View source for Kappa 77 KP 2U-SOVA

{{Short description|Czech light aircraft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name=KP-2U Sova
 |image=Skyleader200 brasov.jpg
 |caption=KP-2U Skyleader 200
 |alt=
 |type=Light aircraft
 |status=In production
 |number_built=Over 210 by November 2010
 |national_origin=[[Czech Republic]]
 |manufacturer=[[Kappa 77 a.s.]]<br>[[Jihlavan Aircraft]]<br>[[Skyleader a.s.]]<br>ACS
 |first_flight =26 May 1996<ref name=JAWA03/>
}}
The '''Kappa 77 KP-2U Sova''', later produced as the '''Jihlavan KP-2U Skyleader''' and most recently as the '''Jihlavan Skyleader''',  is a two-seat civil utility aircraft designed in the [[Czech Republic]] and available in [[kitplane|kit]] form for [[homebuilt aircraft|home building]]. It is a conventional [[low-wing]] [[monoplane]] featuring [[Aluminium|all-metal construction]] and [[tricycle undercarriage]].

==Design and development==

[[Jihlavan Aircraft]] built the Kappa Sova for Kappa 77 from 1997 to 2004 and obtained marketing rights in 2005 when Kappa became insolvent.  They became a subsidiary of [[Skyleader Aircraft]] in 2008 when the type was redesignated '''Jihlavan Skyleader'''.  It is an all-metal design apart from a [[carbon fibre]] cockpit frame.  It has two-[[spar (aviation)|spar]] tapered wings with 6° of [[dihedral (aircraft)|dihedral]], electrically operated [[flap (aircraft)|Fowler flaps]] and upturned [[Küchemann]] [[wing tip|tips]].  The [[fin]] and [[rudder]] are swept. The straight tapered [[tailplane]] is set on top of the [[fuselage]], the port [[elevator (aircraft)|elevator]] carrying a [[trim tab]].<ref name=JAWA11/>

The [[Bulgaria]]n company ACS started producing the Skyleader 600 at the state owned TEREM-Letets aircraft factory in [[Sofia]] in July 2015 under a licence agreement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bgonair.bg/avioshou/2015-08-06/ultraleki-samoleti-skyleader-shte-se-sglobyavat-v-sofiya|title=Ултралеки самолети Skyleader ще се сглобяват в София|author=Александър Богоявленски|work=BGONAIR|access-date=13 September 2015}}</ref>

The original Sova/Skyleader 150 has staggered [[tandem#Side-by-side seating|side-by-side]] configuration seating with the starboard seat 200&nbsp;mm (8&nbsp;in) aft of the other, but a widened fuselage allows the Skyleader 200 to have true side-by-side seating. The earlier version has a forward-hinged canopy with fixed rear transparencies; the Skyleader 200 has a single-piece canopy.  Both these variants normally have an electrically actuated [[tricycle undercarriage]] with a steerable nosewheel, though a fixed version is an option and is standard on the later Skyleader 500 and 600 variants.  The standard engine for the 150/200 variants is a 60&nbsp;kW (80&nbsp;hp) [[Rotax 912UL]], though the more powerful [[Rotax 912ULS]] or [[Rotax 914]] can be fitted, all driving a choice of two-blade propellers.  The 500/600 variants can also use the  [[Rotax 912 UL]] or [[Rotax 912S]]; the [[Jabiru 2200]] or 3300 engines may also be fitted.  The Skyleader 500/600 variants  have three-blade propellers.<ref name=JAWA11/>

The Kappa 77 KP-2U Sova first flew on 26 May 1996 and the '''KP-5 Rapid 500''' (later the Skyleader 500) in December 2003. Czech certification was achieved in September 1997 and March 2004 respectively.  The Skyleader is produced in both kit and flyaway form.<ref name=JAWA11/>

