Airborne Outback

Outback
Role	Ultralight trike
National origin	Australia
Manufacturer	Airborne Windsports
Status	Production completed
Variants	Airborne XT

The Airborne Outback is an Australian two-seat flying wing ultralight trike that was designed and produced by Airborne Windsports in the mid-2000s.[1]

Design and development

The Outback was developed as an off-airport aircraft, with a carriage that lacks a fairing and other encumbrances to "all-terrain" operations. It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seat, open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.[1]

The aircraft single surface Wizard model wing is made from bolted-together aluminium tubing, covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 9.96 m (32.7 ft) span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame control bar. The landing gear has optional tundra tires. The standard engine factory-supplied was the Rotax 582 liquid-cooled two-stroke powerplant of 48 kW (64 hp). The aircraft has demonstrated operations from sand dunes.[1]

The basic Outback model was later developed into the Airborne XT series that still dominates the company's product line in 2012.

Specifications (Outback)

Data from Bertrand[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Capacity: one passenger
• Wingspan: 9.96 m (32 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 17.6 m^2 (189 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 165 kg (364 lb)
• Gross weight: 401 kg (884 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 48 litres (11 imp gal; 13 US gal)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 582 twin cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled aircraft engine, 48 kW (64 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 93 km/h (58 mph, 50 kn)
• Cruise speed: 67 km/h (42 mph, 36 kn)
• Stall speed: 52 km/h (32 mph, 28 kn)
• Rate of climb: 4 m/s (790 ft/min)

References

1. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, pages 22-23. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X