Air Creation BioniX

BioniX
Air Creation Tanarg with a Bionix wing
Role	Ultralight trike wing
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Air Creation
Status	In production (2013)

The Air Creation BioniX is a French double-surface ultralight trike wing, designed and produced by Air Creation of Aubenas. The wing is widely used on Air Creation trikes.[1]

Design and development

The wing is a cable-braced, king post-equipped hang glider-style wing designed as advanced, top-of-the-line wing for two-place trikes. It comes in two sizes, 13 m^2 (140 sq ft) and 15.1 m^2 (163 sq ft).[1][2]

The wing is made from bolted-together aluminium tubing, with its double surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. In its 15.1 m size it has a 9.85 m (32.3 ft) span wing, a nose angle of 130°, an aspect ratio of 6.4:1 and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The wing mounts small winglets. The design incorporates a unique "corset" system that allows the pilot to adjust the wing's trailing edge geometry in flight to optimize performance. This results in a large speed range and good handling characteristics in turbulence, without heavy roll control.[1][3][4]

Variants

BioniX 13

13 m^2 (140 sq ft) wing area version[1][2]

BioniX 15

15.1 m^2 (163 sq ft) wing area version[1][2]

Applications

• Air Creation Tanarg[1]
• Air Creation Skypper[1]

Specifications (BioniX 15)

Data from Bayerl and Air Creation[1][3]

General characteristics

• Wingspan: 9.85 m (32 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 15.1 m^2 (163 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 6.4:1
• Empty weight: 56 kg (123 lb) wing weight
• Gross weight: 472.5 kg (1,042 lb) maximum aircraft gross weight allowed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 157 km/h (98 mph, 85 kn)
• Cruise speed: 135 km/h (84 mph, 73 kn)
• Stall speed: 55 km/h (34 mph, 30 kn)
• Wing loading: 31.29 kg/m^2 (6.41 lb/sq ft) maximum

References

1. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 198. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
2. Air Creation (n.d.). "BioniX". Retrieved 24 February 2013.
3. Air Creation (2012). "Technical Characteristics & Performance" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
4. Air Creation (n.d.). "Corset" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2013.

External links

• Official website