Safety and Airworthiness Design of Ultra-Light and Very Light Amphibious Aircrafts

AbstractUltra-light and very light amphibious aircrafts are the special kinds of low-speed general aircrafts. They are low weighted and small sized but can takeoff and land either on land or water without changing the structure of any parts. These characteristics result in the distinctive configuration and structure design, and meanwhile bring about significant features of safety and airworthiness design. These problems are investigated by developing the ultra-light amphibious aircraft “Frigate bird” and analyzing the other aircrafts’ design. This paper mainly discusses the preliminary design about structure, aerodynamics, power effect, flying qualities, dynamics and statics on water. Some analysis methodologies and design parameters which are different from the conventional general aircrafts’ are also represented