The MAI-223 Kityonok (Russian: МАИ-223 «Китенок», English: MAI-223 Whale Calf) is a single-engine STOLultralight aircraft developed by the Moscow Aviation Institute's special design bureau (OSKBEC) from 2002. The first production aircraft was delivered in 2008. A crop spraying version is under development. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or complete and ready-to-fly.[1][2][3][4]
Design and development
The Kityonok is a parasol winged, conventionally laid-out ultralight which seats two side by side. The parasol configuration was used to increase wing lifting area to improve STOL performance. Though the prototype had a partly fabric-coveredfuselage, later Kityonoks have glass fibre skins everywhere except for control surfaces. The fuselage has an aluminium frame, and the wings have aluminium alloy ribs. The constant-chord wings are swept forward at about 4°, with 3° of dihedral and mount electrically operated flaps. The wings are braced with a V-form pair of lift struts on each side, fixed to the lower fuselage close to the engine mounting and assisted by jury struts. The centre section loads are carried by a centre-line pair of fairedcabane struts. The wings can be folded for storage. The tailplane is trapezoidal and set at the top of the fuselage; there is an electrically operated trim tab on the port elevator. The rudder has a ground-adjustable tab.[1][4]
The Kityonok is normally powered by a 73.5 kW (98.6 hp) Rotax 912 ULSflat-four engine driving a three-bladed propeller, though the lower-powered Rotax 503UL or 582 UL are options. Access to the cabin is via two deep, glazed doors. The Kityonok has a conventional undercarriage with main wheels on backward-leaning cantilever legs mounted on torsion bars in the lower fuselage. The mainwheels have hydraulic brakes, and the tailwheel casters. Alternatively it can be equipped with skis or floats.[1]
Two production batches of 10 were begun in 2006, on by MAI and one by PRAD. Plans were announced that year for production of the MAI-223SKh crop sprayer version at UZGA (The Ural Works of Civil Aviation) at Ekaterinburg. 4 Kityonoks had been completed by 2009. Though it was intended to produce kits for home building as well as ready-to-fly aircraft, it is not known if any have been made.[1]
Operational history
The third prototype/first production aircraft was delivered to the Tomsk Aero Club in 2008.[1]
Variants
Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 2011/12[1]
MAI-223
Base version
MAI-223SKh
Crop sprayer, announced 2006, first flight 31 August 2007. Can carry up to 160 L (42.2 US gal; 35.2 Imp gal) of chemicals distributed via an 8.56 m (28 ft 1 in) spray bar extending beyond the wings.
