The Adams CA-2 is a single seat, low-wing,
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
ultralight aircraft
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 Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...
that was designed by Frank Griffith of
Corning Aircraft Corning may refer to:
People
* Corning (surname)
Places
In Canada:
* Corning, Saskatchewan
In the United States of America:
* Corning, Arkansas
* Corning, California
* Corning, Indiana
* Corning, Iowa
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* Corning, Michigan
...
around 1992 and was available as plans for
amateur construction until 1999. In 1999,
Hummel Aviation of
Bryan, Ohio
Bryan is a city in, and the county seat of, Williams County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the state's northwestern corner, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 8,729 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
Histo ...
began offering the design.
[Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-10. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ][Downey, Julia: ''1999 Plans Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 16, Number 1, January 1999, page 60. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Downey, Julia: ''2003 Plans Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 1, January 2003, page 22. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851][Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 179. BAI Communications. ] Although the design was well received, plans were no longer listed as being available from Hummel Aviation as of 2007.
In 2011, Adams Aeronautics Company of
Dallas, Georgia
Dallas is a city in, and the county seat of, Paulding County, Georgia, United States. The estimated population, as of 2020, was 14,042. Dallas is a northwestern exurb of Atlanta, located approximately from the downtown area. It was named for ...
, took over sales and support of the CA-2 design.
Development
The design goals of the CA-2 described a plans-built aircraft for the US
FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category, including a maximum empty weight. The CA-2 was also intended to be one of the lowest cost ways of obtaining an ultralight aircraft. These goals were met and the resulting aircraft has an empty weight of , when equipped with a
Rotax 277
The Rotax 277 is a , Single-cylinder engine, single-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was built by Rotax, BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge ...
engine. At the time it entered the market, the
airframe
The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system.
Airframe design is a field of aeros ...
construction cost was estimated to be
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
1600 and the total completion cost US$5000–6000. The price for the plans, consisting of 40 sheets of 11"X17" (28 X 43 cm), was US$150 in 2011.
The CA-2 requires about 600 hours to build. The airframe is of all-metal construction using 2024-T3
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 ...
sheet,
extruded
Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...
angles and tubing, fastened primarily with
stainless steel
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
pop rivet
A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed end is called the ''sh ...
s. Construction requires normal hand tools, plus a small bending brake and a tube bender.
The
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
and wings are of
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
stressed skin construction. The wings include
plain flaps and
differential ailerons and are stressed to +4.4 and -2.2
g. The wings are removable by withdrawing three bolts. The control surfaces are made from aluminium tubing, are
fabric covered and actuated by pushrods.
The landing gear is of
conventional configuration with a steerable tailwheel linked to the rudder.
The prototype was powered by a Rotax 277. Heavier engines can be installed, although the aircraft will not then meet the US FAR 103 weight requirements as an ultralight aircraft. Other engines used include the
Rotax 447
The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995.
Design and developme ...
,
Rotax 377
The Rotax 377 is a , twin-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995.
Development
Th ...
,
1/2 VW and the
Hirth F-33
The Hirth F-33 is a Single cylinder engine, single cylinder, two stroke, carburetor, carburetted aircraft engine designed for use on ultralight aircraft, including Powered paragliding, powered paragliders and ultralight trikes. the engine is n ...
.
Specifications (CA-2)
See also
References
External links
*
{{Hummel Aircraft
1990s United States ultralight aircraft
Hummel Aviation aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Single-engined piston aircraft
Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear