Aerola Alatus

Aerola

Industry	Aerospace
Headquarters	Kyiv , Ukraine
Products	Alatus, Alatus-M gliders and motor gliders

The Aerola Alatus is a single-seat, mid-wing glider and motor glider developed and manufactured by Aerola, based in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Design and development

Aerola, originally specialising in rigid-wing hang gliders, extended their expertise to develop an ultralight sailplane following a similar design philosophy. This aircraft is available in two configurations: one without an engine and another equipped with a retractable powerplant. The initial prototype without an engine was designated AL-12, while the motorised version was called AL-12M. The production models are marketed as the Alatus and Alatus-M respectively.

Constructed primarily from composite materials, the Alatus features a wingspan of 13.1 m (43.0 ft) with a slight forward sweep and a wing area measuring 13.2 m² (142 sq ft). Its landing gear follows a bicycle arrangement, consisting of a main wheel, a nose wheel, and wingtip skids for additional support. The cockpit is enclosed by a single-piece, removable bubble canopy. Due to its low wing loading and reduced stall speed, the aircraft can efficiently exploit even the smallest thermals for soaring flight. Wings are designed for easy detachment to facilitate transport atop a car roof rack, while the compact fuselage can be accommodated inside a van or securely fastened to a small trailer for ground movement.

Variants

AL-12

This was the first unpowered prototype model.

AL-12M

This represents the initial version equipped with an engine.

Alatus

The production pure glider variant features an empty mass of 80 kg (176 lb) and a maximum takeoff weight of 200 kg (441 lb). It meets the standards set by German LTF and LFG regulations.

Alatus-M

The motorized production model has an empty weight of 115 kg (254 lb) and a gross weight limit of 235 kg (518 lb). It complies with German LTF and LFG criteria as well as the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles regulations. This variant is powered by a retractable pylon-mounted 20 hp (15 kW) CorsAir M25Y ES engine, enabling a climb rate of 2.0 m/s (400 fpm) and providing endurance of approximately 1.5 hours. An alternative electric propulsion system is also available, offering around 30 minutes of flight time. The Alatus-M can be reverted to the pure glider Alatus configuration by removing the engine and its mounting pylon.

External links

• Official website Archived 11 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
• Official photographs of the Alatus and Alatus-M