Norikazo Aerospace Company Profile: Just after the first  Aircraft was designed in late 1930's and early 1940's, the Company—Mitsubishi Aerospace—was officially formed and led by Norikazu Egawa. He designed all of Japans war planes for World War II and the ramjet system for the concord.  His son Nobuo Egawa continued with the family legacy of aeronautical genius by building the largest oven in the world that heated the ceramic carbon fiber Boeing, Mitsubishi, Kawasaki 777 and 787 which are today's largest, fastest and most economical aircrafts in the world.  Chris Sanders the grandson of Norikazu and nephew of Nobuo continues the family legacy by creating single engine planes and the ceramic Japanese Zero - Sen designed by his grandfather.  "By taking the exact 3d models of the Zero and adding 60 years of the latest technology we have transformed my grandfather's design the ZERO into an aircraft for the everyday man."  Over the next  years they designed 3 more aircraft, each with a faster build-time than the one before. Norikazu Aerospace was on a quest to have the fastest-build all- ceramic aircraft in the world so we had to start with metal. It needed to be very easy to build, only requiring basic tools to assemble. It also needed to be self-aligning so no jigs or forms would be required for fuselage alignment. It needed to be good looking, but most of all strong and aerobatic. The Japanese Zero is all of that and more. Seventy years of research combined with the best and most acrobatic fighter / bomber aircraft of World War II which dominated the pacific - speaks for itself.

At this particular point in time, it might seem that the obvious material selection for a new, small, high-performance aircraft would be a composite. The following is a discussion of the points which led to the choice of conventional aluminum alloys for the primary structure of the Metal Aerobat.  Soon our carbon fiber ceramic models will replace all of the assembly included with our metal kits while improving the acrobatic capacities and mileage per gallon.  Currently the efficiency is $6.00 per hour at 140 miles per hour! Plus the ceramics float on water!

Composite construction involves the use of a myriad of materials and techniques which result in an equally large variety of structural characteristics in the finished product. At the upper end of the range, there is the epoxy graphite pre‑impregnated laminate cured in an autoclave at high pressures and high temperatures. This is the type material used in the Learfan program and has many fine qualities. The difficulty here is that the basic material is ten to fifteen times more expensive than aluminum sheet materials.

On the other end of the spectrum we have the epoxy fiberglass wet lay-up which is cured at room temperature. When expertly laid up, this material has certainly shown itself to be useful in aircraft construction. An important difficulty associated with the wet lay up concept, however, is that both the structural weight and the structural strength of each aircraft is subject to wide variations especially when produced by the amateur builder. A resin rich lay up is not only heavy but is subject to fracture under bending loads. Additional problems result from the inability to determine by inspection, the number of layers of cloth, the orientation of fibers as well as the length of each section of cloth after the lay up is completed.

Between the two extremes noted above, there is the epoxy fiberglass wet lay up cured at room temperature or at elevated temperatures and under pressure formed by the use of a vacuum blanket.”

It seems clear that the use of the word “composites” is a very broad term that commonly describes structures of many types, with characteristics varying from excellent to poor.

The chief advantages of the two types of wet lay-up fiberglass described above are inexpensive tooling and manufacture, possibly fewer man hours of assembly time and the possibility of achieving a smooth exterior finish. One significant disadvantage when compared to aluminum is reduced crash-worthiness. This is due to the fact that the fiberglass structure will tend to fracture when its load-carrying ability is exceeded, whereas the aluminum has a better ability to yield and stretch and, therefore, absorb energy without structural disintegration. Also, the life of fiberglass structures can be shortened by absorption of the ultraviolet rays from the sun and must be protected by proper over coats for the entire life of the airplane.

Primary strength is of considerable concern as the fiberglass plane ages. It will be important to the seller and the buyer of a used airplane in establishing the value and the safety of the airplane. The single-engine Bonanza has now been in production for over 35 years and many Bonanzas will be in service when they are 50 years old or older. The point is that a well-built, well-designed high-performance airplane must be useful for an astonishingly long period of years. The Bradley Aerobat is a high-quality aerobatic plane and uses materials of unquestionable integrity and longevity.

An additional point that must be considered is that airplanes are usually repainted at intervals of five to ten years. It is not yet established that a paint stripper exists that can be used on a composite airframe without a hazard to the laminate forming the primary structure Therefore, the best way to remove paint from a composite airplane is to simply sand it off. This is an expensive, tedious process which can easily be carried too far with removal of some of the fiber content of the structure.

In summary, the advantages of all-metal construction for an airplane of this type are as fellows:

1. Exceptionally long life is well proven. Some commercial aircraft have in excess of 100 thousand flight hours, which equates to 200 years of usage by the private owner.

2. It does not perish in the sunlight.

3. At the time of a periodic inspection or of resale, the soundness of the structure is easily determined.

4. Repeatable empty weight and structural strength are easily achieved.

5. Paint can be readily stripped.

6. Greatly improved crash worthiness.

7. No allergy problems for the assembler.

Principal disadvantages of metal construction:

1. Exterior finish usually not as smooth as composite, although this has been mostly overcome by careful design in the Bradley Aerobat.

2. Heavier than prepeg epoxy graphite. It is also lighter than many wet lay-up composites.

3. Considerably more costly to design and tool than the wet lay-up composite airplane, but worth it.

Bradley Aerobat Kits & Info

The basic Bradley BA100 Aerobat kit includes the complete airframe with 2-piece F16- style canopy, disc brakes and fuel tank. The kit also contains all skins, bulkheads, engine cowling, side rails, spars with cantilever supports, all wing ribs and related pieces. Also included are brackets, wheels, tires, brake assembly and landing gear. The landing gear and other subassemblies are pre-assembled and welded. The engine and finishing items are ordered separately.

For additional pre-order information please contact Bradley Aerospace, or order the Info Pack

INFO PACK

A full-color Info Pack about the Bradley BA-100 Aerobat is available through Vortech, Inc. The Info Pack also includes the Purchase Agreement for the aircraft. To order the Info Pack, go directly to the Online Order Form...
 

Vortech, Inc.  has been in the homebuilt aircraft industry since 1970, specializing in plans, kits, parts and components for the hobbyist. Although Vortech has specialized in rotorcraft over the years, the company is proud to expand into the fixed-wing market with this presentation of the Bradley Aerobat.

  Bradley Aerospace
  236 West East Ave., Suite A
  Chico, California  95926

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By Fax:  530-899-2942

AEROBAT INFO PACK
Please note that a full-color Info Pack with order form for the BA100 is
available through Vortech, Inc. To order the Info Pack, please click here.

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