ABS Aerolight Navigathor explained

The ABS Aerolight Navigathor is a French powered parachute and roadable aircraft that was designed and produced by ABS Aerolight of Sérignan-du-Comtat. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft and as a kit for amateur construction.[1]

The company appears to have gone out of business in late 2007 and production ended.[2] [3]

Design and development

The Navigathor is a development of the earlier ATE, which stands for Air-Terre-Eau (English: Air-Land-Water) and indicates that the vehicle is capable of being used as a flying car with a top road speed of 1500NaN0 or as a boat with a top water speed of 70NaN0.[1]

As an aircraft the Navigathor was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category, including the category's maximum gross weight of 4500NaN0. The aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 4500NaN0. The aircraft carriage is built from a combination of metal tubing and composites and features a wedge-shaped boat hull. It features a 46m2 parachute-style wing, two-seats-in-tandem in an open cockpit, four-wheeled cross country all terrain vehicle style landing gear and a single 1050NaN0 Hirth F-30 four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, two-stroke, aircraft engine, mounted in pusher configuration. In all modes the vehicle is powered by its ducted propeller.[1]

The vehicle has an empty weight of 2300NaN0 and a gross weight of 4500NaN0, giving a useful load of 2200NaN0. With full fuel of the payload is 1950NaN0.[1]

Variants

ATE
  • Initial model flying car/boat, Air-Terre-Eau (English: Air-Land-Water).[1]
    Navigathor
  • Improved model flying car/boat.[1]

    Notes and References

    1. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 78. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
    2. Web site: Domain for sale . 15 May 2015 . ABS Aerolight . 18 May 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150520033049/http://www.absaerolight.com/ . 20 May 2015 .
    3. Web site: Archives of www.absaerolight.com . . 16 December 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20010517054653/http://www.absaerolight.com/ . 17 May 2001 . 22 August 2016 .