Mitchell Wing B-10


The Mitchell Wing B-10 is an American high-wing, open cockpit, single-seat ultralight aircraft and motor glider that was designed by Don Mitchell and produced by a variety of companies in the form of kits and plans for amateur construction.
In 2012 the aircraft was still available in the form of plans and some materials, offered by US Pacific of Fresno, California.

Design and development

The B-10 started off as a foot-launched hang glider and was adapted into a wheel-equipped tricycle landing gear ultralight aircraft with good soaring performance. It features a single engine in pusher configuration, mounted behind the pilot's seat. The B-10 was later developed into the two seat A-10 and T-10 and the mid-wing Mitchell U-2 Superwing. The B-10 was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of.
The B-10 is configured as a tailless aircraft. The aircraft's fuselage structure is made from aluminum tubing while the wing has a birch plywood D-cell leading edge and foam ribs, covered with Dacron sailcloth or doped aircraft fabric. Its span wing employs a NACA 23015 airfoil, has an area of, an aspect ratio of 8:1 and mounts external ailerons as well as wing tip rudders. The outboard wing panels have 6 degrees of dihedral and the wing overall has 12 degrees of sweep. The controls are conventional three axis, with a top-mounted centre stick. Small engines in the range can be used and the Zenoah G-25 of has been fitted.
The A-10 can be quickly disassembled for ground transport or storage. The outer wing panels fold or can be removed, the fuselage cage is detachable and the tip rudders are quickly removed. The A-10 can be transported on a small trailer, in a pickup truck or in and on top of a station wagon.
Construction time for the supplied plans is estimated at 500 hours.

Operational history

The A-10 holds several world records for aircraft in its class. The American George Worthington set eight records in the design.

Aircraft on display