M.Hardy. Gliders & Sailplanes of the world

Fauvel AV 221 and AV 222

  Developed from the AV 22 tailless sailplane, the AV 221 is a side-by-side two-seater self-launching motor glider which first flew in prototype form on 8 April 1965, and was followed a few years later by a lighter ДальшеMore>>> and simplified version designated AV 222. Both these versions have the traditional Fauvel tailless layout, but the twin fins and rudders of the AV 361 and AV 45 series are replaced by a single fin and rudder, and the pusher engine installation of the AV 45 by a conventional tractor one. In February 1971 M Fauvel decided to end the commercial production of his sailplanes, but plans of the AV 222 are still available for amateur constructors, who are building examples of this version in France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the USA. First shown in model form at the 1964 Cannes air show, the AV 221 has a short fuselage, mid-set cantilever wooden wings with slight forward sweep and built in three sections, a large fin and rudder with no tailplane and - in its original form - a non-retractable monowheel from a Piper Cub in a large under-fuselage fairing supplemented by outrigger wheels under the wings and a small steerable tailwheel. The prototype AV 221 was powered by a 39hp Rectimo 4 AR 1200 conversion of the Volkswagen car engine, driving a fixed-pitch fully feathering wooden propeller, and with this modest power it had completed six crossings of the Alps by mid-June 1966. Production AV 221s would have been powered by the 61hp Rectimo 4 AR 1600 version of the Volkswagen engine or in AV 221B form - by the 40hp or 50hp Fauvel Pygmee four-stroke 'flat four' engine; both these version would have had the wing span increased by 3ft to 53ft 9 1/2 in, with Hoerner wing tips, and the AV 221B was 16 1/2 in longer than the prototype at 17ft 1 1/2 in. M Fauvel developed the Pygmee in collaboration with E. de Coucy because he had been unable to find an entirely suitable engine for powering his tailless types, and this motor was also to power the AV 46. Bench testing of the Pygmee began early in 1967 and it was hoped that a large industrial concern would eventually produce the engine, but this did not in the end happen. The AV 222 can be powered by the 39hp Rectimo 4 AR 1200 or the 60hp Limbach conversion of the Volkswagen engine or the 40 or 50hp Rotax powerplants of Austrian design; the Rectimo and Limbach engines drive a two-blade fixed-pitch wooden propeller of 3ft 5 1/4 in diameter. The AV 221 prototype was later fitted with a conventional landing gear with twin main wheels, as was the AV 222, to improve handling over rough ground; this new undercarriage consisted of cantilever self-sprung laminated glassfibre legs and Duruble wheels with hydraulic brakes and streamlined wheel fairings. This replaces the former fixed monowheel in its large fairing and the two outrigger wheels under the wings, but for amateur construction the monowheel landing gear is recommended as being lighter, cheaper and easier to install. With the new undercarriage a larger dorsal fin was fitted to compensate for the smaller side area of the spats compared to the monowheel fairing.


Data :AV 222
Span: 53 ft 9 3/4 in
Length:17 ft 1 1/2 in
Wing area: 247.6 sq ft
Aspect ratio: 12
Empty weight: 716 lb
Max weight: 1,212 lb
Min sinking speed: 2.85 ft/sec at 46 mph
Best glide ratio: 26:1 at 53 mph
Take-off run: 361 ft
Rate of climb at sea level: 591 ft/min