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LH Aviation LH-10 Ellipse

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LH-10 Ellipse
LH-10 Ellipse F-WWML at the 2008 Farnborough Airshow
Role Light Aircraft
Manufacturer LH Aviation
First flight 2007
Status Undergoing flight testing/certification
Primary user Benin
Number built 1

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.[1][2]

Development

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-prop configuration. It is being designed by a small French firm LH Aviation. 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 US LLA categories, and a full SEP PPL will be the minimum licence requirement to fly it.

At the 2008 Farnborough Airshow LH-Aviation said they expected approval for the kit by the UK regulator, the Light Aircraft Association, in September of that year, with first kit delivery targeted for November 2008. The company also said that for the future they would be looking into LSA/ELA compliant production, possibly for the US. Sales as a LSA in the US would of course require a change in stall and maximum speed.

However, these targets proved to be optimistic. 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 reports that "all construction documents have been validated in December 2009 by the French and English authorities." [3]

The Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin has ordered two Grand Duc to monitor their coastlines around the capital Porto-Novo. The Grand Duke 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.[4] The first production Ellipse appeared at the June 2011 Paris Air Show, painted in the colours of the Air Force of Benin.[5]

Nevertheless, four years after the aircraft's static appearance at the 2008 Farnborough Air Show, there is still no evidence of any deliveries to customers. As of July 2012, the most recent updates to the site include a series of pictures apparently showing the LH-10 prototype flying at the 2011 Paris air show. There is no current evidence that the aircraft is close to being commercially available or viable.

Design

The airframe is constructed of composite material.[1]

The production model is likely to be powered by a Rotax 912 (it has been tested using the 100 hp ULS variant),[2] although other options have been tested and discarded.[1]

The undercarriage is a tricycle design, and will be available in fixed or electrically retractable front wheel configuration.[1]

Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12[6]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • 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 USS 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: 1,500 km (930 mi, 810 nmi)
  • Endurance: 10 hr
  • g limits: +4.4/-2.2

References

  1. ^ a b c d LH Aviation (unknown). "LH Aviation". Retrieved 10.1.2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  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. ^ Air et Cosmos n°2206 - February 19, 2010 - pp.14
  4. ^ Le Point report on Benin order
  5. ^ Air-Britain Aviation World September 2011, p.140
  6. ^ 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. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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