26:
217:
298:, during which many Drifters have accumulated high numbers of flying hours, leading one reviewer to note: "its long track record has revealed no weakness in the Drifter". A number of Lockwood XP503s have been reported to have exceeded 3000 hours and one Drifter used for banner towing exceeded 10,000 flight hours.
203:
In late 1995 a joint venture called the
Shanghai Fenton Light Aircraft Company (SFLAC) was established with the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory for the manufacture of Australian versions in China. Austflight suffered financial losses due to the costs associated with certification and the
305:
The outstanding aspect of the
Drifter is its totally unobstructed view. The pilot sits on the boom tube with all the hardware behind him. This gives the impression of free flight. It is like you are flying a chair. The Drifter has other qualities of course. Its forgiving handling, mechanical
152:
After Maxair went out of business, the design was picked up in 1997 by
Lockwood Aircraft who produced kits for a number of single and two-seat versions, mostly differing by installed engine. The Lockwood versions are all wire-braced using a
138:
The
Drifter was first marketed by Maxair in the 1980s as both a single seat and two seats-in-tandem kitplane. The original single seater was light enough when fitted with the 28 hp (21 kW)
196:
engines. Further improvements led to the Strut Braced (SB) version built to CAO 101.55 class certification in
December 1993. The Drifter SB was sold in the US in the 1990s by Tiger Aviation of
204:
joint venture agreement. In May 2002 Austflight sold the last of its assets and transferred the
Drifter Type Certificate to Noosa Air Pty Ltd. Drifter Aircraft Pty Ltd of
255:
sailcloth envelopes. Controls are conventional three-axis, with dual controls and center-mounted control sticks. Lockwood offers optional flaps as part of its
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208:
was incorporated in 2006 to manufacture and market the
Drifter and on the 1st of June 2006 was issued with a production certificate by CASA.
267:
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Bayerl et al. describe the aircraft as "light in weight, but aerodynamically handicapped", due to its high-drag cable bracing.
143:
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772:
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160:
Lockwood estimates that a builder will take 300 hours to complete a Super
Drifter from the currently supplied kit.
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With its large wing area, the
Drifter adapted well to floats and was fitted with several types, including
828:
898:
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simplicity, ease of maintenance and solid airframe all contributed to the
Drifter’s good reputation.
237:
885:
176:
began licence production of the Drifter. In 1986, the company moved to purpose built facilities at
173:
550:
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861:
753:, Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 60. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
733:, Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 72. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
633:, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 59. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
555:
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tube keel, with aluminum tubing making up the keel-to-wing structure. There is no enclosed
157:
to support the ground wires. Over 1000 wire-braced Drifters have been completed and flown.
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engine, 900 lb (408 kg) gross weight. Intended for float and agricultural use.
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engine, 1,000 lb (454 kg) gross weight. Intended for amphibious float use.
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that was first introduced in the 1980s by Maxair and remains in production today by
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includes a steerable tailwheel. Most Drifter kits were delivered with a small
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Two seats in tandem, strut braced, equipped with the 64 hp (48 kW)
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engine, 1,100 lb (499 kg) gross weight. 500 reported as flying.
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Two seats in tandem, wire braced, equipped with 80 hp (60 kW)
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Two seats in tandem, wire braced, equipped with 64 hp (48 kW)
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Two seats in tandem, wire braced, equipped with 50 hp (37 kW)
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Two seats in tandem, wire braced, equipped with 50 hp (37 kW)
503:
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engine, 785 lb (356 kg) gross weight. Intended for float use.
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669:
8th Edition, pages B-15 & B-74. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001.
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kit. The single seat Drifter and XP503 are both stressed for +6/-3
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The wing is built from aluminum tubing and covered with pre-sewn
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Avid Aviation's Austflight A503 being used for flying training at
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Single seat, wire braced, equipped with 40 hp (30 kW)
332:
Single seat, wire braced, equipped with 40 hp (30 kW)
322:
Single seat, wire braced, equipped with 28 hp (21 kW)
278:
Drifters have been widely used in a number of roles, including
252:
180:
where they built fully assembled Drifter variants certified by
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category, with an empty weight of 240 lb (109 kg).
256:
200:. Over 500 strut braced Drifters were completed and flown.
818:
815:, page 108. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
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for the Australian market with powerplants including
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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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396:engine or optionally the 80 hp (60 kW)
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792:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
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366:engine, 785 lb (356 kg) gross weight.
356:engine, 785 lb (356 kg) gross weight.
346:engine, 785 lb (356 kg) gross weight.
326:engine, 500 lb (227 kg) gross weight.
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432:one passenger and 505 lbs (229 kg) useful load
228:All models of the Drifter are built around an
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301:In reviewing the Drifter, Andre Cliche said:
856:, page 114. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.
