Lightplane Offerings From Canada

The Beaver and Chinook ultralight-like aircraft are arguably two of the bestknown
lightweight designs coming from Canada. Aircraft Sales and Parts, more
commonly known as ASAP, is the company that rescued and now manufactures
and sells these designs, along with a powered parachute from its sister company,
Summit Powered Parachutes. The tale of ASAP’s involvement with the Chinook
and Beaver offers insight into ultralight progress – Canadian style.

A History Lesson

Perhaps the most famous ultralight
to come out of Canada is the Beaver.
With a reported 2,200 flying units
since the early 1980s, it’s a successful
design. However, due to corporate
missteps by the companies that
owned the brand, the Beaver series
was nearly lost. Originally, the Beaver
models were manufactured by
Spectrum Aircraft Inc. Reorganization
left the ultralight in the hands
of a company called Beaver RX Enterprises.
In 1993, that company closed
its doors and stranded thousands of
Beaver aircraft owners, along with
all the dealerships that sold and serviced
them.

Luckily, Brent and Paulette Holomis,
the owners of ASAP, stepped in
to fill this void. Having already saved
the Chinook ultralight following the
closing of Birdman Enterprises, ASAP
was in position to help. Brent explains,
“Because the Chinook Plus 2 is
similar in construction to the Beaver,
we were approached by some Beaver
dealers and customers to see if we
could somehow provide them with
parts for their existing aircraft.”

The company did more than just
take over these disappearing designs.
Thanks to focus and a related machine
shop business, ASAP was able
to make improvements on both airplanes.
Today, both Chinook and the
Beaver have the suffix Plus added to
them to denote the additional design
work done.

ASAP’s array of computer-controlled
machines allows the company
to build parts in-house when many
other manufacturers must go outside
to obtain similar quality hardware.
Those who compare ASAP to Quicksilver
Aircraft, which also has significant
machining capability, are close
to the mark.

ASAP operates out of two locations.
The company manufactures
all parts and components for both
Chinooks and Beavers at its headquarters
in St. Paul, Alberta, Canada.
Another location, in Vernon,
British Columbia, handles all airplane
inquiries and processes part
orders. Technical support and new
product testing is also conducted
in Vernon.

ASAP also has four corporate divisions:
Steel Breeze Powered Parachutes
(www.SteelBreeze.ca), UL Parts
(www.ULParts.com), PPC Canopies
(www.PPCCanopies.com), and Summit
Powered Parachutes (www.Summit-
PPC.com).

The Chinook

Before being rescued by ASAP, some
700 Chinooks had been manufactured
by Birdman Enterprises,
which did a great job of originating
this machine. Canadians in particular,
and ultralight enthusiasts all
over the world, celebrated ASAP’s
support of this unique light aircraft
when the company took over the
design in 1988, and reintroduced
the design in 1989.

Though the Chinook’s wide cockpit
gives it a pudgy appearance from
some vantage points, the design slips
through the air quite well. It has
light and powerful ailerons, which
makes it easy to guide through the
air. In general, the plane’s handling
is quite pleasant despite, or perhaps
because of, its unorthodox shape.

The Chinook was not always fully
enclosed; ASAP added a full Lexan enclosure
for the Chinook Plus, making
a virtual greenhouse surrounding the
pilot and passenger with many square
feet of clear plastic offering an unlimited
view. Even in colder northern climates,
that enclosure provides a reasonably
comfortable environment.
Entering a Chinook means lifting
yourself over about 6 inches of structure,
which could prove a bit challenging
for less flexible aviators, but
once you swing into position you’ll
love the roominess. Even with a rearseat
passenger’s feet on rudder pedals
right alongside your seat, space is
plentiful. If you have some extra girth
yourself, the Chinook Plus might accommodate
you more comfortably
than some other designs.

ASAP offers the Chinook with the
Rotax 503 or 582 engines, the HKS
700E, or the more powerful Rotax 912.

The Beaver

As it had done with the Chinook,
ASAP added value to the Beaver
RX550 by finishing the wing in conventional
dope and fabric (Ceconite),
rather than the original pre-sewn Dacron
envelopes. Using Ceconite increases
manufacturing time and adds
quite a few pounds (with paint), but
it lasts much longer, especially when
an aircraft is stored outside. With the
conversion to the Ceconite wing covering
also came a change in rib spacing
from 18 or 20 inches apart to 6
inches apart, which allows the wing
to hold its airfoil shape better and improves
performance slightly.

ASAP also increased sleeving in the
leading edge and replaced cable bracing
with tubing. Subsequent to these
changes, the design was subjected to
full static loading, with independent
analysis offered by a local university.
As proof of the design’s longevity,
Brent reports that one Beaver RX550
has accumulated more than 2,000
hours while on duty in South Africa.
Those who own older RX550s may
purchase a conversion kit to upgrade
the earlier models.

