The Sportavia-Pützer RS-180 Sportsman is a four-seat sport aircraft that was produced in Germany in the late 1970s.[3]
The aircraft is a conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage.[1] The pilot and passengers are seated in 2+2 configuration under a large bubble canopy.[4] The structure is of wood, covered in plywood and given an outer skin of fibreglass.[1]
In 1970 Fournier initiated the design of a new four-seat cabin monoplane, the Sportsman. The first prototype flew on 1 March 1973, but the completely redesigned second prototype didn't fly until 28 April 1976, as the RF-6C Sportsman, which entered production in late 1976. It was redesignated the RS-180 Sportsman when the empennage was altered in early 1978, following the fatal crash of the prototype in May 1977.[5] The extensive redesign included reshaping the horizontal tail and moving it part-way up the fin,[5] changing the wing profile,[5] and removing the RF-6C's turned-down wingtips.[5] In this form, the RS-180 was type certified in Germany in 1978.[6]
The wood structure of the low-wing cantilever monoplane Sportsman is skinned in fibreglass. A fixed nosewheel undercarriage with wheel fairings is used. The cabin employs a large bubble canopy.
At the end of 1980, Sportavia-Pützer was fully integrated into RFB and the RS-180 was re-designated RFB RS-180 Sportsman. Production was halted in early 1981, after fewer than two dozen had been completed.[2][7]
