The Advanced Aviation Explorer is a 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 ...

marketed in kit form, for amateur construction. It is a high-wing

taildragger Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms ...

aircraft of

pusher configuration In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in no ...

with tandem seating.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-109. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 37. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2005 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 21, Number 12, December 2004, page 42. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Newby-Gonzalez, Tori: ''2004 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 20, Number 12, December 2003, page 37. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2002 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, page 21. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2001 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 29. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 37. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter – Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 117. BAI Communications.

Design and development

The aircraft is a development of the

Talon XP The Sport Flight Talon is a high-wing, pusher configuration single-engine, conventional landing gear homebuilt aircraft or ultralight aircraft, that was produced by Sport Flight Aviation of Sandy, Oregon in kit form for amateur construction.Clic ...

which in turn traces its lineage to the

Maxair Drifter The Lockwood Drifter is a family of high wing, single engine, pusher configuration, open cockpit, one and two-seat kit aircraft that was first introduced in the 1980s by Maxair and remains in production today by Lockwood Aircraft of Sebring, Flor ...

. The Explorer has been produced by a number of companies and under a variety of names. The main advance over the Drifter is the Explorer's use of main wing

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

s and

jury strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

s in place of cable bracing. Like all aircraft in this family they feature excellent visibility, especially from the front seat when the optional

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clot ...

cockpit pod is removed. As a result, the design is often employed as a camera platform. It can be flown on floats and has been used for banner towing. Construction is of bolted

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in AmE, American and CanE, Canadian English) is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately o ...

tube, with the flying surfaces covered in pre-sewn

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 food ...

envelopes. The kit takes about 150–250 hours to assemble. The standard engine is the

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operati ...

of , with the four-stroke

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, l ...

optional.

Variants

;Explorer :Initial version, derived from the

, but with struts in place of the cable-braced wing. Produced by Advanced Aviation, no longer in production. ;Zephyr :Similar to the Explorer, but produced by

Arnet Pereyra Inc Aero Adventure LLC (formerly Aero Adventure Aviation and before that Arnet Pereyra Inc.) is an American aircraft manufacturer based in DeLand, Florida. In 1996, the firm acquired the assets and production rights of Keuthan Aircraft. List o ...

, no longer in production. Also known as the ''Zephyr II'', 40 reported flying in 1998/2001. ;Toucan :New name for the aircraft when manufacturer Arnet Pereyra changed the company name to Aero Adventure Aviation, powered by a

of . In production, with 10 flying at the end of 2011.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 37. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 ;Barracuda :Aero Adventure Aviation produced version powered by the

, gross weight, optimized for amphibious floats. Out of production, with 1 flying at the end of 2007.

Specifications (Toucan)

References

External links

Official Aero Adventure Toucan website
{{Aero Adventure aircraft Homebuilt aircraft 1990s United States ultralight aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft

Explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

Toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five ...

Design and development

Variants

Specifications (Toucan)

See also

References

External links