The Vidor Champion V is an Italian

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 ...

that was designed by

Giuseppe Vidor Asso Aerei Srl ( en, Ace Aircraft Limited) is an Italian designer of light and ultralight aircraft founded by Giuseppe (Bepi) Vidor. Vidor (died 23 September 2013 aged 72) was a carpenter who studied engineering at night school, and all his aircraf ...

, first flying on 10 June 1995. The aircraft is supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 199. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. It is also known as the Asso Aerei V Champion. The Champion V was developed into the Alpi Pioneer 300, with the addition of composite skin.

Design and development

The Champion V features a cantilever

low-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 planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

, a two-seats-in- side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a

bubble canopy A bubble canopy is an aircraft canopy constructed without bracing, for the purpose of providing a wider unobstructed field of view to the pilot, often providing 360° all-round visibility. The designs of bubble canopies can drastically vary; s ...

, fixed or optionally retractable tricycle landing gear and a single engine in

tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher co ...

. The aircraft is made from wood, with its flying surfaces covered in doped

aircraft fabric Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...

. Its span wing mounts flaps and has a wing area of . The wings are removable in about 15 minutes for ground transport or storage. The cabin width is . The acceptable power range is and the standard engine used is the Volkswagen air-cooled engine four cylinder, air-cooled,

four stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directi ...

automotive conversion powerplant. The Champion V has a typical empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . With full fuel of the payload for the pilot, passenger and baggage is . The manufacturer estimates the construction time from the supplied kit as 1500 hours.

Operational history

By 1998 the company reported that 15 kits had been sold and three aircraft were completed and flying. In January 2014 one example was registered in the United States with the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

Specifications (Champion V retractable)

References

External links

Photo of a Champion VChampion V photo collection
{{Vidor aircraft Champion V 1990s Italian sport aircraft 1990s Italian civil utility aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1995