The Lambert Mission 212 is a conventionally laid out low-wing, fixed undercarriage, single-engine, four-seat kit built aircraft designed in the UK by a Belgian college student. Kits are manufactured in Belgium.[1]
Design and development
The M212 has had an unusually long gestation time. It was designed in 1992 by Filip Lambert, then a student at the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, and was selected as one of three winners of the Royal Aeronautical Society Light Aircraft Competition in 1995. Construction of the M212-100 prototype began in 1996. This aircraft was registered in the UK in 2000 and was displayed, complete apart from some engine and fuel supply systems, at the Popular Flying Association (PFA) Rally held at Cranfield in June 2002. The first flight, delayed by another two years, took place on 13 April 2004 at Cranfield with Roger Bailey as pilot.[2]
The fuselage is a monocoque construction, tapering strongly to the rear. The cockpit seats four in two rows with dual controls in front, covered by a forward-hinged, single-piece canopy. There are two side windows for the rear seat passengers. The M212 has a fixed tricycle undercarriage, the mainwheels mounted on forward-leaning cantilever legs in narrow chordfairings, attached to the fuselage. The mainwheels have brakes and the nosewheel is steerable.[2]
The M212 was initially intended to feature a Zoche aero-diesel ZO 01A,[5][6] a radical single-row "cross-4" engine of 2,660 cc (162 cu in), producing up to 150 hp (112 kW) @ 2500 rpm. This engine was to be compact, lightweight (84 kg/185 lb),and economical, consuming some 21 litres per hour @ 75% power. As the Zoche company showed no signs of nearing production, Lambert had to settle for a more conventional, but readily available, option.
Operational history
In the mid-2000s Lambert were concentrating on the Mission 106 and Mission 212 kits were not produced until late 2006. In May 2010 the first kit-built example and second M212, registered in the Netherlands, was flown.[2] It attempted an around-the-world flight which was ended by an engine fire and an emergency landing in the Philippines.[7]
Variants
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12[2]
M212-100
First prototype, proof-of-principle, one example only.
M212-200
Production base level four-seater, flyaway or kit. Certification to JAR/FAR 23 planned.[4]
M212-300
Proposed two-seat aerobatic trainer, now abandoned.
M212-400
Four seat version with increased baggage and range (1,850 km or 1,000 mi. Maximum takeoff weight 1,000 kg (2,425 lb); optional retractable undercarriage.
M216
Proposed version with retractable gear.
Specifications (provisional)
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2011/12[2]