As cliched as it may sound, the old expression, “Good things come in small packages”, sums up the Draco HyperSTOL aircraft to a T.
Not only is the aircraft diminutive, but its take-off and landing performance is, quite simply, staggering.
For a utility aircraft considered an exemplar of STOL (Short Take-off and Landing) performance, the Draco HyerSTOL aircraft provides something beyond it; hence, the prefix “hyper” before STOL, which we’ll come to. Interestingly, the Greco-Latin word for serpent or dragon is “Draco”, so the name certainly has a bite to it.
And with an appearance that looks almost ungainly on the ground, with its incredibly large two forward main wheels mounted to conventional but tall fixed trailing link undercarriage struts, and accompanying toughasnails sprung tail wheel, the Draco hyperSTOL aircraft…