Piel Beryl
Piel CP.70 Beryl | |
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The prototype CP.70 Beryl F-PMEQ at Beynes-Thiverval airfield near Beynes, Yvelines near Paris in August 1965 | |
Role | Sport aircraft |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Homebuilt |
Designer | Claude Piel |
First flight | ca. 1965 |
Status | in current operation |
Primary user | private pilot owners |
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The Piel CP.70 Beryl was a twin-seat, single-engine sport aircraft first flown in France in the 1960s and marketed for homebuilding.[1]
Design and development
Designed by Claude Piel, the Beryl uses the same wing design as the Piel Emeraude but with a new fuselage, exchanging the Emeraude's side-by-side configuration seating for seating in tandem. As originally designed, the aircraft was to be fitted with fixed, tricycle undercarriage with a steerable nosewheel. Construction throughout was of doped fabric-covered wood.[2][3]
An aerobatic version, designated the CP.750 was also developed. This differed from the basic CP.70 in having a reduced wingspan, fixed tailwheel undercarriage, and a slightly longer fuselage. It retained the CP.70's wooden wings, but the fuselage was built of welded steel tube and still covered in fabric.[2]
Operational history
The Beryl has been home-built by amateur constructors and in 2009 there were still four examples active on the French civil aircraft register. The prototype F-PMEQ completed in 1965 with tricycle undercarriage, was still active in 2014 modified as a CP.703 with tail-wheel undercarriage. Examples of the design have also been completed in Brazil and the United States.
Variants
- CP.70
- Standard variant for homebuilding powered by a 65 hp (48 kW) Continental C65-8F or 118 hp (88 kW) Lycoming O-235 engine.[1][3]
- CP.750
- a CP-70 with 150 hp Lycoming O-320 engine with a reduced wingspan, fixed tailwheel undercarriage, and a slightly longer fuselage.[2]
- CP.751
- CP-750 with 200 hp Lycoming O-360-A2A engine.[4]
Specifications (CP.70)
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78, p.496
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 1 passenger
- Length: 6.45 m (21 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
- Height: 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
- Wing area: 10.9 m2 (117 ft2)
- Empty weight: 320 kg (700 lb)
- Gross weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Continental C65-8F, 49 kW (65 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 175 km/h (109 mph)
- Range: 600 km (372 miles)
- Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,850 ft)
Notes
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piel Beryl. |
- "French homebuilts gather at RSA rally". Flight International: 545. 22 August 1981. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78. London: Jane's Publishing.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. ISBN 0-7106-0710-5.