Alpaero Sirius

The Alpaero Sirius, also called the Noin Sirius, is a French high-wing, strut-braced, pod-and-boom, cruciform tail, single-seat motor glider that was designed by Claude Noin and produced by his company, Alpaero of Châteauvieux, Hautes-Alpes. It was available as plans for amateur construction and also as a kit, but has been discontinued.[1][2]

Sirius
Role Motor glider
National origin France
Manufacturer Alpaero
Designer Claude Noin
First flight August 1984
Status Production completed
Number built 20 (1998)

Design and development

Named for the star, the prototype Sirius was made from wood, tube and aircraft fabric and first flew in August 1984. The prototype had an 11 m (36.1 ft) wingspan.[2]

The production Sirius fuselage is predominately made from fibreglass, with wooden bulkheads. The 13.4 m (44.0 ft) span tapered wing has a wooden spar and Styrofoam wing ribs reinforced with fibreglass and features air brakes on the top surface for glidepath control. The wing's leading edge is fabricated from hot-wire cut foam, laminated with fibreglass. The wing and rudder are fabric covered. The fixed landing gear is a centre-line bicycle gear, with auxiliary wing tip and tail wheels. The main wheel has a drum brake. The 18 kW (24 hp) König SC 430 engine, or alternatively the 13.5 kW (18 hp) JPX D-320 engine, is mounted behind the cockpit and beneath the tail boom in pusher configuration and features a propeller guard plate just behind the main wheel. The propeller is a fixed pitch two-bladed design with small diameter. The cockpit width is 53 cm (21 in) and the best glide ratio is 23:1.[1][2]

In 1998 the design was available as plans for US$220 or as a kit for US$7900. Building time from the kit was estimated as 700 hours.[1]

Variants
Sirius-C
Model for the European microlight category.[1]

Specifications (Sirius)

Data from Purdy and company website[1][2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 5.9 m (19.4 ft)
  • Wingspan: 13.4 m (44 ft 0 in)
  • Wing area: 14.30 m2 (153.9 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 142 kg (313 lb)
  • Gross weight: 270 kg (595 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 19 litres (4.2 imp gal; 5.0 US gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × König SC 430 three cylinder, two-stroke, radial engine, 18 kW (24 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch wooden

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 130 km/h (81 mph, 70 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 87 km/h (54 mph, 47 kn)
  • Stall speed: 48 km/h (30 mph, 26 kn)
  • Range: 240 km (150 mi, 130 nmi)
  • g limits: +4.4/-2.2
  • Maximum glide ratio: 23:1
  • Rate of climb: 2.0 m/s (390 ft/min)
  • Rate of sink: 0.90 m/s (177 ft/min)
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See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References
  1. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, page 312. BAI Communications, July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  2. Alpaero (n.d.). "Sirius". Retrieved 27 September 2011.
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