The Birdman Atlas is a single-seat, high wing, single engine in

pusher configuration In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, wh ...

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 based upon the Eipper Quicksilver design.Taylor, John WR: ''Janes All the Worlds Aircraft 1982-83'' page 625-626, Janes Publishing Company, 1982.

Development

The Atlas was introduced to the marketplace in 1980. Production was curtailed in about 1983 as the company concentrated on producing the newer Birdman WT-11 Chinook instead. The Atlas was a development of the Quicksilver and as such incorporated many of the Quicksilver's features, such as a

6061-T6 aluminum 6061 aluminium alloy (Unified numbering system, Unified Numbering System (UNS) designation A96061) is a precipitation hardening, precipitation-hardened aluminium alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying elements. Originally ...

-framed, single-surface

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-covered, wire-braced high wing, with the ground wires suspended from a kingpost. The fuselage structure was also built from 6061-T6 aluminum tube. The early Atlas XC variants used weight shift for control supplemented with a

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

, whereas the later 3-A versions (for ''3-Axis'') utilized a conventional control system with

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

and rudder, and spoilers for roll control.

Variants

;Atlas 215 XC :Foot-launchable single place ultralight powered by a 215 cc single cylinder Cuyuna 215 engine. Control system is weight shift, plus rudder. Landing gear includes a shimmy-damped, shock-absorbing tailwheel unit. Available in kit form. ;Atlas 250 XC :Foot-launchable single place ultralight powered by a 250 cc twin cylinder

Rotax Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the Austrian company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Prod ...

engine. Control system is weight shift, plus rudder. Landing gear includes a shimmy-damped, shock-absorbing tailwheel unit. Available in kit form. ;Atlas 215 3-A :Non-foot-launchable single place ultralight powered by a 215 cc single cylinder Cuyuna 215 engine. Conventional three-axis control system utilizing spoilers for roll-control. Seat is adjustable fore and aft for balance. Due to company concerns about rigging requirements it was only supplied as a completed aircraft. ;Atlas 250 3-A :Non-foot-launchable single place ultralight powered by a 250 cc twin cylinder

engine. Conventional three-axis control system utilizing spoilers for roll-control. Due to company concerns about rigging requirements it was only supplied as a completed aircraft.

Specifications (Atlas 215 3-A)

References

{{Birdman Enterprises 1980s Canadian ultralight aircraft

Development

Variants

Specifications (Atlas 215 3-A)

See also

References