The Icaro Twin Electric is an Italian

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

ultralight trike An ultralight trike or paratrike is a type of powered hang glider where flight control is by weight-shift control, weight-shift. These light-sport aircraft, aircraft have a fabric Rogallo wing, flex-wing from which is suspended a tricycle fusel ...

that was designed by World Hang Glider Champion pilot Manfred Ruhmer and under development by

Icaro 2000 Icaro 2000 is an Italian aircraft manufacturer, based in Sangiano. The company specializes in the design and manufacturer of hang gliders, ultralight trikes and hang gliding helmets.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leis ...

of Sangiano.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 233. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. As of 2018 the aircraft was not advertised on the manufacturer's website and it is likely that it did not progress beyond one flying prototype.

Design and development

The Twin Electric design features a cable-braced

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

-style

high-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...

, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

open cockpit without a

cockpit fairing An aircraft fairing is a structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and reduce drag.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, Third Edition'', page 206. Aviation Supplies & Academics Inc, Newcastle Washington, 1997. ...

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 twin

electric motors An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate Laplace force i ...

mounted on lateral booms, 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 its single surface Rx Bip bi-place wing 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 supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. Power is supplied by two electric motors mounted on booms, one each side of the trike frame, each driving a pusher propeller. The Rx Bip wing was selected to allow

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...

capabilities.

Operational history

The Twin Electric was reported as being flight tested in 2015.

Specifications (Twin Electric)

References

{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation Twin Electric 2010s Italian sport aircraft 2010s Italian ultralight aircraft Twin-motored electric aircraft Ultralight trikes