- ARV Super2
Infobox Aircraft
name = Super 2
caption =
type = Light Aircraft
national origin =Great Britain
manufacturer = ARV
designer =
first flight = 11 March 1985
introduction =
retired =
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more users =
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variants with their own articles = The ARV Super 2 is a British light aircraft. Intended to be an affordable two seat light trainer, it is a single engined high wing monoplane. Small numbers were produced in the 1980s before the company manufacturing it went bankrupt.Development and design
After breaking the world
land speed record in 1983,Richard Noble , on returning to the UK, recognised that there was a gap in the market for a low cost light two seat trainer, as the costs of lawsuits in the United States had (temporarily) driven the major American general aviation manufacturers out of the market for market for small trainer aircraft such as theCessna 150 . Blech 1986, p.47.] It was planned to use advanced manufacturing techniques (including Superplastically formed aluminium, and a novel three-cylinder water cooled two stroke engine to produce aircraft that was both cheap to buy and economical to operate. Noble set up a factory atSandown on theIsle of Wight to build the aircraft, named the ARV Super 2, the first prototype flying on 11 March 1985.While the Super 2 gained
Airworthiness certification in July 1986, entering full production, it was grounded in November 1987 owing to engine problems. [ "Flight International", 14 November 1987, p.16] Although these were solved, it forced ARV into Administration, with the company being rescued after a management buyout, being renamed Island Aircraft. [ Belch 1989, pp. 92-94.] A total of 30 aircraft were completed by ARV and Island aircraft at Sandown, with production first being transferred to Scotland and then to Sweden, where it was renamed the Opus 280, [ "Flight International" 11-17 August 1993, p.24.] [Daly 1994, p.30.] before the Swedish producers themselves went bankrupt in 1995. [ "Flight International". 27 September - 3 October 1995. p.6.]ARV Super2 is a modern
light aircraft similar in many ways to the earlier Bolkow Junior. The ARV is an all-metal side-by-side two-seater with a strutted forward-swept shoulder-wing. It has twin control sticks, and all controls are pushrod, except rudder, which is cable-linked. The Super2's handling is very positive & direct, and the shoulder-wing gives superb visibility. The wing is small (92sq.ft) so wing-loading is quite high. Some find the wing area too small for STOL on short strips, even though the fibre-glass wing-tips increase wing efficiency by reducing drag. Both flaps and trim are manually controlled, and thedisc brake s are also hand-operated. A steerable nosewheel gives easy ground handling.Overview
The ARV is a rugged aircraft of all alloy-construction, but with composite wingtips and cowlings. Aft of the cockpit bulkhead, the ARV is conventionally built, with frames, longerons and
stressed skin . The cockpit is a stiff lightweight monocoque pressing of superplastic alloy which affords great crash protection. In the early days of the Hewland engine, there were a number of forced landings, due to gearbox failures induced by propeller vibration. The CAA grounded the aircraft, and although problems were quickly sorted, a loss of confidence led to the eventual closure of the Isle of Wight factory.Originally, ARVS were available either as kit-built aircraft (subject to PFA permit), or factory built (and subject to the CAA Certificate of Airworthiness). In 2004, the CAA reclassified all ARVs as PFA Permit aircraft. The Hewland (a 3-cyl in-line liquid-cooled inverted 2-stroke) is arguably at least as good as its modern competitors, and is very smooth. Twenty years later, most Hewlands are still going strong, although they are "lifed" at 750 hours. The Hewland's 75bhp output is a bit marginal; but with engines of 80bhp or more, the ARV is transformed. Currently, it is planned to develop the Hewland to produce some 90bhp. The standard tyres a bit small, but fatter Trelleborgs will fit without any modification, giving a big improvement in rolling on rough ground.
ARVs have also been successfully fitted with the Rotax 912/912S/914 (80/100/115 bhp) and the 100bhp MidWest Rotary. (A Wankel engine is well-suited to aviation use, being smooth, compact, light and powerful). The MidWest engine is excellent provided
fuel injection is fitted, though a drawback is its very hot exhaust. Fuel consumption of the Midwest is about 16 lph @85kts.In the early days, at least two flying schools adopted the ARV, but today most Super2s are in private hands. The Sandown factory closed, having produced some 35 ARVs. Abortive attempts to restart production were made at ASL in Scotland, and then in Sweden, and again in Ohio. In February 2008, the Opus factory in North Carolina obtained FAA "Light Sport Aircraft" approval for the ARV Super2 (which may be renamed "Opus"). It is expected that the "Opus" will be back in production shortly, fitted initially with either a Rotax 912 or, eventually, a 912S.
pecifications (ARV Super 2 (Hewland Engine))
aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
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