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Expanded Edition: 2015 Buyers Guide
KITPLANES DECEMBER 2014 2015 Buyers Guide Dual Pilot Program S.E.5a Rotax Factory Mistral Engine Buying Used Kitfox Alternator Pre-Buy Fun Brake Pump
S.E.5a is
On the Set
Fixed Wing &

Rotorcraft
Directory
Over1000 Kits
& Plans Listed!
Inside Rotax
Austrian Art
Buying Used
How to Buy a Homebuilt
BELVOIR PUBLICATIONS
Test Pilot Times Two

Two in the Cockpit?
Lights, Camera, Action!
Made for Movies S.E.5a
DECEMBER 2014
In the Shop
Tube Notching
Alternator Retrofit
Easy Brake Servicer
www.kitplanes.com
December 2014 | Volume 31, Number 12
Annual Buyers Guide

20 2015 Homebuilt Aircraft Directory: A brief
overview of kit- and plansbuilt fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft.

Compiled by Richard VanderMeulen and Omar Filipovic.
Builder Spotlight
6 Coming to a Theater Near You: The Dawn Patrol
helps build an S.E.5a for a movie. By Dick Starks.
12
INSIDE ROTAX: Its really a factory within a factory. The company
leverages high-volume recreational engine output to help sustain its

aircraft motors. By Paul Bertorelli.
58
More Mistral Magic: Installing a rotary engine in a Glasair
III. By Paul Janssens.
64 Souls On Board: TWO. The FAA will soon allow an

additional pilot during Phase 1 testing. By Paul Dye.
72 Buying a Used Homebuilt: For someone considering
aircraft ownership, used Experimentals deserve serious consideration.

By Brent Owens.
91 ask the DAR: Building an RV-12 as E/A-B instead of ELSA,

trying to second-guess the FAA. By Mel Asberry.
92 Completions: Builders share their successes.
Shop Talk
84
Practical Electrical: Lithium vs. Lead-Acidthe bench
tests. By Robert L. Nuckolls, III.
88
Home Shop Machinist: Tips for tube notching.
By Bob Hadley.
99
Aero lectrics: The $10 airplane fix-it tool. By Jim Weir.
Shop Tip
86
Roll Your Own Brake Fluid Pump System
By Axel Alvarez.
Designers Notebook
102
Wind TunneL: VTOL safety and control problems.
By Barnaby Wainfan.
20
Exploring
2 Editors Log: Building again! By Paul Dye.
77
Checkpoints: Pre-buy inspections. By Vic Syracuse.
81 Down to Earth: Finally, an electrical fix. By Amy Laboda.
Kit Bits
4 Letters
93 List of Advertisers
94 Builders Marketplace
104 Kit StufF: Drawing on experience. By cartoonist Robrucha.
12
For subscription information, contact KITPLANES
at 800/622-1065 or visit www.kitplanes.com/cs.
On the cover (top to bottom and left to right): Airdrome Aeroplanes S.E.5a, Aviat Eagle II,
Magni M-24 Orion, Pietenpol Air Camper, RLU-1 Breezy, and Vans Aircraft RV-10.

KITPLANES December 2014
Editors log
Building again!
It has been more than two and a half
years since my wife and I finished our
RV-3 and flew it for the first time. Since
then, we have been busy with other
projects, including building an airpark
home (and hangar). But with the homestead and terrestrial construction complete, it has once again become time to
concentrate on finding a new airplane
project. With three good, fast, aerobatic
airplanes already in the hangar, it was
apparent that it was time to branch
outand the need for a bush plane
began to make itself known as our new
home in the mountainous west beckoned. The search for the perfect bush
plane continues, as there are many good
optionsbut in the meantime something entirely different has come along.
Just over a small range of hills from
our airpark is the soaring Mecca of the
west: Minden, Nevada. A mere 10-minute hop by air from our own runway,
the gliders sit and wait for tows to the
wonderful wave of the Sierra. It is hard
not to look with envy upon those who
enjoy all that free flight timefree, that
is, if you own the glider, and once you
have cut loose from the tow plane. While
wed love to have a high-performance
glider, the fact that you cant tow with
a homebuilt (a silly old leftover in the
operating limitations whose origins are
lost in the mists of FAA history) makes
it problematic for us to fly from our own
field. But it occurred to us that a motorglider might be a fun way into the basics
Paul Dye
2
of soaring for both of us. I have my glider

rating, but sadly have had little time to
use it for soaring. My wife is eager to add
the rating to her Commercial ticket
and doing so with our own motorglider
would be simple.
Factory motorgliders are not cheap,
and they can be hard to find. Machines
with superior soaring performance are,
by necessity, long-spannedcreating
the problem of storage for anyone without a large old surplus hangar with huge
doors. Our hangar is reasonably sized,
but the door opening is just inches shy
of 40 feetmaking a 60-foot span Grob
impractical. You can fold the wings, of
course, but doing so after every flight
would probably soon relegate it to the
back of the hangar. Tying down outside
is strangely prohibited at our airpark
again due to obscure deed restrictions

that seem odd for a community of aviators. So what we were looking for was
a lower-performance machine whose
wings can fit through our door.
A recent visit to Sonex Aircraft in
Oshkosh brought forth what I like to call
a light-bulb momentthat instant when
the light bulb goes off over your head
and you say aha! I was aware that Sonex
founder John Monnett had designed
both the Monerai glider and the Moni
motorglider, but had not paid much
attention to his latest motorglider design,
the Xenos (which is, yes, Sonex spelled
backwards). The Xenos is an all-metal
aircraft, which uses the forward fuselage of the Sonex, a longer tailboom, an
upsized Y-tail from the Waiex, and long
metal wings equipped with spoilers. The
The Xenos motorglider shares the same cockpit and engine as the Sonex. The fuselage is
longer and the tail is larger to accommodate the 45-foot, 8-inch wingspan.
Paul Dye retired as a Lead Flight Director for NASAs Human Space Flight program, with 40
years of aerospace experience on everything from Cubs to the space shuttle. An avid homebuilder, he began flying and working on airplanes as a teen and has experience with a wide
range of construction techniques and materials. He currently flies an RV-8 that he built in 2005
and an RV-3 that he recently completed with his pilot wife. A commercially licensed pilot, he has
logged over 4500 hours in many different types of aircraft. When not writing on aviation topics,
he consults and collaborates in aerospace operations and flight testing projects.
www.kitplanes.com & www.facebook.com/kitplanes
Xenos sports a drag polar almost identical to those of the Schweitzer 1-26 and
2-33, two popular training gliders in use
worldwide. While neither is competitive
in the unlimited world of true competitive soaring, countless pilots have learned
the basics and enjoyed untold hours thermaling away in both types.
As I strapped in for a transition training and demo flight in Xenos Serial
Number 0001, it occurred to me that I
wasnt in need of the latest and greatest in glider technologyI simply
wanted something to knock around in.
As importantly, I needed something that
would fit in our hangar and also fit in the
confines of our airpark taxiwayswhich
measure about 40 feet in width and are
lined with sagebrush. Yes, our runway is
75 feet across, so it would accommodate
large-span glidersbut there was no
way to get to the runway first. The Xenos
would fix this. Flying the long-winged
craft was fun, even though the Wisconsin air was filled with nothing but sink
the week before AirVenture. Taxiing the
Photos: Courtesy of Sonex Aircraft
long-winged bird was a new experience

for a novice motorglider pilotyou have
to be acutely aware of those wingtips
way out in the next zip code (especially
when encountering taxiway lights). The
centerline stripe is your friend.
A week later, after my wife had also
sat in the aircraft and toured the factory, we had written a check. It is hard
to beat the affordability of the Xenos,
especially if you equip it with the AeroVee engine (another great educational
project because you get to build it up).
As an interim project, we expect it to be
fun and give us an enjoyable aircraft that
serves a unique and recreational interest
when it is completed. Building the Xenos
will keep us busy as we continue to shop
for the bush paneand maybe a couple
of partners for whatever we choose.
Maybe well advertise for partners in
the Xenos as well; why should we keep
all the fun to ourselves? Best of all, were
building again. The sound of metal shaping and the popping of rivets is comforting in the evening. We love to build as
much as we love to flyand with a second or third project, it is nice to be able

to do both. J
Lee Behel
It is the nature of a monthly magazine

that material is prepared months before
our readers get to see it. This becomes
most apparent when a tragedy, such as
the loss of race pilot Lee Behel, occurs.
Lee lost his life while qualifying for the
2014 Reno Air Races in early September.
He and his aircraft were featured prominently in our November article on record
setting at the Mojave Experimental Flyin. Unfortunately, the November issue
had already gone to press at the time of
Lees crash, so we were unable to mention the loss at the time. Please consider
the November issue as a tribute to a man
doing what he lovedflying airplanes
and going fast. Lee will be missed by all
who knew and flew with him. J
P.D.
EDITORIAL

Editor in Chief Paul Dye
editorial@kitplanes.com

Managing Editor Mark Schrimmer

Art Direction Dan Maher

Editorial Director Paul Bertorelli
Contributing Editors Larry Anglisano, Roy Beisswenger,
Chuck Berthe, LeRoy Cook,
Robert Hadley, Dan Horton,
Louise Hose, Ed Kolano, Amy
Laboda, Dave Martin, Robert
Nuckolls, Dave Prizio, Doug
Rozendaal, Dean Sigler, Dick
Starks, Eric Stewart, Vic Syracuse,
Barnaby Wainfan, Jim Weir,
Tom Wilson.

Web Editor Omar Filipovic

Cartoonist Robrucha
ADVERTISING
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chuck@kitplanes.com
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Stargazing
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed

Tom Wilsons article on the Starduster
Too and Dave Baxter [Starduster Retrospective, October, 2014]. Im in the
midst of building a Radial Skybolt and
enjoy your magazine from cover to cover
each month. I look forward to seeing
more articles on scratch-built airplanes
and biplanes in the future. Keep up the
nice work.
Jerry Meddick
Weighty Matters
The weight limit for International Formula One pylon racing is 500 pounds
minimum, not maximum. That is what
makes sense, as well, since organizers
dont want contestants to try so hard
to save weight that the aircraft become
less safe.
Red Hamilton
Thanks for pointing that out Red

we knew it, just missed it in the
proofreading.Ed.
Battery Testing
We get lots of requests for information from

our various contributorsnone more than
the tireless and long-serving Jim Weir.
Here is an example:
I really enjoy Jim Weirs articles and
always learn something new.I have a
Pulsar Experimental with a Rotax 912
engine, using an Oddessy 680 battery
for electricals. I have had it operating
for seven years now with absolutely no
problems, and I usually fly it 12 times
a week. But the battery is getting older,
and I dont want to have a starting problem somewhere far from home. Is there a
test I can conduct to assure that the battery is in good shape? Do these batteries
generally last for more time, or should I
be concerned now?Thanks.
Bob Hartunian
Jim Weir responds: The airplane parts

division of Harbor Freight sells a battery
load tester for $20 (either p/n 61747 or
69888) that will test any 6- or 12-volt
battery under load. Your problem is to
calibrate it with a known good 680 battery and then compare your battery with
the new one. When they fall to 6080%
of load, its time to think about buying
a new one.
Accepting the Risk
Great editorial in the July 2014 issue

addressing the need to assess risk and act
accordingly. How true that flying is not
safe, but requires steps to minimize risk
to the extent possible.
With our Pietenpol project we determined from the outset that risk management was essential. A proven airframe
with known engine combinations (Piet/
Corvair) sets the path. Since our version will be a derivative (two-seat, sideby-side) by Kyle Bradford, we decided
to also look for an Aeronca Chief, as he
indicated that, in landing especially, the
two perform in a similar manner. Since
the Piet is at least a year away from completion, this seems a good way to be both
legal and proficient.
Harold and Edi Bickford
Were always glad to hear that builders and

pilots take risk assessment seriously. There
is nothing wrong with accepting risk that
cant be eliminated, but if you can notch it
down a bitwhy not?Ed. J
Back Issues: Call 800/571-1555

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POSTMASTER: Please send address changes and subscription inquiries to: Kitplanes, P.O. Box 8535, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8535, or call 800/622-1065. Kitplanes is a registered trademark of Aviation Publishing Group,LLC.
Smart servos. Smart touchscreen.

Brilliant combination.
With our new G3XTouch display and integrated flight control package, you can tap into
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See more on our smarter autopilot design at Garmin.com/experimental
2014 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries

*
Price does not include installation kit, which costs from $45-$150, depending on aircraft configuration.
G3X Flight Systems
COMING TO A
THEATER NEAR YOU
The Dawn Patrol helps build an S.E.5a for a movie.
By Dick Starks
We were bored! We were restless, too.

Winter had arrived in Missouri, and
good flying was sporadic to say the least.
On this particular non-flying day in
early November, bored and restless, The
Dawn Patrol had all gathered at Liberty Landing International Airport, just
because we could. It was too cold and
windy to fly. We just needed an airport fix.
So, we all just kinda hung around. We were
sitting there at the communal hangar table
like a bunch of bored birds perched on a

wire wishing something would happen.
Then it hit us. Yessireebob, it was time
for our monthly visit to our favorite
point of local aeronautical interest.
Road Trip
Its a one-hour cross-country jaunt from

beautiful Liberty Landing International
Airport to Bullwhip Baslees House
of Pain (also known as Robert Baslees
Airdrome Airplanes plant in Holden,

Missouri). We go there a lot. Airdrome
Airplanes is where 99% of the affordable WW-I aircraft activity in the world
is going on. Were just lucky we live so
close. I know Robert wishes we were
another 200 miles farther away. When
we show up, progress stumbles, gasps,
and grinds to a stop.
The timing of the road trip is very
important. Get to The House of Pain
AIRDROME
AIRPLANES S.E.5a
Kit Price (Everything up to final paint,
not including engine or instruments) . . . . . . . . $14,995
Estimated completed price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25,000
Estimated build time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 hours
Number flying (at press time) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Powerplant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VW with PSRU
Propeller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Culver 96 X 60
Powerplant options . . . . . . . . . . . Suzuki G13BB conversion,
. . . . . . . . . . . . Raven Geo Engine conversion or equivalent
Airframe
Robert and Sharon build a wingrib for the S.E.5a. Note the neat little fixture with stub
front spar that the wingrib is fitted to. Then Robert holds a gusset in place, drills the rivet
hole, and as soon as the drill is taken out, Sharon sticks a rivet in the hole and pulls the
trigger on the rivet gun. They were really putting them out fast.
too early and Bullwhip will put you

to work. Be advisedthere are no idle
hands in the House of Pain. Weve
learned over the years that Bullwhip
and his merry band of elves always
break for lunch at 11 a.m. So, if we
plan the Stealth Vans arrival between
9:30 and 10:00, well get there in time
to see whats going on, help a little
bit, but not get really whipped. Then,
when 11:00 rolls around, we get to go
to lunch with them and talk over all
things aviation.
As I said, there are no idle hands in the
House of Pain. Having said that, there
are also no blue sky moments allowed
to think things over about what needs
doin next. Activity is constant and fast.
Also, Robert and his merry band of
elves dont take any breaks. Remember,
Robert and his crew built four full-scale
Nieuport 17s for the movie Flyboys in
only 52 days from construction start to
first flights. They do not mess around.
We call working under those conditions
going into Baslee mode.
Sharon Starks, Mark Pierce, Dick
Lemons, Tom Glaeser, and I mounted
up in the Stealth Van and blasted off for
The House of Pain. We arrived at 9:45
Perfect timing. We pulled up beside the
door leading to the shop and got out of
the van. We could hear the sounds of
feverish activity inside. Drills drilling.
Rivets were being popped. A grinder
Photos: Dick Starks
was grinding away. That meant Robert

and his elves were hard at work inside.
We might be safe from being drafted.
(Didnt happen.)
We all gathered by the door and
looked at the doorknob.
Are we sure we want to do this? I
asked. Opening that door could mean
many thingssome were pretty ominous.
Go for it! Dick Lemons said.
Mark, Tom, and Sharon didnt say
a thing. They knew what might be the
result of opening that door.
Taking a deep breath, we opened the
door and went in. As usual, what we saw
was a big surprise.
Wingspan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 ft 7 in
Wing loading . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 lb/sq ft (No wonder it floats!)
Fuel capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 gal
Maximum gross weight . . . . 1073 lb (1935 lb for the original)
Typical empty weight . . . . 689 lb (1410 lb for the original)
Typical useful load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384 lb
Full-fuel payload . . . . . (Max pilot weight plus fuel) 384 lb
Seating capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Cabin width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 inches
Baggage capacity . . . . . . 1 cu ft available behind headrest
Performance
Cruise speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 mph

Maximum rate of climb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 fpm
Stall speed (landing configuration) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 mph
Stall speed (clean) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 mph
Takeoff distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 ft
Landing distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 ft (No brakes!)
Kit Details
Pre-welded 4130 steel fuselage.

