Initially started as a development of the Chotia Weedhopper that was redesigned to include ailerons and an enclosed cabin, the X-Air began experimental production in France before it was shifted to India's only ultralight and experimental light-sport aircraft-making facility - the Raj Hamsa, founded by Frenchman Joel Koechlin with the initial financial support of J.R.D Tata.
Koechlin decided to shift production of the X-Air as he sought to provide the Indian market with a new ultralight aircraft model. While many thought his decision at the time seemed silly and rather unusual, it proved to be the birth of one of the most significant export successes in Indian aviation history, the Raj Hamsa X-Air.
The Raj Hamsa factory was located in Whitefield, Bangalore. It was set up in 1993 to design and make three-axis conventional control microlight aircraft - known as the X-Air range. The factory would also produce one and two-seater crafts, hang-gliders, and powered hang-gliders, although the primary focus was still on the X-Air.
Despite the initial experimentation in France, Koechlin and his team decided to design and create the X-Air aircraft from scratch in India, mainly using indigenous materials. Koechlin would often emphasize:
"In India, people still think that the technical know-how has to be imported. At Raj Hamsa, it's in fact the contrary: as the conception and design of the entire X-Air range of aircraft is done here in this country, by us."
The X-Air is built from bolted aluminum tubing and mated to a centrally welded steel cockpit-like cage. The aircraft is built around the large tube that runs from the higher-mounted engine in the front to the tail at the back. The wings and tail surfaces are often covered in pre-sewn Dracon sailcloth envelopes, and V-struts help support the wings. Various engines ranging from 50 to 75 horsepower may be installed but must weigh under 54 kilograms.
As for the landing gear, it incorporates Oleo shock absorbers on all three wheels, and the nosewheel is steerable while the mainwheel brakes remain standard. Dual controls in the cockpit also remain standard, although cockpit doors are optional for every customer. Similarly, the X-Air can be customized with skis or floats, and the total construction time for the aircraft is estimated at 40 man-hours.
With its minimalist and relatively compact frame, the Raj Hamsa X-Air aircraft quickly grew in popularity, with over 1,300 examples flying, making it a significant success. And compared to ultralight aircraft developed in other parts of the world, the aircraft manufactured by Raj Hamsa were some of the least expensive - making it ideal for many budget-minded flyers.
According to Koechlin at the time, there were never-completed X-Air aircraft in the Raj Hamsa factory as they are often readied, then dismantled and packed, and then shipped off to where they've been ordered from. It usually takes a month for the new owner to assemble the new three-axis Light-Sport Aircraft they've anticipated.
13/06/2023 Charlotte Seet/Simple Flying
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