3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Edgley Optica Sywell 1: Nigel Ish· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Brooklands-Aerospace Optica Srs 301: Anthony Noble· GFDL 1.2
- 3. Optica at Old Warden2: TSRL· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Edgley EA-7 Optica is a British light aircraft designed for low-speed observation work, and intended as a low-cost alternative to helicopters. The Optica has a loiter speed of 130 km/h (70 kn; 81 mph) and a stall speed of 108 km/h (58 kn; 67 mph). The aircraft's distinctive appearance has led to it being known as the "bug-eye" in some popular reports.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · mid wing · fixed tricycle gear · 12 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 47 years ago, in 1979.
- Top speed is 1.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 12 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Range of 1,056 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1979-12-14
- introduced
- 1985
- number built
- 22
- role
- observation
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- makers
- Edgley Aircraft Limited, Optica Industries, Brooklands Aerospace, FLS Aerospace, AeroElvira Limited
- engines
- 1× Textron Lycoming IO-540-V4A5D / IO-540
- crew
- 3
- passengers
- 3
- length
- 8.2 m
- wingspan
- 12 m
- height
- 2.3 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,315 kg
- top speed
- 213 km/h
- cruise speed
- 130 km/h
- range
- 1,056 km
- ceiling
- 4,275 m
- wings
- mid wing
- landing gear
- fixed tricycle gear
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q256476, Wikipedia: Edgley Optica (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.