AMPHIBIOUS

AIRPLANE

The airplane

pictured

is the

new Air Shark I, a four-place amphibian that makes extensive use of composite materials and cruises at close to 200 miles per hour under power from a 200horsepower engine. Air Shark I is a "homebuilt" plane, of parts furnished Beach, assembled from and components by Freedom Satellite The airplane considerable Florida. Masaira kit

ter Corporation, incorporates

NASA technology and its construction benefited from research assistance Space provided Center by Kennedy

(KSC).
In designing company M. Lueck the Shark, president Arthur was able to draw techKSC's li...... wing models ment namic Lueck expertise selecting and fuselage--to for further of the Shark's efficiency. engineer, his own and for employed later improveaerodystrength-to-weight with a nominal ratio, strength rat-

on NASA's aeronautical nology bank through "recon"

computerized

brary. As a result

of his work

at KSC, the wing of the Air Shark I is a new airfoil developed by Langley Re-

ing about one and a half times that of structural steel. They provide tages: easily shapes tooling molded other advancan be

A materials

search Center for light aircraft. In addition, Lueck opted for NASA-developed "winglets," vertical extensions of the wing duce turbulence that reair drag by smoothing at the wingtips.

the materials

in designing the materials

into finished

the composite which include members,

segments, all structural surfaces

without expensive or machining, and re-

exposed

they are highly corrosion sistant. The first homebuilt to be offered by Freedom I comMaster, Air Shark

The NASA technology bank also contributed to the hull design. Lueck is considering of over application smoothing of NASA laminar the airflow

and many control components. The materials are fiber reinforced plastics, offer a high or FRP. They

pleted air and water testing in mid-1985 and the company launched of kits. production

flow technology--means

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