- Aviat Eagle II
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Eagle II 
Role Aerobatic aircraft Manufacturer Christen, Aviat, homebuilt Designer Frank Christensen First flight February 1977 The Christen Eagle II, which later became the Aviat Eagle II in the mid 1990s, is an aerobatic sporting biplane aircraft that has been produced in the United States since the late 1970s. Designed to compete with the Pitts Special, it is marketed in kit form for homebuilding. The Eagle II is a small aircraft of conventional configuration with single-bay, equal-span staggered biplane wings braced with an I-strut. The pilot and a single passenger sit in tandem underneath a large bubble canopy. The tailwheel undercarriage is fixed, with the mainwheels housed in streamlined fairings. The fuselage and tail are constructed of steel tube, with the forward fuselage skinned in metal and the rear fuselage and tail in fabric. The wing structure is wooden and fabric covered. By 1985, over 600 kits had been sold, and over 250 aircraft were known to have been completed.
Operational history
Christen Eagles
In 1979, the Eagles Aerobatic Team (Charlie Hillard, Tom Poberezny, and Gene Soucy) chose the Christen Eagle as a replacement for their Pits Special airshow act "The Red Devils". The act continued until 1995. All three Christen Eagles hang from the lobby of the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.[1]
On June 18, 2011 the Christen Eagle (reg. N54CE) crashed into the Vistula river during Płock Airshow, killing pilot Marek Szufa onboard.[2]
On October 1, 2011 a Christen Eagle crashed during the 6th Air Festival of the Paraná Aeroclube, at Bacacheri Airport in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, killing pilot Fábio Luiz de Almeida. [3]
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 1 passenger
- Length: 17 ft 11 in (5.46 m)
- Wingspan: 19 ft 11 in (6.07 m)
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
- Wing area: 125 ft2 (11.6 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,025 lb (465 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,578 lb (716 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming AEIO-360-A1D, 200 hp (149 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 184 mph (296 km/h)
- Range: 380 miles (610 km)
- Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,180 m)
- Rate of climb: 2,100 ft/min (11 m/s)
References
- ^ "Christen Eagles". http://museum.eaa.org/collection/aircraft/Christen%20Eagles.asp#TopOfPage. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- ^ "Płock: Wypadek na pikniku lotniczym. Rozbił się samolot". http://polskalokalna.pl/news/plock-wypadek-na-pikniku-lotniczym-rozbil-sie-samolot,1656451,3286. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ "Piloto morre na queda de avião no Aeroporto do Bacacheri". http://www.parana-online.com.br/editoria/cidades/news/563331/?noticia=PILOTO+MORRE+NA+QUEDA+DE+AERONAVE+NO+BACACHERI. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 254.
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987-88. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 585–85.
- Manufacturer's website
- Cavanaugh Flight Museum's Christen Eagle II
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Acro Sport II
- Sorrell Hiperbipe
- Steen Skybolt
- Pitts Special
Lists relating to aviation General Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Airlines (defunct) · Airports · Civil authorities · Museums · Registration prefixes · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · TimelineMilitary Accidents/incidents Records Categories:- United States sport aircraft 1970–1979
- Homebuilt aircraft
- Biplane aircraft
- Single-engine aircraft
- Propeller aircraft
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