The Aeros Target is a family of Ukrainian

high-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...

, single and two-place

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

s, designed and produced by

Aeros Aeros is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer founded by a group of ex-Antonov engineers in the early 1990s to build hang gliders. It is located in Kyiv.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 41. Pag ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and introduced in 1995. The two-place Target 21 Tandem remains in production in 2012.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 41. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The Target series was conceived as a single-place beginner's hang glider for

flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

and recreational flying and as such it has gentle flying characteristics. The design received

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association The British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA), based in Leicester, is the governing body in the United Kingdom for hang gliding and paragliding. Association details The BHPA is recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internat ...

(BHPA) certification in 1995. Over time the line has been refined and in 2012 the Target 21 Tandem was the last of the line still in production. The 2003 model Target 162 was typical of the line. It is constructed from bolted together

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

tubing with its single-surface wing covered in

Dacron Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods ...

sailcloth. The wing is supported by

cables Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a he ...

suspended from a kingpost. The aircraft has weight-shift controls, actuated though an "A" frame control bar. Its span wing has an area of , a nose angle of 120° and an

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

of 5.7:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is . The Target 162 sold for £1790 in 2003. The single-place versions of the Target were replaced in the company's line by the

Aeros Fox Aeros is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer founded by a group of ex-Antonov engineers in the early 1990s to build hang gliders. It is located in Kyiv.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 41. Pag ...

Variants

;Target 13 :Initial small-wing area version, introduced in 1995, certified by BHPA. ;Target 16 :Initial large-wing area version, introduced in 1995, certified by BHPA. Re-designed in 2007 to reduce empty weight to . ;Target 132 :Circa 2003 single-place model with span wing, wing area of , a nose angle of 118° and an

of 5.6:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is . BHPA certified. ;Target 162 :Circa 2003 single-place model with span wing, wing area of , a nose angle of 120° and an

of 5.7:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is . BHPA certified. ;Target 192 Bi :Two-place model introduced in 1999, with span wing, wing area of , a nose angle of 120° and an

of 5.7:1. The pilot hook-in minimum weight is . ;Target 21 Tandem :Two-place model introduced in 2006, BHPA certified in 2007 and still in production in 2012, made from 7075-T6 aluminium tubing. Has optional fixed wheeled landing gear with bungee suspension.

Specifications (2003 model Target 132)

References

External links

* {{Aeros aircraft Hang gliders

Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...