Country of origin:

Australia

Description:

Single-seat sport aircraft

Power Plant:

One 17 kw (23 hp) Magnum 440 cc two-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Grasshopper was designed and built by Colin Winton of Winton Aircraft of Manly Vale, NSW in the 1970s. He and his Company produced 30 examples.  The Company initially built the Cricket as a low-cost open-air type machine with a rigid wing, powered by a two-cylinder, two-stroke, engine with an empty weight of 100 kg (220 lb).  The Company continued development of ultralight types and commenced production of the Grasshopper.  This machine was built of aluminium alloy T6 tube with Derakane vinylester fibreglass skinning.  It seated one, had a windshield, and had an engine in the pusher type configuration. The wings were detachable for trailering and hangarage.

Subsequently the jigs for the construction of the type were obtained by Raymond Tolhurst who operated from Camden Airport, NSW. He proceeded to develop the design to what became the Stingray.  The wires were removed and this provided the aircraft with a clean wing. A geared engine was installed.  It is believed Mr Tolhurst built 13 examples of the Grasshopper.

An aircraft was taken to and demonstrated at an EAA event at Oshkosh in Wisconsin, USA where it won an award.  It was not aerobatic, Colin Winton during development changing the diameter of the tail boom from 75 mm (3 in) to 102 mm (4 in).

The fibreglass fuselage of the Grasshopper commenced life as an auxiliary fuel tank as fitted to a North American P-51D Mustang, the internal area being filled and fitted with wing spars, an engine mount and a pilot’s seat.  The spar was fibreglass and the main wheels were attached thereto.  There was an aluminium tube pushed into the spar fittings, the undercarriage carrying the wing support flying wires and their own support wires.  Conventional full-length ailerons were installed.

Initial engine installed was a two-cylinder horizontally-opposed unit produced by Victa Consolidated Industries but this did not prove to be successful. It was replaced by a two-cylinder Robin engine and in due course, when Raymond Tolhurst was building the type, he converted the Robin engine to have gears. He also built a glider-type fibreglass spar with glider type fittings.  In this form the aircraft was noted for its performance. The prototype was first flown from what became the NSW Sports Aircraft airstrip at Wedderburn, NSW.

Although the type was not aerobatic, and was never intended to be, a couple of pilots attempted to perform aerobatics, one over-stressing the aircraft, crashing, and destroying the machine.  Later the financier of the aircraft withdrew support for the aircraft and the aircraft then on the production line were destroyed.

A number of Grasshoppers have been registered under AUF / RAA rules, including 10-0848, 10-0969, 10-0080, 10-0175, 10-0785, 10-0213, 10-1230, 10-1039, 10-0263, 10-0394, 10-1238, 10-1247, 10-1280, 10-1286, 10-1305, 10-0631, 10-1113, 10-1160, 10-0546, 10-1407, 10-1883, 10-3129 and 10-3350.  New Zealand examples included ZK-JOP and ZK-JPY.

Colin Winton was prolific in his design of similar successful ultralight aircraft, and other aircraft produced included the Superoo and the Sea Wasp, examples of which included: Superoo 10-0045, 10-0269, 10-0530, and 10-1006; and the Sea Wasp 10-0417.  Other designs included the Brumby 10-0664, which had a Rotax engine; the Jackaroo 10-1484 with a Hirth engine, and 10-0630 with a Rotax 503 engine.