Photograph:
Viva Scout Mk I part of the collection of aircraft in the Ultralight Aircraft Museum at Holbrook, NSW in November 2014 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
Australia
Description:
Single-seat ultralight aircraft
Power Plant:
One 10 kw (14 hp) at 6,500 rpm Pixie Major [173 cc] engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.835 m (28 ft 6 in)
- Length: 5.01 m (16 ft 2 in)
- Cruising speed: 77 km/h (48 mph)
- Stalling speed: 35 km/h (22 mph)
- Useful load: 83.7 kg (185 lb)
- Empty weight: 71.5 kg (158 lb)
History:
The Viva Scout Mk 1 was a single-seat ultralight aircraft of two-axis configuration (pitch and yaw) powered by a Pixie Major engine driving a wooden propeller through a single chain. Further development of the design led to a three-axis variant (pitch, yaw and roll) aircraft powered by a Fuji Robin EC-25PS 244-cc engine providing 16 kw (21 hp) at 6,500 rpm, but this was found to not provide the necessary power and was changed to a Rotax 377 engine, a 26 kw (35 hp) two-cylinder, two-stroke unit, driving a 121.9 cm (48 inch) laminated propeller, this model becoming known as the Mk 3-RN and Mk 3-RX. In lieu of the chain drive in this model the Mk 3 models had three belts driving the propeller. Control in the lateral axis was through wing warping. The main distinguishing feature was the semi-enclosed cockpit and fuselage.
It is not known how many Scouts were constructed but at least three ready-to-fly aircraft were completed by the manufacturer and were flown. One example has survived and this aircraft has been restored by Neville White to be able to taxi under its own power. It is now part of the collection of Ultralight Aircraft in a museum set up for historic minimum aircraft at Holbrook, NSW. It is interesting to note this local council-owned airstrip has been in use for many years and was used by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in 1931 when, whilst flying an Avro 10, he was searching for the Avro 10 VH-UMF Southern Cloud which disappeared over the Strathbozie Mountains whilst being flown by Captain W T Shortridge on the Sydney, NSW to Melbourne, VIC service.