The Independence Raptor is a German single-place,

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness or in ...

that was designed by Michaël Nesler and produced by Independence Paragliding of

Eisenberg, Thuringia Eisenberg () is a town in Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Saale-Holzland. Neighboring municipalities are Jena ( in west) and Gera ( in south east). West of Eisenberg runs the motorway A 9 from Berlin to Munich. A tradition ...

. It is now out of production.Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', pages 20 and 30. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X The aircraft is not related to the Skif Raptor.

Design and development

The Raptor was designed as a competition glider, with an unusually low price as a method of assisting completion pilots. The models are each named for their relative size. Company

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

Christian Amon was also involved in the development as well as flight testing of the Raptor.

Variants

;Raptor S :Small-sized model for lighter pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 75 cells and the

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

is 6.34:1. The pilot weight range is . ;Raptor M :Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 75 cells and the aspect ratio is 6.34:1. The pilot weight range is . ;Raptor L :Large-sized model for heavier pilots. Its span wing has a wing area of , 75 cells and the aspect ratio is 6.34:1. The pilot weight range is .

Specifications (Raptor L)

References

{{Independence aircraft

Raptor Raptor(s) or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of avian and non-avian dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunt ...

Paragliders