Design features
To the credit of the MAI developers, they did not follow the beaten path and did not resort to the common method of borrowing certain ideas from the world's best specimens. The designers decided to create an "aircraft for Russia". As a result, "the light saw" not quite an ordinary aircraft with a closed cockpit and a strut parasol (i.e. wings on top).
For comparison: in front of the MAI-890, a little behind - MAI-223. Photo: YouTube.com
There are very few such cars in the ultralight class. But the main thing is inside! The fuselage is a flat truss connected to the cabin frame. The main power element of the hull is the only frame in the design, which accounts for the bulk of the loads.
Chassis
Here, a pair of front struts are made on a transverse torsion bar (a metal round rod made of spring steel with hinges at the ends). During operation (for example, hitting a bump), such a shock absorber “forces” the wheels to move back and up. Such an engineering solution provides a “gentle” load perception during takeoff/landing from an unprepared runway.
You can land and take off in an open field. Photo: YouTube.com
Tests have shown that such a chassis design allows not only to land on an unprepared airfield, but also eliminates nose-overs. When the car was "dropped" from a height of one meter, "goats" did not happen. To operate the aircraft in winter conditions, you can put skis. If it involves use on the water surface, then - floats.
The tail wheel is fixed on a spring attached to the rear of the fuselage via a pair of bearings. When taking off, it is set to the neutral position directly from the cab.
Wing
It is a DFS profile, invented in Germany in the pre-war years. This design makes it possible to assemble the wing directly on the table using rivets. Then the frame is crosswise reinforced with braces. The plane is sheathed with fiberglass panels.
[Center]A-braces securely support the wing. Photo: YouTube.com
For the manufacture of flaps and ailerons, an dural tube was used, the edges were bent from a sheet 0,8 mm thick. The elements of the wing are controlled by a rod stretched inside the spar. The struts are also made of duralumin pipes.
Tail section
Of interest is its lining, made of "diatex" - a special heat-shrinkable fabric designed to cover something. The skin maintains its shape only due to elasticity, so the tail turned out to be soft, “alive”.
Engine
The power unit Rotax 912ULS, manufactured in Austria, is supplied by the metropolitan company Aviagamma. Motor power - 80 or 100 "horses". But this is the basic version - others are also offered: two-stroke Rotax 582 (65 hp) or Rotax 503, developing 50 hp. With. Any of these units is freely installed in the engine compartment without structural changes in the aircraft.
This is what the Rotax 912 ULS engine looks like. Photo: YouTube.com
The power supply system consists of a 67-liter fuel tank, a supply tank, a fuel line, a pump, a filter and a tap. Oil is poured into a special tank and cooled through a radiator. The main technical data of Kitenka MAI-223:
✅ wingspan - 8,2 m
✅ length, height - 6 and 2,1 m
✅ maximum takeoff weight (empty) - 0,54 t (0,305 t)
✅ speed range - from 70 to 192 km/h
✅ height - up to 6,9 km
✅ range - up to 650 km
✅ permissible overloads - from -3 to +6
With folded consoles (the wings fold along the fuselage), the width of the car is 3,2 m. For takeoff and landing, a runway with a length of no more than 250 m is required (at a prepared airfield - 100 m). The required soil strength is at least 3 kg/sq. cm.
Cabin
Its width of 1,2 m is sufficient to comfortably accommodate a pair of pilots even in winter clothes. Glass - glued, made of polycarbonate, tinted. The chairs are soft and comfortable: they are equipped with pillows of several sizes, so that it is normal for people with different physiques to sit. Seat belts - four-point. It is possible to fly with parachutes. The luggage compartment with a volume of 150 liters is located behind the rear wall, which has an opening for transporting long items. The cabin has a high level of sound insulation.
The instrument panel may be different at the request of the customer. Photo: YouTube.com
The machine can be equipped with avionics in various configurations at the request of the customer. The basic version includes a standard set of instruments that allow you to fly over the airfield. The "hit" version of the equipment makes it possible to travel along the routes of local airlines. The instrument panel is located in front of the pilots in the center. The pedals are adjustable for a specific person. Management is duplicated: aerobatics can be carried out from any seat. A heater is provided, the ventilation system is working: that is, the crew is provided with a comfortable microclimate. Of the "options", the manufacturer offers a pre-heater for flying in cold weather.
Modifications
In June 2012, MAI-223M took to the skies. It differs from the basic version by the presence of a front support instead of a rear one. The area of the vertical tail was slightly increased, the length of the strip decreased: 75 m is enough for a takeoff run, 80 m for landing. The take-off weight of an empty and loaded vehicle increased to 405 and 640 kg.
The mini-aircraft is not at all alien to aerobatic figures (at MAKS-2013). Photo: YouTube.com[/ Center]
Another modification is agricultural. The MAI-223CX aircraft differs from the base aircraft in a reinforced frame, modified on-board equipment and special equipment:
✅ 160 l tank, fixed under the fuselage
✅ a pair of electric pumps
✅ sprayer
✅ chemical level sensor
The maximum speed is limited to 140 km / h, the ceiling is 3,3 km. The average processing time for a hectare of land is about a minute. Productivity for 6 working hours - 743 hectares. In an hour, the car consumes up to 18 liters of AI-95 gasoline.
Conclusion
The designers of the MAI managed to achieve their goals: they got a universal economical aircraft, the assembly of which can be organized at any production site. It is enough to have a minimum of necessary equipment and tools. The simplicity of the design of the machine, ease of operation make it possible to pilot it for poorly trained pilots. And thanks to folding wings, the aircraft can be stored in a small hangar.
If such "giants" are assembled with their own hands, why not assemble a small MAI-223? Photo: YouTube.com
Small-scale production was established in 2006. At the end of the summer of 2013, at the MAKS air show, the Kitenka was shown to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Shoigu, who promised to purchase as many as 300 copies for pilot training. However, "things are still there." Today, a used aircraft can be purchased relatively inexpensively. For example, for a car made in 2007 with an engine running time of 48 hours, they ask for 2,4 million rubles.