Build time for the RX550 kit is estimated
by ASAP as 150 to 180 hours.
The builder simply assembles the kit,
no component fabrication is necessary,
and part accuracy is good-
thanks to the company’s computercontrolled
machining.

ASAP also supports a wide selection
of engines for the RX550. Builders can
choose a Rotax 582 or 912, but ASAP
also works closely with HPower Ltd.,
in fitting the HKS 700E four-stroke
engine on the Beaver airframe.

The control system of the Beaver
RX550 Plus is quite conventional, using
pushrods to control ailerons, and
cables to effect rudder movements. It
has full-span ailerons, which Brent
says improves the handling significantly
on the RX550 Plus over the
original version. The RX550 Plus does
not have flaps, flaperons, or other
glide path control devices, though
ASAP indicated these devices might
be added in the future. Nor does it
have trim; however, an inventive kit
builder could create a trim system.

The Beaver RX550 Plus does have
the ultralight-like nose cone and
windscreen, but it opens to the sides,
giving open-air enthusiasts a machine
they’ll enjoy.

A Single-Seater

Both the Chinook Plus and RX550
Plus are two-place machines. With
the ultralight exemption in the United
States expiring on January 31,
American owners of these two-place
machines will need to convert their
aircraft to experimental light-sport
aircraft (E-LSA) or experimental amateur-
built status to remain legal, while
our Canadian friends may continue
to fly these machines under Canada’s
ultralight regulations.

ASAP has now introduced a singleseat
version of the Beaver. This recent
offering brings a pleasantly light
version of the former RX35 model
powered by a 40-hp Rotax 447 for
$17,500. At a typical empty weight
of 340 pounds, the Beaver SS doesn’t
qualify as a Part 103 ultralight here
in the United States, but it does meet
Canada’s rules and offers 300 pounds
of useful load. Americans who relish
single-seat aircraft could build this
machine as an amateur-built aircraft
and fly it as a sport pilot.

Which Will It Be?

Both the Beaver and Chinook have
enjoyed a rich part of Canadian light
aviation history. Both have good reputations
for safe operations and longevity.
Ask ultralight or microlight
pilots around the world and many
will be familiar with the Canadian
designs. With the exception of Murphy
Aircraft Manufacturing’s Rebel
series of light aircraft, the Beaver and
Chinook are some of the most recognizable
lightplanes to come from
America’s neighbor to the north.

Given the current parity between
the American and Canadian dollar,
the price in Canada is essentially the
same as in the United States. ASAP lists
an HKS-powered Chinook 2 Plus for
$26,700, only $700 more than with
a Rotax 582. While the Rotax has a
little more power at a bit less weight,
the HKS represents a great buy, especially
if you prefer four-stroke power.
On the contrary, a Rotax 912-powered
Chinook 2 Plus will cost $36,000.

An HKS-powered Beaver RX550
Plus lists for exactly the same price
as the Chinook, though it doesn’t offer
the Rotax 912 version. However,
the Beaver will fly adequately with
the Rotax 503, and using a B gearbox,
you can obtain the full airplane
kit for less then $21,000. In the age
of $100,000 light-sport aircraft, it’s a
great value. As these are homebuilt
aircraft, meeting the definition of
light-sport aircraft, American pilots
may build the aircraft in the experimental
amateur-built category and
fly them with a sport pilot certificate,
using a state driver’s license serving
as evidence of medical fitness. Of
course, pilots with higher certificates
may also fly these aircraft.

A View from the Summit

As evidenced by the list of divisions
ASAP has created, the company believes
strongly in offering a broad
range of products. To that end, Summit
was formed to produce powered
parachutes (PPCs) and thus serve another
subset of the recreational aviation
market.

The company’s latest machine, the
Summit II, has design qualities that
bear more resemblance to conventional
aircraft than many other powered
parachutes. Powered parachutes
use canopies, or parawings, as their
wings, with most coming from the
same few suppliers. Summit claims to
be the first to use cell canopy stiffeners.
These are thicker panels of cloth
sewn into the leading edge openings
of a canopy’s individual cells to enhance
canopy opening during the
inflation period. Following Summit’s
lead, other manufacturers have now
adopted the idea.

Summit also uses distinct and separate
seats for each occupant. Older
powered parachute designs had seats
that pressed the front occupant between
the legs of the aft occupant.
Many pilots, especially larger ones,
find the separated, individual seats
more comfortable.

Summit’s carriage allows a much
steeper deck angle on landing than other brands, more than three
times higher, according to Summit
spokesperson George Wood. The
benefit of this is that a larger deck
angle tends to cause initial contact
only on the rear wheels rather than
all three at once.

The company uses all-anodized
finishing on the airframe’s 6061-T6
tubing. While this is common on
fixed-wing aircraft, most PPC manufacturers
powder-coat their airframes.
While such painting can be
done precisely, the worker must be
skilled at the task, and painting still
doesn’t cover tubing as thoroughly
as does anodizing, which covers surfaces
inside and out. Because anodizing is not as thick as paint, Summit
believes it better permits fitting
of precisely made parts. Anodizing
costs more but the company feels the
results are better.