Aluminum tubing, rivets, bolts, nuts, washers, special .
fittings, machined plugs.
Aluminum sheeting for wings and empennage.
Complete landing gear with heavy-duty custom
spoke wheels.
All covering supplies up to but not including final colors.
Builder supplies final paint, engine, engine mount,

PSRU, prop, instruments, and dummy (we hope) guns.
Specifications are manufacturers estimates and are based on the
configuration of the demonstrator aircraft.
Sharon helps and I watch while Mike Moore covers an elevator with lightweight Dacron.
Like us, Robert also uses Stewart Systems Ekobond cement. We love its non-volatile
characteristics. We particularly like its no-obnoxious-smell feature. Check out the dummy
rotary engine on the stand behind them.

Large drawings can be found all over the workshop.
Baslees Latest Design
In the spring of 13, when wed entered

the shop, there was a covered replica of
the Spirit of St. Louis being painted
which, by the way, Robert had built
in only 35 days. It made a big splash at
Oshkosh in 2013. What had really surprised us with the Spirit was the welded
4130 steel fuselage. This was a big departure from his usual tube and gusset aluminum construction.
This time we were stunned again to
see another big welded fuselage standing tall and proud on the shop floor.
Mounted on the fuselage were two big
wings being fitted with wingribs.
There was a long silence while we
took this all in. Then we started to sniff
around. At least Mark, Dick, and Tom
got to do some sniffing.
A shot down the port lower wing.
Sharon made the mistake of going too

close to where Robert was busily making wingribs for the new plane. Robert
snagged her with one of his claws as she
tried to sneak by. He shoved a rivet gun
into her hands and muttered, Here
Ill drill and you rivet. Well go a lot
faster this way.
I tried to edge by the two of them,
but Sharon hooked me with one of her
talons and said, Freeze! Theres no way
youre getting out of this!
The upshot was that as fast as Robert and Sharon whipped out a rib, I
delivered it to Mark Anderson, who
was fitting them to the wingspars and
riveting them in place.
Pretty soon we had a heck of a system
going with Robert fitting the rib pieces
to the fixture and drilling. Sharon
was popping rivets as fast as she could

load them in the gun. I was hustling
the ready-to-mount ribs over to Mark
Anderson who, being another member of the band who knew what he was
doing, was fitting them to the wingspars and riveting them in place as fast
as I could bring them over to him.
The wings magically took shape while
we were standing there. When youve
built as many planes as Robert Baslee
and Mark Anderson have, you know
what to do, how to do it, and as long
as your sweating helpers can keep up,
things happen in a real hurry.
While all this was going on, I kept
looking at the welded steel fuselage and
wings, trying to figure out what in the
heck he was building. Robert was being
coy and wasnt saying a thing.
Mark Anderson, Dick Starks, and Robert Baslee discuss the fuselage with attached tail feathers.
Then I recognized the vertical fin and

rudder. Well, what do you knowRobert was building a full-scale replica of
one of the most recognizable planes the
allies flew in WW-I.
Yep, it was an S.E.5athe premier
high-altitude fighter that some very
famous WW-I aces loved for its speed
(138 mph), inherent stability, and durability. The S.E.5 was not received well
by pilots when it was introduced into
combat. It was underpowered. But the
introduction of the S.E.5a, with a different engine, transformed the plane into a
real fighter pilots dream.
The S.E.5a had the ability to fight at
high altitudes, too. James McCudden and
his mechanics tinkered with his S.E.5as

Wolseley Viper engine and increased its
service ceiling from the factory standard
of 17,000 feet to 20,000 feet. The inline
English-built Wolseley Viper 200-hp,
direct-drive, water-cooled, V-8 engine
became the standard powerplant for
this aircraft. (No high-torque, spinning,
oil-spewing rotary engine in this sweetflying bird.) In the hands of a good pilot,
the S.E.5a was a plane that could fight on
even terms with the best fighter the German High Command possessed during
the final months of the war, the famous
Fokker D-VII. (However, it should be
said, a really good pilot in a D-7, who
knew what was going on, was dang-near
Rear fuselage cockpit details with wood formers and stringers for the upper rear
cockpit turtledeck.

invincible. That was the basic reason the

treaty of Versailles stipulated that no Fokker D-7s were to be destroyed. They were
to be turned over intact to the allies.)
Once wed found out what Robert
was building, he spilled the other bag
of beans. He was building a plane for
another WW-I movie that was going
to feature two of his aircraftand his
antique truck!
Its Movie Time Again!
Back in 2004, Robert was contacted

by a film company working on a movie
about the Lafayette Escadrille in WW-I.
The movie was Flyboys (and a darn good
movie it is, too!).
Anyway, the Flyboys producers
wanted him to build a full-scale
Nieuport 17 for the movie. After the
contract was signed, Robert started to
work at his usual take no prisoners
rate. After a week or so, the moviemakers called him up and asked how it was
going. He told them he had a fuselage
sitting on the gear. They were kinda
stunned at this unbelievable progress.
The instrument panel. Basic and simple. Everything you need for good, fun,
VFR flight.
So, they asked him if he could build

three more. Robert, being Robert, said,
Surewhen do you want them? They
said, Two months. Robert, being
Robert, said, Sure, no problem. Two
of his workers fainted when they heard
him say that.
He had all four planes in the air in 52
days. They were shipped over to England
where the movie was made. When the
movie was finished, Robert brought all

four planes back from England with him.
One of these Flyboys Nieuport 17s
was supposed to be the plane used
in the new movie, but Robert, being
Robert, and needing a new project,
asked them if theyd like a different
plane. They said, Sure. The S.E.5a was
started with the usual Baslee mode
beehive of activity.
Flying the S.E.5a

This might be the Ginsu knife of test flights: But wait, theres more
To start with, Airdrome Aeroplanes S.E.5a looks exactly like the veteran
warbird should: dark green and boxy. I kick off my shoes and scamper
into the cockpit where Im delighted to find a great view, a spacious
cockpit, and everything within reach.
I taxi out and push the stick and throttle full forward, counting onethousand-one, one-thousand-two, and Im in the air, so I just go with it.
Im climbing out indicating 30 mph without hardly pulling up the nose.
When Im convinced that there are no oil leaks or cooling issues, I power
back to half throttle and make some turns. Thats when it gets fun!
This big old warbird turns out to be delightfully maneuverable. Just
bank and crank, and it will do a 360 within the width of the runway.
Then I power off and let go of the stick to check weight and balance and
stability. Its perfect, but then I realize that Im not falling out of the sky
like you would expect. Its more like soaring in a glider. At 30 mph there
isnt enough speed to create any drag, so you just float forever.
Next I throttle up to see what it will do on the level. First off, I am
glad to see that it is very trim-neutral throughout its speed range, and
then I look at the airspeed and Im still doing 30. As it turns out, I had
already buried the 90-mph airspeed indicator, and it was going around
for a second time.
Next, to see how it lands, I chop the throttle abeam the numbers and
slip it right in.
Wheel landings and three-point landings are both a dream. By the
time the plane settles in, you swear you are nearly stopped.
10
I imagine there will be a lot of builders that choose this airplane for
its history as a prominent WW-I fighter, only to discover that its a real
sweetheart that will get in and out of anywhere, and needs very little
power to fly.
A Super Cub has 178 square feet of wing area with an empty weight
of 998 and a gross weight of 1750 pounds for a wing loading of 9.83. The
S.E.5a has 263 square feet of wing area with an empty weight of 689
and a gross weight of 998 for a wing loading of just 3.79.
So there you have it, a STOL, warbird, motorglider that you can park
in the homebuilt, antique, or warbird section and feel right at home.
Harvey Cleveland
Harvey Cleveland is an ATP, CFII, A&P, and IA. He has over
23,000 hours and is seaplane and glider rated. Harvey is also no
stranger to movie making. He flew Sharon Starks Morane Parasol
in the opening of the movie Amelia. The sequence took over 15 hours
to film and ended up in the movie for a whole 38 seconds.
Whats YOUR Mission?
GRT has your solution.

Ready to roll. Notice how the front gear legs
look with the fairings attached and painted.
Construction started in late November, right before Thanksgiving. Fortytwo days later the plane was finished,
inspected, licensed, and flying. Harvey
Cleveland, who was going to be the
pilot of both planes in the movie, was
at the controls. After a week of shakedown and tune-up flights, the plane
was declared ready to go. It was, as are
most of the planes designed by Robert,
very trailer friendly. The plane was broken down, packed on a trailer, and they
blasted off for Nevada. Also included
in the caravan was a full-scale Fokker
DR-1 triplane and Roberts antique
1918 Model T.
We still didnt know anything about
what the movie is about. All we knew
was they wanted Robert and Harvey,
with both planes and the truck, on location somewhere in the desert in Nevada.
Weve since learned that the movie is
Out of the Burning Blue starring Chris
Klein, Victoria Summer, and Werner
Daehn. Its the story of a WW-I American pilot who is sent to the Arabian
Desert on a mission to recover a downed
German pilot and the top-secret information he is carrying. Harvey received
credit as a stunt pilot, and Robert is
credited, too. As I write this, the movie
is in post-production, so it should be
coming out soon.
Robert showed up at AirVenture
2014 with the S.E.5a and is shipping
kits, so the word is definitely out! I tell
you what sports fansthis adventure is
just beginning. J
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11
Inside
Rotax
Its really a factory within a factory.

The company leverages high-volume recreational
engine output to help sustain its aircraft motors.
By Paul Bertorelli
12
If its indeed true that mighty oaks

from little acorns grow, the mechanical analog for that lives in a small glass
case in the lobby of the Rotax factory in
Gunskirchen, Austria. Its so small, in
fact, that youd surely miss it if a diligent
tour guide didnt point it out.
The artifact is a small hub, about the
size of that in a typical bicycle, but it
was meant to be a ratcheting or rotating
axle for an early motorized bicycle. From
rotating axle comesRotax; the tiny
acorn grew into the $3 billion-plus engine
manufacturing giant that Rotax is today.
Pilots and builders know Rotax as
an aircraft engine builder, but from the
inside, the company views itself as a
manufacturer of engines for recreational
products, and airplanes are just another
form of recreation that includes all-terrain vehicles, snow machines, and personal watercraft. If nothing else, Rotax
knows its niche well, but its also a company willing to take the risks of large
investments and long payouts that are so
characteristic of aviation.
Last June, Rotax celebrated both the
25th anniversary of its first four-cycle
aircraft engine and the 50,000th engine
off the assembly line, a new 912 iS Sport.
The company invited a small group of
journalists to cover this event and, as
part of that, I talked them into giving
me a full day to myself of reporting and
shooting inside the factory.
Photos: Paul Bertorelli and courtesy of Rotax
Rotax wouldnt let us shoot the mass assembly side, but this company-provided photo
shows machining and assembly operations. Rotax leverages this capability to improve
quality and economy of scale on the aircraft side.
Bikes, Boats, Planes
The modern Rotax factory is situated in

the industrial triangle of Austria, in the
town of Gunskirchen in north-central
Austria, not far from the Czech Republic border. Its not there by accident; this
region was traditionally a steel-making
and manufacturing center, and both
the KTM motorcycle and Steyr diesel
engine factories are nearby.
Rotax was originally a German company but moved to Gunskirchen from
Germany in 1943. It has been at its present site, much expanded, since 1947, and
Rotax aircraft engines are built in the
companys original building.
But thats not to say Rotax started
with aircraft engines. During the
late 1940s, Rotax built scooter and
agricultural engines, but expanded its

two-cycle engine line when Canadian
Joseph-Armand Bombardier invented
the Ski-Doo line of snowmobiles in the
early 1960s. In 1970, with sales booming, Bombardier bought Rotax, renaming it Bombardier-Rotax GmbH.
Thanks to their reputation for durability and reliability, Rotaxs two-cycle
engines proved durable and popular for
snow machines and led quite accidentally to the companys entry into aviation.
During the 1970s, Rotax noticed a spike
in sales for engines, but they werent going
From the air, the Rotax factory is a huge,
multi-building complex. The structure
with Rotax on the roof is the original 1947
building, and thats where the aircraft
engines are assembled.
13
Looking down the length of the assembly line, engines move

along a track on a traveler jig. The shop produces about a dozen
engines a day, but has higher capacity.
into snow machines. An investigation

revealed the engines were being used in
the then-burgeoning ultralight aircraft
market. This led to the development of
the Rotax 447, the 503, and the 582, all
two-stroke, geared aircraft engines, many
of which are still flying.
By the late 1980s, Rotax saw potential
for small, four-stroke aircraft engines
that would be lighter than offerings from
Lycoming and Continental and thus suitable for European ultralight aircraft
and Experimentalsthat were then on
the horizon. Thus was born the 80- and
100-hp 912 series and, eventually, the
115-hp turbocharged 914 engines. Continuing the evolution, Rotax two years
ago introduced the 912 iS and in the
spring of 2014, it followed with the 912 iS
Sport. With electronic fuel injection and
FADEC, these engines represent the state
of the art in aircraft powerplants, albeit

on the low side of the horsepower scale.
By 2014, Rotax had built 170,000
aircraft engines50,000 of them four
strokes. Thats a pile of engines, but its
a fraction of the current factorys total
output, which is about 215,000 engines
a year. Most of those go into the ATV,
watercraft, and motorcycle markets,
with aircraft accounting for 3000 to
4000 engines a year. Rotax has also
dabbled in small industrial and power
generation engines, but it sticks to what
it knowssmall displacement recreational engines.
Small is Big
Like other European manufacturers,

