Azalea Saberwing
# Azalea Saberwing

The Azalea Saberwing, named for the species of hummingbird, is an American amateur-built aircraft, designed and produced by Azalea Aviation of Adel, Georgia, introduced at Sun 'n Fun in 2015. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

## Design and development

The Saberwing features a cantilever low-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed conventional landing gear or optionally tricycle landing gear, with wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft is made from a composite-foam sandwich with the wing spars and wing ribs made from a wood-composite sandwich. The design has been optimized for a low parts-count to simplify construction. Its 26 ft (7.9 m) span wing, has an area of 92 sq ft (8.5 $m^2)$ and mounts flaps. The cabin is 43 in (109 cm) in width. The standard engine used is the in-house developed 100 hp (75 kW) Spyder Corvair automotive conversion four-stroke powerplant.

The manufacturer estimates that building the aircraft from the supplied kit requires 500-1,000 hours of labor at a total completion cost of US$40,000-50,000.

## Operational history

Reviewers Roy Beisswenger and Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review as "sleek" and "elegant".

By September 2020, four examples had been registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.

## Specifications (Saberwing)

Data from Tacke and manufacturer

General characteristics

* Crew: one
* Capacity: one passenger
* Length: 20 ft (6.1 m)
* Wingspan: 26 ft (7.9 m)
* Wing area: 92 sq ft (8.5 $m^2)$
* Empty weight: 750 lb (340 kg)
* Gross weight: 1,500 lb (680 kg)
* Fuel capacity: 40 U.S. gallons (150 L; 33 imp gal)
* Powerplant: 1 × Spyder Corvair automotive conversion six cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke automotive engine, 100 hp (75 kW)
* Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch

Performance

* Cruise speed: 150 mph (240 km/h, 130 kn)
* Stall speed: 45 mph (72 km/h, 39 kn) flaps down
* Never exceed speed: 200 mph (320 km/h, 170 kn)
* Wing loading: 16.3 lb/sq ft (80 $kg/m^2)$
