Aeroprakt Ltd. (Аэропракт) is a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
aircraft manufacturer
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology ind ...
based in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Ky ...
and founded in 1991 by Yuri Yakovlev. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of
light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997.
Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft co ...
,
homebuilt aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...
and
ultralights in the form of kits for
amateur construction and ready-to-fly aircraft.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 116-118. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ][Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', pages 20, 154. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ][Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', pages 17-20, 138. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ]
The company is a
"Товариство з обмеженою відповідальністю" a form of limited liability company. It has about 50 employees and operates from a facility.
History
The company was founded as an amateur aircraft design club by Yuri Yakovlev when he graduated from the
Kuybyshev Aviation Institute and commenced work at
Antonov
Antonov State Enterprise ( uk, Державне підприємство «Антонов»), formerly the Aeronautical Scientific-Technical Complex named after Antonov (Antonov ASTC) ( uk, Авіаційний науково-технічни ...
in Kyiv in 1986. It was at the time of Ukrainian independence from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in 1991 that the company was formally formed.
The company was named after a similar-named club in
Kuybyshev, Russia, founded while Yakovlev was there at school.
The company's first aircraft was the
Aeroprakt T-8, a simple two-seat
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 ...
trainer. The prototype was constructed in 1987 and first shown in the Soviet Union in 1989, but did not enter series production, despite winning awards.
The first true production aircraft was the
Aeroprakt A-20 Vista known locally as the ''Chervonets'', the first prototype of which was finished in August 1991. As a result of the design and the political situation at the time, the club became the Kyiv division of
Lada-Mononor, a joint Soviet-Finnish venture that was headquartered in
Tolyatti
Tolyatti ( rus, Толья́тти, p=tɐlʲˈjætʲ(ː)ɪ), also known as Togliatti, formerly known as Stavropol (1737–1964), is a city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which does not serve as the administrative center ...
, Russia. Yuri Yakovlev was named the Chief Designer and Oleg Litovchenko became its director. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the company became an independent entity and the A-20 entered production, with the first production aircraft delivered in July, 1993.
November 1996 saw the introduction of the
A-22 Foxbat, known locally as the ''Sharik'' ( en, Balloon) and the twin-engined
A-26 Vulcan as well.
The company has continued to develop new aircraft based on the A-20 concept, including the
A-28 Victor and the
A-36 Vulcan. In 2014 the
A-32 Vixxen, a development of the A-22, was introduced.
Aircraft
Summary of aircraft built by Aeroprakt:
*
Aeroprakt T-8
*
Aeroprakt A-6 White
*
Aeroprakt A-11M Hamlet
*
Aeroprakt A-15
*
Aeroprakt A-19
*
Aeroprakt A-20
*
Aeroprakt A-21 Solo
*
Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat
*
Aeroprakt A-23 Dragon
*
Aeroprakt A-24 Viking
The Aeroprakt A-24 Viking is a Ukrainian three-seat light-sport amphibian designed for home building and marketed in kit form by Aeroprakt.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 20. WDLA UK ...
*
Aeroprakt A-25 Breeze
*
Aeroprakt A-26 Vulcan
*
Aeroprakt A-27
*
Aeroprakt A-28 Victor
*
Aeroprakt A-30 Vista Speedster
*
Aeroprakt A-32 Vixxen
*
Aeroprakt A-33 Dragon
*
Aeroprakt A-36 Super Vulcan
References
External links
*
{{Aeroprakt aircraft
Aircraft manufacturers of Ukraine
Manufacturing companies based in Kyiv
Ultralight aircraft
Homebuilt aircraft