Sportavia-Pützer RS 180 Sportsman

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RS-180 Sportsman
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Role Sport aircraft
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Sportavia-Pützer
Designer René Fournier
First flight 1978[1]
Number built 18[2]
Unit cost
DM 92,500 in 1978[3]
Developed from Fournier RF-6

The Sportavia-Pützer RS-180 Sportsman is a four-seat sport aircraft that was produced in Germany in the late 1970s.[4]

The aircraft is a conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage.[1] The pilot and passengers are seated in 2+2 configuration under a large bubble canopy.[5] The structure is of wood, covered in plywood and given an outer skin of fibreglass.[1]

Design and development

Rhein-Flugzeugbau (RFB) was founded in 1956. In 1976 it acquired the assets of Sportavia-Pützer, which had been formed in 1966 to take over from Alpavia SA the production of several light aircraft types designed by René Fournier. Sportavia-Pützer produced Fournier aircraft beginning in 1966, and in 1970 Fournier initiated the design of a new four-seat cabin monoplane, the Sportsman. The first prototype Sportsman first flew on 1 March 1973, but the second prototype, which made its maiden flight on 28 April 1976, was a completely redesigned version which was created by Sportavia. This redesigned model was designated the RF-6C Sportsman when it entered production in late 1976, and was re-named RS-180 Sportsman when a new empennage design was added in early 1978, following the fatal crash of the prototype in May 1977.[3] The extensive redesign included reshaping the horizontal tail and relocating it part-way up the fin,[3] changing the wing profile,[3] and removing the turned-down wingtips of the RF-6C.[3] In this form, the RS-180 gained German type certification in 1978.[6]

Basic structure of the Sportsman is wood, with a low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration. The surface is covered with fibreglass. A fixed nosewheel undercarriage with wheel fairings is used. The cabin employs a large bubble canopy.

At the end of 1980, Sportavia-Pützer was integrated into the RFB organisation, the RS-180 being re-designated FRB RS-180 Sportsman. Production was halted in early 1981, after fewer than two dozen units had been completed.[2][7]

Specifications (RS 180)

Data from Wurster 2001, p. 89; Mondey, p. 218

General characteristics

  • Crew: one pilot
  • Capacity: three passengers
  • Length: 7.15 m (23 ft 5½ in)
  • Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5½ in)
  • Height: 2.56 m (8 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 14.5 m2 (156.08 ft2)
  • Aspect ratio: 7.60
  • Empty weight: 640 kg (1,411 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,100 kg (2,425 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-360-A3A, 134 kW (180 hp) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 320 km/h (200 mph)
  • Cruising speed: 225 km/h (140 mph)
  • Range: 1,210 km (746 miles)
  • Service ceiling: 5,400 m (17,715 ft)

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Team Test 43: Sportavia RS 180", p. 88
  2. 2.0 2.1 Simpson 1995, p. 378
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Barnett, Field, Hurst et al. 1978, p. 1438
  4. Taylor 1989, p.839
  5. "Team Test 43: Sportavia RS 180", p.89
  6. "Certification du RS 180 Sportsman", p. 42
  7. Mondey

References

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