The Apco Simba ( en, Lion) is an Israeli single-place,

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

that was designed and produced by

Apco Aviation Apco Aviation (usually styled APCO), is an Israeli aircraft manufacturer based in Caesarea and founded in 1982 by Anatoly Cohn. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of paragliders and at one time also made hang gliders and u ...

Caesarea Caesarea () ( he, קֵיסָרְיָה, ), ''Keysariya'' or ''Qesarya'', often simplified to Keisarya, and Qaysaria, is an affluent town in north-central Israel, which inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesare ...

. It is now out of production.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 12. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X

Design and development

The Simba was designed as a competition glider for the Serial Class and the Open Class, replacing the Apco Bagheera in that role. The Simba is made from 46gr/m2 "Zero Porosity" ripstop

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

. The Simba was produced in regular and competition models, with competition version differing only in the type of line used. The competition model employs unsheathed

Aramid Aramid fibers, short for aromatic polyamide, are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic-rated body armor fabric and ballistic composites, in marine cordage, ma ...

lines of identical lengths and layout to the sheathed lines of the regular model. The design progressed through two generations of models, the Simba and the Simba II. The Simba II was introduced in 2002 as an update of the original Simba design. It incorporates an improved speed system, along with a new tip A-line layout. This gives better glide and stability at top speed, as well as an increase in the top speed. The improved tip line layout gives easier "Big Ear" deployment. The models are each named for their relative size.

Variants

;Simba XS Competition :Extra small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 106 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.70:1. The pilot weight range is . The glider model is AFNOR Performance certified. ;Simba S :Small-sized model for light-weight pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 109 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.80:1. The pilot weight range is . The glider model is AFNOR Performance certified. ;Simba II XS :Extra small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 103 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.7:1. The glider empty weight is and pilot weight range is . The glider model is AFNOR Performance certified. ;Simba II S :Small-sized model for light-weight pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 106 cells and the aspect ratio is 5.80:1. The glider empty weight is and pilot weight range is . The glider model is AFNOR Performance and DHV 2 certified. ;Simba II M :Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 112 cells and the aspect ratio is 6.00:1. The glider empty weight is and pilot weight range is . The glider model is AFNOR Performance and DHV 2 certified. ;Simba II L :Large-sized model for heavier pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 124 cells and the aspect ratio is 6.30:1. The glider empty weight is and pilot weight range is . The glider model is AFNOR Performance and DHV 2 certified.

Specifications (Simba XS Competition)

References

External links

* {{Apco aircraft Simba Paragliders