Photograph:
Robertson STOL B1-RD at Holbrook, NSW (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat ultralight sport aircraft
Power Plant:
One 22 kw (30 hp) Cuyana 430-R two-cylinder two-stroke air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 8 in)
- Length: 6.4 m (20 ft 11 in)
- Height: 2.19 m (7 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 16 m² (172.22 sq ft)
- Max speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
- Cruising speed: 61 km/h (38 mph)
- Stalling speed: 24 km/h (15 mph)
- Rate of climb: 259 m/min (850 ft/min)
- Take-off run: 23 m (75 ft)
- Range: 346 km (215 miles)
- Fuel capacity: 19 litres (4.17 imp gals)
- Empty weight: 99 kg (220 lb)
- Useful load: 127 kg (280 lb)
- Loaded weight: 227 kg (500 lb)
History:
The B1-RD was a single-seat ultralight or minimum aircraft with a framework built of 60661 T6 aircraft grade aluminium. It was a high-wing single-surface monoplane produced in the United States by Robertson STOL and marketed in Australia in the mid-1980s by Minavia Pty Ltd of Melbourne, VIC. It was a wire-braced aircraft with vinyl coated cables and swaging, displaced ailerons, conventional tailwheel undercarriage with large main wheels, and bungee shock cord suspension for operation from rough fields. It could be dis-assembled for transportation, in this form being 5.49 m (18 ft) long. It was available in kit form.
A number have been registered in Australia over the years under RAA rules and include: 10-0696, 10-0699, 10-0700, 10-0701, 10-0702, 10-1226 and 10-1950 (c/n 305) registered on 7 October 1997 and fitted with a Cuyuna UL11-02 engine. A small number have also been completed in New Zealand. A similar design, thought to be by the same manufacturer, was the Robertson Intruder which became 10-3147 (c/n 1) fitted with a Rotax 447 engine and registered on 5 May 1999.