Whittaker MW6

MW6

Whittaker MW-6-1-1 Merlin
Role	Amateur-built aircraft
National origin	United Kingdom
Designer	Mike Whittaker
Status	Plans available (2012)
Number built	over 200 sets of plans sold
Unit cost	£70 (Plans only, 2011)
Developed from	Whittaker MW5 Sorcerer

The Whittaker MW6 is a family of British amateur-built aircraft that was designed by Mike Whittaker and supplied as plans for amateur construction.^[1]

Design and development

The MW6 series is based upon the earlier single-seat Whittaker MW5 Sorcerer. The MW6 features a strut-braced parasol wing, a two-seat open cockpit, fixed tricycle landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration, mounted on the keel tube, above the cockpit.^[1]

The aircraft is made from aluminium tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its 9.98 m (32.7 ft) span wing has an area of 15.24 m² (164.0 sq ft). The standard engine used is the 50 hp (37 kW) Rotax 503 two-stroke powerplant.^[1]

The design is Whittaker's most popular aircraft, with over 200 sets of plans sold. It is approved by the Light Aircraft Association in the UK.^[1]^[2]

Operational history

Bayerl et al. said of the MW6S and MW6T, "Both are very solid and safe, though performance doesn't match the latest hotships."^[1]

Variants

Whittaker MW6S Fatboy

MW6S Fatboy: Model with side-by-side configuration seating^[1]
MW6T Merlin: Model with tandem seating^[1]

Specifications (MW5T Fatboy)

Data from Bayerl^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Wingspan: 9.98 m (32 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 15.24 m² (164.0 sq ft)
Empty weight: 190 kg (419 lb)
Gross weight: 390 kg (860 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 503 twin cylinder, air-cooled, two stroke aircraft engine, 37 kW (50 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed wooden

Performance

Maximum speed: 148 km/h (92 mph; 80 kn)
Cruising speed: 102 km/h (63 mph; 55 kn)
Stall speed: 56 km/h (35 mph; 30 kn)
Rate of climb: 2.5 m/s (490 ft/min)
Wing loading: 25.6 kg/m² (5.2 lb/sq ft)

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 111. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
↑ Light Aircraft Association (25 September 2012). "Approved Homebuilt Types" (PDF). Retrieved 10 October 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Whittaker MW6.

Whittaker aircraft

Fixed wing aircraft	MW2 Excalibur MW4 MW5 Sorcerer MW6S Fatboy MW6T Merlin MW7

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