien; et al. (10 September 2018). "Entretien Avec Le Lieutenant-Colonel Hermann Avocanh, Chef D'etat-Major Des Forces Aériennes "Il faudra réorganiser les Forces Aériennes"" (PDF). Le Mirador (in French). 16: 24–27. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  9. ^ Jackson, Paul (2011). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011-12. Redhill, UK: IHS Jane's. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-7106-2955-5.
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