SIPA 200 Minijet (oz1655)

About this Plan

SIPA 200 Minijet. Scale model of worlds smallest jet, the twin boom SIPA 200. For Jetex 100 power.

Quote: "Jetex 100 owners will like this 24in scale model of the world's smallest jet.

LOOKING rather like a shrunk-down 'Vampire', the Sipa 200 Minijet, with its span of a mere 23 ft 9 in, is the world's smallest jet-plane. The design is the work of a young French engineer, Yves Gardan, whose name first achieved prominence with the Sipa 90 in 1946, and who later produced the popular 'Minicab'. The 200 was built at Suresnes, and made its maiden flight at Villacoublay on January 14th, 1952, in the hands of test pilot Roger Launay.

This initial flight nearly ended in disaster, for after a perfect take-off and smooth climb-away, severe vibration and control flutter commenced, and only the airframe's great strength and the skill of the pilot avoided what might have been a nasty accident. Some months later, after various recalculations and modifications, the machine reappeared with strengthened tail booms, a re-designed cockpit cover, and mass-balanced control surfaces.

The general layout of the Minijet has been likened to an egg to which has been added a mid-mounted wing fitted with a twin boom tail unit. The egg accommodates pilot and passenger, seated side by side, and a Turboineca Palas jet motor of 330 lb thrust. Air is fed to the motor through two very large root intakes which are of more than sufficient crosssection - an unusual factor in jet aircraft design! The cockpit is surprisingly roomy, once inside, but a shoehorn has been suggested as an aid to entry, although the very low tricycle undercarriage is a help in this respect.

Employment of a laminar flow wing section helps considerably in achieving a top speed of slightly over 210 mph and a reasonable stalling speed of just under 70 mph. Pilots report excellent handling and control response at all speeds, and the machine is fully aerobatic.

The model retains the simplicity of construction of the prototype, but access to the interior is made easier by the provision of a large hatch beneath the fuselage. Undercarriage and one of two other weighty and non-essential details have been omitted, as is customary with Jetex models, and the result is a sturdy airframe of light weight (less than 3 oz). Some builders may care to enlarge the plan slightly and, with one or two slight alterations, use the machine as a basis for a ducted fan installation.

Construction commences by pinning down the crutch over the plan..."

Update 22/08/2017: Added PDFvector plan tracing, thanks to hogal.

Supplementary file notes

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PDFvector plan tracing.

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