Rainbow Cheetah Explained

The Rainbow Cheetah a South African ultralight and light-sport aircraft, designed by Vladimir Chechin and produced by Rainbow Aircraft. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.[1]

Design and development

The aircraft was derived from the Best Off Skyranger and designed to comply with Canadian Advanced Ultralight criteria and the US light-sport aircraft rules. It features a strut-braced high-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit with optional doors for access, fixed tricycle landing gear or optionally conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.[2]

The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 9.61NaN1 span wing has an area of 13.25m2 and mounts flaps. Standard engines available are the 640NaN0 Rotax 582 two-stroke, the 800NaN0 Rotax 912UL and the 1000NaN0 Rotax 912ULS four-stroke powerplants.

The Cheetah XLS has been accepted by Transport Canada as an Advanced Ultralight as both a land plane and seaplane, powered by the Rotax 582 two-stroke, the Rotax 912UL, the Rotax 912ULS, the Verner VM133 and the 850NaN0 Jabiru 2200A engines.[3]

Operational history

By August 2012 there were three Cheetahs on the Federal Aviation Administration registry and two on the Transport Canada Civil Aircraft Register.[4] [5]

Variants

Cheetah XLS
  • Current production model (2012) with tricycle landing gear.[6]
    Cheetah XLS Taildragger
  • Current production model (2012) with conventional landing gear.[7]

    Notes and References

    1. Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 72. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
    2. Web site: EAA's Listing of Special Light-Sport Aircraft. 1 June 2012. Experimental Aircraft Association. 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140228070151/http://sportpilot.org/learn/slsa. 28 February 2014.
    3. Web site: Listing of Models Eligible to be Registered as Advanced Ultra-Light Aeroplanes (AULA). 27 August 2012. Transport Canada. 15 August 2012.
    4. Web site: Make / Model Inquiry Results. 27 August 2012. Federal Aviation Administration. 27 August 2012.
    5. Web site: Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. 27 August 2012. Transport Canada. 27 August 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718042755/http://wwwapps2.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/ccarcs/aspscripts/en/quicksearch.asp. 18 July 2011.
    6. Web site: Rainbow Aircraft Cheetah XLS . Rainbowaircraft.co.za . 2012-08-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120724104848/http://www.rainbowaircraft.co.za/Products.html/3_axis_microlights.html/cheetah_xls.html/cheetah_xls.html . 2012-07-24 .
    7. Web site: Rainbow Aircraft Cheetah XLS Taildragger . Rainbowaircraft.co.za . 2012-08-27 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120724105013/http://www.rainbowaircraft.co.za/Products.html/3_axis_microlights.html/cheetah_xls_taildragger.html/cheetah_xls_taildragger.html . 2012-07-24 .

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