Pinaire Ultra-Aire

The Pinaire Ultra-Aire is an American ultralight aircraft that was designed and produced by Pinaire Engineering. The aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 254 lb. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of 252 lb. It features a cable-braced high-wing, canard elevator, a single-seat, open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its flying surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its compact single-surface 26 ft span wing is supported by cables attached to a simple tube kingpost. The pilot is accommodated on a suspended sling seat. The control system is two-axis with pitch controlled by a canard elevator attached to the side-stick. Roll and yaw are controlled by wing tip rudders also controlled by the side-stick. The landing gear features a steerable nose wheel, also controlled by the side-stick. The standard engine supplied with the kit was the Cuyuna UL II-02 twin cylinder, two-stroke powerplant of 35 hp.

The aircraft was carefully tested using sandbag loading to +6 and -4 g without failure. Reviewer Andre Cliche describes the design as "well engineered". The Ultra-Aire can be quickly dismantled for ground transportation or storage.