Solid Air Diamant Twin

The Solid Air Diamant Twin (Diamond) is a German ultralight trike, designed and produced by Solid Air UL-Bau Franz of Hundheim, Rheinland-Pfalz. The aircraft is supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft.

Design and development
The Diamant Twin was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight category, including the category's maximum gross weight of 450 kg and, in fact, the aircraft has a maximum gross weight of 450 kg. It features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration open cockpit with a cockpit fairing, tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft fuselage is made from fibreglass, with its double surface aluminum-framed wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Unusually the engine firewall is made from fibreglass-laminated plywood. Its 10.1 m span standard Bautek Pico wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an "A" frame weight-shift control bar. The landing gear features fibreglass suspension. The powerplant is a horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, dual-ignition 83 hp Hirth F-30 engine or, optionally a BMW four stroke powerplant.

The aircraft has an empty weight of 190 kg and a gross weight of 450 kg, giving a useful load of 260 kg. With full fuel of 40 L the payload is 231 kg.

A number of different wings can be fitted to the basic carriage, including the Bautek Pico and the La Mouette Ghost 12 and 14.