Rotaxs ethos is efficiency, light weight,
and environmental friendliness. And
that means Rotax isnt a signatory to the
The crankshaft comes into the assembly shop as a pre-pressed

piece with single-piece rods already attached. Before installation,
its checked for lateral runout.
14
Unlike conventional aircraft engines, Rotax incorporates the

alternator into the flywheel, motorcycle style. This photo shows
the alternator windings inside the housing.
theres-no-replacement-for-displacement
mantra. Its four-cycle engines range
from 1211 to 1352cc or 73 to 82 cubic
inches, less than half the displacement of
equivalent Lycoming and Continental
powerplants and about 45 percent less
weight. For instance, in the typical small
Experimental or LSA, the Lycoming
O-235 gives up about 100 pounds to the
Rotax 912ULS. The Lycoming has 15
additional horsepower, but the Rotax
still enjoys a massive edge in power-toweight ratio.
How do they do this? One reason
is that the engine and components are
simply smaller, especially the crankshaft
which, unlike traditional aircraft engines,
is a multi-part, assembled crankshaft. It
consists of 10 separate componentsfour
one-piece rods and six crankshaft components, all pressed together.
As with conventional aircraft engines, the build goes from

the inside out, beginning with installation of the crankshaft
and rods.
Theres not much to the Rotax gearbox. Just two gears, plus a
starter gear. The gearboxes have proven reliable and robust.
This means, says Rotaxs Christian

Mundigler, that the crankshaft is 40 millimeters shorter and 40 millimeters narrower and also lighter than a Lycoming or
Continental by 12 kg (26 pounds).
Although the engine is similar to a
Lycoming in other respects, to deliver
the same power, its much higher revvinglike about 5500 rpm at peak
power, depending on the model. And
that brings some disadvantages, one of
which is higher piston speeds and resultant frictional losses and also the need
for a gearbox, which adds weight. But
Rotax turns this around and touts the
gearbox as a plus.
Most critical torque settings are done with electric tools with the
production system automatically setting the amount and recording each torque in datasets that live in the engines virtual build.
With the gearbox, we can use a

larger-diameter propeller which is more
efficient and is better for noise, adds
Mundigler. Rotax claims a 15 percent
edge in prop efficiency over a directdrive engine, although Lycoming and
Continental drivers might argue that
their larger-displacement engines have
comparable performance. The words
gearbox and much loved dont often
appear in the same sentence, but the
Rotax box has proven to be quite bulletproof and routinely reaches the 2000hour engine TBO. The gearbox offers
one other advantage thats unique to
Rotax: a dual-mode clutch. (See sidebar.)
As far as fuel economy goes, thanks

to smaller displacement, the 100-hp
912ULS typically burns .8 to 1.3 gph less
than an O-235 or O-200 or as much as 20
percent less than traditional four-bangers.
While thats significant, its often not
enough to sway some builders away from
traditional engines, despite the weight
advantage. Ive heard so many chainsaw
and snowmobile jokes that Im convinced
that what wins the argument for many
builders is the sound of the exhaust note.
And price. Used O-235s are less than half
the price of a new 912 iS.
Rotax hopes the iSs technology will
sweeten its appeal. At 100 hp and 12
About That Clutch
The Rotax engines are unique for having a clutch between the
propeller and the output end of the crankshaft. There are other
examples of geared engines, but the Rotax series is the only gasoline
engine with a clutch. (The Continental Centurion is another example.
Early models had a friction-plate type clutch to isolate the gearbox
and prop from torque pulses, but newer models have a dual-mass
flywheel to do the same job.)
And speaking of dual, the Rotax clutch can be thought of as a
dual-mode device. As with the diesel, its also intended to isolate the
prop from engine torque pulses, but it also has an overload function.
As shown in the photos, the clutch hub has three semi-circular ramps
or dogs that are held in contact with each other via strong spring
washers. The contact surfaces provide a slipper clutch of sorts,
allowing up to 30 degrees of rotational slippage during normal
operation, so the prop doesnt feel the engines firing pulses. In the
912 iS, by the way, the dog angle has been reduced to zero. Rotax
reasons that the FADECs firing control over the engine reduces the
need for torque isolation.
Both models have the overload clutch, however. Its similar to an
automotive friction clutch design to slip if the prop strikes something
Unique to gasoline aircraft engines, Rotax motors have a dual-mode

clutch. The ramped structures in the hub form a slipper clutch for
torque isolation; the overload clutch is inside the hub. The number
500 refers to the overload torque limit500 newton meters.
hard, saving the crank from damage. The torque limit is 500 Nm (368
ft- lbs) for the carbureted engines and 600 Nm (442 ft- lbs) for the
fuel-injected iS engine.
P.B.

15
Rotax cylinder heads are water cooled, while the barrels are air
cooled. The heads are attached during assembly, not screwed on
to an interference fit, as with Lycoming and Continental.
extra pounds (5.4 kg), the iS has delivered fuel economy routinely up to 30
percent better than the 912ULS, which
already bests the Lycoming and Continental equivalents. Its also a 16 percent
price premium over the 912ULS, but for
an owner who flies a lot, that could pay
back before TBO.
Building Them
Rotaxs Gunskirchen plant is really a

factory within a factory. The vast majority of Rotax engines are made on a pair
of assembly lines more reminiscent of an
automotive engine plant than anything
weve ever seen in aviation.
Compared to Lycoming, Rotax is
much more vertical; it makes nearly all of
its own parts, although primary founding
and forging is done by other companies,
many of them in Austria. This really is
an Austrian engine, Mundigler told me
during my day on the factory floor.
Each engine is built both physically and virtually in Filemaker. All

the parts right down to fasteners are traceable, as are the torque
settings and who did the assembly work.
The two mass assembly lines for ATV,

motorcycle, and marine engines, move
at a brisk pace, turning out about 350
engines per shift, but capable of higher
output. Start to finish, a Ski-Doo engine
goes from parts bins to test-cell ready
in about two hours. The line is highly
sophisticated, with RFID (radiofrequency identification) technology
to track the engines and parts by serial
number and electronic torque wrenches
recording every bolt and nut turn in
detailed databases for future accountability. If a worker misses a step, the line
stops and the alarm bells ring. Not a
good career move.
The insatiable maw of the production line is fed by a massive machinecell apparatus thats almost entirely
automated. It turns out parts in the
thousands for everything Rotax makes,
including aircraft engines. Its not
unusual to walk rows of machinery and
not see a soul. In one cell, we watched

a pair of robots install valve seats. First,
it confirmed the right part with a quick
snapshot, squirted the seat with liquid
nitrogen to shrink it, then plopped it
into the seat boss; one after another,
every 15 seconds, all day. The machine
and assembly area hum with constant
clatter and the slow of foot can easily get
run down by a parts cart.
The aircraft engine assembly area is
rather different. Located a short walk
from the main factory in the original
Rotax building, its like entering a library.
It has a production line of sorts, but not
an automated moving line. The engines
are assembled as they might be in an overhaul shop; theyre one-off and move down
an oblong bench on a track traveler. At
work stations around the assembly bench,
sub-assemblies are built upthe cylinders get their heads, valves, and pushrod
tubes, the gearbox is assembled, pumps
Pistons are matched to cylinders in two tolerance sizes; each is stamped with its measured diameter. Pistons are checked for weight and must
be within 2 grams of each other in the same engine.
16
From the main assembly line, engines are dressed and prepped for
the test cell. These 914s are identifiable by their red valve covers.
are built up, the alternator components

are prepared and so forth. Assemblers are
cross-trained in the various stations and
tasks. Most are drawn from inside the
factory, having come up through Rotaxs
formal apprentice system.
Tracking and Tracing
In any manufacturing, traceability is

a tall challenge and more so in aviation. Low volume complicates this.
Prior to heading for the test cell, engines get final assembly details
and inspection.
Lycoming and Continental struggle

with low-volume/high-mix manufacturing, and although Rotax has
less mixonly five base models with
little variationtheres a yawning gap
between what the main factory does
and what the aviation side does. Mundigler told me Rotax has used this
contrast to its advantage, integrating
techniques from the mass production
side into the low-volume aviation side
and vice versa. But the aviation side is

still considered the elite.
Only the best can work here. Everyone wants to work on the aircraft side,
Mundigler told me. The assembly work
is far from rote; it requires the skill to
measure, analyze, and use discrete tools
and processes. Rotax recognizes this
and gives the aircraft assembly staff one
10-minute break per hour, while in the
main factory, its three breaks per day.
17
Every new engine is wrung out on the test bench for between 50 and 90 minutes. All operating parameters are stored and retained.
For quality control and traceability

in assembly, Rotax uses two methods:
computer monitoring and so-called four
eyes. A program called Filemaker stores
a virtual engine as a master.
We build the engine in reality and
in the Filemaker system, Mundigler
explained. When he is ready and he
hands the engine to the next guy, he
has to check off to see everything is
done. The file stores all of the principle
torques and tightening sequences and
traces every part installed. That data
lives with the serial number for the
life of the engine. For those processes
that the computer cant track through

tool monitoring, a second assembler
claps eyes on and checks the work
the four-eyes method. In addition,
incoming parts are subject to inspection, some at 100 percent, such as
pistons, and some through statistical
process control.
Engine assembly begins, as it always
does, with the crankshaft and cam
inserted into the case, followed by the
cylinders, induction system, and accessories, including the gearbox. In the
final stages, the electrics are added and
final dressing is done. I didnt time it,
but Id guess the trip around the assembly bench takes an hour or so. Watching the assembly in detail impressed me
with how simple the engine really is and
makes me wonder why it gets so complicated when I apply a wrench to it.
After final dressing, the aircraft
engines are shipped off to the test cells for
trials. Theyre run for 50 to 90 minutes,
depending on the model and whether
the engine is certified or not. The major
bottleneck in production is obviously
the test cells, even in the low-volume
aviation side. If a dozen engines trickle
off the line a day, the cells have to run
Flying the 912 iS Sport

At the Rotax Fly-in at the Wels, Austria airport, the company had a
yielded a 111 meter run (364 feet) for the iS Sport compared to 127
handful of 912-equipped aircraft for flight trials, including a Tecnam
meters (416 feet) for the iSa nearly 13 percent improvement. Climb
P92 equipped with the new 912 iS Sport.
rate to 5000 feet improved, too. The iS Sport did it in 3:07, the iS in 3:42.
Recall that the Sport was introduced at Sun n Fun in April 2014 as
According to Lockwood Aviation, the Sport should be shipping by the
a new model engine, although its probably more accurate to view it
time you read this. Owners who already have a 912 iS engine can get
as a variant of the 912 iS. The Sport addresses one shortcoming the iS
a free induction upgrade kit from Rotax, but it has to be installed by
has in the North American LSA market: since the engine cant have a
a service center. Lockwood says the kits are slowly being released to
controllable-pitch prop, takeoff and climb performance suffers slightly.
the U.S. market.
(Thats less noticeable in European aircraft, which generally do have
P.B.
the controllable prop.)
For the Sport, Rotax made a number of minor modifications to the engine, but the important ones are
a larger volume aluminum airbox and longer intake
runners. This puts more air into the cylinders for each
intake stroke, increasing power.
Technically, the engine is still rated at 100 hp, but
the torque curves tell the story. At the 5000 rpm peak
torque, the iS records 132 Nm (100 ft-lbs) while the
regular iS peaks at 5800 rpm and 123 Nm (93 ft-lbs).
This translates to more torque earlier in the takeoff run
and thus a shorter run and higher climb rate.
Without a direct comparison aircraft, I couldnt
During KITPLANES visit to Rotax, we flew a Tecnam P92 equipped with the new 912
measure the difference, but tests conducted by MT
iS Sport. Rotaxs Alexander Mitter explained the details of the engine, which has an
improved induction system.
Propeller in a P92 with a prop optimized for the iS
18
multiple shifts to keep up. On the mass

assembly side, the engines run for just
a few minutes. Nonetheless, the factory burns more than a 1000 gallons
of gas (4000 liters) a day just testing
enginesseven days a week. It recovers
that otherwise lost energy to produce
nearly half of the plants electricity. As
do Lycoming and Continental, Rotax
tears down a couple of engines a month
as audit engines, inspecting them for
wear after initial run-in.
With this procedure, we learned
more about the engines over the years,
and we can steadily increase the overhaul times, Mundigler said.
built and the engine was about to

launch when Rotax scrapped it, realizing that the business case for it, weak
to begin with, had simply evaporated.
Also, the company had undergone
a transition, separating into its own
entity from the Bombardier Recreational Products mothership. In retrospect, it seems likely they made the
right decision.
But Rotax is clearly a company with
a vision that extends beyond the next
business quarter. Its not afraid to venture into markets where the payback
is years in the making. Around Gunskirchen, BRP CEO Jose Boisjoli is
often quoted as having said he didnt
know a thing about aviation, but he
appreciated the passion and that was
more than reason enough to invest in
it. Thats a sentiment not often heard
from multi-billion dollar companies
and thanks to it, the market has at least
a few more choices. J
Where To?
Given the anemic market, Rotaxs

introduction of the 912 iS two years ago
was a surprise and the Sport debut
really just improved inductionmore
so. If this means that Rotax is bullish
about getting into the mid-power market with a 150- to 180-hp engine, they
were coy about deflecting questions
about their plans.
When you look at the future,
people want more power. The industry is going toward four seaters. So
thats something were looking into
now, what should be our next level.
Were looking at various options, said
Francois Tremblay, head of the BRP
Powertrain group. Its easy to see the
market space if not to pencil out a business case. A 160-hp four cylinder that
weighs 75 pounds less than a Lycoming
IO-320 or -360 might just find a niche,
albeit at a higher price point for builders inclined to buy used engines.
Price remains a challenge. The 912 iS
burned a bunch of money to develop,
but Rotax justifies the investment by
projecting a 20-year life cycle. Thus far,
in two years, it has sold about 500 912 iS
engines; not bad, but for the other side
of the factory, thats but a days work.
And some, if not most, of those sales
have displaced 912ULS engines, which
Rotax would have sold anyway.
Rotaxs last foray into higher
horsepower was the six-cylinder V-6
announced in 2004 and cancelled in
2006. Production tooling had been

19
By Kitplanes Staff
For those new to the field of homebuildingwelcome! For those looking

at a new project who have already been
in the world of Experimentalswelcome back! Our print and online Buyers Guides are ready to help you find
the project or plane of your dreams.
Whether you are scratch building from
plans, looking for a kit, or want to compare airplanes against each other in order
to buy a previously completed homebuilt
aircraft, we hope that our Guides will be
useful tools in your search.
20
In past years, KITPLANES has

separated kits and plans into two different Buyers Guidesthree, if you count
that we also offered a separate Rotorcraft Guide. This year, we are bringing
them all together into a single issue to
give you a one-stop shopping experience. While we would love to put all of
the information for all airplanes into
a single paper Guide, the truth is, the
industry has so many designs that this
would be prohibitivehence, the creation of our online tool. Your purchase
of this magazine automatically gives

you access to the online Guide.
Complete details about how to access
the online Guide can be found on page
28. For many aircraft, in addition to
complete specifications, youll also
find links to related stories that have
appeared in KITPLANES about that
particular model.
We hope youll give the online Guide
a try. Searching for specific parameters
and comparing two or three different
models is easy in the age of the Internet.
Finding the
Perfect Project.
By PAUL DYE
Shopping for a homebuilt aircraft

