May 2011Monthly Archives

At last year’s EAA Fly-In Convention, the potential for electric flight was discussed. Also announced was a $60,000 prize for electric aircraft performance which will be awarded at this year’s convention. The E-Flight Prize is sponsored by AeroLEDs, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, Dynon Avionics and Wicks Aircraft Supply.

There will be three categories of prizes. For best endurance, best time to climb, and best speed. Currently there are two entries in this summer’s competition. The Pipistrel Taurus 4, shown at the left, and the Pipistrel Taurus Electro G2, shown at the right.

RANS had a display of their Light Sport compliant line of aircraft. Their S-19 kit plane can carry 500 lbs. at 115 kts. for 4 hours. It’s powered by a 100 HP Rotax 912 ULS engine and only requires a 325 foot takeoff and landing roll. It has a sliding canopy, and an important point is that it only burns 5 gallons of gas per hour.

The S-7LS is a more classic plane with a tailwheel and tube and fabric construction. Five foot wide doors make getting in and out of the tandem seats easy. The plane uses the same 912ULS engine as the S-19, and was designed with the goal of improving on the time-tested Cubs and Champs.

The S-7LS is available as a completed Light Sport plane, or in kit form.

The S6-S is a fast build kit plane with much of the finish and preparation done at the factory. It provides good STOL performance and will function on floats. Their -ES version of the plane has pre-finished parts and pre-sewn skins for an estimated build time of only 350-400 hours.

The RANS S-12XL is a pusher design that has been into production since 1990. It has side-by-side seating and can be built in a two car garage. Rotax engines from 52 to 100 HP can be accommodated. Cruise speed ranges from 62 to 100 MPH, and it can be built with only a windshield installed instead of the cockpit surround for that out-in-the-open feeling.

A couple months before the 2010 EAA Convention, Sporty’s introduced their new SP-400 radio that includes a VOR and ILS receiver with display.  The July 2010 Aviation Consumer magazine gave this unit the best review out of the Vertex and Icom units they also tested. Sporty’s has reprints of the article available at their show displays.

I believe this would be a very good radio for light sport planes, those without electrical systems. It can provide that ILS backup that isn’t available with other portable units. The Consumer Reports review stated performance was very good. Cost is $399.

While the declining value of the US dollar hasn’t made travel easier for people in this country, it has made it more affordable for people around the world to come to the EAA Convention. Last year there were 2081 international visitors registered as of Friday July 30, versus 1986 at that time in 2009. The most came from Canada with 543 visitors. Other countries with large numbers of visitors were Australia with 354, Brazil with 225, France with 126, Germany 135, New Zealand 101 and South Africa with 147. Countries with representation in 2010 that were not present in 2009 were Czech Republic, Columbia, El Salvador, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, and Vietnam.

I try to look for the most unusual items on the convention grounds, and one I think meets that criteria is the Antilles Seaplanes Super Goose. The plane is based on the Grumman Goose, but has been inproved with new construction and turboprop engines. This gives it improved performance and payload capability. It has a 12,500 lb. maximum takeoff weight, and a 5,000 lb useful load. Normal cruise speed is over 200 kts., and it has a range of over 1,200 miles. Visit their web site for more information.