The Silent Glider M was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category and the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules. It features a cable-braced rigid hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift pitch controls and aerodynamic roll controls, a single-seat enclosed cockpit with a bubble canopy, retractable tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.
The aircraft is made from composites, with its double surface rigid wing mounted with the pitch control bar though a slot in the bubble canopy. The pilot seating position is reclined. Various rigid wings can be used and the typical one has a 141NaN1 span. The powerplant is a single cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, 280NaN0 Hirth F33 engine or, optionally, a Geiger or Flytec electric motor, powering a two-bladed folding composite propeller. With the Hirth engine the aircraft has an empty weight of 118.50NaN0 and a gross weight of 2310NaN0, giving a useful load of 112.50NaN0. With full fuel of the payload is 970NaN0.
The Silent Glider M can use the Aeros Stalker, A-I-R Atos or Flight Design Exxtacy wings, which are provided by the builder. The fuselage and wing combination produces a 20:1 glide ratio and a minimum sink rate of 0.8 m/s (160 ft/min).[2] [3]