Arion Lightning

Arion Lightning
Arion Lightning
Role Homebuilt aircraft
National origin United States of America
Manufacturer Arion Aircraft
Designer Pete Krotje, Ben Krotje and Nick Otterback
First flight March 2006
Introduction April 2006
Number built 150 (2012)


The Arion Lightning is a light-sport aircraft available as a kit aircraft or as a production Special LSA.[1]

Design and development

The Lightning was developed by designers Pete Krotje, Ben Krotje and Nick Otterback.[2]

Originally designed as a high speed, low wing composite aircraft for the Jabiru series of engines, the LS-1 was redesigned to meet American light-sport requirements by extending the wings to lower the stall speed and using a fixed pitch propeller.

The aircraft is made from composites. In the homebuilt kit version its 30.5 ft (9.3 m) span wing has an area of 91 sq ft (8.5 m2) and mounts flaps. The aircraft's recommended engine power is 120 hp (89 kW) and the standard engine used is the 120 hp (89 kW) Jabiru 3300 four-stroke powerplant. Construction time from the supplied kit is 600 hours.[3]

Operational history

In 2007 Earl Ferguson set a record for the quickest time for a flight from Savannah to San Diego in a piston engine land plane weighing between 1,102 and 2,205 pounds using this aircraft.[4]

Variants

Arion Lightning EXP
US Experimental amateur-built category aircraft[3]
Arion Lightning XS
Variant of Lightning EXP supporting up to 160 hp engines, including the Lycoming O-320 and ULPower 390iS.[5]
Arion Lightning LS-1
Light-sport aircraft variant[3]

Specifications (Arion Lightning LS-1)

Data from Arion Aircraft[6]

General characteristics

Performance

See also


References

  1. "Arion Lightning LS-1". Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  2. Plane & Pilot. 9 Feb 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 1 2 3 Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 43. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  4. Mosely, Brian (March 29, 2008), "A record-setting flight in a Shelbyville-made plane", Shelbyville times
  5. "Lightning XS Kit". Arion Aircraft LLC.
  6. Arion Aircraft (2011). "Specifications and Pricing" (PDF). Retrieved 27 December 2011.

External links

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