Summit uses a central lower beam
on its PPC carriage similar to many
ultralight aircraft with tail booms.
Summit calls that member a “body
tube fuselage,” and it distinguishes
the design from that of other powered
parachutes. Following this construction
style with riveted gussets,
Summit was able to make a strong design
that is notably lighter than some
of its competitors’; many other PPC
models are 25 to 50 pounds heavier
for a comparable model.

The Summit II’s foot pedals are different
than those of other PPCs; they
relate well to rudder pedals on fixedwing
aircraft. Most PPCs use foot
bars, which tend to be nonintuitive
to fixed-wing pilots. In another nod
to conventional aircraft controls, the
Summit II’s throttle moves forward
to produce more power. Traditionally
trained pilots may find adapting to
the Summit PPC is easier than dealing
with throttles that pull aft to add
power (the “joystick” method).

Summit positions the engine
weight directly over the rear wheels
whereas many PPCs place the engine
aft of the wheels. The company says
this helps Summit II deal with those
landings where the aft carriage can
strike the ground. Drawing further on
knowledge from the ultralight aircraft
industry, Summit uses a dynafocal
engine mount technique to suppress
vibration. (Dynafocal refers to aiming
the mount attach points at the center
of the engine’s mass.)

The Summit II uses an aircraft-like
control yoke but is linked only to the
nose wheel, and it works intuitively
for ground steering-that is, turn
right/go right. Most PPCs use less familiar
ground-steering systems that
puzzle airplane pilots. A hand brake
is fitted to the left side of the yoke
operating a drum brake on the front
wheel. Of course, such a brake is useful
only when the wing is not lifting
that wheel off the ground.

Flying The Summit

I flew with George, who proved to
be a good transition instructor. Getting
things rolling in a powered
parachute is different than with a
fixed-wing aircraft or a weight-shift
machine. First you begin to power
up the machine, then you make sure
your wing is inflated properly, and and only
then do you add full power to
continue the takeoff.

In flight, you guide the Summit or
most other powered parachutes with
foot controls much like you steer a
fixed-wing aircraft on the ground
with your feet. But instead of the
foot bars used on most PPCs, Summit
uses foot pedals that travel back and
forth on rails mounted on either side
of the body tube fuselage. This likely
will seem more intuitive to conventional
pilots. The slideable pedals are
secured to the rail top and bottom,
and I found them to move quite fluidly.
According to the company, the
range of motion that’s available from
this sliding pedal arrangement gives
more line action than the hinged
foot bar method so that the pilot has
a increased measure of control. The
control range is enough, George says,
that you hardly need to pull on the
control lines with your hands to add
input as is commonly done on other
brands of powered parachutes.

Approaching to land, a final
goose of power just before touchdown
slowed the descent rate and we
touched down with excellent control.
I estimate about a 1.5-second delay
between a significant power input
and response from the wing, so you
need to plan ahead slightly. Ignoring
this delay can cause the carriage to
swing more under the canopy. While
that’s no issue aloft, you don’t want
such movement as you touch down.

Most PPC manufacturers locate the
main gear axle ahead of the engine
weight, but Summit locates its axle a
good 18 inches further aft. Combined
with its main boom-type construction
and adjustable hang point, it’s
unlikely Summit owners will experience
a prop strike. Such events can
occur when PPCs land with the aft
end of the carriage hanging relatively
low. Yet fitting powered parachute
carriages with such a positive angle of
attack is necessary if the parawing is
to produce lift during a take-off roll.
Summit’s aft axle construction appears
to better support the engine at
all times.

My test Summit II aircraft had an
S-500 Mustang canopy. This parawing
is made to Summit specifications
and George described it as a common
square parachute. An elliptical model
called the Thunderbolt E-340 is available.
In both cases the numbers refer to
the square footage while the S stands
for square and E for elliptical. Square
is best for training according to nearly
all powered parachute producers.

While we flew at near gross under
the S-500 Mustang, I observed
the power used for various phases.
During climb-out, we used about
6,200 rpm; during cruise, we used
about 5,200-5,300 rpm. These
values are not notably different
from the average fixed-wing or
trike ultralights.

George indicated that with the
Thunderbolt elliptical wing, 4,700
rpm would be sufficient, showing
the added efficiency of the elliptical
shape even though it has only
two-thirds the square area.

For landing, a 4,400-rpm setting
produced about 300 fpm of descent
on approach.

Summit proved its technical
ability by reaching special lightsport
aircraft status first among all
powered parachute manufacturers.
Since its related businesses have
shown they can produce a wide variety
of aircraft and components,
this should surprise no one.

It’s quite apparent the ASAP and
its related companies have established
a business model that intends
to serve light-flight enthusiasts. Flying
an ASAP or Summit machine
may be your way of affordably getting
into, or back into, the air.