The Infinity Purple is an American
powered parachute
A powered parachute, often abbreviated PPC, and also called a motorized parachute or paraplane, is a type of aircraft that consists of a parafoil with a motor and wheels.
The FAA defines a powered parachute as ''a powered aircraft a flexible o ...
that was designed and produced by
Infinity Power Chutes
Infinity Power Chutes, LLC is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Sturgis, Michigan and headed by Alvie Wall. It was originally located in Bronson, Michigan. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of powered parachutes i ...
of
Bronson, Michigan. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.
[Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04'', page 83. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X]
The Purple was in production in the early 2000s and, while now discontinued, it led to the later
Infinity Commander light-sport aircraft
A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...
model.
Design and development
The Purple complies with the
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...
microlight category, including the category's maximum gross weight of . The aircraft has a maximum gross weight of . It also qualified as a US
FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles
Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries.
In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not requ ...
trainer. It features an
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 ...
parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
-style wing, two-seats-in-
tandem accommodation,
tricycle landing gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...
and a single
Rotax 582 engine in
pusher configuration
In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...
.
The aircraft carriage is built from welded
4130 steel
41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common ...
tubing. In flight steering is accomplished via foot pedals that actuate the canopy brakes, creating roll and yaw. The throttle is a handle-type. On the ground the aircraft has lever-controlled nosewheel steering. The main landing gear incorporates spring rod suspension and off-road tires.
The aircraft has an empty weight of and a gross weight of , giving a useful load of . With full fuel of the payload for crew and baggage is .
Specifications (Purple)
References
{{reflist
Purple
Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pu ...
2000s United States sport aircraft
2000s United States ultralight aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Powered parachutes