{{Short description|1980s British ultralight aircraft}} {{DISPLAYTITLE:Snipe Diamond}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Use Australian English|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox aircraft | name = Snipe Diamond | logo = | logo_size = | image = Snipe_Diamond_ultralight_aircraft.jpg | alt = | caption = Front quarter view of the Snipe Diamond | long_caption = | other_names = | aircraft_type = Ultralight aircraft | aim = | outcome = | related = | national_origin = United Kingdom | manufacturer = Snipe Aircraft Developments Ltd | design_group = | designer = Arthur Luff | builder = | issuer = | status = | owners = | primary_user = | more_users = | service = | major_applications = | proposals = | prototypes = | number_built = 1 | construction_number = | civil_registration = | military_serial = | radio_code = | requirement = | aircraft_carried = | flights = | total_hours = | total_distance = | construction_date = | introduction = | retired = | first_flight = 1985 | initiated = | in_service = | last_flight = | expected = | developed_from = | variants = | developed_into = | preservation = | fate = | predecessors = | successors = | concluded = }}
The '''Diamond''' was a British single seat ultralight aircraft, developed by Arthur Luff in the 1980s. It was notable for its radical design.
==Design and development== Arthur Luff, a former Rolls Royce engineer and an RAF gliding instructor, designed a closed wing aircraft.<ref name=FLIGHTLINE/> Originally called the Snipe, it was later termed the Diamond, in acknowledgement of the wings' configuration.<ref name=FLIGHTLINE/><ref name=BB/> The aircraft featured two wings, of equal span and chord, with the front wing swept back by 20° and the rear wing swept forward by 20°. The wings were joined at the wingtip, where tip rudders were located. The aircraft had a fully enclosed fuselage, and was equipped with a single engine, powering a tractor propeller, and had a tricycle undercarriage. The aircraft featured three-axis control, with pitch control being by elevators on the rear wing; roll control by ailerons located on the outboard wings; directional control by rudders incorporated into the wingtip fins.
==Operational history== The prototype made its maiden flight in 1985.<ref name=BB/> According to ''Flightline'', in its issue dated July–August 1985, an order for 15 aircraft had been received from the Middle East.<ref name=FLIGHTLINE/> Since 1985, no further news about the craft has appeared.
==Specifications== {{Aircraft specs|ref=Ultralight and Microlight Aircraft<ref name=BB/> |prime units?=imp |crew=1 |capacity= |length m= |length ft=13 |length in=4 |span m= |span ft=24 |span in= |span note= |height m= |height ft= |height in= |height note= |wing area sqm= |wing area sqft=132 |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil= |empty weight kg= |empty weight lb=150 |empty weight note= |gross weight kg= |gross weight lb= |gross weight note= |max takeoff weight kg= |max takeoff weight lb=370 |max takeoff weight note= |more general=
|eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=JPX PUL 425 |eng1 type=2 cylinder, 2 stroke |eng1 hp=22<!-- prop engines --> |eng1 note=
|max speed kmh= |max speed mph= |max speed kts= |max speed note= |cruise speed kmh= |cruise speed mph= |cruise speed kts= |cruise speed note= |stall speed kmh= |stall speed mph= |stall speed kts= |stall speed note= |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |g limits=+5/-3 |roll rate=<!-- aerobatic --> |glide ratio= |lift to drag= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft=2.80 |wing loading note=
|prop blade number=2 |prop name= |prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft --> |prop dia ft=3<!-- propeller aircraft --> |prop dia in=4<!-- propeller aircraft --> |prop dia note=
}}
==See also== {{aircontent <!-- include as many lines are appropriate. additional lines/entries with carriage return. --> |see also= |related=<!-- related developments --> |similar aircraft=<!-- similar or comparable aircraft --> * FlyNano Nano * Ligeti Stratos |sequence=<!-- designation sequence, if appropriate --> |lists=<!-- related lists --> }} ==References== <references>
<ref name=BB>{{cite book|title=Ultralight and Microlight Aircraft|last=Berger|first=Alain-Yves|last2=Burr|first2=Norman|edition=2nd|year=1985|publisher=Haynes Publishing Group|location=Yeovil, Somerset|isbn=0-85429-481-3|pages=216–217|url=https://archive.org/details/bergerburrsultra0002berg/page/216/mode/2up?}}</ref>
<ref name=FLIGHTLINE>{{cite magazine|date=July-August 1985|title=Snipe Snippet| magazine=Flightline|editor1-last=Burr|editor1-first=Norman|location=Deddington, Oxford, UK| publisher=British Microlight Aircraft Association |page=8|url=https://www.bmaa.org/files/FL_8507.pdf|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>
</references> Category:Mid-wing aircraft Category:1980s British ultralight aircraft Category:1980s British sport aircraft Category: Aircraft first flown in 1985 Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft Category:Closed-wing aircraft Category:Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear Category:Single-engined piston aircraft
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