The Eastern Ultralights Snoop is a family of American

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 Bob Able and produced by Eastern Ultralights, starting in 1981. The aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page E-36. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001.

Design and development

The Snoop is characterized as a "Ripsilver" or unauthorized Eipper Quicksilver derivative. The aircraft was designed to comply with the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft exist outside of the United States. In most countries, ultralights are a class of aircraft. A completely different legal concept is valid within the USA. The FAA makes explicitly clear that ultralight vehicles are not air ...

rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of . The aircraft has a standard empty weight of . It features a cable-braced high wing, a single-seat open cockpit,

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...

and a 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 ...

. The aircraft is made from bolted-together

aluminum 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 ...

tubing, with the flying surfaces covered in

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 foods ...

sailcloth. Its wing is cable-braced from an inverted "V" kingpost. The pilot is accommodated on an open seat and is provided with conventional three-axis flight controls. The

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...

includes suspension on all three wheels, but no nosewheel steering. The Cuyuna UL II engine is mounted on the wing

leading edge The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...

and drives the pusher propeller which is located aft of the wing's

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...

though an extension shaft. This arrangement allows the aircraft to remain sitting on its nosewheel while unoccupied, unlike most ultralight pusher aircraft.

Variants

;Snoop I :Single-seat model with spoilers used for roll control, a span wing and no flaps. ;Snoop + :Single-seat model with

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...

s used for roll control, a shorter wing and flaps. ;Snoop II :Two-seat trainer model.

Specifications (Snoop I)

References

External links

Photo of a Snoop I
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611211731/http://virtualultralightmuseum.com/sa_files/image036.jpg , date=2012-06-11
Photo of a Snoop I
1980s United States ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft