The Preceptor N3 Pup is a family of

ultralight 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 conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

tube-and-fabric Tube-and-fabric construction is a method of building airframes, which include the fuselages and wings of airplanes. It consists of making a framework of metal tubes (generally welded together) and then covering the framework with an aircraft fabri ...

, high-wing,

homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

. Kits were produced and marketed by Preceptor Aircraft, of

Rutherfordton, North Carolina Rutherfordton (usually pronounced ( ) or ( ), among other similar variations) is a town and the county seat of Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,640 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Th ...

.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 65-66. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 65. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-42. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 62. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 224-225 and 326. BAI Communications. Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 121. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. The company was operating on a limited basis, actively selling plans online, but seems to have gone out of business in 2016. Designed to meet

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 ...

standards, the N3 Pup can accept various lightweight

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 directi ...

engines of between . If built to specifications with minimal additions, it can meet the requirements for a FAR 103 ultralight aircraft, with an empty weight of . It may also be built as an amateur-built aircraft or US

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a 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 restrictions on weigh ...

at higher weights.

Design and development

The Pup is designed to be flown cross-country and also can be mounted with floats and skis. The N3 Pup uses

construction and a conventional 4-cycle engine. The

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

and tail are welded from

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 va ...

tube. There are two main wing configurations that can be built. An

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 ...

wing spar In a fixed-wing aircraft, the spar is often the main structural member of the wing, running spanwise at right angles (or thereabouts depending on wing sweep) to the fuselage. The spar carries flight loads and the weight of the wings while on ...

with hinges allows the wings to be folded for trailering or storage. A wooden wing spar configuration gives the plane a lighter weight, but leaves the wings fixed. The

engine cowling An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

is made from

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...

. The aircraft has had many engine choices available, but was marketed to use the

Half VW The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an Air-cooled engine, air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinder (engine), cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankca ...

engine first developed by Global engines, later bought by Mosler engines and finally marketed by TEC engines. The

Total Engine Concepts MM CB-40 Total Engine Concepts MM CB-40 is a four-stroke, two-cylinder, Half VW aircraft engine. Design and development The engine was progressively developed designed around Volkswagen air-cooled engine components. Global Motors originally designed a Hal ...

was the last purpose-built engine marketed for the Pup. The aircraft was sold as a partially prefabricated kit or can be built scratchbuilt from plans. The design was also adapted as an

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-d ...

, the Little Wing Roto-Pup.

Operational history

A N3 Pup named "Citabriette" -- modified to look like a

Citabria The Citabria is a light single-engine, two-seat, fixed conventional gear airplane which entered production in the United States in 1964. Designed for flight training, utility aircraft, utility and personal use, it is capable of sustaining aero ...

-- won the Grand Champion Ultralight award at the EAA Oshkosh airshow 1988.

Variants

;N3 Pup :Single seat variant designed to resemble a 3/4 scale

Piper J-3 Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...

. Originally named the Nostalgair N-3 Pup. Engine is a TEC

of . Meets FAR 103 requirements with an empty weight of and gross weight of . 830 had been completed by December 2011. ;

Stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of ve ...

:Single seat variant with a

parasol 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 confi ...

in place of the enclosed cabin, longer nose and larger engine. First flown in 1995. Engine is a

Volkswagen air-cooled engine The Volkswagen air-cooled engine is an Air-cooled engine, air-cooled, gasoline-fuelled, boxer engine with four horizontally opposed cast-iron cylinder (engine), cylinders, cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, magnesium-alloy crankca ...

of . Gross weight of . Two had been completed by December 2011. ;Super Pup :Single seat variant with larger engine and higher empty weight, first flown in 1995. Engine is a

of . Empty weight of and gross weight of . 55 had been completed and flown by December 2011. ;Ultra Pup (N3-2) :Two seat 3/4 scale Piper J-3 Cub, first flown in 1988 with a MM-CB engine. Production engine is a

of . Empty weight of and gross weight of . Folding wings for storage or ground transport. 200 had been completed and flown by December 2011.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 115. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

Specifications (N3 Pup)

References

External links