Photograph:
Team Hi-Max 10-4088 at Watts Bridge, QLD in August 2008 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat light sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 34 kw (45 hp) Rotax 447UL-2V two-cylinder, two-stroke, fan-cooled, electronic single-ignition engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 7.62 m (25 ft)
- Length: 4.87 m (16 ft)
- Height: 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 10.45 m² (112.5 sq ft)
- Max speed: 145 km/h (90 mph)
- Max cruising speed: 129 km/h (80 mph)
- Stalling speed: 50 km/h (31 mph)
- Rate of climb: 274 m/min (900 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
- Take-off run: 30 m (100 ft)
- Landing run: 64 m (210 ft)
- Range: 222 km (138 miles)
- Empty weight: 149 kg (328 lb)
- Loaded weight: 254 kg (560 lb)
History:
The Hi-Max was one of a series of ultralight aircraft designed to be built by amateur builders and to be registered under ultralight regulations. It was a strut-braced high-wing aircraft with an enclosed cabin powered usually by a Rotax 447 engine or the Zenoah G.50 two-cylinder two-stroke horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine. Construction was of all wood, with a wood truss and plywood gusset method of construction. It was introduced to the Company’s range in 1987 and, like the other aircraft available, was produced in kit form.
The Company, Team, was set-up in 1974 by Wayne Ison, the first aircraft produced being the PDQ. Since then a variety of designs has been produced, including the 1100R Mini-Max, 1700R Hi-Max, 1030R Max 103 Ultralight, 1650R Eros with an enclosed cockpit, V-Max sportplane, 1600R with an enclosed cockpit, 1200Z, 1400Z Hi-Max, 1300Z, 1500R and the Air Bike. The series was initially built at the Company’s facility at Bradyville, Tennessee. The Hi-Max was introduced to the range in 1991.
For many years the Ison Aircraft Company (formerly known as Team Aircraft) has been building what it described as safe and affordable ultralight aircraft, winning awards at Oshkosh in Wisconsin and Sun‘N Fun Fly-ins in Florida in the United States. It has produced a wide range of aircraft. In more recent times production of the Mini-Max and Hi-Max series moved to a new facility at Nappanee at Indiana Airport.
A number of examples of the Hi-Max have been completed in Australasia, those registered in New Zealand including: ZK-FXF (c/n 141/MAANZ/452), ZK-JBM (c/n 245), ZK-JCQ (c/n MAANZ/494), ZK-KCM (c/n 761) fitted with a converted BMW motorcycle engine, ZK-OLD (c/n 140), ZK-WYZ (c/n 415/MAANZ/554) and ZK-YJP (966).
In Australia 10-3466 (c/n 101), 10-3647 and 19-4088 (c/n 1083) have been registered under RAA regulations.
Two of the aircraft completed to plans for the Hi-Max were extensively modified in New Zealand during construction. These two aircraft are known as the David Boehm Locke Hi-Max Minitwin. They differ from the Hi-Max, amongst other things, in having the fuselage widened and the wingspan increased.