Engineering:Aerosport Rail

Rail
Role	Ultralight aircraft
Manufacturer	Aerosport
Designer	Harris Woods
First flight	14 November 1970
Number built	unknown

The Aerosport Rail is an American minimalist ultralight aircraft, designed by Harris Woods and built by Aerosport Inc. The aircraft was first flown on 14 November 1970.

Design and development

The Rail is little more than a 2 by 5 inch squared aluminium tube (rail) with all-metal wings and a T-tail. The pilot sits on the tube, just ahead of and above the wings. Two small two-cycle engines derated to 25 hp (19 kW) are mounted on struts behind the seat on either side of centerline, driving pusher propellers. Individual 4 U.S. gallons (15 L; 3.3 imp gal) fiberglass fuel tanks are mounted in front of each engine. About 175 sets of plans were sold between 1970 and 1977. The follow-on design, the Aerosport Quail uses the Rail's wing design for an enclosed tractor configuration homebuilt aircraft.

Specifications

Data from Air Trails

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 (pilot)
• Length: 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m)
• Wingspan: 23 ft 4 in (7.11 m)
• Wing area: 81.5 sq ft (7.57 m²)
• Empty weight: 380 lb (172 kg)
• Gross weight: 650 lb (295 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 8 gal
• Powerplant: 2 × Aerosport-Rockwell LB600 automotive engines, 45 hp (34 kW) each De-rated to 25hp each
• Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 96 mph (154 km/h, 83 kn)
• Cruise speed: 66 mph (106 km/h, 57 kn)
• Stall speed: 42 mph (68 km/h, 36 kn)
• Never exceed speed: 115 mph (185 km/h, 100 kn)
• Range: 120 mi (190 km, 100 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,700 m)
• g limits: 3.8+

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Beaujon Enduro
• Beaujon Mach .07
• Colomban Cri-cri
• Hovey Whing Ding
• RLU-1 Breezy

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 39. 
• Aerofiles
• The FLYING RAIL: A Twin-Engine Pusher You Can Build, by Ben Kocivar, Popular Science, Oct. 1971, pp. 55 ff.