AMS-Flight Carat
| Carat | |
|---|---|
| |
| A Carat at the municipal airport in Hollister, California | |
| Role | high performance motorglider |
| Manufacturer | AMS Flight |
| First flight | 1998[1] |
The Carat A is a single-seat, high performance motorglider. The sailplane was originally designed and built by Technoflug in Germany[1] and is now manufactured by AMS Flight in Slovenia.
General description
The Carat is a racing motorglider. It has a unique propeller: the blades fold forward like spears to minimize drag when the engine is off. This is in contrast to other motorgliders which either store the propeller inside the fuselage, or merely feather the propeller blades. The Carat's propeller is opened strictly by centrifugal force from the running engine, and folds back automatically by a spring mechanism when the engine is stopped. This mechanism has the advantage of simplicity, but it means that the engine can not be windmill-started if the battery is flat.
The plane uses the wing from the Schempp-Hirth Discus, one of the most successful sailplane wing designs.
The 4-cylinder, 4-stroke engine generates 60 horsepower (45 kW) for launch and powered flight. It is manufactured by VW, but modified by Sauer for aviation use. The airplane cannot be towed aloft like traditional sailplanes.
It is a tail dragger. The Carat has electrically-operated retractable landing gear and a steerable tailwheel. Braking is performed using a hydraulic hand-brake mounted on the control stick.
This wing has turbulators on the underside to achieve a controlled transition from laminar to turbulent flow.
Major features
- Fast cruising speed and long range
- Conventional T-tail with fixed stabilizer and moving elevator
- Retractable landing gear
- Automatic control connections
- Schempp-Hirth air brakes on upper wing surface
- Can be rigged and de-rigged by one person
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Aspect ratio: 21.3
Performance
- Maximum glide ratio: 35