Lewis Ascender | |
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The Lewis Ascender at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2023 | |
Role | Homebuilt bush aircraft |
National origin | United States |
Designer | Alec Wild Eric Lewis Doug Keller |
First flight | April 2018 |
Number built | 1 |
Developed from | Wild DoubleEnder |
The Lewis Ascender is an American homebuilt bush aircraft designed by Alec Wild and Eric Lewis.
The Ascender is a single-engined development of the Wild DoubleEnder, which itself is derived from the Piper PA-18 Super Cub.[1] Work on the Ascender began in 2016, with the aircraft being fully designed in CAD.[1] The wings were initially to be taken from the DoubleEnder, but were later entirely redesigned with mechanically actuated double-slotted flaps.[1] The leading-edge slats present on the DoubleEnder were removed on the new Ascender wing to reduce drag.[1] The Ascender's tail, which resembles that of the Super Cub, features a horizontal stabilizer with a symmetrical airfoil and an enlarged vertical stabilizer.[1] The Ascender's landing gear is fitted with 35-inch tires and oversized disc brakes.[1] The fuselage of the Ascender is built with 4130 chromoly steel, while the wings are aluminum.[1] The cockpit features a large bubble canopy and seats two in a side-by-side layout, and a bench seat behind the cockpit seats two additional passengers.[1] The aircraft was initially powered by a single 180 hp (130 kW) Superior Air Parts XP-400 engine mounted above the cockpit, but this was later replaced by a 225 hp (168 kW) Lycoming YIO-390-EXP.[1] Fuel is provided by a pair of 24-gallon tanks located in the wings.[1] A ballistic parachute can be installed as an option.[2]
After a construction period of 18 months, the Ascender was first flown in April 2018.[1][2] Flight testing resulted in modifications to the engine cowling and ailerons.[1] In July 2018, the Ascender's Superior XP-400 engine suffered a crankshaft failure which resulted in the aircraft ditching in a lake in Alaska and sinking. The aircraft was subsequently recovered and, after two years of repairs, flew once again with a new Lycoming engine.[1]
Alec Wild and Eric Lewis have expressed interest in making an Ascender kit aircraft available to the public.[2]
Data from [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Avionics
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era