Sportavia-Pützer RS 180 Sportsman

RS-180 Sportsman
Role Sport aircraft
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Sportavia-Pützer
Designer René Fournier
First flight 1978[1]
Number built 18[2]
Unit cost
DM 92,500 in 1978[3]
Developed from Fournier RF-6

The Sportavia-Pützer RS-180 Sportsman is a four-seat sport aircraft that was produced in Germany in the late 1970s.[4]

The aircraft is a conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage.[1] The pilot and passengers are seated in 2+2 configuration under a large bubble canopy.[5] The structure is of wood, covered in plywood and given an outer skin of fibreglass.[1]

Design and development

Rhein-Flugzeugbau (RFB) was founded in 1956. In 1976 it acquired the assets of Sportavia-Pützer, which had been formed in 1966 to take over from Alpavia SA the production of several light aircraft types designed by René Fournier. Sportavia-Pützer produced Fournier aircraft beginning in 1966, and in 1970 Fournier initiated the design of a new four-seat cabin monoplane, the Sportsman. The first prototype Sportsman first flew on 1 March 1973, but the second prototype, which made its maiden flight on 28 April 1976, was a completely redesigned version which was created by Sportavia. This redesigned model was designated the RF-6C Sportsman when it entered production in late 1976, and was renamed RS-180 Sportsman when a new empennage design was added in early 1978, following the fatal crash of the prototype in May 1977.[3] The extensive redesign included reshaping the horizontal tail and relocating it part-way up the fin,[3] changing the wing profile,[3] and removing the turned-down wingtips of the RF-6C.[3] In this form, the RS-180 gained German type certification in 1978.[6]

Basic structure of the Sportsman is wood, with a low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration. The surface is covered with fibreglass. A fixed nosewheel undercarriage with wheel fairings is used. The cabin employs a large bubble canopy.

At the end of 1980, Sportavia-Pützer was integrated into the RFB organisation, the RS-180 being re-designated FRB RS-180 Sportsman. Production was halted in early 1981, after fewer than two dozen units had been completed.[2][7]

Specifications (RS 180)

Data from Wurster 2001, p. 89; Mondey, p. 218

General characteristics

Performance

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Team Test 43: Sportavia RS 180", p. 88
  2. 1 2 Simpson 1995, p. 378
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Barnett, Field, Hurst et al. 1978, p. 1438
  4. Taylor 1989, p.839
  5. "Team Test 43: Sportavia RS 180", p.89
  6. "Certification du RS 180 Sportsman", p. 42
  7. Mondey

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.