Country of origin:

The Ukraine

Description:

Two-seat light sport monoplane

Power Plant:

One 37 kw (50 hp) Rotax 503UL 2v two-cylinder, two-stroke, fan-cooled, engine with electronic dual ignition

Specifications:

History:

The A-20 Vista was a light sport high-wing monoplane built in the Company’s facility in Kiev in the Ukraine in kit form. It was a two-seat in tandem light aircraft with a strut-braced wing, the engine being in the pusher configuration behind the cockpit. It had a conventional undercarriage. The series of aircraft produced by the Company was first introduced to the American market at the EAA event at Oshkosh in Wisconsin, USA in 1999 and since then a number of models have been produced and have become popular.

The prototype of the A-20 first flew on 5 August 1991. It was constructed with a fibreglass forward fuselage and cockpit, the wings being constructed of aluminium, as were the tail surfaces, both being covered in fabric. It had half-span ailerons and flaps, and the undercarriage was of tailwheel configuration with sprung main steel legs. It was initially designed to take the Rotax 503 two-stroke aircraft engine but it could be fitted with the Rotax 582 and the 912ULS. Aircraft with the 912 engine had a variable pitch propeller, fully balanced control surfaces, and more streamlining of the undercarriage and wing braces. The type won the European Microlight Championship in 2002. Examples have been flown in Europe operating on skis.

A number of variants of the A-20 Vista have been developed and sold around the world. After the initial model fitted with a 37 kw (50 hp) Rotax 503 engine, the following variant was the A-20 Vista STOL which was developed for short field operations and had a 48 kw (64 hp) Rotax 582 engine and standard slotted flaperons. A further variant was the A-20 Vista SS with a 10.2 m (33 ft 4 in) reduced-span wing, and the Rotax 582 engine aimed at providing a higher cruising speed. Then the A-20 Cruiser, also with the 10.2 m (33 ft 4 in) reduced-span wing, was fitted with the 80 kw (100 hp) Rotax 912ULS engine for a higher cruising speed. Optional fuel tanks were available to provide a max of 90 litres (19.8 Imp gals).

Later models were the A-20 Cruiser-S with a further reduction in the wingspan to 9.4 m (31 ft) wing and the 912ULS engine; the A-26 Vulcan, a modified model with twin pusher engines; and the A-30 Vista Speedster, being a high-performance variant of the basic model.

An example of the A-20 Vista has been registered in Australia with Recreation Aircraft Australia, this aircraft becoming 24-7232 (c/n 9) on 24 July 2009.It has been recorded as being fitted with a Rotax 462 engine providing 38 kw (51 hp), this unit being derived from a snowmobile engine.