Hiperlight SN8 Ultralight Aircraft, Top Rated Ultralight Aircraft Of The Early 1980s.

by Dan Johnson - www.bydanjohnson.com
In this article and video below we will take a quick look at the Hiperlight SNS 8 dating back into the 1980s when the Sorrel brothers first created it out west.

As it turns out, the Sorrel Hiperlight SNS 8 was originally designed at the request of Ron Schettler, the first Canadian Distributor of Rotax aircraft engines. It was originally designed to be powered by the Rotax 277 single-cylinder, 28-horsepower two-stroke engine using a Hegar belt reduction drive.

Digging deeper we find SNS 8 is actually a smaller version of the Sorrell Hiperbipe. For those curious about naming conventions, SNS in the name stands for “Sorrell Negative Stagger.”

A negative stagger puts the lower wing ahead of the upper wing, where most commonly with biplanes, that is not the case.

SNS 8 is offered in kit form. It features a two piece 4130-welded steel fuselage, which can be separated for ease of storage. The aircraft can be covered in pre-sewn Dacron sail cloth envelopes or by the use of standard aircraft covering materials.

Building times are in the 150 to 400 hour range, with the conventional fabric covering taking longer to complete.

Present-day supplier Thunderbird Aviation in Michigan stated, “SNS-8 was designed to comply with Part 103 of the FARs and is still one of the few ultralights being manufactured legally. Since it meets ultralight vehicle parameters, you can get in it in kit form or you can get it fully assembled ready to fly.”

Thunderbird Aviation was established officially in 2002 by Ron Jones. He reported, “[We] offer aircraft that appeal to a wide range of interests …from an ultralight, to a two-place Experimental, to a fully aerobatic yet cross-country-capable machine, and soon to come will be the SLSA Version.”

Beside being a biplane. Hiperlight SNS8 is a taildragger in a tractor configuration. It uses standard stick-and-rudder, three-axis controls, with full-span flaperons on the lower wing, a center mounted stick, and left hand throttle.

Beside a Rotax 377 or 447, other engines that have powered the Hiperlight SNS 8 are Hirth, Kawasaki, and half-VW conversions. Climb rate comes in at around 750 feet per minute, cruise is 55 to 65 miles per hour, and stall comes in at 27 miles per hour.

A new kit Hiperlight from Thunderbird has the following specifications:
Wing Span — 22 feet
Length — 15 feet 6 inches
Wing Area — 140 square feet
Engine — MZ201
Fuel Capacity — 5 gallons
Empty Weight — 247 pounds
Gross Weight — 500 pounds
Assembly Time — 150-200 hours
Maximum speed — 98 mph
Maximum Cruise — 62 mph
Stall Speed — 27 mph
Range — 150 miles
Take off Distance — 175 feet
Landing Distance — 175 feet
Rate of Climb — 700 fpm
Glide Ratio — 12:1

At the time of production of this video The Ultralight Flyer would estimate the value of a used Hiperlight SNS 8 from the 1980s to be worth between $4,500 and $6,500.

Standard Advice for Buying a Used Vintage Ultralight — The Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel recommends that Dacron fabric be tested. the airframe, wings, landing gear area, and control systems be inspected.

If the history of the engine is unknown it is recommended that the exhaust be removed and the pistons inspected for wear and seizure.