The Micro Aviation B22 Bantam is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

ultralight aircraft, designed and produced by Micro Aviation NZ of

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton (, ) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato, Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's List of c ...

and later of Mandeville, New Zealand. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 65. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485XTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 68. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

The aircraft complies with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight rules as well as the United Kingdom BCAR Section "S" regulations. It features a strut-braced high-wing, a two-seats-in- side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit, fixed tricycle landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. 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 flying surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its span wing has an area of and is supported by V-struts and jury struts. The engine is mounted above the cockpit on the forward end of the main keel tube. Standard engines available are the Rotax 582 two-stroke and the Jabiru 2200

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

powerplant.

Operational history

Two Bantams are in use by park rangers in Kruger National Park in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

."KNP rangers will fly to stop the slaughter"
/ref> Total production has exceeded 300 aircraft. The ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation'' reviewed the Bantam and described it as "a simple practical aircraft characterized by its agility, vice-free handling and ease of maintenance."

Variants

;B22J :Higher powered version ;B22S : Standard model

Specifications (B22J Bantam)

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.microaviation.co.nz/products.php 1980s New Zealand ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft New Zealand design