Practavia Sprite

The Practavia Sprite is a British two-seat homebuilt training or touring monoplane designed for amateur construction. It was the winning entry in a competition sponsored by Pilot magazine in 1968. The design had been begun as a magazine-sponsored project by Peter Garrison, who worked for Pilot at the time; when the project did not move forward rapidly enough to suit him, he returned to the United States, where he modified his design into what would become his first Melmoth.

Sprite
Role Homebuilt trainer/tourer monoplane
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Practavia
First flight 1971
Number built 8

Development

The prototype Sprite, named the Pilot Sprite, was designed by a team at Loughborough University and had little in common with Garrison's design, though both were all-metal side-by-side low-wing cantilever monoplanes with tricycle landing gear. The Sprite was powered by a Rolls-Royce Continental O-240-A piston engine. Plans for amateur building were marketed by Practavia Ltd as the Practavia Sprite.

Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1980–81[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1 (pilot)
  • Capacity: 1 (passenger)
  • Length: 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)
  • Wingspan: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m) (over tip tanks)
  • Height: 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
  • Wing area: 96.0 sq ft (8.92 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 6:1
  • Airfoil: NACA 64315
  • Empty weight: 850 lb (386 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,400 lb (635 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 36 imp gal (43 US gal; 160 L)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Continental O-240-A , 130 hp (97 kW)

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 138 mph (222 km/h, 120 kn) (max cruise)
  • Stall speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn) (flaps down)
  • Never exceed speed: 245 mph (394 km/h, 213 kn)

References
  1. Taylor 1980, p. 498
  • Jackson, A. J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.
  • Taylor, John W. R., ed. (1980). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1980–81. London: Jane's Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7106-0705-9.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
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