Pélican ultralight airplane - $5,500.

CONSTRUCTION

The Pelican was sold in kit form by Ultravia in 1984. It is an aircraft of traditionnal configuration with a taildragger landing gear and steerable tailwheel. The photo above shows the aircraft with the original Global engine fitted with a an aluminum cowling. The fuselage and tail unit are built with aluminum tubes covered with doped fabric. The wing structure consists of an aluminum D-cell spar on which the styrofoam ribs are mounted. The wings are also covered with doped fabric. Wings are hung to the fuselage with a single strut. All these characteristics combine to give an aerodynamically clean wing with an exceptional 12-to-1 glide ratio.

ENGINE

The Pelican is powered by a Gobal 1039 cc. This is the original engine that came with this airframe kit back in 1984. The Global is a 4-stroke, 2-cylinder engine based on the Volkswagen flat four, air-cooled engine, except that this one has 2 cylinders instead of four. For this reason, it is often referred to as a half-VW engine. However, the castings are especially designed for aircraft use. This engine is very fuel efficient and burns only 1 gallon of autogas per hour. It is also more reliable than 2-strokes. It is free-air cooled and the oil circulates through an oil cooler located below the fuselage. This engine is devoid of all the troublesome components such as a cooling fan, radiator, hoses, thermostat and other hardware associated with liquid-cooling systems; making it more reliable and less hassle to maintain. The 58 X 24 inch wood propeller is bolted directly to the solid forged crankshaft. This eliminates the potential problems of reduction drives with their added mechanical complexity and heavier weight. The Global develops 35 hp @ 3250 RPM and has plenty of torque for a direct-drive prop. Ignition is by a magneto. This eliminates the need for a battery and alternator and allows for a very simple and reliable electrical system. The Global is started by hand propping; another simple and reliable system that never breaks down. This engine is surprisingly light for a 4-stroke; it weighs only 76 lbs ready-to-run. As far as maintenance is concerned, it is minimal and replacement parts are still available from Great Plains Aircraft. They can be ordered on the Internet and shipped all over the world. Total hours are unknown but it runs perfectly and is cheap to rebuild.

HANDLING

The Pelican flies like a powered glider, thanks to its 35 ft wingspan and glide ratio of 12-to-1. It requires very little power to fly. In fact, the Pelican 1983 was sold with an 18 hp Briggs & Stratton engine with which it could cruise at 50 mph, according to the manufacturer specs. With the more powerful Global 35 hp engine, it approaches the performance and relaxed flight characteristics of a Piper Cub. In flight, the Pelican handles normally apart from a slightly slow roll rate. Takeoff and landing requires some knowledge of taildragger techniques. P-Factor is noticeable but there is enough rudder power to handle it. The downward view is unobstructed, thanks to its high wing configuration.

EQUIPMENT

Controls are standard 3-axis with steerable tailwheel. There are no brakes and none are needed on grass runways. Instruments consist of a Hall airspeed, oil pressure and oil temperature gauges. Other instruments are optional. The cockpit is tight and cannot accomodate people more than 6 ft tall and/or 200 lbs unless it is modified for this purpose. The 5-gallon fuel tank provides an exceptional 4-5 hours of flight time with this fuel efficient engine. Remaining fuel can be checked by looking through the transparent tank behind the pilot.

SPECIFICATIONS

The following specifications have been published by the manufacturer, Ultravia, from Mascouche, Canada, for the Pelican 1984 model year powered by the Global engine.

Span: 35 ft. - Length: 15 ft. - Height: 6.5 ft. - Wing area: 136 ft.sq. - Max wing loading: 3.86 lbs.sq.ft. - Empty weight: 250 lbs. - Gross weight: 525 lbs - Useful load: 275 lbs - Cruise speed: 60-70 mph - Max speed: 80 mph - Stall speed: 27 mph - Vne: 90 mph - Max climb rate: 900 ft/min - Fuel capacity: 5 gallons - Fuel burn: 1 to 1.2 gal.hr. - Max range: 300 miles - Glide Ratio: 12:1 - Takeoff distance: 50 ft. - Landing roll: 100 ft. - Load factors at 525 lbs: +4 -2 G's Limit, +6 -3 G's Ultimate

SHIPPING: I can ship all over the world. Crating costs $200. and shipping to a port in Europe, for example, hovers around $800.-$1,000. All prices are in US dollars and the buyer is responsible for any fees that might be incurred on reception at the destination country. All prices are in US dollars.

Andre Cliche
310 Scenic, Sutton, Quebec, Canada
Ph: 450-538-5120
(I am not often at home so the best way to communicate with me is by email)
Email cybairpublishing@yahoo.com

NICE SKIES !