Photograph:
German registered Technoflug Piccolo D-KAIA (c/n 011) at Moruya, NSW in January 2002 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
Germany
Description:
Single-seat self-launched sailplane
Power Plant:
One 17 kw (23 hp) Solo 2350 B or 2350BS two-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 13.3 m (43 ft 8 in)
- Length: 6.3 m (20 ft 7 in)
- Height: 1.49 m (4 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 10.6 m² (141.1 sq ft)
- Max speed: 171 km/h (106 mph)
- Cruising speed: 153 km/h (95 mph)
- Stalling speed: 54 km/h (34 mph)
- Rate of climb: 131 m/min (430 ft/min)
- Range: 418 km (260 miles)
- Max glide ratio: 23:1 at 70 km/h (43 mph)
- Rate of sink: 55 m/min (180 ft/min)
- Empty weight: 180 kg (397 lb)
- Loaded weight: 297 kg (655 lb)
History:
This series of ultralight aircraft was initially built in Switzerland as the Neukom AN-20B and AN-22 and was produced during the 1980s. They stemmed from a design produced in the 1970s by Albert Neukom at Schaffhausen, he designing a light wooden aircraft fitted with a pusher engine known as the AN-20 which was aimed at the powered glider market. One was completed with a Koenig three-cylinder radial engine and fibreglass wings.
This led to the development of an all-composite model known as the Piccolo in Germany built by Technoflug at Schramberg in the Black Forest near Offenburg. The first of this model made its first flight in 1984, this having an open canopy and being fitted with a KFM engine with a folding three-blade propeller.
The Piccolo was a single-seat self-launched sailplane built by Technoflug Leichtflugzeugbau GmbH at Schramberg in Germany. It was fitted with a fixed non-retractable Solo two-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine driving a three-blade propeller which, when not in use, folded horizontally parallel with the fuselage behind the cockpit. Construction was composite, foam and fibreglass. It was said its soaring performance was modest with a best LD of 23 at 78 km/h (48 mph). It had a tricycle undercarriage and the wings could be folded for transport and storage. The Technoflug organization also designed another model known as the Carat, this being constructed on its behalf by AMS Flight in Slovenia.
The first of the series seen in this region operated from a base in the Snowy Mountains, NSW with its German registration D-KAIA. It would appear, after operating in Australia for some tim, it returned to Germany, being noted at Tannkosh in upper Swabia in 2007. A second was imported to New Zealand, became ZK-GOQ (c/n 18), and has been based at Alexandra.