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The Barber SnarkNote: The name "Snark" is from Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark. is an innovative two-seat microlight aircraft, designed and built in New Zealand by Bill Barber. Bill's first attempt at designing a microlight aircraft was the Snark HA-1 single-seat monoplane. Powered by a Rotax 503 two-stroke, it used a long shaft to drive a pusher propeller mounted behind the Y-shaped tail (much like the Lear Fan 2100). It was registered as ZK-FOU and first flew in 1987. Bill was not happy with its flying characteristics, so he began again.
His prototype Snark HA-2 first flew in 1991. Six aircraft of this second design List of Snarks [1] have been built. Some of these have varying specifications, such as different engines, construction materials, main undercarriage and control surfaces, resulting in reduced weight and increased performance.
The Snark's streamlined tandem layout, small frontal area, and attention to detail mean that the aircraft has excellent performance, being able to cruise at over 100 knots despite having an engine output of only 80 bhp.
The Snark is a tricycle aircraft of composite carbon-kevlar construction. Its glider-like cockpit accommodates a pilot and passenger in tandem, the passenger sitting behind and higher than the pilot. The centrally mounted shoulder-wing lies behind the pilot, who has unrestricted visibility. The engine is mounted on the main bulkhead behind the cockpit, driving a pusher propeller. Wing control surfaces on the third Snark are flaperons, while the fourth and later aircraft have conventional and flaps. Above the propeller, aft of the cockpit, is a slender carbon-fibre boom supporting a T-tail empennage. The high-level tailplane is mounted above the propeller slipstream. There is a springy nylon skid beneath the fin to protect the propeller from ground strikes.
Former RNZAF Squadron Leader and aviation journalist Tim Cripps Note: In 2007 The Western Telegraph reported that Cripps was badly injured in a flying accident when a homebuilt microlight he was flying from Andreas airfield in the Isle of Man crashed shortly after takeoff: [2] wrote an extensive article in Today's Pilot, highly praising the Snark, and describing its history, ingenious design, and flying ability. Today's Pilot magazine article, September 2006 page 90 The aircraft under test, ZK-JPS, was fitted with Rotax 912S flat-four engine producing 100hp.
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