(or project) is a daunting taskthere is
no doubt about that. The goal with the
annual Buyers Guide issue (and permanent online Buyers Guide) is to provide
potential builders and buyers with basic
information about a huge variety of aircraft kits and plans.
Yes, this information is important.
But its only a start in the quest to find
the right project or aircraft. It also takes
a lot of detailed research to decide what
to build for yourselfand much of that
has to do with carefully defining your
own requirements for an aircraft. But
where do you start? Whats involved in
figuring out exactly what it is you are
shopping for? Here are some insights
into the processthe trades and numerous choices that have to be made.
We Want a Bush Plane
Our goal was to build an aircraft for

exploring the mountain and desert
landing strips of the western United
States. By we I mean myself and my
wifealso a pilot, also a builder, and
always looking for a new challenge.
We have built before, of course. I have
worked with most of the materials you
will find in Experimental aviation,
some much more than others. She has
primarily built with metal, has dabbled with composites, and would like
to try a different type of construction

like tube and fabric.
Through a strange sequence of events
and the vagaries of real life, we currently
own three airplanes built from the kits
of a common manufactureran RV-3,
an RV-8, and an RV-6. All three go
relatively fast, carry a decent payload,
have excellent range, carry IFR avionics,
and are aerobatic. How two people can
require and occupy five aircraft seats is a
mystery, but we find that we do. In fact,
the morning argument is usually about
who gets to take the single-seat RV-3 for
the dawn patrol.
The Requirements
It should be obvious that we dont need

another traveling, go-fast machine. Living in the West, we want a way to get
in and out of just about anywhere, and
have a specific set of requirements for
any airplane that we might choose. We
own two wonderful dogs that like to
go exploring with usthey total about
fifty pounds, and while they do well
together, they do need a certain amount
of floor space to be comfortable. We
want to be able to pack them with the
two of us, and enough lightweight
camping gear, to go on overnight trips.
Being backpackers and explorers, we are
comfortable with very lightweight gear,
a few granola bars, and plenty of water.
Photos: Richard VanderMeulen and KITPLANES staff
One-hundred pounds of baggage capacity is the absolute minimum; 150 would

give us the capability to bring back a few
rocks now and again (my wife is also a
geology professor).
Range should be sufficient to go
out into the wilderness and back with
plenty of reserveslets say four hours
of endurance. Climb performance is
important in the West, with high temperatures and high altitudes combining
to produce high density altitudes. The
airplane should be able to land in rough
terrain, but to be honest, we probably
dont need to land in ridiculously short
distances300 to 400 feet of ground
roll is probably sufficient. It is important that the airplane have good power
at altitude; we live at 4500 feet msl, and
many of the potential mountain strips
are at 7,000 feet msl.
A taildragger is preferred due to years
of experience with taildraggersbut its
not mandatory. I have flown some very
rugged tricycle gear airplanes that were
built to take rough strips, so they can be
considered. Wed really like the capability to mount oversized Tundra tires
for really rough terrain; many places
in Nevada are accessible via dirt roads
which will easily accommodate an airplane on bush wheels. Rugged construction is importantthe airplane will get
knocked around, and it has to take it.
21
Slow-speed handling, with good visibility of a landing site, is important as well.

When it comes to engines, we are open
minded; weve flown with Lycomings and
Continentals throughout our aviation
careers, but there is no doubt that Rotax
produces a great airplane engine, and
there are several more up-and-coming
manufacturers that are building hundreds of hours of experience every week.
Many airframes can accommodate several different engine choices, so we can
mix and match to our hearts content.
Avionics capability is not terribly
important. Well obviously want a radio
and a transponder, and the capability
to be ADS-B compliant in 2020. An
EFIS simplifies the panel greatly, but it
doesnt need to be complicated; this will
be a day VFR airplane, and we can use
tablets for charts. Lights are a consideration mostly for recognition in hightraffic areas.
When it comes to construction,
tube and fabric, metal, or composite
are all are viable options. Building
something different is part of the challenge! While many of the choices that
fit our criteria are LSA compliant, we
arent looking specifically to fit in that
categoryas long as we still have valid
medicals, that is.
Finding the Candidates
Surveying the field is easy using the

Kitplanes Online Buyers Guide.
A few simple selections gave us a list of
aircraft that roughly match our criteria.
There are quite a fewespecially when
you look at the various and sundry Super
Cub clones available on the market.
Cub clones are difficult to sort out for
many builders because they range from
extremely complete kits (such as the
Carbon Cub EX from CubCrafters), to
a simple welded frame from which you
can startordering all of the necessary
components from a supplier like Univair
or Wag Aero. Since we are fairly busy
and have other projects in the works, we
wanted to limit our scope to complete
kits rather than plans building.
Limiting ourselves to kits winnowed
the numbers down quite a bit. There are
many fine designs available in the world
if you are willing to build from plans,
but many simply dont have the time to
go down that path.
In our case, we were able to cut the
field down to meet our requirements
to about six different aircraftand a
couple of others that came close, or were
very similar. Ranging from Cub-derived
airplanes with 180 hp to those that grew
up from early ultralight designs into fine
LSAs that can carry even more engine,

the list includes tandems and side-bysides with the potential for numerous
engine choices. All have rugged landing
gear and were designed with low-speed
handling and relatively short-field performance in mind.
How Do They Fly?
It takes time to find a way to fly potential airplanes, but lets face itan airplane (even a kit) is a huge investment
that shouldnt be taken lightly. Take
the time needed to evaluate the airplanes you are looking at building. It
might take several trips to different
parts of the country to try the ones in
serious contention for your kit dollars,
but these trips can often be combined
with vacations or business trips. The
big shows, like AirVenture and Sun n
Fun, can sometimes be a place to test
fly your candidates, but they can also
be problematic due to traffic and other
individuals wanting to do the same
thing. Smaller regional fly-ins offer a
better potentialif the company you
are looking at attends with an airplane.
Frequently, youll see an example of an
airplane youd like to build on display,
but it belongs to a customer who was
asked to attend by the factory located
The Carbon Cub is much lighter than a Super Cub,

provides excellent performance, and is a highly
refined aircraft that does many things well.
22
on the opposite side of the country and

couldnt make it themselves. Understandably, the customer providing his
airplane is often very hesitant to allow
others to fly their plane.
Factory tours offer the opportunity
to test fly in a calm environment while
also giving you a chance to evaluate the
kit and company. If you have a spouse
that is part of the decision-making process, bring them along! In our shopping,
I have visited most of the facilities that
produce the kits of interest to us, but
my wife has not been able to be there, so
she made long visits to the various vendors at Oshkosh. Thus, she didnt have a
chance to fly the airplanesbut she was
able to sit in them, take a look at baggage
areas, and pump the vendors for other
relevant information.
When test flying the various airplanes, I find that taking them to the
kind of terrain and runways where you
want to use them is essential. Flying a
bush plane off of a 7000-foot paved runway doesnt tell you a lot about what it
can do. Operating in and out of mountain strips, rugged fields, or grass runways will be a lot more telling. And the
amazing thing? Most of them perform
just fine! Yes, some land a bit shorter
than othersbut how short is short
enough? Getting out of a tight strip is
equally important, and it usually takes
more runway to get out than in, so keep
that in mind when looking at bush
planes, like we are.
Evaluation flights rarely take place at
gross weight, so take the performance
you see with a grain of salt. Think about
how the airplane handles in a slip to
landing, or how well it behaves close to
the stall. Since it is important to us to
be able to drop in onto rough terrain, I
landed on some rough fields to see how
the planes did.
Handling qualities are subjective,
of course, but most kits on the market
have been around long enough, and
have designers who are good enough,
that they all pass muster. Those with
large glass doors on either side felt better to me for slipping into short fields
than traditional Cub designs, but you
can always drop the right side door on a

23
RANS new S-20 Raven sports a cavernous baggage

compartment and a choice of engines that can give
good performance in the high country.
Cub and slip to that side instead. All of

the airplanes had good slow flight characteristics with benign stalls. Most had
plenty of powerwith the right engine
(and it should be noted that most demo
flights are given in the airplane with the
biggest engine they support).
The Numbers
Everyone wants to sell you their airplane, of course, and numbers can oftentimes be manipulated and massaged to
make them look good. Know what you
are looking for in terms of weight carrying capability, climb performance, and
other specsand keep at it until you
find them out for each specific airplane.
Note the engine that is used to get the
numbers; often, it wont be the cheapest option available (in fact, the numbers always get better with horsepower,
and horses cost money, so they are often
going to go along with the most expensive option).
We ruled out two potential airplanes
based purely on the fact that they
couldnt carry the dogs and baggage
safely and within the CG limits. Its not
just about weight, but where it is carried.
Side-by-side airplanes frequently (but
not always) can carry more in their baggage area because it is closer to the CG.
Shape and size of baggage is also a consideration. For our bush plane selection,
24
we are well aware that Cubs and Cub-like

airplanes do amazing things in Alaska
but sometimes that is out of necessity
and not always smart. Our dogs (despite
being huskies) were not raised as sled
dogs, and didnt grow up being thrown
in the back of bush planes to be carried
around; they expect a little more space
and accommodation.
We built ourselves a comparison
spreadsheet before talking to any of
the companiesand filled it out the
best we could using the numbers in the
KITPLANES Buyers Guide. We then
took those numbers to each manufacturer and asked about the conditions
under which they were obtained. Most
were accurate, so you can trust them for
initial shopping. But check for yourself
to make sure! It would be sad to buy into
an airframe and then discover that in
order to get the performance you expect,
you have to spend a great deal more on
the biggest engine they offer.
In addition to performance numbers,
get a good handle on the overall expenses
to build the airplane you wantand that
might not be the factory demonstrator.
If I like an airplane I have test flown, I
usually ask the manufacturer what it
would cost me to exactly duplicate it.
This, in addition to their advertised price
list, gives a good idea how many extras
the demonstrator has included. Many
manufacturers have online price calculators on their web site, and this gives yet a
third idea on what a particular airplane
will actually cost to build. I found that
the direct question about duplicating
the demonstrator gave me the best idea
overallbecause that was the airplane I
was actually comparing.
How About the Kit?
Homebuilt bush planes have a great

tradition that stems from Canadian
and Alaskan modification shops. Many
airplanes used for transportation in
the north bear little resemblance to
their original configurationand at a
certain point, the STC process for certified airplanes gets in the wayand
homebuilding is the only option. But
not all models are available in complete kits. As mentioned previously, you
might find that someone builds a modified fuselage structure, and you have to
go elsewhere for everything from fasteners to wings.
Other kits are extremely complete
right down to upholstery and brake
fluid. We looked at all the options for
our project, and while we certainly arent
afraid of picking up additional parts
here and there, something can be said
for completeness when you are trying to
build quickly and on a budget. Not having to wait on a particular fitting for a
week as UPS trucks it across the country

because it wasnt in the kit is a great way
to save time. Pre-sewn envelopes can save
time in covering, and a manufacturer
that can hand you a complete shopping
list for covering and paint materials will
save you a lot of time and potentially
wasted materials.
Check on kit availability. We did and
found that most have lead times that
you need to take into consideration. The
truth is that we are in a small market
with small businesses, and they cant all
afford to keep tens of thousands of dollars in complete kit inventory in stock.
Many will put together your kit when
they get the down payment. This is a
good time to find out if they have more
than one person putting kits together
for shipment, or if they have a steady
supply line and enough people to keep
it moving. We ruled out at least one airplane because it was not apparent that
we could get a good delivery date that we
could trust. And if we needed additional
parts in the future, wed be stuck while
waiting on them to be fabricated. Some
manufacturers actually have to wait
for a number of orders to pile up (with
deposits sitting in the bank) before they
will start production on a run of kits. If
it is your dream plane, and youre willing
to wait, thats fine.
Powerplants
Never before in the history of Experimental aviation have we had so many

good choices for powerand that, of
course, makes the choices difficult. It
used to be that you simply compared
the performance with various horsepower options and chose the most
power that you could afford. But airplanes are designed around powerplants
(something many homebuilders dont
understand) and usually get their best
performance with the engine that the
designer had in mind. By best, of
course, we are talking about a combination of speed, range, weight, and payload
capability. Increasing the horsepower
increases the fuel flowand that limits
the range. A heavier powerplant means
a lower useful load (because most structure is designed to a point) and you

25
might need lead in the tail to counter the

bigger mass of metal. Sometimes, more
power means less performance overall!
Many of the bush planes available as
kits today are being designed around the
Rotax enginesnew, modern designs
that are being used all over the world.
While many of us still think in terms of
Lycomings or Continentals, the Rotax
is rapidly gaining traction. Although
strange to many mechanics, there are
an increasing number of places to have
them worked on, and there are classes
offered to teach owners the maintenance secrets of this new-style machine.
Most of the kit manufacturers we
talked to will supply an engine mount
for alternatives (it is strange to think of
the traditional engines as alternatives),
but there is often little support beyond
that. The lighter Rotax machines allow
many of the smaller bush planes to carry
the same cargo as the larger, traditional
machines, and still fit into the Light
Sport category for those who wish to
avoid the burden of an FAA medical.
For our bush plane choice, operating
out of higher altitudes means we want
lots of powerwithout the weight of
a bigger engineand that makes the
turbocharged Rotax 914 a nice option.
Unfortunately, it adds about $12,000

over the normally aspirated Rotax 912,
so everything is a trade.
us to keep flying later in lifeso much

the better!
Light Sportor Not
Many times, the choice of a project

comes down to whether or not you
can easily visit with the manufacturer,
or if you can find other builders with
which to network. When KITPLANES
reviews an aircraft kit, we acknowledge
three important points: the aircraft
itself (how it flies and what it is designed
to do), the kit (how complete it is, how
well it goes together, and the techniques
needed to build it), and the company
that sells it. Finding out the stability of
a company is vitally important because
the builder is going to be intertwined
with them for a number of years while
building. The more custom parts they
have, the more important it is that they
will be around for the long haul.
A potential builder can find out a lot
about how the airplane flies from other
builders, by reading reviews, and by getting a demo flighteither at the factory or at a fly-in. Most people wouldnt
buy a car without testing it first, and an
airplane is a much bigger investment in
most cases, so getting a chance to fly it
is pretty importanteven if that means
There is a virtual boom in bush airplanes

that fit within the LSA categoryfun
airplanes to go explore the back country without having to hold the medical
certificate that many find elusive when
they reach an age where they have time
to explore the backcountry. However,
it should be obvious that Light Sport
aircraft have weight and horsepower
caps that limit them in the eyes of builders who want to strap a moose on the
outside and haul it back to civilization.
Some manufacturers have figured ways
to provide horsepower when needed,
yet keep the airplane within the LSA
category; others are sort of hinting that
they meet the requirements, but a careful examination of the numbers makes
that difficult to see.
In our case, Light Sport is not essentialbut if we can get the performance
we need and still be in the category, that
is not a downside. LSA aircraft are frequently built with lighter structure, so
we want to make sure that our need for
a rugged airplane is met. But if it allows
The Company
The Just Aircraft SuperSTOL is fun to watchand even more fun

to fly. Its ability to drop into short, unimproved strips puts it high
on anyones list when shopping for a modern bush aircraft.
26
a trip to the factory. Visiting the factory kills several birds with one stone,
of course; not only can you try the airplane, but you can see what the kit looks
like and judge for yourself how well the
company is doing, and if they will be
around for the long haul.
Company web sites are a big advantage for both buyer and seller these days.
A good, strong web presence should
answer many questions about the airplane and kit, the pricing, user communitieseverything you need to know to
avoid a long trip across the country just
to find things out. There are, of course,
some companies that do a great web site
but a lousy kit, but they are pretty easy
to sniff out. Look for lots of pictures of
real, completed airplanes. Computer
generated visuals are a sign that maybe
they dont have anything to fly. A plant
visit will give you an idea of the amount
of inventory they have on hand and
whether your kit deposit will be paying for the materials for someone elses
kit. Many manufacturers get by with an
amazingly small facility and number of
people, so dont go looking for a Ford
assembly plantyou dont have to be big
to be successful. But the manufacturing
facility should give you confidence that
they can produce what you need.
Comparing the Options
Since I had flown most of our choices,

and my wife has not, it was her job to
spend most of her time at Oshkosh
2014 walking from vendor to vendor,
sitting in the airplanes, taking notes,
and compiling lists of what she liked
and didnt like. We went over these
notes several times a day, and then circled back to the various manufacturers tents to ask additional questions.
If they arent tired of seeing youyou
havent been there enough!
What you will find is probably what
we foundevery single aircraft has at
least one thing about it that is unique
and that you absolutely have to have.
Every single airplane also has at least
one thing that you consider to be disqualifying. This paradox leads you
to one of two conclusionsyou cant
choose any of themor that youll

