Photograph:
Hummel Hummelbird 19-4144 (c/n 915P) at Narromine, NSW in 2011 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat amateur-built monoplane
Power Plant:
One 28 kw (37 hp) Volkswagen conversion two-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 5.48 m (18 ft)
- Length: 4.08 m (13 ft 4 in)
- Height: 1.21 m (4 ft)
- Wing area: 5.31 m² (57.2 sq ft)
- Max speed: 217 km/h (135 mph)
- Cruising speed: 185 km/h (115 mph)
- Stalling speed: 61 km/h (38 mph)
- Rate of climb: 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 3,962 m (13,000 ft)
- Range: 402 km (250 miles)
- Take-off run: 91 m (300 ft)
- Take-off distance over 15 m (50 ft) obstacle: 305 m (1,000 ft)
- Landing run: 244 m (800 ft)
- Fuel capacity: 23 litres (5 Imp gals)
- G limits: +6/-6
- Empty weight: 136 kg (300 lb)
- Loaded weight: 240 kg (530 lb)
- Payload weight: 113 kg (250 lb)
History:
The Hummelbird was designed by Maurice ‘Morry’ Hummel, and has been marketed by Hummel Aviation of Bryan, Ohio, USA in kit form as a light, single-engine, single-seat, low-cost, fast-build, high-performance aircraft. Available in tricycle or tailwheel configuration, it was developed from the Watson Wingwagon and was mainly of all-metal construction.
Engine installed was usually a conversion of the Volkswagen to two-cylinders, this being horizontally-opposed, carburetted and air-cooled with magneto ignition, providing 28 kw (37 hp) at 3,000 rpm and weighing 36 kg (80 lb). Rotax engines have also been installed, including the Rotax 417.
The Hummelbird was very popular around the world and more than 1,800 kits have been supplied to interested amateur builders. Design loading was –6G/+6G.
A number have been built in this region, those completed in Australia being registered under Ultralight Federation Regulations, later Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA) Regulations, these including 10-0559 (c/n 1241); 10-0592 (c/n unknown) with a Rotax 447 engine registered on 26 July 1988; 10-0705 (c/n 3); 10-0736 described as a Gabriel Ultralight Hummel Bird (c/n 95-1001) with a Mosler 35 engine registered on 28 July 1988; 10-0957 (c/n unknown); 10-0708 (c/n 2); 10-0952 (c/n unknown); 10-0953 (c/n 003) ; 10-0709 (c/n 1); 10-1102 (c/n 749-P/1) ; and 10-1103 (c/n 749-P/2) fitted with a Mosler 35 engine registered on 9 May 1989.
A number have been completed in New Zealand, one of the first being ZK-WEE (c/n 7), registered in April 2000, which was fitted with a 26 kw (35 hp) Mosler two-cylinder four-stroke horizontally-opposed engine driving an Ivo propeller.
A number of variants of the series has been available, including the Ultra Cruiser with the two-cylinder Volkswagen conversion; Ultra Cruiser PLUS with the four-cylinder Volkswagen engine providing up to 60 kw (80 hp); and the CA-2 which was designed to meet all Part 103 US requirements, having a weight of 113 kw (250 lb) when empty and engines ranging up to 30 kw (40 hp).