Bushcaddy R-80 Explained
The
Bushcaddy R-80 is a Canadian
ultralight and
light-sport aircraft that was designed by Jean Eudes Potvin of
Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec in 1994 and produced by his company
Club Aeronautique Delisle Incorporated (CADI). It was later built by
Canadian Light Aircraft Sales and Service (CLASS) of
St. Lazare, Quebec and later
Les Cedres, Quebec and now
Bushcaddy of
Lachute, Quebec.
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The R-80 designation indicates that the aircraft was originally designed for a Rotax engine of 800NaN0.
The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.[3]
Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the Canadian advanced ultralight rules and is also an approved US light-sport aircraft. It features a strut-braced high-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit, fixed tricycle landing gear or conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.[3] [6]
The aircraft is made from 6061-T6 aluminum sheet over a cage of welded aluminum square 6061-T6 aluminum tube. The tail boom is conventional semi-monocoque construction. The non-tapered planform wings have 6061-T6 ribs and spars and employ a NACA 4413 (mod) airfoil. The airfoil modification removes the undercamber on the bottom of the wing, which makes construction easier, without giving up low speed performance. The aircraft's structure uses 2024-T3 aluminium for critical parts where extra strength is required, such as the spar, float and strut attachments as well as other critical components like the rudder horns. The R-80's structure is covered with 6061-T6 sheet of varying thicknesses; wing bottom skins are 0.0162NaN2 inches thick while the top is 0.022NaN2 inches. The wings are supported by conventional "V" struts. 6061-T6 is predominantly used for its lower cost and also its better corrosion resistance, since many R-80s are flown on floats. Its 321NaN1 span wing has an area of 168square feet and does not fit flaps.[3]
Standard engines used on the R-80 include the 800NaN0 Rotax 912UL and the 1000NaN0 Rotax 912ULS four-stroke powerplants. The 1150NaN0 turbocharged Rotax 914 has also been fitted. The aircraft can also be mounted on floats and skis. Controls include a central "Y" control stick.[3]
Construction time for the R-80 from the factory kit is 1,200 hours.
Variants
- CADI R-80
Original production version built by CADI, about 60 produced.
- CLASS R-80 BushCaddy
Version produced by CLASS of Saint-Lazare, Quebec, after buying the rights from Potvin in 1998. Production was later moved to Les Cedres, Quebec. To acknowledge the CADI name the aircraft was named the Bushcaddy as it is capable of carrying "a load of people and freight into the Canadian bush".
- Bushcaddy R-80
Current production version produced by Bushcaddy of Lachute, Quebec and later of Cornwall Regional Airport in Summerstown, Ontario, after buying the rights from CLASS in 2011.[3] [7] External links
Notes and References
- Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 35. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
- Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 132. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
- Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 36. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.
- Hunt, Adam: Elegant Utility - Flying the CLASS R-80 BushCaddy, Canadian Flight July 2005, page B-1. Canadian Owners and Pilots Association.
- Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 47. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
- Web site: EAA's Listing of Special Light-Sport Aircraft. 19 May 2012. Experimental Aircraft Association. 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140228070151/http://sportpilot.org/learn/slsa. 28 February 2014. dead.
- Web site: R-80 Two place. 19 May 2012. Bushcaddy. 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120208210107/http://bushcaddy.com/?page_id=122. 8 February 2012. dead.
