| Jet Fox | |
|---|---|
| Role | Two seat ultralight |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Euro-ALA |
| Designer | Alfredo Di Cesare |
| First flight | 1991 |
| Number built | 280 by 2010 |
The Euro-ALA Jet Fox is an Italian single engine ultralight aircraft, seating two in side-by-side configuration. Production began in the early 1990s, with 280 sold by 2010.
Contents |
The Jet Fox is a high wing aircraft, its deep side-by-side cabin and relatively slender rear fuselage giving it a a pod and boom appearance. The parallel chord, fabric covered wing, mounted over the cabin is braced with a pair of narrow, V-form lift struts from the lower forward fuselage. The wings fold for transport. The fuselage has a tubular metal structure within a carbon fibre shell. The cabin is fully enclosed, with two large transparent doors. The Jet Fox has a short legged tricycle undercarriage, with spatted mainwheels on cantilever legs fixed to the fuselage at the same point as the lift struts; it sits quite tail high on the ground. Tail surfaces are conventional, with a swept, straight tapered fin and rudder. The Rotax engine is tractor mounted above and forward of the wing, projecting over the cabin. Two engine choices are available, a 64 hp (48 kW) Rotax 582 or a 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912 UL.[1][2]
The original Jet Fox 91 first flew in 1991, with 140 sold by 1993. It was followed by the Jet Fox 97, which first flew on 10 March 1997 and had a fully cowled engine. Later improvements included better soundproofing. By 2010, 280 examples of all models had been sold. A proposed version with aluminium skinned wings, Fowler flaps and with easier access to a wider cabin was not proceeded with.[1][2] An amphibious floatplane version appeared at Sun 'n' Fun 2006, fitted with a 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912S engine.[2][3]
In 2004 Mr Azmi Othman (The First Malaysian dealing with EuroAla Srl) from Bumi Light Aircraft Industries (M) Sdn Bhd has brought in one unit of Jetfox 97 to Malaysia (Reg: 9M EBL ~ the first Jetfox aircraft legally registered in Malaysia). BLAI (M) SB was appointed as the collobaration partners with EuroAla Srl. He seek advised from the former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed to assist him to bring the project back to Malaysia for the benefits of all Malaysian. In 2010 a deal between Euro-ALA and Aircraft Holdings, a Malaysian company, formed Euroala Industries Sdn Bhd to move Jet Fox production to a site near Kuala Lumpur where labour costs are lower than in Italy.[4]
A Jet Fox 91D is on display in the Auto und Technik Museum, Sinsheim, Germany.[5]
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft[2]
Current versions, based on Jet Fox 97
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011-12[2]
General characteristics
Performance
|
||||||||||||||