The Wolfsberg Aircraft Sparrow ML is a

twin boom A twin-boom aircraft has two longitudinal auxiliary spars, or “auxiliary booms” , that may contain ancillary components such as fuel tanks and/or provide a supporting structure for other items. Typically, twin tailbooms support the tail ...

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 ...

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 ...

aircraft seating two in tandem. Designed and built in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, originally by Wolfsberg Letecká Továrna (WLT) which was renamed Wolfberg Aircraft in 2017.Simpson, Rod; Longley, Peter; Swan, Robert:''The General Aviation Handbook'', page 212,

Air-Britain Air-Britain, traditionally sub-titled 'The International Association of Aviation Enthusiasts', is a non-profit aviation society founded in July 1948. As from 2015, it is constituted as a British charitable trust and book publisher. History Air-Br ...

, Tonbridge UK, 2022,

Design and development

The Sparrow is largely built from

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

. Its wing has a short span rectangular section between the tail-booms and straight-tapered outer panels with angled tips. There are short

aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...

s with

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game '' Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and h ...

s between them and the twin slender booms. Each boom carries an angled, straight edged

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

; the

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lift (force), lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters ...

, with a one-piece

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

fitted with an offset

trim tab Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger Flight control surfaces, control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilise the ...

, is mounted on top of the fins. The Sparrow's

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 ...

has a smooth profile partly defined by multipanel glazing that extends almost from the nose back beyond the wing

leading edge The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...

. Access to both of the tandem seats is via a wide port-side door. The aircraft is normally flown from the front; the rear seat, placed over the leading edge, can also be provided with controls and instrumentation for an instructor (the Trainer version) or, as on the Clubman, be a passenger position. A ballistic recovery parachute is an option. The Sparrow has a fixed

tricycle undercarriage 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 ...

; all three wheels have speed fairings and the main wheels have faired legs under the wings, raked back from the forward ends of the booms. The Sparrow first flew on 24 August 2010 and production started in 2012.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 88. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. It achieved Czech certification on 1 March 2013 and by the summer of that year six had been built. French certification was obtained in January 2014 and it appeared on public display for the first time at the

AERO Friedrichshafen AERO Friedrichshafen is a trade show dedicated to European general aviation. It is held yearly in April on the shores of Lake Constance at the exhibition center of Friedrichshafen, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Ger ...

show in 2014. The display example is a later version powered by a

Rotax 912 The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, la ...

ULS

flat-four A flat-four engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-four engine or boxer engine, is a four-cylinder piston engine with two banks of cylinders lying on opposite sides of a common crankshaft. The most common type of flat-four engine is the box ...

, air- and liquid-cooled engine.

Variants

;Sparrow ML Clubman: Controls and instruments for front seat only. ;Sparrow ML Trainer: Dual controls and instruments. heavier than the Clubman.

Specifications (Rotax 912 UL engine)

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book , title= Jane's All the World's Aircraft : development & production : 2015-16, last= Gunston , first= Bill , year=2015, publisher=IHS Global, isbn=978-0-7106-3135-0 , page=210 {{cite journal, date=June 2014 , title=Aero Friedrichshafen, journal= Air Britain World, volume=66 , issue=2 , page=101 {{cite web, url=http://www.woodcomp.cz/en/klassic170.php, title=Woodkomp Klassic 170, access-date=14 June 2015, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723140741/http://www.woodcomp.cz/en/klassic170.php, archive-date=23 July 2010 {{cite web , url=http://www.wolfsbergaircraft.com/sparrow-ml, title=Wolfsberg Aircraft s.r.o., access-date=3 September 2017 {{cite web , url=http://www.wlt.cz/en/multimedia/sparrow-aircraft, title=Sparrow Aircraft, access-date=15 June 2015 Twin-boom aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft 2010s Czech ultralight aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2010