Rainbow Cheetah • wp.archivoaereo.com

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Origins of the Rainbow Cheetah

Military pilot Vladimir Chechin left Russia in 19914 and moved to South Africa. That same year, he joined Rainbow Aircraft as an engineer; the company manufactured hang gliders. Chechin proposed to the management to develop their own light multi-purpose aircraft based on the Best Off Skyranger.

Prototype and Initial Specifications

As a result, in 2002, the prototype of the Rainbow Cheetah aircraft took to the skies. It was a two-seater, braced high-wing monoplane, equipped with a two-stroke Rotax 582 engine producing 64 hp (48 kW). Alternative engines included the four-cylinder Rotax 912UL with 80 hp (60 kW) or the Rotax 912ULS with 100 hp (75 kW).

Production Models and Engine Variants

The latest production models of the aircraft were the Cheetah XLS and Cheetah XLS Taildragger, differing only in landing gear design. Besides the standard engines, these aircraft could be equipped with Verner VM133 and Jabiru 2200 engines producing 85 hp (63 kW).

Technical Specifications

Modification	Cheetah XLS
Wingspan, m	9.60
Length, m	5.67
Height, m	1.90
Wing area, m2	13.25
Empty weight	248
Maximum takeoff weight	560
Fuel, l	100
Engine type	1 Piston engine Rotax 912UL
Power, hp	1 x 80
Maximum speed, km/h	177
Cruising speed, km/h	135
Practical range, km	1080
Rate of climb, m/min	318
Service ceiling, m	3658
Max. operational overload	6
Crew, crew members	2