Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Single-seat light sport aircraft

Power Plant:

(SV-2) One 31 kw (41 hp) Rotax 447UL-2V two-cylinder, two-stroke, fan-cooled electronic single-ignition engine

Specifications:

History:

The Sadler Vampire was a single-seat ultralight aircraft designed by Bill Sadler and built in the United States, 28 aircraft being built there before a downturn in the fortunes of the industry led to production ceasing. In Australia it was built by Skywise Ultraflight Pty Ltd at Bankstown, NSW, where some 30 examples were built during the late 1980s. It was produced in two basic variants, the SV-1 and SV-2, the former having a 22 kw (30 hp) KFM 107 Maxi two-cylinder two-stroke engine, and the latter the 31 kw (41 hp) Rotax 447 engine.

The type was constructed of aircraft grade materials using a moulded kevlar cockpit, metal wings, and metal covered tubular steel tail booms, the engine being behind the pilot and driving a pusher propeller between the tail booms. Whereas the American built aircraft, because of regulations then extant, had a 16 kw (22 hp) engine, the Australian built aircraft had the 22 kw (30 hp) unit. It was proposed that there be a self-launched glider variant with an engine, and an amateur built variant with a 5.48 m (18 ft) wing. The aircraft was marketed in Australia by Skywise Aviation Pty Ltd of Bankstown, NSW.

An interesting proposal was an armed version for Third World countries. It was to be powered by a 48 kw (65 hp) engine and was to have two M-60 machine guns and a rocket pod. In 1985 the United States Smithsonian Institute requested an example for permanent display in its Aerospace Museum in Washington, DC. Ten aircraft in an un-assembled state were to be supplied to Canada, and a lot of interest was said to be shown in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, with one country expressing an interest in evaluating it for military purposes. In 2005 it was announced production would re-commence of the single-seat Vampire at a new facility at Albion Park, NSW and at least two aircraft were completed. Production was later transferred to Narellan, NSW.

Prior to the Vampire production line closing down in about 1988, Sadler was developing a two-seat version but this was not completed. In the late 1990s a Mr Ron Fisher in Victoria obtained the prototype of the two-seat variant and set about completing the aircraft to have it certified, referring to it as the Fisher Kingfisher. In June 2000 this aircraft (VH-XRF – c/n 001) was placed on the Australian civil aircraft register but is not known to have flown as yet. This is an interesting point as registration VH-XRF was allotted to a Fisher Aero Horizon, an entirely different aircraft. This Kingfisher variant was to be fitted with a 60 kw (80 hp) 2000 cc Limbach conversion of the Volkswagen four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine.

Production of the Vampire continued with Aero V Australia Pty Ltd trading as Just Plane Passions, operating from Albion Park, NSW. In the United States the Vampire has been re-designed to meet Light Sport Aircraft specifications, is available with a Rotax 912 engine driving a three-blade Ivoprop, having a max speed of 222 km/h (138 mph), and being available as a general sports aircraft or in LSA configuration.

In more recent times production continued for a period at a low rate by Garland Aerospace in Sydney, NSW and an example of this variant, VH-VPX, was converted to UAV configuration “using equipment purchased at Tandy” and fitted with a belly mounted EO/IO pod. The optics in the pod enabled the aircraft to stand-off and identify poachers in South Africa in the fight against poachers killing some of the surviving rhinoceros population and other animals and enabled National Parks officers to identify the poachers. In addition Australian designed Jabirus fitted with ballistic blankets to protect the crews have been used to locate the poachers.

Examples registered under RAA regulations in Australia have included: 25-0070 (c/n SU-002), 25-0072 (c/n SU-010), 25-0073 (c/n SU-003), 25-0074 (c/n SU-005), 25-0075 (c/n SU-007), 25-0077 (c/n SU-012), 25-0078 (c/n SU-008), 25-0079 (c/n SU-019), 25-0121 (c/n SU-013), 25-0122 (c/n SU-014), 25-0126 (c/n SU-021), 25-0128 (c/n SU-018), 25-0129 (c/n SU-023), and 25-1051 (c/n SV-025).

An example, described as a Skywise Ultralight SV-2, has been registered in New Zealand as ZK-VMP (c/n SV-026), making its first flight on 8 January 1998.

Further variants have been built or proposed and the models available in recent years include: The GA-1, the first production model with a Compact Radial MZ-202 two-stroke engine; the GA-2 designed to meet Australian, UK and some European requirements and fitted with a Rotax 447 engine, this later being replaced by an HKS engine; the GA-3 a redesigned GA-2 for the Experimental and amateur construction market with increased weight, initially known as the Vampire Mk 3 but renamed the GA-3; and the GA-5 Warfang becoming the UAV variant, a prototype of which was built and made a number of test flights. A further proposed development was the GA-9 Starship to be fitted with a Rotax 914 engine driving a constant speed propeller with provision for a retractable undercarriage.

Production took place for a period at Albion Park, NSW on an as needs basis, this being transferred to Narellan, NSW in 2015. In late 2016 rights to the aircraft were sold to Wedgetail Aircraft at Camden, NSW where an aircraft was completed, being displayed at Ozkosh at Narromine in 2016.Production aircraft have been built to meet orders. It has become known as the Wedgetail Vampire. At least 55 examples of the Vampire series have been completed.

The militarised variant was known as the Piranha. This machine was fitted with an enclosed cockpit, a bullet resistant fuselage pod constructed from Kevlar, with machine guns mounted in the wing roots, and a hard point under each wing. It was aimed at a market for a light aircraft able to provide ground attack, counter-insurgency, and interdiction missions. Initially it was to be fitted with a converted Volkswagen engine but eventually a Chevrolet V-8 converted automotive engine was chosen. A UAV variant was developed at around the same time as the UAV-18-50.