The Shark.Aero Shark is a conventionally laid out, single engine, low wing light aircraft which seats two in tandem. It was first flown on 19 August 2009 and is built in Slovakia by Shark.Aero s.r.o.. It has optionally fixed or retractable landing gear. The Shark, which was formally announced at AERO Friedrichshafen in April 2007, was designed to fit into both European UL and US LSA categories. Structurally it is a mixture of glass- and carbon-fibre composites (whilst fibreglass is utilised to a very limited extent), with PVC foam filled aramid honeycomb structures sandwiched between panels. The wing main spar is a dismountable two piece carbon fibre beam which joins under the front seat; an auxiliary spar carries the aileron and flap mountings. In plan the leading edge is elliptical and there is slight taper on the outer trailing edge where the ailerons are mounted. Single slotted, electrically operated flaps occupy the rest of the trailing edge. Like the wings, the slightly swept tailplanes are easily detached for storage of transport. There is an electrically operated trim tab in the elevator. The fuselage of the Shark is formed with integral fin, seat backs, floors and instrument panel. The fin, set forward so the rudder trailing edge is above the elevator hinge line, is shaped like a shark's back fin, strongly swept and with a curved leading edge. There is also a small ventral fin. From the fin forward the upper fuselage line rises rapidly to merge into that of the side hinged, single piece canopy. There is a big baggage space behind the cockpit. Both of the adjustable tandem seats have flight controls; the Shark is flown by a sidestick. It is powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS or 115 hp (86 kW) Rotax 914 turbocharged powerplant, driving a three-blade or a two-blade propeller. The Shark UL has retractable gear and a variable-pitch propeller. The design entered production in mid-2011. In 2015 the design, equipped with a modified engine and a special DUC propeller, set a world record for class RAL2T (Microlights: Movable Aerodynamic Controls/Landplane/Flown with two persons/Thermal Engine) for speed over a straight course at 303.00 km/h. Variants Shark LS European UL, fixed undercarriage, fixed-pitch propeller. Shark UL European UL, retractable undercarriage, variable-pitch propeller. SportShark Planned US light-sport aircraft (LSA), longer span and heavier, with fixed undercarriage.
