18 August 2015
The first Aviad Zigolo MG12 single-seat deregulated motor glider in the UK has had its maiden flight. The Zigolo is a minimalist aircraft, costing less than £10,000 all-in, and imported to the UK by Sprite Aviation.
A video of the first flight can be seen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DAa4rsXqdRA
“The Aviad Zigolo MG12 has slow flight characteristics and a short landing and takeoff distance of 50 metres,” according to Graham Smith, boss of Sprite Aviation. “This is a new departure in the form of a minimal three axis SSDR Motor Glider perfectly suited for fun flying.
“Specifically designed for simple construction and low cost of ownership, it has a traditional tubular frame structure and simple bonded fabric covering thus providing a very robust design. It incorporates several additional novel design features, including a forward pilot cockpit protected by the fuselage frame work and providing an exceptionally wide field of view for improved airmanship. It also has an optional quick wing detach frame which make wing removal for storage and transit a real possibility. Wing removal now only takes a few minutes.”
An optional ballistic parachute recovery system is available for emergency use.
Sprite Aviation is also working on the Sprite Stinger, a 300kg SSDR. “This all metal Sportplane has been specifically designed to extract every last crumb of performance from the new SSDR category,” said Graham. “We have now completed the 4th design review and have made the decision to go ahead and build the prototype.”