Airplanes Africa Limited a Czech manufacturer set up a plant in [[Tanzania]] to assemble the Skyleader 600. The [[Morogoro Airstrip|Morogoro]] plant assembled Tanzania’s first aircraft in October 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skyleader heralds Tanzania's aviation breakthrough {{!}} Times Aerospace |url=https://www.timesaerospace.aero/features/defence/skyleader-heralds-tanzanias-aviation-breakthrough |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=www.timesaerospace.aero}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} AAL |url=https://www.airplanesafrica.aero/about.php |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=www.airplanesafrica.aero}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-30 |title=First three Tanzanian-made aircraft begin operations |url=https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/first-three-tanzanian-made-aircraft-begin-operations-4780704 |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=The Citizen |language=en}}</ref>

==Operational history==
Over 210 had been sold by November 2010. 145 Sovas and 12 Skyleaders appear on the civil registers of European countries, Russia excepted, in mid-2010.<ref name=EuReg/>

==Variants (Jihlavan)==
[[File:Prototipo aereo elettrico Rigenergia 2.JPG|thumb|Rapid 200FC prototype [[hydrogen-powered aircraft]] via [[fuel cell]]]]
[[File:Skyleader600.jpg|thumb|Skyleader 600]]

''Data from'' Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12<ref name=JAWA11/>
;Skyleader 100
:Single-seat variant, with optional rectangular or trapezoidal wing planform and powered by a {{convert|64|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} [[Rotax 582]] [[two-stroke]] engine. Was expected to be marketed starting in 2011 as a kit or complete aircraft.<ref name="WDLA11">Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 76. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X</ref><ref name="WDLA15">Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', pages 80-81. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. {{ISSN|1368-485X}}</ref>
;KP-2U Skyleader 150
:Originally called the Kappa 77 KP-2U Sova. Staggered side-by-side seating.
;KP-2 Skyleader 200
:Introduced 1996, with widened cockpit to {{convert|120|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} for more elbow room with side-by-side seating. It features retractable landing gear.<ref name="WDLA11"/><ref name="WDLA15"/>
;Rapid 200FC: One-off hydrogen-powered via fuel cell and electric motor Skyleader 150 conversion, first flight 20 May 2010.
;KP-5 Skyleader 500: [[Light-sport aircraft|S-LSA]] version, originally the KP-5 Rapid 500. FAA approved July 2005.<ref name="WDLA11"/><ref name="WDLA15"/><ref name="FAASLSA">{{cite web|url=http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/light_sport/media/SLSA_Directory.xls |title=SLSA Make/Model Directory |access-date=27 August 2012 |last=Federal Aviation Administration |author-link=Federal Aviation Administration |date=21 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516004527/http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/light_sport/media/SLSA_Directory.xls |archive-date=16 May 2013 }}</ref>
;Skyleader 400
:[[Light-sport aircraft]] version with a gull-winged canopy and re-designed engine cowling, introduced as a "mid-line model".<ref name="SL400">{{cite web|url = http://www.skyleader.aero/en/skyleader-400|title = Overview - Skyleader 400|access-date = 6 January 2015|last = Skyleader|author-link = Skyleader|year = 2014}}</ref> The 400 is also available a purely [[electric aircraft]], powered by an 80 kW electric motor and 145 amp-hour battery pack.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Aero-Skyleader-Pure-Electric-LSA-Flies-230711-1.html|title =Aero: Skyleader Pure Electric LSA Flies |access-date = 25 April 2018|last = Baker|first = Jason |work = AVweb |date = 22 April 2018}}</ref>
;Skyleader 600
:Light sport model introduced at [[AERO Friedrichshafen]] in 2010. It features a wider {{convert|128|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} cockpit, revised wingtips and greater fuel capacity. Engines available include the {{convert|80|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} [[Rotax 912UL]], the {{convert|100|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} [[Rotax 912ULS]] and the turbocharged {{convert|115|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} [[Rotax 914]] [[four-stroke]] powerplants.<ref name="WDLA11"/><ref name="WDLA15"/>

