Avions Mudry CAP 10B
French, Two-seat Aerobatic Light Monoplane

Archive Photos ¹

Avions Mudry et CIE CAP 10B (N9910B, sn 267) on display 8/27/2005 at the Camarillo Air Show, Camarillo, CA (John Shupek photos copyright © 2005 Skytamer Images)

Overview ²

• Avions Mudry CAP 10
• Role: Aerobatic aircraft
• Manufacturer: Avions Mudry & Cie (now Apex)
• Designer: Nenad Hrisafovic
• First flight: 1968
• Introduction: 1970
• Status: In production
• Number built: 300+
• Unit cost: €160,000
• Developed from: Piel Super Emeraude

The Mudry CAP 10 is a two-seat training aerobatic aircraft first built in 1970 and still in production in 2007. The plane was developed from the Piel Super Emeraude and was born as the CP100. The name changed to CAP 10, CAP for ’Constructions Aéronautiques Parisiennes’. The CAP 10 was manufactured by Mudry (name of its designer) in Bernay, France, bought by CAP Industries which then became Apex Aircraft. Following the bankruptcy of Apex in 2008, rights to produce spares were awarded to Dyn’Aviation.

Design and Development ²

The prototype CAP 10 was first flown in August 1968 it was followed by the production variant the CAP 10B which had revised tail surfaces. The CAP 10 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of wooden construction on the ’B’ version and carbon sandwich wing spar on the recent Cap 10C version. The engine is a 180 hp Lycoming AEIO-360 fuel injection engine, fully lubricated in inverted flight.

300+ aircraft were built, and, in 2007, the CAP 10C was still in production.

The CAP 10 is one of the most successful aerobatic training aircraft in the world, around 200 aircraft are still flying in the late 2000s and nearly two generations of aerobatic champions made their classes with it.

In the late 1970s the CAP 10 was developed to the single seater family of the CAP 20, CAP 20L and CAP 21. In the 1980s, a far derivative was the most successful family of the Cap 23x competition single seaters.

Operators ²

Military

• France: French Air Force, French Navy
• Morocco: Used to train pilots.
• Mexico: The Mexican Air Force bought 20 aircraft.
• South Korea:
• Australia: Formerly used by the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army to select new pilots.

Civilian

• More than 200 were built, mostly for air clubs all around the world. A huge number of European champions have started aerobatics on a Cap 10.

Specifications (CAP 10B) ³

Type

• Two-seat aerobatic light aircraft.

Wings

• Cantilever low-wing monoplane.
• Wing section NACA 23012.
• Dihedral 5° from roots.
• Incidence 0°.
• No sweepBack.
• All-spruce single-spar torsion box structure, with trellis ribs, rear auxiliary spar and okoumé plywood covering, with outer skin of polyester fabric.
• Inner section of each wing is rectangular in plan, outer section semi-elliptical.
• Wooden trailing-edge plain flaps and slotted ailerons.

Fuselage

• Conventional spruce girder structure, built in two halves and joined by three main frames.
• Of basically rectangular section with rounded top decking.
• Polyester fabric covering.
• Forward section also has an inner plywood skin for added strength.
• Engine cowling panels of non-inflammable laminated plastics.

Tail Unit

• Conventional cantilever structure.
• All-wood single-spar fin, integral with fuselage, and tailplane.
• All surfaces covered with both plywood and polyester fabric.
• Tailplane incidence adjustable on ground.
• Trim tab in each elevator.
• Automatic rudder trim.
• Small ventral fin.

Landing Gear

• Non-retractable tailwheel type.
• Mainwheel legs of light alloy, with ERAM type 9 270 C oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers.
• Single wheel on each main unit, tire size 380 × 150.
• Solid tailwheel tire, size 6 × 200.
• Tailwheel is steerable by rudder linkage but can be disengaged for ground maneuvering.
• Hydraulically actuated mainwheel disc brakes (controllable from port seat) and parking brake.
• Streamline fairings on mainwheels and legs.

Power Plant

• One 134 kW (180 hp) Textron Lycoming AEIO-360-B2F flat-four engine, driving a Hoffmann two-blade fixed-pitch wooden propeller.
• Standard fuel tank aft of engine fireproof bulkhead, capacity 72 liters (19 US gallons: 16 Imp gallons).
• Optional auxiliary tank, capacity 75 liters (20 US gallons; 16.5 Imp gallons), beneath baggage compartment.
• Fuel and oil systems modified to permit periods of inverted flying.

Accommodation

• Side by side adjustable seats for two persons, with provision for Back parachutes, under rearward sliding and jettisonable molded transparent canopy.
• Special acrobatic shoulder harness standard.
• Space for 20 kg (44 lb) of baggage aft of seats in training and touring models.

Systems

• Electrical system includes Delco-Rémy 40A engine driven alternator and SAFT 12V DC nickel-cadmium battery.

Avionics and Equipment

• CSF 262 12-channel VHF radio and g meter fitted.
• Optional equipment includes starboard brake pedals; Narco, Jolliet or Badin VHF, Narco VOR; radio compass; IFR instrumentation; navigation and landing lights; and heated pitot.

• Wing span: 8.06 m (26 ft 5¼ in)
• Wing aspect ratio: 6.0
• Length overall: 7.16 m (23 ft 6 in)
• Height overall: 2.55 m (8 ft 4¼ in)
• Tailplane span: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
• Wheel track: 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)

Dimensions (internal)

• Cockpit (Max width): 1.054 m (3 ft 5½ in)

Areas

• Wings, gross: 10.85 m² (116.79 ft²)
• Ailerons (total): 0.79 m² (8.50 ft²)
• Vertical tail surfaces (total): 1.32 m² (14.25 ft²)
• Horizontal tail surfaces (total): 1.86 m² (20.0 ft²)

Weights (A: Acrobatic. U: Utility)

• Weight empty, equipped: A. U: 540 kg (1.190 lb)
• Fuel load: A: 54 kg (119 lb); U: 108 kg (238 lb)
• Max T-O weight: A: 760 kg (1,675 lb); U: 830 kg (1,829 lb)

Performance (at max T-O weight)

• Never-exceed speed: 183 knots (340 km/h; 211 mph)
• Max level speed at S/L: 146 knots (270 km/h; 168 mph)
• Max cruising speed (75% power): 135 knots (250 km/h; 155 mph)
• Stalling speed: (flaps up) 54 knots (100 km/h; 62 mph) IAS; (flaps down) 46 knots (85 km/h: 53 mph) IAS
• Max rate of climb at S/L: over 360 m/min (1,180 ft/min)
• Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
• T-O run: 350 m (1,149 ft)
• T-O to 15 m (50 ft): 450 m (1,477 ft)
• Landing from 15 m (50 ft): 600 m (1,968 ft)
• Landing run: 360 m (1,182 ft)
• Range with max fuel: 647 nm (1,200 km; 745 miles)
• g limits: +6/4.5

References

1. Shupek, John. Photos, copyright © 2005 Skytamer Images. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
2. History, specifications and performance data: Wikipedia, Avions Mudry CAP 10
3. Taylor, John W.R. Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft 1988-89, Jane’s Information Group, Alexandria, VA, 1989, ISBN 0 7106-0867-5, pp. 78-79