Austflight Drifter
The Austflight Drifter is a two-seat, high-wing Australian ultralight built around a tubular aluminium keel, with wings and tail surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth rather than sheet metal. Manufactured at Boonah, Queensland, it is an extensively reworked derivative of the American MaxAir Drifter, retaining that design's open, wire-braced airframe and pusher-mounted engine. The tandem-seat layout places the pilot ahead of the passenger and forward of the wing, giving both occupants an almost unobstructed view for sightseeing and training flights. Around 500 have been built since the early 1980s, making it one of Australia's most common trike-style ultralights.
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Did you know?
A wire-braced Australian high-wing ultralight in sailcloth, with tandem seats forward of the wing and a pusher prop.
Specifications
| Length | 5.9 m (19 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 9.1 m (30 ft) |
| Height | 2.1 m (7 ft) |
| Persons on board | 2 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 0.5 t |
| Stall speed | 30 kt (56 km/h) |
| Rate of climb | 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s) |
| Fuel capacity | 30 l |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Austflight Drifter starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Austflight, the Drifter family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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