27
Aircraft Buyers
Guide Online Access
This year the online Aircraft Buyers Guide
follows the format we established a few
years ago and provides many useful features for users. Among them is the ability to
do a side-by-side comparison of more than
one aircraft using various selection criteria.
Unlimited access to the online Aircraft
Buyers Guide is free for subscribers, but
for a limited time only, we are offering nonsubscribers a chance to sample the site, too.
Heres how it works: Newsstand buyers
may visit www.kitplanes.com. There will
be a button labeled Newsstand readers
access that will take you to a signup page.
The access code is Kitplanes97239. This will
give you 30 days access (from signup date)
to the online Aircraft Buyers Guide and
will also allow you to explore the entire
KITPLANES web site. So go log in and have
a look around.
The modern Kitfox is Cub-class airplane with outstanding

visibility, good short-field performance, and a comfortable
cabin. With large tires it makes backcountry flying a delight.
have to compromise. It is important

to realize that all aircraft designs (and
purchases) are compromisesthey have
been since the days of the Wright
brothers. So prioritize your wants and
desires, then look at your notes again.
When you find a couple of different airplanes that you feel you could buy, shop
on price, delivery dates, time to build
whatever you feel you can trade off.
Our Conclusion
By now, of course, you want to know

what we picked. Youll notice, of
course, that I havent mentioned any
of the options by name. And the truth
is, while we have a good priority order
for our selection, we havent yet made a
decision. What we learned with all of
this shopping is that we want to check
with some friends to see if theyd like
to go into a partnership with us on the
bush plane. We wont be flying it all

the time, and it would be nice to share.
Bringing in a partner changes several
parameters in the equation on what
we can affordand what they might
consider most important. So back to
the evaluation and equations well go.
Youll probably find the same thing
to be true; just when you think youre
done, another variable enters the equation. Thats OKshopping can be fun
and doesnt cost a lotunlike writing
that check for a kit or engine.
And the other truth? While shopping for the bush plane, we ran into this
gorgeous little motorglider kit that just
seems to have our name on it. We could
build it for a lot less money, while thinking about the perfect bush plane to build
after that. Be careful when shopping at a
major showthe Sirens are out there,
and they can easily turn your head!
The Super 14 is an excellent Cubalike aircraft that

should be on anyones shopping list when looking
for a rugged, backcountry craft.
28
2015 Homebuilt Aircraft Directory

The aviation industryand homebuilding in particularhas
always been a dynamic, living entity. It is hard to keep track of new
designs, old designs, and the various companies that support them.
A company may be in business one day, and out the nextand trying to track that can be difficult. In order to give our readers the
most comprehensive list of Experimental aircraft, we have included
as many designs as we know ofregardless of the status of the company. This provides buyers with the most information about the
greatest number of designs. Who knowsyou might be in the market for a new kit, a partially completed kit, or a finished airplane.
What follows is an overview of all kit- and plansbuilt aircraft.

Prices shown are estimated completed prices. For the most upto-date information we have, check our online guide at www.
kitplanes.com/aircraftdirectory. Youll find full details about
each model and have the ability to make side-by-side comparisons. Please understand that the directory is dependent on
reports we get from the industry. If you find a company listed
that has gone out of business, or you know of a new company
thats not included, drop us a note at editorial@kitplanes.com
and well update our records.
Fixed-Wing Aircraft
Manufacturer/Web Site
A-Air LLC (XAir)
www.x-airlsa.com
AC Millenium Corp.
ACD
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
X-Air F*
60
75
28
X-Air F*
50
75
28
X-Air H
81
106
28
X-Air L-S
81
106
28
$25-30k
$21-25k
X-Air S (Standard)
63
75
28
Griffin IV*
150
160
45
Griffin Mk III*
150
170
45
SQ-2000*
215
250
SUA-7*
160
160
$25-30k
$85-125k
70
$22-27k
$22-26k
Ace Aircraft, Inc.

www.aceaircraft.com
Baby Ace
100
110
35
$35-75k
Junior Ace
109
115
38
$37-78k
Aceair SA
Aeriks 200*
161
178
Acro Sport, Inc.
Acrolite Aircraft
www.acrolite.org
Adams Aeronautics Company, Inc.

www.adamsaero.com
Aeriane SA
www.aeriane.com
Aero Adventure Aviation
www.sea-plane.com
Aero Concepts, LLC

AeroCad Inc.
www.aerocad.com
Acro-Sport I*
130
152
50
$40-55k
Acro-Sport II*
123
152
53
$40-55k
Nesmith Cougar I*
135
195
53
$38-40k
Pober Junior Ace*
85
130
40
$32-42k
Pober Pixie*
83
30
$25-35k
Pober Super Ace*
110
160
44
$21-26k
Acrolite 1B
110
130
45
$10-25k
Acrolite 1T
90
110
44
$8-20k
Acrolite 2M
105
125
43
$12-30k
CA-2 (formerly Hummel)
63
80
26
$4-8k
T-100D Mariah
63
80
27
$4-8k
P-Swift*
72
93
25
Aventura HP
75
90
32
$24-32k
Aventura II
85
105
30
$23-29k
Aventura UL
55
60
24
$20-24k
Barracuda*
85
105
41
$21-27k
Toucan
62
85
28
$20-27k
Discovery
225
240
58
AeroCanard FG
205
225
71
$50-100k
AeroCanard RG
210
225
78
$50-100k
Information based on manufacturer-supplied data. All speeds are in mph.

*For reference onlynot currently available.
Information compiled by Richard VanderMeulen and Omar Filipovic
$60-150k
For a side-by-side comparison of models, visit www.kitplanes.com/aircraftdirectory.
29
AeroCad AeroCanard FG
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Cozy Mark IV
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
AeroCanard SB
200
220
78
$50-100k
$50-100k
AeroCad Inc.
www.aerocad.com
Aero-Systems Cadet
LSA
Legal
Price
AeroCanard SX
205
225
71
Aerochia
www.aerochia-lt1.com
LT-1
140
140
48
Aerolab Mfg, Inc.

(was Aerolab s.a.s.)
www.aerolab.it
LoCamp
106
132
45
AeroMaster*
75
90
32
AeroSkiff*
65
90
38
$27-35k
Bearcat*
65
70
27
$16-23k
Aeromarine Marketing
Harrier*
100
120
40
Aeroplane Manufactory
(was A.S.A.P.)
www.amplanes.com
Beaver RX-550 Plus
73
85
37
$21-28k
Beaver SS
67
85
30
$15-17k
Chinook Plus 2
83
95
35
$21-37k
DAR Duo
75
90
35
$32k
DAR Solo
65
75
25
$25-28k
DAR-21*
78
88
38
DAR-21S*
110
125
38
AeroLites, Inc.
Aeroplanes DAR Ltd

(was DAR Aviation)
www.aeroplanesdar.com
$60-75k
DAR-23A and Enclosed*
75
95
37
Aeros 2*
65
75
35
SkyCycle*
40
50
20
Cadet Model STF
130
145
50
Aero-Works, Inc.
Aerolite 103*
60
75
26
Air Command International, Inc.

www.aircommand.com
Falcon 2000*
70
84
36
Clipper 582S/ Kiss 450*
50
87
33
Clipper 912/iXess*
72
90
34
Fun Racer 447*
30
54
24
Fun Twin 503*
45
65
26
GTE 582 SL/ Kiss 450*
47
83
34
Aeros Ltd.
www.aeros.com.ua
Aero-Systems
www.ibeatyouthere.com/culver/
Air Creation USA

www.aircreation.net
$35-48k
60
87
MILD GTE 503S*
40
75
31
XP Racer 503*
40
84
28
Stallion*
235
250
81
Acroduster Too SA-750
155
185
55
Acrolite 1B
110
130
43
$7k
Baby Great Lakes
118
135
55
$40k
Buddy Baby Lakes
118
135
55
$40k
Christavia MK 1
105
135
40
$8-14k
Cozy Mark IV
185
200
69
One Design DR 107
160
180
60
Starduster One SA-100
132
147
50

30
Kiss Buggy 582SL*
Aircraft Designs, Inc.

www.aircraftdesigns.com
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty
www.aircraftspruce.com
$26-40k
$500k
Airdale Avid Plus
Airdrome Aeroplanes Sopwith Baby
Airdrome Aeroplanes Fokker E-111 Eindecker
KITPLANES, February 2014
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty
www.aircraftspruce.com
Aircraft Technologies, Inc.

Airdale LLC
www.airdale.com
Airdrome Aeroplanes, Inc.
www.airdromeaeroplanes.com
KITPLANES, March 2013
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Starduster Starlet SA-500
105
130
55
Starduster Too SA-300
130
170
56
Starduster V-Star SA-900
75
90
35
Super Baby Great Lakes
135
155
55
Super Starduster SA-101
170
225
55
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
Wittman V-Witt Racer
150
180
48
Wittman W10 Tailwind
180
230
45
Atlantis*
180
255
65
$12-40k
Meyer-360*
180
255
60
Airdale
Airdale LSP*
Avid Plus
Bleriot Model XI (Full Scale)
2
2
2
1
108
90
90
50
130
120
120
55
48
35
35
32
Bleriot Model XI (3/4 Scale)
40
43
28
$8-13k
DeHavilland DH-2
61
63
29
$10-12k
Dream Classic Strut Braced
54
63
26
$6-9k
Dream Classic Wire Braced
67
72
26
$6-9k
Dream Fantasy Twin
45
52
27
$8-15k
$26-56k
$19-24k
$25-55k
$14-21k
Eindecker E-III*
57
63
28
$8-13k
Fokker DR-1 (3/4 Scale)
64
78
34
$13-15k
$16-19k
Fokker DR-1 (Full Scale)
72
94
32
Fokker D-VI (3/4 Scale)
73
78
30
$9-15k
Fokker D-VII (80% Scale)
94
105
34
$13-18k
Fokker D-VIII (3/4 Scale)
80
92
32
$9-15k
Fokker E-III Eindecker

(3/4 Scale)
54
65
26
$9-15k
Fokker E-III Eindecker

(Full Scale)
68
81
34
$11k
Morane Saulnier L
63
65
31
$9-11k
Nieuport 11 (7/8 Scale)
74
80
34
$12-15k
Nieuport 17
89
97
40
$17-22k
Nieuport 24 (Full Scale)
83
95
36
$15-18k
Nieuport 28
84
95
39
$25-30k
Sopwith Baby
81
95
$14k
Sopwith Camel (Full Scale)
85
103
40
$33-40k
Sopwith Pup (Full Scale)*
81
93
37
$15-22k
Sopwith Pup (Full Scale)*
81
95
37
$27-30k
Sopwith Schneider
78
91
40
Sopwith Tabloid
78
91
40
$18-22k
Spirit of St Louis
93
105
39
$28-32k
$18-22k
Taube
65
80
35
$18-20k
Airsports USA
www.flyforfun.net
DFS Dual Trike

DFS Single Trike
2
1
52
48
75
65
21
19
$7k
$6-13k
Alfa Air Service LLC
ALFA HB-207*
161
187
52

31
American Legend Super Legend
Texas Sport TX11
Alturair BD-5G
KITPLANES, May 2013
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Alisport
www.alisport.com
Silent 2
50
136
37
Price
$47-53k
Silent 2 Electric
56
136
40
$116-122k
Silent 2 Self-Launch
56
136
40
$60-68k
Silent 2 Targa Self-Launch
56
136
40
$69-76k
50
124
36
$40-46k
112
40
124
38
$55-60k
39
Silent Club
Silent Club Electric*
Silent Club Self-Launch
53
Exel*
75
Alpaero
www.alpaero.com
Altitude Group LLC
www.radialrocket.com
LSA
Legal
Formula GT*
218
230
68
Radial Rocket RG
254
267
70
$111-151k
Radial Rocket TD
242
255
70
$105-145k
$20-35k
Alturair
www.alturair.com
BD-5B
205
232
66
BD-5G
229
232
55
American Affordable Aircraft
Vision*
155
170
51
American Ghiles Aircraft Inc.
Lafayette 4S Revolution*
178
199
51
Lafayette Bushplane*
188
208
40
Lafayette Classic Storch*
78
84
35
Lafayette Mountain*
181
185
40
Lafayette Sportster*
204
226
57
Lafayette Super Storch*
118
132
35
Lafayette Texan*
140
149
40
American Legend Aircraft

www.legend.aero
American Patriot Aircraft LLC
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
(was Townsley, Mike)
https://sites.google.com/site/
jungsterbipe/home
Antares U.S. Corporation
www.antares-us.com
Apex Aviation
www.ultrikes.com
190
211
49
71
81
31
John Doe*
110
125
30
$35-45k
Texas Sport TX-11
98
115
38
$55-84k
Texas Sport TX-3
98
115
38
$55-84k
Super Legend
100
108
35
Patriot II*
135
138
44
$33-36k
Patriot Supercruiser
135
138
50
$35-75k
A-10B*
63
80
28
A-10D*
60
76
28
T-10D*
65
78
32
$150-240k
SeaMax*
115
125
38
Seastar Sealoon
100
112
40
$85-105k
Super Petrel
100
112
45
$80-100k
Jungster 1 Biplane
110
150
55
$12-25k
Jungster 2
160
200
50
$10-20k
MA-33M R582*
55
84
29
Apex Cross 5/ Aeros Stream*
53
68
32

32
$19-35k
Lafayette Touring*
AmeriPlanes/MitchellWing
Amphibian Airplanes of Canada Ltd.

www.seastaramphibian.com
$20-35k
Lafayette Wallaby*
American Homebuilts Corp.
American Legend
(Texas Sport Aircraft Company)
www.txsport.aero
Plans
Arion Lightning
Backcountry Super Cub Replica
Ballard Pelican PL
KITPLANES, September 2012
Apis Sailplanes Inc.
AquilairUSA
Arion Aircraft, LLC

www.flylightning.net
Arnet Pereyra, Inc.
Associate Air LLC

Atec Aircraft USA
www.atecaircraft.com
Auriga Design Inc.
www.auriga.on.ca/aerocat.html
AviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation

www.aviabellancainc.com
Aviat Aircraft, Inc.
www.aviataircraft.com
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Apis 13 Meter*
55
139
34
$20k
51
139
36
$34-37k
51
139
36
$72-76k
Aquilair Swing 503*
53
83
34
Aquilair Swing 582 SC Pod*
68
98
34
Single Seat KID*
65
90
31
Lightning
155
184
46
Lightning LS-1
138
138
51
Lightning XS*
180
195
63
Buccaneer II*
70
90
32
Buccaneer SX*
70
90
29
Sabre II*
70
90
32
Zephyr II*
70
90
32
Liberty 181/183*
135
145
35
Zephyr*
130
170
41
260
219
53
$225-350k
235
204
53
$250-300k
Aerocat TR*
201
220
53
$200-350k
Aerocat TRX*
185
205
53
$200-350k
SkyRocket III*
327
340
68
Eagle II
165
184
58
Pitts S-1-11B (Super Stinker)
187
205
54
Alaskan Bushmaster*
125
150
44
Aviator Enterprises, Inc.
Aviat Solo*
85
115
35
$200-225k
$100-300k
Avid Champion*
63
65
26
Bandit*
80
95
30
Catalina*
75
80
36
Magnum*
130
155
40
Mark IV Aerobatic
Speedwing*
120
135
46
Mark IV High-Gross STOL*
95
135
36
Mackey SQ2
115
120
20
$106-126k
Supercruiser
115
130
28
$100-120k
Supercub Replica
112
120
28
$100-120k
Bakeng Deuce
110
140
51
Pelican PL Turbo
152
155
50
Pelican Sport 600
130
135
44
Barr 6*
207
248
62
Acroduster 1*
165
180
70

$32-35k
62
Barry Jay Aviation, Inc.
$80-100k
176
Barr Aircraft
www.barraircraft.com
$96-1155k
Aerocat SR
155
Ballard Sport Aircraft

www.ballardsportaircraft.com
$60-85k
Aerocat SRX
Bakeng Deuce Airplane Factory

www.bakengdeuce.com
Price
Apis 15 Meter*
Pitts S-1S*
Backcountry Super Cubs

(Turbine Cubs of Wyoming LLC)
www.supercub.com
LSA
Legal
Apis Electric Self-Launch*
Aviation Development
International Ltd
Avid Aircraft
Plans
$75-100k
$65-85k
$45-75k
$145-310k
33
Bearhawk LSA
Belite Superlite
Bateleur Sky Sports
BD-Micro Technologies, Inc.
www.bd-micro.com
Bearhawk Aircraft Co.

