The Freedom Aviation Phoenix is a single-engine four-seat American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 airplane currently (2008) being sold as a homebuilt

Homebuilt aircraft

Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits.-Overview:...

 composite canard aircraft.

The kit is produced at a facility on St. Lucie County International Airport

St. Lucie County International Airport

St. Lucie County International Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Fort Pierce, a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the St...

 at Ft. Pierce, Florida.

Design and development

The Phoenix airframe is formed of carbon-fiber composite materials on factory molds. The aircraft is assembled as a homebuilt, with a factory-sponsored builder-assist program available.

The aircraft has a swept, dihedral canard

Canard (aeronautics)

In aeronautics, canard is an airframe configuration of fixed-wing aircraft in which the forward surface is smaller than the rearward, the former being known as the "canard", while the latter is the main wing...

 mounted ahead of the cabin, and a swept main lifting surface. Each wing has a fin

Fin

A fin is a surface used for stability and/or to produce lift and thrust or to steer while traveling in water, air, or other fluid media, . The first use of the word was for the limbs of fish, but has been extended to include other animal limbs and man-made devices...

 (with full-length rudder) mounted about midway to the tip. In addition, the wingtips have swept winglets, which provide additional yaw stability while decreasing induced drag

Lift-induced drag

In aerodynamics, lift-induced drag, induced drag, vortex drag, or sometimes drag due to lift, is a drag force that occurs whenever a moving object redirects the airflow coming at it. This drag force occurs in airplanes due to wings or a lifting body redirecting air to cause lift and also in cars...

.

The Phoenix is powered by a six-cylinder horizontally-opposed piston engine driving a pusher propeller. The tricycle landing gear is retractable.

The company has since gone out of business.

Specifications

Seats: 4 (2 + 2)

Height: 7.25 ft (2.21 m)

Length: 22.5 ft (6.86 m)

Wingspan (main): 34.42 ft (10.49 m)

Wingspan (canard): 15.00 ft (4.57 m)

Useful load: 1500 lb (680 kg)

Useful load with full fuel: 750 lb (340 kg)

Fuel capacity: 125 US gallon (473 l)

Cruise speed at 65% power: 185 kt (343 km/h)

Rate of climb at sea level: 1300 ft/min (6.60 m/s)

Fuel burn rate: 15 US gallon/hour

Range with 30 minute reserve: 1,400 nm (2593 km)

Never-exceed speed: 215 kt Indicated airspeed|IAS]]

Stall speed: 70 kt (130 km/h)

Cabin width: 50 inch (1.27 m)

Cabin height: 44 inch (1.12 m)

Cabin length: 129 inch (3.28 m)

Engine: Continental IO-550

Continental IO-550

The Continental IO-550 engine is a large family of fuel injected six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-cooled aircraft engines that were developed for use in light aircraft by Teledyne Continental Motors...

 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled piston engine

Engine power: 310 hp (231 kW)