NAL Hansa

 

NAL Hansa aircraft registration VT-XIW at HAL Museum, Bangalore (Year-2021)

The Hansa is a 2 seater aircraft designed by India with a low wing and tricycle landing gear configuration constructed using composite materials. The first prototype based on Hansa-2 made its initial flight on 23 November 1993. On 11 May 1998, a second prototype, based on the Hansa-3 design, joined the flight test programme; it featured various refinements, including the use of a variable-pitch propeller instead of a fixed counterpart, and a more powerful Rotax 914-F3 powerplant. 

The initial design was Hansa-1 that adopted a pusher configuration, but was discontinued as severe problems were revealed during wind tunnel testing.

On 3 September 2021, the prototype Hansa-NG (Next generation) performed its maiden flight. This aircraft featured various improvements and changes, including the addition of a glass cockpit, digitally-controlled Rotax 912 ISC engine, electrically-operated flaps, and greater endurance.

The Hansa aircraft has been displayed frequently at Aero India Air shows held at Bangalore. The Hansa has been marketed to various sectors, including flight training, coastal surveillance, and private owner-pilots. Multiple specialised variants, including unmanned models, have also been worked on.

General characteristics of the Hansa-NG Aircraft:- 

1. Length: 7.658 m 
2. Height: 2.614 m  
3. Wingspan: 10.47 m
4. Wing area: 12.47 m^2
5. Cabin width: 1.07 m
6. Gross weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb)
7. Max cruise speed: 200 km/hr (108 KTAS)
8. Range: 926 km (500 nm)
9. Endurance: 6 hours
10. Take off distance: 450 m (1476 ft)
11. Landing Distance: 600 m (1968 ft)
12. Service ceiling: 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
13. Maximum rate of climb: 198 m/min (650 ft/min)
14. Engine: Rotax 912 iSc 3 sport

Meaning of dimensions mentioned in this article:- 1 inch = 0.0254 m; 1 foot = 0.3048 m; 1 inch = 0.0833333 foot; 1 pound = 0.453592 kg; 1 nautical miles (nm) = 1.852 km

KTAS:- Knots True Airspeed/True Airspeed (TAS) of an aircraft is the speed of the aircraft relative to the air mass through which it is flying.

NAL Hansa 'VT-XIW' exhibited at HAL Museum, Bangalore (Year-2021)

According to the website Warbirds of India, the aircraft on display VT-XIW at HAL Museum, Bangalore was the first prototype of the Hansa II. It first flew in November 93 and flew a total of 128 hours of test flying before it was ‘retired’. NAL then donated the aircraft to HAL for display here. 

Video of Hansa-NG first flight on 3rd September, 2021