Ultracraft Calypso Explained

The Ultracraft Calypso is a family of Belgian homebuilt aircraft designed and produced by Ultracraft of Heusden-Zolder, introduced in the 1990s. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft or as a kit for amateur construction.[1]

Design and development

The Calypso line all feature a strut-braced high wing, fixed conventional landing gear with optional wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The single-seat Calypso 1 is made from a combination of wood and metal with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric and a fibreglass cowling. Its 8.841NaN1 span wing has a wing area of 11.6m2 and is supported by "V" struts and jury struts. The cabin width is 61cm (24inches). The acceptable power range is 40to and the standard engines used are the 400NaN0 Rotax 447 or the 500NaN0 Rotax 503 two-stroke powerplants.

The Calypso 1A has a typical empty weight of 155kg (342lb) and a gross weight of 285kg (628lb), giving a useful load of 130kg (290lb). With full fuel of the payload for the pilot and baggage is 103kg (227lb).

The standard day, sea level, no wind, takeoff with a 400NaN0 engine is 610NaN0 and the landing roll is 460NaN0.

The manufacturer estimates the construction time for the Calypso 1A from the supplied kit to be 300 hours.

Operational history

By 1998 the company reported that 12 kits had been sold and five Calypso 1s were completed and flying.

Variants

Calypso 1A
  • Initial version, single-seat with 40to engine.[2]
    Calypso 1B
  • Single-seat version with Citroën Visa automotive conversion engine or 650NaN0 Rotax 582 two-stroke, liquid-cooled powerplant.[3]
    Calypso 2A
  • Two-seat version with a wingspan of 9.051NaN1 and a wing area of 15m2, powered by a 650NaN0 Rotax 582 aircraft engine or a BMW automotive conversion engine. The 2A 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.[4]
    Calypso 2B
  • Two-seat version with a wingspan of 8.051NaN1 and a wing area of 13.4m2, powered by an 850NaN0 Jabiru 2200 aircraft engine or a BMW automotive conversion engine. The 2B 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.[4]

    Notes and References

    1. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 279. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.
    2. Web site: Projects . Ultracraft.be . 2014-03-25.
    3. Web site: Calypso1a . Ultracraft.be . 2014-03-25.
    4. Web site: Projects . Ultracraft.be . 2014-03-25.

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