Aviamilano A2

The Aviamilano A2 or A2 Standard is an Italian high performance Standard Class sailplane first flown in 1964 and returned to production in 1966.

Design and development
The A2 was designed in the early 1960s at the Polytechnic University of Milan by Carlo Ferrarin, his cousin Francis Ferrarin and Livio Sonzio. Their aim was to build a low cost, light weight but high performance glider.

The A2 is a single-seat cantilever mid-wing monoplane, its high-aspect-ratio wing built around an all-metal torsion box and spar. It is skinned with light alloy and has significant dihedral. In plan the wing has a constant chord central section occupying about half the span, with separable straight tapered outer panels. The centre section trailing edges carries air brakes.

Its fuselage is similar to that of the Aviamilano CPV1, with a wooden structure and ovoid cross-section. As before, the rear part is plywood skinned, but the forward part is covered with glass fibre. A long, single, semi-reclining seat cockpit with a single piece canopy following the fuselage contours is placed ahead of the leading edge. Under it, a rubber-sprung landing skid reaches aft to a retractable single wheel under the forward wing. The fuselage tapers rearwards to a T-tail quite different from the CPV1's conventional empennage, with a swept, straight tapered fin and rudder carrying a cantilever, tapered, one-piece all-moving horizontal tail fitted with a central anti-balance tab.

The A2 first flew in 1964 and a short production run began in 1966. In all, five were built, one of which remained on the Italian civil register in 2010.

An Open-class version of the A2 was produced with 18 m wings as the Aviamilano A3.

Variants

 * A2 or A2 Standard: 15 m span Standard Class.
 * A3: 18 m Open Class version.