(AviPro Aircraft, Ltd.)
www.bearhawkaircraft.com
Better Half VW Legal Eagle XL

KITPLANES, January 2013
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Windlass*
45
65
32
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
BD-5B*
170
190
62
$44-67k
BD-5J Microjet*
240
290
67
$100-145k
BD-5T Turboprop*
195
240
66
$89-105k
FLS Microjet
184
288
74
Bearhawk
155
175
40
$45-65k
Bearhawk LSA
125
140
30
$45-65k
$60-90k
$200-220k
Bearhawk Patrol
150
165
35
BD-12C*
200
215
54
BD-17
141
150
54
$32-38k
BD-17 E-LSA
142
148
56
$32-60k
Bede Corp LLC

www.jimbede.com
BD-18
180
190
56
$24-70k
BD-4B
190
240
55
$46-66k
BD-4C
190
240
61
$30-90k
BD-6
128
134
48
$13-14k
Belite UltraCub
62
80
28
$10-20k
ProCub Lite*
75
80
28
$15-20k
Superlite
62
63
28
$13-15k
Trike
55
63
28
$10-26k
Berkut Engineering
Berkut*
275
298
65
Better Half VW
www.betterhalfvw.com
Double Eagle
70
85
35
$10-13k
63
25
28
Belite Aircraft LLC

www.beliteaircraft.com
BHP And Sons Air Camper

Aircraft L.L.C.
http://community.pressenter.
net/~apietenp/
Legal Eagle
60
Legal Eagle UL
55
Legal Eagle XL
60
63
25
Pietenpol Air Camper
80
100
40
$6-16k
Sky Scout
55
70
35
$4-16k
Mifyter*
75
95
40
$23-25k
Mifyter II*
70
85
43
$29-33k
Biplanes of Yesteryear
Blanton, D. L.
Blue Yonder Aviation, Inc.

www.ezflyer.com
$5-7k
175
200
62
$25-35k
V6 STOL
120
135
48
$25-35k
Wichawk
127
140
56
EZ Flyer
75
100
38
$20-40k
$25-35k
EZ Fun Flyer
50
17
$14k
E-Z Harvard*
90
120
32
$21-35k
E-Z King Cobra*
90
120
32
Merlin EZ
85
110
30
70
100
38
Boeve Aircraft Inc.
MJ-7*
230
265
69
Bonner Aircraft
Scout*
60
70
35
Bowers Fly Baby
87
110
45

34
Sport Racer
Twin Engine E-Z Flyer*
Bowers (Bowers, David R.)

www.bowersflybaby.com
$3-5k
$4-5k
$21-35k
$48-65k
$36-75k
$10-12k
BushCaddy L162 Max
Cassutt 111M
Comp Air 10
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Bradley Aerospace
Aerobat*
150
180
43
Breezer Aircraft USA, LLC

www.breezeraircraftusa.com
Breezer II
120
135
43
Buethe Enterprises, Inc.

Bushcaddy International Inc.
www.bushcaddy.com
BX-Aviation
Cadcor
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
$46k
Barracuda*
200
220
61
BushCaddy L160
115
125
42
$60-110k
BushCaddy L162 Max
125
140
42
$60-110k
$80-120k
BushCaddy L164
125
140
42
BushCaddy R120
110
120
34
BushCaddy R80 UL/Sport
110
120
32
Cherry BX-2*
128
155
52
$60-90k
$50-65k
$20-50k
Chanute*
240
265
67
Teenie Two*
120
140
50
Cameron & Sons Aircraft

www.cameronaircraft.com
P51 Mustang*
420
500
87
Canadian Museum of Flight
SE5A Replica*
85
110
40
Carlson Skycycle*
100
139
55
Criquet*
95
135
16
Sparrow II*
95
130
36
Sparrow II XTC*
110
115
39
Sparrow Sport Special*
85
100
31
Sparrow Ultralight*
58
63
27
$9-13k
Ryan ST-R (replica)*
120
140
45
$10-20k
Cassutt 111M
180
205
65
$25-40k
Shadow-DD*
90
124
38
Calvin Parker
Carlson Aircraft, Inc.
Cassagneres, Ev
Cassutt Aircraft
www.cassuttaircraft.com
CFM Aircraft Ltd.
CinCo Enterprises, Inc.

Circa Reproductions
www.nieuports.com
Classic Aero Enterprises

Classic Sport Aircraft
Clifford Aeroworks
Clutton, Eric
C-N-C Aviation
Collins Aero
Comp Air Inc.
www.compairinc.com
$150-450k
Star Streak*
115
144
45
Streak Shadow SA*
110
140
40
Russia AC4-KC*
130
42
$5-15k
$40-45k
7/8 Nieuport 11/17*
75
85
30
Nieuport 11 EXP (87%)*
70
80
32
$28-32k
Nieuport 12 EXP (87%)*
75
94
33
H-2 Honey-Bee*
H-3 Pegasus*
1
1
65
70
70
85
35
30
S-18 & S-18T
180
215
63
Spad XIII*
80
90
45
Fred
75
80
40
$5-12k
Supercat
80
100
32
$7-12k
Dipper Amphibian*
120
124
48
$8-15k
$8-15k
$30-45k
Comp Air 10
10
180
200
56
$250-425k
Comp Air 12*
10
340
356
84
$750k-2.4M
Comp Air 3*
145
175
45
$34-43k
Comp Air 4
155
175
39
$56-90k
Comp Air 6
165
175
39
$66-100k

35
Dakota Cub Super 18
CubCrafters Carbon Cub EX
DFE Ultralights Ascender 3B
KITPLANES, May 2010
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Comp Air 7
230
250
53
Comp Air 7SLX
210
250
54
$98-375k
Comp Air 8
210
227
48
$187-425k
Comp Air 9
253
288
71
$770k-1.2M
Comp Air Jet*
10
375
400
71
Merlin GT-582/912*
85
120
35
Comp Air Inc.
www.compairinc.com
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
$87-325k
Merlin GT-912*
93
120
38
Express 2000 FT
207
230
55
$200-250k
Express 2000 RG
200
290
50
$200-250k
S300 RG*
300
320
60
Series 2000 FT*
190
230
53
Pegaso*
142
155
45
Corby Starlet CJ-1
130
160
35
CubCrafters, Inc.
www.cubcrafters.com
Carbon Cub EX
115
138
32
Top Cub*
115
140
43
Culps Specialties
www.culpsspecialties.com
Culps Special
170
240
72
$70-250k
Sopwith Pup
170
220
72
$90-240k
Composite Aircraft Technologies

www.compairtechllc.com
Corivi Aviation
www.magini.it/coriviaviation.htm
CSN
$15-27k
$100-150k
Lite Star
100
120
45
North Star
115
120
25
D & E Aircraft, Inc.
Kodiak Cruiser 2400/3200*
130
150
25
Dakota Cub
www.dakotacub.com
Super 18-160
100
125
49
$100-125k
Super 18-180
100
148
51
$100-130k
Super 18-LT
90
110
44
Piuma Evolution
62
72
35
$5-7k
Piuma Motorglider
50
59
30
$5-6k
Piuma Tourer
84
93
39
$5-7k
Piuma Twin Evolution
92
103
44
$10-12k
Mini Coupe
100
110
48
$8-20k
Teenie Two
110
120
48
$7-20k
Tinni Three*
160
180
50
$15-35k
J. D. Special
140
170
38
Destiny 2000*
30
35
Custom Flight Ltd.

www.customflightltd.com
Danieli, Tiziano
www.piumaproject.com
DCS, Inc.
www.teenietwo.com
Design Resources
Destiny Aircraft Corporation
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
$90-110k
$11-40k
Sparrow*
30
30
40
55
25
$7-8k
Ascender 3B
40
55
28
$8-10k
Ascender 3C
40
55
28
$8-10k
Skylark*
120
130
42
M-19 Flying Squirrel*
75
80
38
$4-10k
Tundra
118
132
52
Morin M85
90
100
37
Dream Aircraft Inc.

www.dreamaircraft.com
Duccini
www.campavia.com

36
$35-60k
$80-100k
Ascender 3A
Dova Aircraft
Drake, Justin
www.flysquirrel.net
$110-160k
$10-25k
Earthstar Soaring Gull
Excalibur
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Falconar Avia Cubmajor
Kit
Plans
Dyke Aircraft
Dyke Delta JD II
180
210
60
Early Bird Aircraft Co.
Jenny, 2/3 scale
60
70
35
Earthstar Aircraft
www.thundergull.com
eGull Electric
63
63
24
Gull 2000
63
63
27
Ed Marquart
EDRA Aeronutica Ltda
www.edraaeronautica.com.br
Eklund Engineering, Inc.
www.thorpt18.com
Elmwood Aviation
Esqual North America, LLC
Europa Aircraft (2004) Ltd

www.customflightcreations.com
LSA
Legal
Price
$9-30k
$8-13k
$30-35k
$17-22k
Odyssey
87
108
37
$22-35k
Soaring Gull
63
63
26
$18-23k
Thunder Gull J*
63
63
25
Thunder Gull JT2*
87
87
34
Marquart MA-5 Charger*
116
125
48
Super Petrel*
85
110
32
Thorp T-18
200
205
59
Christavia MK 1*
105
118
40
Esqual Retractable*
210
230
50
Esqual Sport*
132
132
34
VM-1 Esqual*
175
195
43
$20-45k
Europa XS Monowheel
150
161
51
$75-125k
Europa XS Motor Glider
143
155
52
$95-125k
Europa XS Trigear
150
161
51
$75-125k
Europa XS Trigear Light Sport
140
150
51
$75-125k
EU-WISH Aircraft
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Sidewinder2/
Sidewinder S & GA*
167
210
60
Evans Aircraft
www.evansair.com
Volksplane 1 (VP-1)*
75
95
45
Excalibur Aircraft
www.excaliburaircraft.com
Extra Flugzeugproduktions GmbH
www.extraaircraft.com
Falcomposite Ltd
www.falcomposite.com
Falconar Avia Inc.
www.falconaravia.com
Excalibur
90
100
32
$25-26k
Excalibur Four Stroke
90
100
33
$28-29k
Excalibur Stretch
90
100
32
$25-26k
Xtra 200*
172
265
61
$240-300k
Furio LN 27 RG
201
219
54
$200-250k
AMF-14H
92
115
36
AMF-Super 14D Maranda
120
130
39
ARV-1K Golden Hawk*
100
130
40
Cubmajor
100
120
40
F11A Sporty
123
140
38
F11E*
100
140
42
$10-33k
$19-40k
$28-40k
$20-40k
$10-37k
F11E Sporty
110
130
41
F12A Cruiser
150
175
51
Falconar F10A
120
140
35
$9-30k
Falconar F11E
100
42
$10-37k
$20-40k
$22-45k
Falconar F9A
100
116
43
Fauvel AV36/361/AV362
60
137
30
$9-20k
HM 290/293*
90
110
28
$5-26k

$23-85k
37
Falconar Avia Turbi D5
Fisher Flying Products Dakota Hawk
Flight Addictions Daisy Mae
KITPLANES, April 2012
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
HM 290/293*
90
HM 360
95
HM 380
95
Ladybug 380L*
113
Falconar Avia Inc.
Freedom Aviation
LSA
Legal
Price
28
$5-26k
120
28
$7-34k
120
28
$7-34k
124
28
90
110
28
176
200
60
$11-20k
$40-80k
Turbi D5
81
108
34
FEW P51*
210
250
62
P51D*
210
240
65
TF51*
210
240
65
Avenger
60
63
28
$9-11k
Avenger V
85
100
31
$10-12k
Celebrity
85
95
40
$20-25k
Classic
85
100
39
$15-17k
Dakota Hawk
100
100
35
$25-35k
FP-202 Koala
55
75
26
$10-12k
$20-35k
FP-303
60
70
25
$8-10k
FP-404
72
80
30
$11-13k
FP-505 Skeeter
60
63
26
$10-12k
FP-606 Skybaby
60
63
26
$10-12k
Horizon 1
95
100
40
$17-20k
Horizon 2
100
110
38
$22-25k
$25-30k
R-80 Tiger Moth*
80
100
35
RS-80 Tiger Moth
80
100
40
Super Koala
75
95
32
$17-20k
Youngster
85
110
32
$13-15k
Youngster V
85
110
32
$13-15k
Daisy Mae
80
100
40
$17-30k
eSpyder*
50
80
24
Flightstar Loadstar*
70
95
36
IISC*
65
83
36
IISL*
65
80
36
Spyder*
65
80
36
Flying Flea HM-14*
55
70
25
$15-18k
$30-35k
$23-29k
$16-18k
Flying Flea HM-160/1/2*
65
80
20
Flying Flea HM-290/1FB*
75
85
26
Four Winds 192*
200
255
51
Four Winds FX210/FX250*
215
287
66
$196-249k
LiteSport Classic*
80
85
32
$15-19k
LiteSport II*
75
80
32
LiteSport Ultra*
55
62
22
Freedom Aviation*
215
230
75

38
Plans
Flight Addictions LLC

(Alarie, Russell)
www.daisymae-biplane.com/
Flightstar, Inc.
Free Bird Innovations, Inc.

www.flyfbi.com
Kit
SAL Mustang (2/3)
Fisher Flying Products

www.fisherflying.com
Four Winds
Stall
Speed
Mignet Flying Flea 290E/293E
Fighter Escort Wings
Flying Flea Archive USA
Max
Speed
$10-15k
$9-15k
$230-350k
Glasair Diesel Sportsman
Great Plains Sonerai II
Hatz CB-1
KITPLANES, November 2014
GibboGear
www.gibbogear.com
Glasair Aviation
www.glasairaviation.com
Golden Circle Air, Inc.
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
BB Sport Trike*
47
57
21
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
Glasair III
278
300
78
Glasair Super II FT
210
228
73
$125-300k
$80-200k
Glasair Super II RG
221
238
73
$80-200k
GlaStar*
161
167
49
Sportsman
172
186
48
$80-200k
Two Weeks to Taxi Sportsman
172
186
48
$189-250k
Two Weeks to Taxi

