RKIIGA-74 Experiment
Lenin Komsomol Institute, Riga · Soviet Union · first flew 1974 · light aircraft
The RKIIGA-74 Experiment was a homebuilt single-engined flying boat designed and built by staff members and students of the Lenin Komosol Institute in Riga in the early 1970s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.1 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Parasol wing held above the hull on cabane struts
- Engine and propeller carried above the hull on the cabane struts
- Open lattice tailboom carrying the tail surfaces
A parasol monoplane with a fabric-covered wooden wing attached to the hull by chrome-nickel steel cabane struts that also support the engine. The tail surfaces are carried on an open lattice tailboom, and the two crew sit side by side in an open cockpit.
Specifications
- The RKIIGA-74 Experiment has a length of 8.1 m (27 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 13.2 m (43 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 160 km/h (99 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Work began in 1972 on an amphibian suited to the lakes and rivers of Latvia, made from parts of existing machines. The wings and tail came from a KAI-12 Primorec glider, the hull from a Progress motorboat, and the engine installation from an Aero Ae-145. Taxi trials began at Lake Baltezers on 6 September 1974 and the aircraft first flew on 17 September 1974.
Variants
Only one aircraft was built. A step was added to the hull after the first taxi trials.
Where you'll see it
Performance on water and in the air was found to be good, and 15 flights were made with about 2 hours of total flight time. The Experiment was exhibited at Moscow in 1976.
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