The aircraft is made from 6061-T6 aluminum sheet over a cage of welded aluminum square 6061-T6 aluminum tube. The tail boom is conventional semi-monocoque construction. The non-tapered planform wings have 6061-T6 ribs and spars and employ a NACA 4413 (mod) airfoil.
The airfoil modification removes the undercamber on the bottom of the wing, which makes construction easier, without giving up low speed performance. The aircraft's structure uses 2024-T3 aluminium for critical parts where extra strength is required, such as the spar, float and strut attachments as well as other critical components like the rudder horns.
The R-80's structure is covered with 6061-T6 sheet of varying thicknesses; wing bottom skins are 0.016 in (0.41 mm) inches thick while the top is 0.020 in (0.51 mm) inches. The wings are supported by conventional "V" struts. 6061-T6 is predominantly used for its lower cost and also its better corrosion resistance, since many R-80s are flown on floats. Its 32 ft (9.8 m) span wing has an area of 168 sq ft (15.6 m2) and does not fit flaps.
Standard engines used on the R-80 include the 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL and the 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS four-stroke powerplants. The 115 hp (86 kW) turbocharged Rotax 914 has also been fitted.
The aircraft is also approved for the new MW Fly Aeropower B22R engine from Italy, producing 130 bhp, normally aspirated. See mwflyna.com for further information. The aircraft can also be mounted on floats and skis. Controls include a central "Y" control stick.
Construction time for the R-80 from the factory kit is 1,200 hours.