17th April 2011:
The Flynano is a single-seat microlight which was designed
and developed by Aki Suokas, an aviation consultant, flight
designer and pilot.
The Flynano has been in development for 10 years, and
it recently made its world debut at the Aero 2011 show
in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
The biggest obstacle facing Aki while designing the Flynano
was weight. In order to fall within the microlight category
of aircraft, the Flynano had to weigh in at under 70 kilos
(154 lbs) - that's including the engine!
Normally when you think of microlights, images of flimsy
fabric wings and a mess of aluminium tubes springs to
mind. But with the Flynano you get a compact but sturdy
looking aircraft constructed almost entirely from carbon
fiber. This lightweight material is the secret to the
Flynano's success.
The Flynano's Wingspan is nearly 5 meters (16 ft), nose
to tail it measures 3.5 m (11.4 ft), and it's 1.3 m (4.2
ft) high. Maximum take off weight is 200 Kg (440 lbs)
so if you're over 130 kgs (286 lbs) you're out of luck
- and should probably consider going on a diet. The cruising
speed range of the Flynano is 43 - 87 mph (70 – 140
km/h) with a service ceiling of 1.85 miles (3 km).
Perhaps the only drawback to the Flynano's design is the
fact it can only takeoff and land on water. Hopefully
at some point a suitably lightweight wheeled undercarriage
option will be made available.
When deliveries of the Flynano start later in 2011 three
variants will be available including the E 200 electric
model, the two-stroke engine powered G 240 series, and
the higher performance R 260/300 series.
Prices for the Flynano start at €25,000 ($36,000)
and rise to €27,000 ($39,000).
Source: Flynano
via Gizmag |
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