Photograph:
ASAP Chinook Plus 2 with an HKS 700E engine (ASAP)
Country of origin:
Canada
Description:
Two-seat light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
One 48 kw (65 hp) Rotax 582UL-2V two-cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 9.75 m (32 ft)
- Length: 5.39 m (17 ft 7 in)
- Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 14.35 m² (154.5 sq ft)
- Max speed: 185 km/h (115 mph)
- Cruising speed: 137 km/h (85 mph)
- Stalling speed: 51 km/h (32 mph)
- Rate of climb at sea level: 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 4,572 m (15,000 ft)
- Range: 483 km (300 miles)
- Empty weight: 190 kg (420 lb)
- Loaded weight: 476 kg (1,050 lb)
History:
The ASAP Chinook series of light aircraft was produced at Vernon, British Colombia, in Canada by Aircraft Sales & Parts. More than 900 examples have been produced and sold around the world. Seating two in tandem, a number of engines have been installed, including the Rotax models 503 and 582, the HKS 700E, and the Hirth 2704.
Construction was of welded steel tube with fabric covering and the machine was fitted with a tailwheel undercarriage. A strong and rugged aircraft, it had outstanding visibility and options included floats, in-cabin heating, snow-skis, recovery parachute, in-wing fuel tank, etc.
A number have been completed in this region and at least one example was used by the American National Geographic Society for an expedition to the Antarctic.
The type was developed over the years. First model was the Birdman WT-11 built by Birdman Enterprises of Alberta, Canada, first flown at Wizard Lake in Alberta on 12 December 1982, powered by a 21 kw (28 hp) Rotax engine, which could be built in single or two-seat configuration. It was followed by the ASAP Chinook 2S, a two-seater, introduced in 1984, which was fitted with either the 31 kw (42 hp) Rotax 477 engine or the 37 kw (50 hp) Rotax 503 engine. Later the Chinook Plus 2 variant appeared fitted with the 63 kw (85 hp) Rotax 912UL engine in 1988, also a two-seater which had the wingspan reduced to 10 m (32 ft).