Photograph:
Rihn Sabre VH-XRW (c/n 001) during a display at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, VIC in 2009 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat unlimited category aerobatic monoplane
Power Plant:
One 239 kw (320 hp) Lycoming O-540 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- (Similar to a Zivco Edge 540)
History:
The Sabre was a one-off unlimited-category aerobatic aircraft designed in the United States by Daniel Rihn. The prototype was built in 1990 and made its first flight the following year, subsequently being flown by Cecila Aragon in California in a number of unlimited aerobatic events. Rihn had previously designed the DR-107 One Design, the DR-109 and a couple of other types.
The Sabre had a tubular steel fuselage and for the first 100 hours of flying was fitted with an all-wood wing. However, it was subsequently fitted with a wing designed by Zivko Aeronautics, this being the wing fitted to that company’s Zivko Z-1A Edge, this wing being of all-composite construction. A number of other modifications were made at the same time to the control surfaces, these reducing control stick and rudder forces.
The aircraft, flown by Ms Aragon in the 1992 and 1994 World Aerobatic Championships, was conveyed to Europe on board a USAF C-5A transport to attend these events. The original builders of the Sabre developed the design and eventually produced the Zivko Edge 540. The power plant of the Sabre was a Textron Lycoming AEIO-540 engine with high-compression parallel valve six-cylinder engine driving an MTV-9 propeller. It made its public debut at the 2009 Australian International Airshow at Avalon, VIC.
The prototype was obtained in 2008 by Extra Aerobatics of Hoxton Park, NSW and arrived in July 2008 when it underwent some refurbishment at the old Hoxton Park aerodrome, including some new metal work, a new fibreglass engine cowling, and weight and drag reduction programmes. Future plans for the aircraft, which became VH-XRW (c/n 001 – ex N4411F), were to convey it to the World Aerobatic Championships in 2009 where it would be flown by its owner, Richard Wiltshire, three times Australian Aerobatic champion. The aircraft was flown by Mr Wiltshire at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon in 2009. However, whilst practising for an event near Wedderburn, NSW the aircraft engine failed, the aircraft crashed into trees and was destroyed, the pilot, Richard Wiltshire, not being seriously injured.