Sportsman Carbon
172
186
50
$204-250k
T-Bird Cargo*
65
88
39
T-Bird I*
60
78
26
T-Bird II*
70
90
38
T-Bird Side-by-Side*
70
95
36
Easy Eagle I Bi-Plane
100
110
45
$8-12k
Sonerai I
150
200
45
$10-20k
Sonerai II Original, LT, L
140
200
45
$10-20k
Sonerai II Stretch
140
200
50
Green Sky Adventures, Inc.

www.greenskyadventures.com
Micro Mong
80
100
35
Zippy Sport
110
120
45
Griffon Aerospace
www.griffon-aerospace.com
Lionheart*
213
232
56
Great Plains Aircraft Supply Co., Inc.

www.gpasc.com
Grosso Aircraft Inc.
$10-20k
$14-30k
$10-25k
Easy Eagle*
100
110
45
Easy Eagle II*
100
110
45
Hansen Aero
www.tecnam.com
Tecnam P92 Super Echo*
123
140
39
Harper Aircraft
Fascination D4-BK*
160
172
38
Lil Breezy*
65
75
28
Sky Scooter*
55
62
28
Ultrasport*
60
60
30
Hatz CB-1
90
105
38
$12-80k
Kelly-D
90
105
40
$12-80k
Hensley Aircraft
www.hensleyaircraft.com
H-1 Wolf/Wolf*
210
225
55
Hevle Aviation LLC

www.hevleaviation.com
Hevle Classic*
105
135
45
Higher Class Aviation
Hornet*
109
115
40
Hatz Biplane Association

www.hatzbiplane.com
Hinz
Hipps Superbirds, Inc.
HP Aircraft, LLC
www.hpaircraft.com
$19-40k
$32-52k
BL1-KEA*
155
168
53
J-3 Kitten/Super Kitten*
59
63
24
$10-30k
J-4 Sportster/
Super Sportster*
59
63
24
$10-30k
Reliant SX*
75
100
31
Reliant/Reliant SX*
60
63
24
HP-24 Sailplane
150
45

$10-31k
$36-45k
39
Hummel Bird
ICP Savannah VG
Just Aircraft SuperSTOL

KITPLANES, October 2013
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Hummel Aviation
www.flyhummel.com
CA-2*
50
63
26
LSA
Legal
Price
$4-11k
$17-32k
H-5
120
130
42
115
125
38
$8-15k
UltraCruiser
75
95
28
$17-26k
UltraCruiser Plus*
125
135
36
$20-30k
Bingo 4S
75
84
28
$35-45k
Savannah
85
110
30
$45-50k
Savannah ADV
115
125
34
$55-60k
Savannah VG
95
110
30
$45-50k
Savannah VGW
95
110
30
$45-50k
T-Bird I
60
78
26
$15-30k
T-Bird II
66
90
36
$17-55k
Ion 100
138
138
52
$47-75k
J & J Tukan*
43
55
24
Indy Aircraft, Ltd.

www.indyaircraftltd.net
Ion Aircraft
www.ionaircraft.com
Jabiru Pacific LLC

www.jabirupacific.com
Plans
Hummel Bird
ICP Srl
www.icpaviazione.it/
J & J Ultralights
Kit
Seawing*
35
60
25
Calypso*
120
143
44
$35-55k
Jabiru J170*
115
132
52
$45-60k
Jabiru J200*
138
159
55
$60-90k
Jabiru J230*
138
138
52
$65-100k
Jabiru J250*
138
138
52
$60-90k
Jabiru J400*
138
152
55
$65-95k
$65-100k
Jabiru J430*
138
138
57
Jabiru SP*
130
154
50
Jabiru UL*
115
139
40
Jim Kimball Enterprises Inc.

www.pittsmodel12.com
Pitts Model 12
170
239
64
Jim Maupin, Ltd.
Carbon Dragon*
70
20
Windrose II*
75
132
52
Woodstock*
100
35
Johnston Aviation
www.tigercubaircraft.com
Tiger Cub II*
105
125
35
65
90
25
Junqua-Diffusion
www.junqua-aircraft.com/
Ibis RJ.03*
126
158
57
Jurca Plans, c/o Ken Heit
MJ-10 Spitfire (75%)*
180
230
65
MJ-100 Spitfire (100%)*
300
355
62
MJ-12 P-40 (75%)*
225
275
65
MJ-2 Tempete*
102
120
62
$34-61k
$17-21k
$55-85k
$58-85k
$55-85k
MJ-5 Sirocco*
200
225
64
MJ-77 Mustang (75%)*
230
330
65
MJ-8 FW-190 (75%)*
200
240
Escapade
110
132
42
Highlander
105
132
39
SuperSTOL
100
132
Just Aircraft
www.justaircraft.com

$115-140k
Tiger Cub UL*
40
Kitfox Super Sport
Lancair Evolution
Legend Aircraft Turbine Legend
KITPLANES, July 2013
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Kemmeries Aviation
www.kemmeriesaviation.com
Tukan*
38
55
24
Kitfox Aircraft LLC

www.kitfoxaircraft.com
Kitplanes for Africa

Kolb Aircraft Co LLC
(The New Kolb Aircraft Co)
www.kolbaircraft.com
Krucker Manufacturing Ltd

Lancair International Inc.
www.lancair.com
Price
Kitfox Lite*
55
63
27
Kitfox Model (Classic) IV
110
115
37
$32-55k
Kitfox S7 Super Sport

Tailwheel
123
140
41
$35-60k
Kitfox S7 Super Sport

Tri-gear
123
140
41
$40-60k
Bushbaby*
90
120
35
$22-28k
FireFly
63
63
28
FireStar
80
90
27
FireStar II SS
68
90
34
Kolb Flyer*
30
50
Kolbra
75
110
45
Kolbra Ultralight Trainer*
75
100
35
Mark III Classic
80
100
41
$15-18k
$15-40k
Mark III Xtra
90
100
27
Pelican Sport*
132
145
44
Slingshot
85
115
41
Krucker Cygnet Amphib*
50
70
30
$26-39k
$28-42k
$32-45k
$21-38k
Evolution
325
345
61
$1.4-1.5M
Lancair ES/Super ES*
215
230
70
$250-350k
Lancair IV*
285
300
75
$300-400k
Lancair IV-P*
300
330
73
$400-500k
Lancair Legacy FGC-550
240
250
65
$200-295k
Lancair Legacy RG-550
270
276
65
$250-300k
Lancair Propjet*
370
74
$375-550k
Lancair Sentry*
380
74
Lancair Turbine IV-P*
370
75
Legacy FG-390
200
215
65
$180-225k
Antares 503 w/ Stranger 15*
50
68
31
Antares 582 w/ Stream 16*
50
68
31
Legend Aircraft, Inc.
Turbine Legend
333
356
66
$180-500k
Legend Lite Inc.
Skywatch SS-11*
80
90
29
P51*
225
290
59
Leading Edge Air Foils

www.leadingedge-airfoils.com
Legendary Aircraft
Leichtflugzeuge, B & F GmbH
- FK-Lightplanes
www.fk-lightplanes.com
Light Miniature Aircraft
FK 12 Comet*
118
131
42
FK 14-B Polaris*
155
170
42
FK 9 Mark IV*
120
140
42
LM-1A-W (85% J-3)*
75
85
32
LM-1X (75% J-3)*
65
75
26
LM-2X-2P-W (75%
Taylorcraft)*
75
85
38
LM-2X-2P-W (87% Taylorcraft)*
85
100
40

$125-200k
$10-20k
$8-10k
$8-14k
41
Littner Whisky IV
Lockwood Aircraft Super Drifter
Loehle 5151 Mustang
KITPLANES, October 2012
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Light Miniature Aircraft
LM-3X-W Aeronca Champ

Replica*
65
75
26
LM-5X-W Super Cub Replica*
80
90
42
LM-J3-W Piper Cub Replica*
70
85
38
LM-TC-W Taylorcraft Replica*
85
95
Savannah*
100
X-Air*
65
X-Air F*
X-Air H*
Light Wing Sport Aircraft
LiteFlite (Moyes Aviation)

www.liteflite.com.au
Littner, S.
Lockwood Aircraft, Inc.

www.lockwoodaircraft.com
Loehle Aircraft Corp.
www.loehle.com
LSA
Legal
Price
$8-12k
$16-25k
$16-25k
42
$16-25k
110
28
75
30
68
87
27
93
105
33
Connie*
65
90
35
Dragonfly*
45
65
28
Dragonfly C-Model*
55
65
22
80
26
167
200
53
Tempest*
C.P. 1320-Saphire
$22-33k
C.P. 150 Onyx
50
62
22
C.P. 328 Super Emeraude
142
150
56
C.P. 60 Super Diamant
155
160
55
C.P. 750 Beryl
160
185
56
C.P. 80 Zephyr
175
200
50
C.P. 90 Pinocchio
140
150
45
Champion V
143
155
47
Jewel
177
186
40
Junior VI
100
125
38
$35-44k
Supercab*
143
162
35
Vega*
120
150
52
Whisky IV
130
183
37
Air Cam
85
110
39
Super Drifter
75
85
34
$47-55k
$22-59k
5151 Mustang
80
90
30
5151 RG Mustang
85
95
30
Fokker D-VII
65
70
20
Jenny (67% Curtiss Jenny)*
60
70
35
$115-135k
$24-61k
$19-41k
KW-909
85
95
30
$21-61k
Loehle Spitfire
105
140
38
$70-90k
P-40
85
90
30
S.E.5a
65
70
20
$22-41k
Spad XIII
65
70
20
$22-41k
Sport Parasol
65
70
22
$13-21k
L 11*
103
125
42
L 12*
103
125
42
L 5*
145
165
54
L 6*
125
143
50
Lucas, Emile
$21-61k
L 7*
125
142
56
L 8*
165
192
60
42
Plans
Kit
Luceair Wittman Buttercup
Roger Mann RW8
M-Squared Breese 2
Luceair
www.luceair.com
Main Planes
Mainair Sports Ltd.
Makelan Corporation
www.hatzclassic.com
Mann, Roger
www.rogermann.org
Maverick Air, Inc.

www.twinjet.com
Meyer Aircraft
www.littletootbiplane.com
Microleve Com. Ind. LTDA
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
Wittman Buttercup
125
155
45
Beach Boy ST-II*
75
85
22
Mainair Blade*
65
75
30
Mainair Blade 912*
75
85
30
Mainair Rapier*
60
75
30
Hatz Classic
100
150
43
LSA
Legal
Price
$15-23k
$45-60k
RW1 Ultra-Piet Pete
55
85
28
$5-10k
RW11 Rag-A-Bond
78
105
38
$8-25k
RW16 Aerial
60
90
28
$5-10k
RW19 Stork
75
105
22
$15-30k
RW2 Special I
70
125
30
$8-18k
RW20 Stork Side-By-Side
75
105
22
$10-25k
RW22 Tiger Moth
80
110
35
$10-25k
RW26 Special II
85
135
38
$10-20k
RW4 Midwing Sport
70
95
28
$5-10k
RW5 Heath Replica
60
85
28
$5-10k
RW6 RagWing Parasol
66
85
28
$5-10k
RW7 Duster
65
95
28
$5-10k
RW8 RagWing Pt2S
75
95
36
$10-25k
RW9 Motor Bipe
60
95
36
$5-10k
Twinjet-1500*
380
405
86
Meyers Little Toot
125
138
51
$20-45k
Corsario MK-5*
85
95
30
$15-27k
ML500*
80
95
20
Mini-IMP Aircraft Co.

www.mini-imp.com
Mini-IMP
180
200
45
Mirage Aircraft, Inc.

www.mirage-aircraft.com
Celerity
205
225
60
$27-59k
Marathon
190
205
60
$23-42k
Montagne Aircraft LLC
Mountain Goat
159
165
27
Morrison Aircraft
www.morrisonaircraft.com
Morrison 6*
240
240
62
M-Squared, Inc.
www.msquaredaircraft.com
Breese 2 DS
75
93
32
$25-60k
$26-60k
Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd.

www.PattersonAeroSales.com
Breese 2 SS
55
87
28
Breese DS
65
93
26
$26-35k
Breese SS
46
82
24
$25-35k
Sport 1000
74
103
39
$36-60k
$35-60k
$30-40k
Sprint 1000
58
94
27
Elite
132
145
42
Maverick
80
110
32
Moose
140
165
52
$100-130k
Rebel
120
140
40
$55-70k

$170-332k
$75-85k
43
Mustang Aeronautics Mustang II
Osprey 2
Pazmany PL-9 Stork
Murphy Aircraft Mfg. Ltd.
www.PattersonAeroSales.com
Mustang Aeronautics
www.mustangaero.com
Norman Aviation Intl Inc.
www.normanaviation.ca/
North Wing
www.northwing.com
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
Rebel Sport
105
160
40
$50-60k
Renegade Spirit
90
105
36
$48-55k
Super Rebel TD*
150
160
46
Midget Mustang
175
202
57
Mustang II
220
225
58
Mini Explorer Nordic 8
90
110
35
Norman VI-912*
103
110
34
Norman VI-912-SW
103
140
34
Norman VI-914
115
135
34
$25-40k
$40-75k
$60k
$45k
$55k
Apache ST 503 M-15*
45
65
27
Apache 582 Contour Trike*
55
75
30
ATF 190 HG*
29
95
19
Maverick Legend 14.9*
42
65
23
Titan 447 M-19*
35
50
24
Northbrook International
SportStar*
121
129
45
NuVenture Aircraft
www.nuventureaircraft.com
Questair Venture
276
305
70
KR-1
180
200
52
nV Aerospace (was Rand-Robinson

Engineering, Inc.)
www.nvaero.com
$9-15k
KR-2
180
200
52
$12-24k
KR-2S
180
200
52
$21-28k
Orion-TS*
300
325
70
Pioneer 200*
100
108
34
Orion Aviation
Orlando/Sanford Aircraft
www.airplane4sale.com
$130-250k
Osprey Aircraft
www.ospreyaircraft.com
GP-4
240
250
65
$50-68k
Osprey 2
130
140
58
$25-35k
Pacific AeroSport LLC

www.pacificaerosport.com
Twister*
145
146
47
Pacific Aerosystem, Inc.

www.skyarrowusa.com
Partenair Design Inc.

