Duruble Edelweiss
| Edelweiss | |
|---|---|
| Role | Utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Homebuilt |
| Designer | Roland T. Duruble |
| First flight | 7 July 1962 |
| Number built | at least 10 by 1985 |
|
| |
The Duruble Edelweiss is a light utility aircraft designed in France in the early 1960s and marketed for homebuilding. It is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and all-metal construction. The aircraft was designed for a load factor of 9.[1] Two- and four-seat versions were designed. The aircraft's creator, Roland Duruble flew the first example, a two-seater designated RD-02 in 1962, and in 1970 began to market plans for a stretched version with a rear bench seat as the RD-03. Over the next 15 years, 56 sets of plans had been sold, and at least nine Edelweisses finished and flown. In the 1980s, Duruble marketed an updated version of his original two-seater as the RD-02A, and sold around seven sets of plans, with at least one aircraft flying by 1985.
Variants
- RD-02
- RD-02A
- Variant designed for homebuilt construction[2]
- RD-03A
- Two-seat variant with a 100 hp (75 kW) Continental O-200 engine.
- RD-03B
- Variant designed to have either a 100 hp (75 kW) Lycoming or Franklin Sport 4B engine. Utility variant with two seats or a normal variant with 2+2 seating.
- RD-03C
- Variant with a 140 hp (104 kW) Lycoming engine and increased fuel capacity. Utility variant with two-seats or a normal variant with 2+2 seating for four adults.
Specifications (typical RD-03)
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 3 passengers
- Length: 6.88 m (22 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 8.82 m (28 ft 11 in)
- Height: 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 11.4 m2 (123 ft2)
- Empty weight: 510 kg (1,124 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,010 kg (2,227 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 horizontally-opposed air-cooled four-cylinder piston engine, 112 kW (150 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 275 km/h (171 mph)
- Range: 1,100 km (685 miles)
- Service ceiling: 5,030 m (16,500 ft)
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 347.
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985-86. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 549–50.