In view of interest shown in the "canard" concept and the substantial energy saving that goes along with it, we have produced for you enthusiasts this two-seats advanced-design plane with its futuristic lines.
The French canard "IBIS-RJ03" all-wood construction is classed as a "light aircraft".

It cannot , in any case, be modified as ULTRA LIGHT or enter in LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT category.

These pages are aimed at giving you some informations on a plane of the future.
Its empty weight is only 250 kgs (550 lbs) and even though it is a two-seater, dual-flightcontrols, its driving power is so low that it can operate with only 60 HP (VW 1835 CC).

Roger JUNQUA's research and ultimate choice were guided by low fuel consumption and low construction coast. As the fuel consumption was becomming an increasing important factor of operating cost, it was necessary to look to a low-powered aircraft, while also striving to develop a plane that was reasonably fast, in order to reduce even further the kilometer/passenger cost ratio.
Two criteria which are not easy to merge!
But, by adopting the "canard" formula, Roger JUNQUA was able to obtain the considerable gains following:

• "given equivalent weight and power, a classical aircraft maximum speed is equal to a canard cruising speed, which means in effect that, at equivalent speeds, the power requirements of a canard aircraft is only three quarters that of a classical aircraft.
  Therefore a 55 hp engine would appear the adequate minimum at sea level (approximatively 700 t/mn 180 km/h (97 Kts - 111 MPH) at two-thirds power). A 65 hp is more suitable for this aircraft, but 80 hp overpowered, as it would cause excess fuel consumption.
• The fuel consumption of this aircraft would thus be
  • 13 l/h (3.4 USG) at 200 km/h (110 Kts) i.e. 6.4 litres (1.7 USG) per 100 kms (54 nms - 62 miles)
  • 10.7 l/h (2.8 USG) at 185 km/h (100 Kts) i.e. 5.8 litres per 100 kms (54 nms - 62 miles) in economic conditions (28 hp).
  The range provided by this configuration is more than 900 km (486 NMS - 560 SM), at a cost three times lower than that of second-class rail travel, not including depreciation.
• To obtain such results it was necessary:
  
  to build simple and light
  to develop improved aerodynamics

Roger JUNQUA was not anti-plastics, metals, fabrics nor for that matter "anti-progress", respecting all points of view. Thought it may be wrong to believe that wood, that most noble material, will be used in home building for a long time to come, it was still Rogers JUNQUA's opinion after 50 years of experience in aviation. Despite what critics say, its durability has been proven beyond doubt: an old wooden aircraft "Aiglon" built in 1936 using the glues of that era is still flying in 1999, 63 years later.
Moreover, most amateurs are capable of working with wood more than with any other material, and it is obviously easier to find an expert in wood should there be some tricks of the trade unknown of the amateur builder.
Because of its simplicity, the construction of the IBIS requires only a minimum of skill. However, the designers strongly recommand to follow the sequence of work set out in the 150 pages construction guide, as well as the tricks to be lernt and the snags to be avoided.

Again from this point of view, the question is : "is it possible to do better than build in wood?" And furthermore, the canard-type design is well fit to this, as the load per m2 should be greater on the canard than on the wing. The total capacity, therfore, is that of a classical aircraft, plus the weight borne by the canard wing, allowing a lighter wing construction, as it has less a carrying work to do.
As a result, the IBIS offers a very low empty weight, while sacrificing nothing for the sake of lightness. When fitted with a VW 1835 CC type 60 hp engine, this aircraft will not weight more than 470 kg (1034 lbs) on max take-off weight.
Because it is so light, the aircraft is capable of adequate performance with low consumption, so although light it has impressive carrying load per m2.

... or rather : "a little more aerodynamics". No doubt, of course, that with wood it is impossible to obtain the same aerodynamics shapes as with plastics. But this shortcoming is more than compensated by other advantages:

• main-frame considerably reduced because of the tandem seating arrangement
• improved air penetration because of a streamlined nose section and angled canopy
• clean surface finishes strictly following the airfoil chord are possible using the construction method of plywood covering glued to a "styrodur" foam filling
• finally, better propellor performance resulting of the rear thrust and reduced drag by streamlining of the engine in the bed of the thickness of the rear wing.

These four points do not detract in any way from landing and takeoff performance, as the plane was designed with a high degree of lift. In fact this system, which was achieved very simply, corrects one of the main weaknesses of most light canard constructions to date, which is a tendancy towards excessive speeds on approach and landing.
The aproach speed (1.3 of VS) of the IBIS is only 124 km/h (67kts), for a stalling speed of 95 km/h (52 kts). And these figures still apply even with a high wing loading, at a maximum weight.
Regarding the flying plane, all pilots who have flown a IBIS agree that it is very easy to flight, and all-round visibility from the cockpit is excellent (more than 300°). Thought the plane has been designed mainly for fast and economic flight, its dual control allow to use it as a training plane as well.
Finally, here are all the reasons why the IBIS is a "canard", or, as the street man would say, "an aircraft flying backwards"...
Unpretentious, just for your pleasure and cheap flying with wife or with a friend, that's the IBIS.