Photograph:
Fisher FP-101 Koala at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA in 2007 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
One 21 kw (28 hp) Rotax 277 single-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.79 m (28 ft 10 in)
- Length: 5.03 m (16 ft 6 in)
- Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 10.8 m² (116 sq ft)
- Never exceed speed: 101 km/h (63 mph)
- Max speed: 97 km/h (60 mph)
- Cruising speed: 89 km/h (55 mph)
- Stalling speed: 42 km/h (26 mph)
- Rate of climb: 183 m/min (600 ft/min)
- Range: 241 km (150 miles
- Endurance: 3 hours
- Empty weight: 112 kg (247 lb)
- Useful load: 115 kg (253 lb)
- Loaded weight: 227 kg (500 lb)
History:
Flown for the first time in 1982 and released to the market as a kit shortly thereafter by Fisher Flying Products of Edgeley, North Dakota, the FP-101 Koala was a popular, cheap, light aircraft around the world. The Company, Fisher, was founded by Michael Fisher and Wayne Ison in about 1980 as Lite Flite Inc. It later became Aero Visions, and eventually Fisher Aero Corporation. In 1984 the Company was sold to Gene and Darlene Jackson-Hanson and for a time was based in South Webster, Ohio before moving to Edgeley in North Dakota. In 2007 the owners of the Company retired and it was sold, moving to Woodbridge in Ontario, Canada, where it was re-established. In 2009 production of kits for the 15 or so designs available re-commenced.
Designed to meet United States FAR-103 ultralight category regulations, the FP-101 was primarily of wooden construction with a wooden geodetic fuselage, wood-framed wings, and tail surfaces all covered in fabric. The wing was supported by aluminium V-struts with jury struts. Control was three axis and included ailerons, elevators and a tail-mounted rudder. The undercarriage was fixed tailwheel made from steel tube with bungee suspension. The engine cowling was built from fibreglass. The pilot was seated in an enclosed cockpit, access being by a fold-down door on the right-hand side. Standard power plant was the Rotax 277 driving a two-blade propeller but one example is known to have been fitted with a Kawasaki 440 engine.
Examples have been completed in Australia, one registered under Recreational Aviation Australia (RAA) Regulations as 10-1199 from January 1990 to May 2006, 10-0512 (c/n 331), 10-1316), and another at Dalby, QLD.