813:World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12
706:, pages 201 & 273. BAI Communications.
704:AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook
913:
899:
829:"Strut Braced Drifter ultralight aircraft"
775:. Archived from the original on 2016-02-19
679:
163:
854:World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16
811:Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al:
661:
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526:6.25 lb/sq ft (30.51 kg/m)
114:is a family of high wing, single engine,
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478:four stroke piston engine, 80 hp (60 kW)
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962:1980s United States ultralight aircraft
514:230 mi (373 km, 200 nmi)
508:85 mph (138 km/h, 74 kn)
493:75 mph (122 km/h, 65 kn)
954:
499:34 mph (55 km/h, 30 kn)
273:
920:
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886:Photo of a wire braced Maxair Drifter
846:
800:
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236:; the seats are open to the air. The
33:1999 model Tiger Aviation Drifter SB
852:Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al:
667:Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide
13:
456:160 sq ft (14.88 m)
450:10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
444:30 ft 0 in (9.15 m)
438:22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)
14:
983:
870:
520:1,000 ft/min (5.08 m/s)
412:Lockwood Aircraft & Kitplanes
118:, open cockpit, one and two-seat
270:floats. The glide ratio is 9:1.
24:
631:2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide
182:Civil Aviation Safety Authority
967:Single-engined pusher aircraft
405:Specifications (Super Drifter)
133:
1:
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142:engine to qualify for the US
7:
833:lightsportaircraftpilot.com
751:2008 Kit Aircraft Directory
731:1999 Kit Aircraft Directory
539:
468:1,000 lb (454 kg)
313:
10:
988:
103:Advanced Aviation Explorer
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462:495 lb (224 kg)
389:Tiger Aviation Drifter SB
238:conventional landing gear
211:
32:
23:
18:
877:Official website archive
629:Vandermeullen, Richard:
174:Ballina, New South Wales
551:Aero-Works Aerolite 103
535:12.5 lb/hp (0.13 kW/kg)
417:General characteristics
198:Trenton, South Carolina
164:Australian developments
556:Airdrome Dream Classic
379:Lockwood Super Drifter
369:Lockwood Drifter MU582
359:Lockwood Drifter XP503
349:Lockwood Drifter DR447
308:
225:
972:Parasol-wing aircraft
606:Spectrum RX-28 Beaver
576:Birdman WT-11 Chinook
303:
284:agricultural spraying
219:
339:Maxair Drifter XP503
329:Maxair Drifter DR447
172:originally based at
116:pusher configuration
601:Skystar Kitfox Lite
466:Max takeoff weight:
280:recreational flying
274:Operational history
146:Ultralight Vehicles
76:Kits in production
504:Never exceed speed
288:aerial photography
226:
178:Boonah, Queensland
99:Sport Flight Talon
949:
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922:Lockwood Aircraft
222:Dalby, Queensland
206:Dalby, Queensland
124:Lockwood Aircraft
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67:Lockwood Aircraft
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566:Beaujon Mach .07
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128:Sebring, Florida
112:Lockwood Drifter
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168:From the 1983,
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52:National origin
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836:. Retrieved
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702:Purdy, Don:
666:
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596:ISON Airbike
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476:Rotax 912 UL
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224:, Australia.
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120:kit aircraft
111:
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86:1425 (2011)
82:Number built
42:Kit aircraft
881:Archive.org
591:Hummel Bird
586:Freebird II
484:Performance
472:Powerplant:
398:Jabiru 2200
134:Development
956:Categories
779:2017-04-06
614:References
531:Power/mass
454:Wing area:
268:Full Lotus
242:fibreglass
862:1368-485X
442:Wingspan:
430:Capacity:
410:Data from
394:Rotax 582
384:Rotax 912
374:Rotax 582
364:Rotax 503
354:Rotax 447
344:Rotax 503
334:Rotax 447
324:Rotax 277
194:Rotax 912
190:Rotax 582
186:Rotax 503
140:Rotax 277
91:Variants
929:Aircraft
788:cite web
581:CGS Hawk
540:See also
314:Variants
234:fuselage
230:aluminum
155:kingpost
144:FAR 103
19:Drifter
941:Drifter
448:Height:
436:Length:
246:fairing
73:Status
936:Aircam
860:
710:
673:
512:Range:
253:Dacron
212:Design
838:4 May
424:Crew:
244:nose
38:Role
858:ISSN
840:2016
794:link
708:ISBN
671:ISBN
474:1 ×
294:and
257:STOL
192:and
110:The
879:on
426:one
188:to
126:of
958::
831:.
820:^
802:^
790:}}
786:{{
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718:^
681:^
638:^
622:^
290:,
286:,
282:,
263:.
248:.
130:.
914:e
907:t
900:v
842:.
796:)
782:.
533::
506::
261:g
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
