Lilienthal Bekas
Lilienthal Aviation · Ukraine · first flew 1993 · light aircraft
The Lilienthal Bekas is a Ukrainian two- or three-seat ultralight with a high wing and a single pusher engine. It is also known as the Lilienthal Snipe and the X-32.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | High wing of constant chord braced to the lower fuselage by two pairs of cross-braced struts |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High wing of constant chord braced to the lower fuselage by two pairs of cross-braced struts
- Pod-and-boom layout with a well-glazed pod seating two in tandem
- Engine mounted at the rear top of the pod driving a pusher propeller
Look for a pod-and-boom ultralight with a high strut-braced wing, a pusher engine behind the cabin and a T-tail on a slim boom.
Specifications
- The Lilienthal Bekas has a length of 6.55 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9 m (30 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The X-32 Bekas first flew in March 1993 and received Ukrainian certification in 1995. The Rotax 582 and 912 variants were certified in 2003 and 2005 respectively.
Variants
Variants include the X-32AT sports version, the X-32UT dual-control trainer, agricultural X-32CK and X-32CX versions, and ski and float versions. The X-34 has a widened cabin for three and 500 mm more span.
Where you'll see it
More than 400 X-32s had been sold by 2009. Between 2003 and 2006 the X-32 and X-34 were marketed by Jordan Aerospace Industries as the RumBird and GulfBird.
Related aircraft
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