Viking Dragonfly

Dragonfly
Role Light aircraft
National origin United States of America
Manufacturer Viking Aircraft LLC/Slipstream Industries
First flight June 16, 1980[1]
Number built 500+ (2003)[1]
Unit cost
US$8,500 (kit, 1998)
Developed from Rutan Quickie

The Viking Dragonfly is an American amateur-built aircraft, designed by Bob Walters [2] and produced by Viking Aircraft LLC of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The aircraft is supplied as a kit or as plans for amateur construction.[3]

Design and development

The Dragonfly is a two-seater variant of the Rutan Quickie. The aircraft features a tandem wing layout with a forward wing mounted low and the other behind the cockpit in a shoulder position, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The cockpit is 43 in (109 cm) wide[3]

The aircraft is made from composites. Its forward 20 ft (6.1 m) span wing employs a GU25-5(11)8 mod airfoil, when the aft wing (span 22 ft) uses an Eppler 1212 airfoil.[4] Both wings have a total area of 92.2 sq ft (8.57 m2). Standard engines used include the 60 hp (45 kW) Volkswagen air-cooled engine and the 85 hp (63 kW) Jabiru 2200 four-stroke powerplants. Construction time from the supplied kit is estimated as 700 hours, while from plans is estimated at over 1200 hours.[1][3]

Operational history

The Dragonfly was given the Outstanding New Design Award at the EAA Convention in 1980.[5] By 1998, 500 examples of all variants were reported as flying.[3]

Variants

Dragonfly Mk 2
Dragonfly Mk I
Original version with main landing gear mounted in fairings at the lower wing tips. Operations require paved runways and wide taxiways due to widely spaced main wheels.[3]
Dragonfly Mk II
Version with conventional landing gear.[3]
Dragonfly Mk III
Version with tricycle landing gear.[3]

Specifications (Mark III Millenium)

Data from [1]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Similar aircraft

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jackson 2003, pp. 734–735.
  2. Bill Cox : "...Bob Walters, an ex-Navy fighter pilot with a penchant for designing his own airplanes. Walters came up with his two-seat adaptation of the Quickie..." in Homebuilt Aircraft, March 1985, "New legs for a Dragonfly", page 18
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 284-285. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  4. Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  5. "General Flight" Flight International, 1 November 1980 p1681
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