Practavia Sprite
| Sprite | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Homebuilt trainer/tourer monoplane |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Practavia |
| First flight | 1971 |
| Number built | 8 |
The Practavia Sprite is a British two-seat homebuilt training or touring monoplane designed for amateur construction. It was the winning entry in a competition sponsored by Pilot magazine in 1968. The design had been begun as a magazine-sponsored project by Peter Garrison, who worked for Pilot at the time; when the project did not move forward rapidly enough to suit him, he returned to the United States, where he modified his design into what would become his first Melmoth.
Development
The prototype Sprite, named the Pilot Sprite, was designed by a team at Loughborough University and had little in common with Garrison's design, though both were all-metal side-by-side low-wing cantilever monoplanes with tricycle landing gear. The Sprite was powered by a Rolls-Royce Continental O-240-A piston engine. Plans for amateur building were marketed by Practavia Ltd as the Practavia Sprite.
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 (pilot)
- Capacity: 1 (passenger)
- Length: 20 ft 0 in (6.09 m)
- Wingspan: 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
- Height: 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
- Empty weight: 850 lb (386 kg)
- Gross weight: 1400 lb (635 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Continental O-240-A, 130 hp (97 kW)
Performance
- Cruise speed: 128 mph (205 km/h)
References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.