DELTA

This is a project of Verhees Engineering itself. The aim is to build a single seater with a roomy inside and good performance.
After having conducted extended experiments with large model aircraft, the design boiled down to a tailless delta in which the pilot and engine would fit in the wing. This created a lot of room without the drag of a fat fuselage. Because the wing is so thick, it is possible to make the structure light as well. The structure is made of aluminium and for certification the Jar-VLA is used with +6/-6 g and a manoeuvring speed of 110 kts and a dive speed of 170 kts.
The landing gear is retractable, control by two "elevons" and rudder.

Meanwhile the aircraft is finished and flies. The certificate of airworthynes is provided.
The performance is for the greater part as calculated with a cruisingspeed of 140 kts end a vertical speed of 1300 fpm.
The aircraft has good stability and can be controlled well. Stall is very gentle, in fact it does not happen, the aircraft simply glides down with a high angle of attack.
The landinggear is of an unusual type with a non-pivoting tailwheel and one steerable mainwheel, also retractable.
The mainwheel is steerable with a separate set of pedals, only to be used while taxiing, to be compared with differential braking with a free-pivoting nosewheel.
In takeoff direction is kept by rolling the aircraft with the ailerons, like riding a bike handsfree.

This setup has the advantages that aileroncontrol is already present before lift-off and that the fixed tailwheel takes care of positive stability.
In the landing the pilot can line-up for crosswind with rudder but it is not necessary because the pivoting mainwheel will follow any misalignment.
In this manner the risk of groundloop is eliminated and at the same time we have a light and simple undercarriage.
Startrun can be done tail-up or tail down.
The engine is a two stroke Hirth of 65 HP and we are working on a decent 4-stroke engine to decrease fuel consumption.