The Skyeton K-10 Swift is a two-seat, single-engine light sports or

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

aircraft designed in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Design and development

The Skyeton Swift is a conventionally laid out single-engine, high-wing light aircraft with side-by-side seating for two. The wings have constant chord, each braced with a single lift strut to the lower fuselage

longeron In engineering, a longeron or stringer is a load-bearing component of a framework. The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural fram ...

. They use a single metal spar and have

stressed skin In mechanical engineering, stressed skin is a rigid construction in which the skin or covering takes a portion of the structural load, intermediate between monocoque, in which the skin assumes all or most of the load, and a rigid frame, which has ...

metal upper surfaces and leading edges, combined with fabric covered lower surfaces aft of the spar. Fabric covered

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

and inboard slotted flaps together occupy the whole of the wing trailing edges. The wings carry 2.17° dihedral.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 75. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 80. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. The Swift's fuselage is built around four welded steel longerons and skinned with composite materials. Behind the cabin the fuselage diameter decreases markedly to the tail. The fin leading edge and the rudder hinge are both strongly swept but the trailing edge of the rudder, which carries an electrically operated

trim tab Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger Flight control surfaces, control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilise the ...

, is only slightly swept. The tailplane and single piece elevator, also tabbed, are set well back, with the tailplane leading edge behind the rudder hinge. A small triangular underfin provides more vertical stabilizer area. A fixed

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...

is mounted on the lower fuselage with cantilever legs. The wheels are spatted and the nosewheel steerable. The Swift can be fitted with one of two

Rotax 912 The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, la ...

flat-four engines: the 59 kW (79 hp) 912UL or the 74 kW (99 hp) 912ULS. Both engines drive three-bladed propellers. The Swift first flew in October 2006 and was developed into two versions. The first, designated K-10(02) Swift or ULM (ultra leger motorise), is aimed at the French ultralight market and gained French approval in 2009. The second version is targeted at the North American market and designated K-10(01) or LSA (for the US

Light Sport Aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

category). This has a wingspan increase of 600 mm, greater fuel capacity and a higher maximum take-off weight. As of May 2019, the Swift is no longer mentioned on the manufacturer's website, indicating production was terminated.

Operational history

Eight Swifts are on the Ukrainian civil register, one on the Russian and six more on the French register. One Swift has been manufactured in the US by SkyetonAmerica of

Bettendorf, Iowa Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 39,102 at the 2020 census. Bettendorf is the fifth of the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River, along with neighboring Davenport in Iowa and Moline, East Molin ...

Specifications (K-10(01))

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline 2000s Ukrainian civil aircraft Light-sport aircraft Ultralight aircraft