==Accidents and incidents==
In May 2016 a Skyleader 500 crashed in [[Rhoadesville, Virginia]], [[United States]], killing the two occupants of the aircraft. The [[Galaxy Rescue Systems]] [[ballistic parachute]] had been deployed, but the single front riser failed, leading to the parachute failure. The aircraft had been practicing slow flight and stalls and most likely entered a spin, from which the parachute was deployed. The aircraft was {{convert|50|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} over maximum weight at the time of the accident. The GRS parachute model had never been tested in the air on this aircraft design and had only been ground tested once. A new double front riser system is now in use.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Chute-Failure-Cited-In-Fatal-Crash-229857-1.html|title = Chute Failure Cited In Fatal Crash|access-date = 3 November 2017|last = Grady|first = Mary |work = AVweb|date = 1 November 2017}}</ref>

==Specifications (KP-2U Sova)==
[[File:KP2U-Sova OK-BUU 23.jpg|thumb|right|Kappa 77 KP-2U Sova]] 
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2004–2005,<ref name=JAWA2004-2005>{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 2004-05 |editor1-last=Jackson |editor1-first=Paul |year=2005 |publisher=Jane's Publishing Group |location=London |isbn=0-7106-2614-2 |edition=95th |page=111}}</ref> Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004<ref name=JAWA03/>
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=1
|capacity=1 / {{cvt|14|kg|0}} baggage shelf behind seats
|length m=7.17
|length note=
|span m=9.9
|span note=
|height m=2.6
|height note=
|wing area sqm=11.85
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' NASA GA(W)-1; '''tip:'''N NASA GA(W)-2<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight kg=285
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=450
|max takeoff weight note=([[Czech Republic]])
::::{{cvt|480|kg|0}} ([[Canada]])
::::{{cvt|544|kg|0}} ([[Australia]])
|fuel capacity={{cvt|64|L|USgal impgal}}
::::{{cvt|94|L|USgal impgal}} ([[Australia]])
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Rotax 912UL]]
|eng1 type=4-cylinder air-cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine
|eng1 kw=59.6
|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=2 or 3
|prop name=variable-pitch propeller
|prop dia m=1.73
|prop dia note=(or 3-bladed ground-adjustable propeller)
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh=240
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=<!-- supersonic aircraft -->
|cruise speed kmh=200
|cruise speed note=at 75% power
|stall speed kmh=71
|stall speed note=flaps up
::::{{cvt|48|km/h|mph kn}} flaps down
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=960
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<big>+</big>4 <big>-</big>2
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=6.5
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading note=
|disk loading kg/m2=
|disk loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=<br/>
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt|100|m|0}}
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt|140|m|0}}

|avionics=
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=JAWA03>{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 2003–04 |editor1-last=Jackson |editor1-first=Paul |year=2004 |publisher=Jane's Information Group |location=Coulsdon, Surrey, United Kingdom |isbn=0-7106-2537-5 |edition=94th |pages=106–107}}</ref>

<ref name=JAWA11>{{cite book |title= Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011–12|last= Jackson |first= Paul |edition=102nd |year=2011|publisher=IHS Jane's|location= Coulsdon, Surrey |isbn=978-0-7106-2955-5 |pages=167–168}}</ref>

<ref name=EuReg>{{cite book |title=European registers handbook 2010 |last= Partington |first=Dave |year=2010|publisher= Air Britain (Historians) Ltd|isbn=978-0-85130-425-0}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Kappa 77 KP2U Sova}}
*{{Official website|http://www.skyleader.aero/en/skyleader-100/}} for the Skyleader 100
*[http://www.airliners.net/photo/Kappa-KP-2UR-Sova/1328831/L/ Picture of PH-3D7, a Dutch Kappa KP-2UR Sova]

{{Skyleader Aircraft}}
{{Aero Adventure aircraft}}

[[Category:Aircraft manufactured in the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia]]
[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:1990s Czech and Czechoslovak ultralight aircraft]]
[[Category:Homebuilt aircraft]]
[[Category:Skyleader aircraft]]
[[Category:Electric aircraft]]