PAW
P92-2000 RG*
142
155
38
P92-S Echo Super*
130
146
37
P96-Golf*
133
149
38
Sky Arrow 1450L*
98
110
40
S45 Mark II*
160
180
55
S45 Mystere*
160
175
55
Free Spirit MkII*
250
285
52
Viper*
115
130
38
Paxmans Northern Lite Aerocraft

Pazmany Aircraft Corp.
www.pazmany.com
Pegasus Aviation
Pazmany PL-1
115
120
54
$28-40k
Pazmany PL-2
119
138
52
$29-45k
Pazmany PL-4A
97
120
39
$18-25k
Pazmany PL-9 Stork
104
116
33
$28-45k
Quantum Sport*
56
75
31
Quantum SuperSport*
55
75
30
Quantum-503 Basic*
56
75
30

44
$65-90k
Pipistrel Virus
Preceptor N-3 Pup
KITPLANES, May 2012
Phantom Aeronautics LLC
Phoenix Manufacturing, LLC
(was CGS Aviation)
www.cgsaviation.com
Pipistrel-USA
www.pipistrel-usa.com
Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey

Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
Phantom X1*
57
65
26
X-1e (enclosed cockpit)*
65
80
30
Hawk Arrow
75
90
35
$22-28k
Hawk Arrow II
80
100
45
$24-28k
Hawk Classic
65
80
35
$19-26k
Hawk Plus
85
100
40
$22-28k
Hawk Sport
75
90
35
$20-26k
Hawk Ultra
55
63
27
$17-19k
Apis Bee
52
138
36
Apis Bee Electro
52
138
36
$67-76k
$67-76k
Sinus
136
149
39
$82-100k
Taurus
84
138
39
$82-100k
Taurus Electro
84
138
39
Virus
140
155
40
$82-100k
Virus SW (Short Wing)
138
138
39
$80-100k
$82-100k
Plane Perfection BRM

www.planeperfection.com
LA582
90
25
$40-55k
LA912
96
25
$46-60k
Polar Star Group, Inc.
FIB 582
40
Pops Props
Preceptor Aircraft Company (Corp.)

www.preceptorair.com
Cloudster*
50
60
22
Pinocchio*
60
70
27
Zing*
55
70
26
N-3 Pup
60
63
27
$17-19k
Stinger
80
90
35
$22-26k
STOL King
90
115
15
$33-45k
Super Pup
80
90
35
$22-30k
$22-30k
Ultra Pup
80
105
35
S-51D Mustang*
300
360
70
PrecisionTech Aircraft
Fergy F-II B*
80
90
28
PRIMAC ind. e com. ltda
Moskitto M-10*
61
73
30
Pro-Composites Inc.
www.pro-composites.com
Personal Cruiser
140
168
58
Vision EX
157
168
54
Produits Aviatech Inc.

www.produitsaviatech.com
Super Cyclone*
165
175
38
SeaRey LSX
(was listed as Sea Rey)
95
120
38
Prowler Jaguar*
250
300
65
Pulsar 150*
175
190
55
$80-110k
$75-110k
Precision Aero Engineering, LLC
Progressive Aerodyne, Inc.

www.searey.com
Prowler Aviation, Inc.
Pulsar Aircraft Corporation
$150-200k
$60-90k
Pulsar III*
150
175
50
Sport 150 Taildragger*
185
200
55
Super Cruiser*
175
190
55
$100-140k
Super Pulsar 100*
165
190
63
$85-110k

$19-29k
$30-40k
45
Quad City Ultralights Challenger II CW LSS
Quad City Ultralights Aircraft Corp.
www.quadcitychallenger.com
R & B Aircraft
www.bearhawkaircraft.com
R&D Aircraft
Raceair Designs
Rainbow Aircraft, Inc.

www.adventuresportaircraft.com
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
Challenger II
75
90
30
$16-23k
95
110
37
$22-27k
Challenger II LSS XL-65
90
100
32
$33k
Challenger II Special
85
100
37
$19-23k
Challenger Light Sport XS-50
95
120
32
$22-28k
Challenger Special
90
105
28
$16-22k
Challenger UL-103
75
90
25
$14-16k
GT 400
58
61
27
$19-22k
GT 500
83
97
42
$31-56k
MX II Sprint
51
55
27
$21-30k
MX Sport
49
59
27
$16-18k
MX Sprint
54
54
24
$15-17k
MXL II Sport
59
61
32
$22-30k
Sport 2S
59
69
35
$25-40k
Glass Goose*
140
140
42
Bearhawk (plans)
130
142
42
$24-40k
Bearhawk LSA
125
140
30
$60-75k
Bearhawk Patrol
140
156
35
$22-40k
Keleher JK-1 Lark*
135
145
57
Legallight*
50
63
25
GN-1 Aircamper*
87
115
25
Mong Sport*
105
125
58
R&D Aerosports LLC

R. J. Grega Enterprises LLC
Model
RANS S-10 Sakota
Challenger II CW LSS
Quicksilver Manufacturing Inc.

www.quicksilveraircraft.com
Quikkit Div. of Rainbow Flyers, Inc.
Quicksilver Sport 2S
$55-80k
$8-16k
Skylite*
47
60
27
Zipster*
52
60
27
Aerotrike-Cobra*
65
80
30
Aerotrike-Safari*
65
80
30
Evolution/D16*
50
85
$6-18k
$6-12k
Feeling/D15/430*
64
100
Voyageur II/D450*
56
90
Ramphos USA Inc.
Ramphos Amphibious Trike*
60
68
29
RANS Designs, Inc.

www.rans.com
RANS S-10 Sakota
125
130
48
$34-44k
RANS S-12XL Airaile
90
100
35
$25-45k
RANS S-12XL Super Airaile*
90
103
35
$27-48k
RANS S-14 Airaile*
85
90
36
RANS S-16 Shekari*
160
172
58
RANS S-17 Stinger*
60
78
28
RANS S-18 Stinger II*
85
90
43
RANS S-19 Venterra
136
150
45

46
$50-55k
RANS S-20 Raven
Richard Steeves Coot Amphibian
Rocky Mountain Wings Ridge Runner III
KITPLANES, July 2014
RANS Designs, Inc.
www.rans.com
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
RANS S-20 Raven
112
33
RANS S-4/5 Coyote*
70
80
27
RANS S-6ES Sport Wing

Coyote II
110
130
36
$43-46k
RANS S-6S Coyote II

Sport Wing*
115
130
36
$43-46k
$47-52k
RANS S-6S Super Coyote II*
115
130
36
RANS S-7S Courier*
110
130
33
RANS S-9 Chaos*
100
106
41
RANS S-9 Chaos*
120
130
43
Raven Aircraft Corp.

www.ravenaircraft.com
Raven 2XS
188
200
60
Ravin Aircraft USA, Inc.
Ravin 500 RG
220
242
62
Redfern Fokker DR1*
100
120
40
$70-100k
Redfern Nieuport 17 or 24*
100
120
45
$70-100k
Pelican*
86
98
40
Replica Plans
S.E.5a Replica*
85
110
40
$5-15k
Richard Steeves
www.coot-builders.com
Coot Amphibian
110
140
50
$25-50k
Rihn DR-109*
168
225
66
Redfern Plans
Refly, Inc.
Rihn Aircraft Corp.

Robbins Wings
Rocky Mountain Wings, LLC

www.realflying.com
Royal Pacific Ultralights
Rutan Aircraft Factory (RAF)

www.scaled.com
$70-150k
$150-250k
R-7*
60
63
30
R-8*
60
63
30
R-9*
100
130
30
Ridge Runner Model II
90
110
29
$17-19k
Ridge Runner Model III
80
100
28
$18-28k
Ridge Runner Model IV
100
110
35
Ridge Runner Ultralight
58
62
24
$26-38k
Ace*
65
Cosmos Bison*
50
53
23
Cosmos Phase II*
70
93
30
Cosmos Samba*
45
55
26
$17-18k
Deuce*
75
Sky-Bike SR210GL*
25
25
12
Sky-Bike ZR250*
25
25
12
Sky-Dancer*
40
Sky-Tender*
50
Defiant*
216
Long EZ*
144
185
Quickie*
140
180
Vari EZ*
165
195
55
VariViggen*
150
165
48

$30-40k
47
SAM Aircraft SAM LS
Sherpa Aircraft K65OT
Sky Raider Frontier
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
S.G. Aviation America Inc.
Rally 105*
134
149
34
Sea Storm Z4*
144
165
46
Storm 300*
148
163
32
Storm 400*
170
180
44
Storm 500*
172
180
48
Storm Century*
173
178
34
Storm RG*
173
178
34
Sabre 340*
46
50
21
Sabre Aircraft
Sabre Z626*
60
69
21
Wildcat*
46
55
21
SAM LS
125
155
42
Sapphire*
98
112
42
Sauser Aircraft Inc.
P6E Replica (82%)*
130
145
50
Seaflight (NZ) Ltd.
Shearwater*
155
165
57
Seagull Aerosports
Escape Pod*
55
77
20
SAM Aircraft
www.sam-aircraft.com
Sapphire Aircraft Australia Pty Ltd
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
$50-65k
SeaStar Aircraft Inc.
SeaStar*
260
275
59
Seawind/SNA, Inc.
www.seawind.net
Seawind 2500*
178
187
59
Seawind 3000*
191
200
59
Sequoia Aircraft Corp.

www.seqair.com
F.8L Falco
190
212
62
Sherpa Aircraft
www.sherpaaircraft.com
K650T
197
235
37
Shirl Dickey Enterprises
E-Racer MK-I*
220
240
Siers Flight Systems, Inc.
Barracuda*
200
205
62
$45-120k
Smith Miniplane 2000
125
135
60
$7-25k
Sky Classic Aircraft

www.skyclassic.net
Sky Raider LLC
Sky Ranger Aircraft Company, Inc.

www.skyrangeraircraft.com
Frontier
105
105
38
$35-45k
80
85
32
$22-30k
Super Sky Raider
80
95
32
$24-32k
SkyRanger II*
105
116
36
$25-50k
$25-50k
SkyRanger SS*
100
116
33
ARV Super2*
115
137
58
Skyline Technologies
Sparrow II*
95
130
36
Sparrow II XTC*
110
115
39
Sparrow Sport Special*
85
100
31
Sparrow Ultralight*
58
63
27
Pathmaker JK-05*
110
128
42
Genesis*
100
120
40
Genesis
75
100
40
SlipStream International
(Slip Stream International LLC)
www.slipstream.bz

48
$995k-1.15M
Sky Raider II*
SkyCraft International Inc.
Skypaths Inc.
$130-170k
$40-45k
$28-32k
$9-13k
$38-55k
$28-32k
Sonex Onex
Sport Performance Aviation Panther
KITPLANES, June 2013
SlipStream International
(Slip Stream International LLC)
SLO Air Inc.

Soaring Eagle, Inc.
Solo Wings
Sonex Aircraft, LLC
www.sonexaircraft.com
KITPLANES, March 2014
Steen Skybolt
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
LSA
Legal
Price
Revelation*
80
120
37
$27-37k
Revelation
66
90
37
$22-32k
Plans
Scepter*
60
85
27
Ultra Sport
70
100
40
NXT*
345
375
88
Incredible Flying Boat*
50
50
Aquilla*
45
75
32
Onex
135
155
45
Sonex
130
150
40
SubSonex Personal Jet
220
240
58
$28-32k
$250-450k
$27-40k
$29-40k
$135-150k
Waiex
130
130
40
$30-40k
Xenos Sport Motorglider
100
120
44
$35-50k
Specter II*
140
170
54
Spencer Aircar
Spencer Air Car
140
155
53
Sport Aircraft Works LLC
Dynamic WT9*
150
155
37
$85-95k
Dynamic WT9 RG*
168
178
37
$95-110k
Specter Aircraft, Inc.
Sport Performance Aviation LLC

www.flywithspa.com
Sportair Aviation, Inc.
SportairUSA, LC
www.sportair.aero
Sportflight Aviation
St. Croix Aircraft
www.stcroix.50webs.com
Starflight Industria
Aeronutica LTDA
Steen Aero Lab, Inc.

www.steenaero.com
Stellar Aircraft
Mermaid*
115
132
40
$80-95k
Parrot*
132
138
28
$70-90k
Sport Cruiser*
133
160
34
Panther
138
170
51
Corsario MK-5*
85
100
42
ML500*
65
80
Sting Carbon*
Talon Magnum*
80
$55-70k
$20-40k
$45-60k
$22-32k
$23-35k
190
43
105
38
Talon XP*
72
95
41
Pietenpol Aerial
85
110
40
Pietenpol Aircamper
75
90
40
Sopwith Triplane (1916)
100
120
40
Fox V5 Advanced/ V5 Super*
75
84
35
Fox V5 Tandem*
75
80
34
Fox Vector V6*
78
90
35
Firebolt
170
214
61
$40-105k
Great Lakes Sport Trainer
125
138
40
$50-120k
Knight Twister
145
180
56
$25-90k
Pitts S1-C
154
200
64
$25-75k
Skybolt
170
210
68
$35-100k
Astra Trike*
65
90
32

49
Team Mini-Max AeroMax
TEAM Tango Tango
The Airplane Factory Sling 4

Model
Stewart Aircraft Co.

www.stewartaircraft.com
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
265/275*
90
130
43
FooFighter
115
120
48
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
Headwind B
85
90
40
St-Just Aviation International Inc.
Super Cyclone*
165
175
38
Storch Aviation Australia Pty Ltd.

www.storch.com.au
Slepcev Microlight Storch*
78
85
27
$10-35k
$15-30k
Slepcev Storch*
78
85
25
Slepcev Storch Moose*
100
118
35
Slepcev Super Storch*
90
100
29
Dart*
160
200
65
Super-Chipmunk Inc.
Super Chipmunk*
160
180
60
Supermarine Aircraft LLC

www.supermarineaircraft.com
Mark 26B Spitfire*
187
253
51
$230-260k
Mk 26 Spitfire
(80% or 90% Scale)*
180
220
48
$130-145k
Swick T*
130
140
42
Sunshine Aero Composites
Swick Aircraft
Tapanee Aviation Inc.
www.tapanee.com
Taylor, T.
Team Mini-Max LLC
(was JDT Mini-Max LLC)
www.teammini-max.com
Levitation 2
115
125
35
$60-170k
Levitation 4
120
130
38
$65-180k
Pegazair 100
105
115
28
Pegazair-80*
95
110
15
Taylor Monoplane
100
115
40
$9-11k
Taylor Titch
160
200
52
$11-15k
1030R MAX 103 Ultralight
55
62
26
$8-10k
AeroMax
75
100
33
$12-14k
$45-125k
Enclosed Cockpit, 1300Z*
75
100
31
Enclosed Cockpit, 1600R
72
75
28
$7-9k
Enclosed Cockpit, 1650R Eros
75
80
33
$10-12k
Hi-MAX, 1700R
70
75
31
$7-10k
$8-10k
MAX-103 1030H*
55
90
27
Mini-MAX, 1100R
65
75
31
Open Cockpit, 1200Z*
65
100
31
Open Cockpit, 1500R
65
75
31
$8-10k
V-MAX, 1550V
75
85
38
$8-10k
Team Rocket Aircraft

www.teamrocketaircraft.com
TEAM Tango
www.teamtangoaircraft.com
F-1 Evo*
235
265
50
$90-175k
F-1 Rocket*
230
257
56
$70-175k
Foxtrot 4
220
260
62
$100-180k
Tango
207
276
70
$57-150k
$60-150k
Tango XR
207
276
70
Thatcher Aircraft Inc.

www.thatchercx4.com
Thatcher CX4
125
130
40
The Airplane Factory

www.airplanefactory.com
Sling 2
132
155
45
$65-80k
Sling 4
138
161
54
$80-100k

50
$12-18k
Thunderbird Hiperlight SNS-9
Titan T-51 Mustang
Ultimate Biplane 10-300
KITPLANES, February 2013
The Light Aircraft Company Ltd.
www.g-tlac.com
Thorp Central
(Classic Sport Aircraft)
www.thorpcentral.com
Thunder Mustang LLC
(Gut Works, LLC)
www.thundermustang.com
Thunderbird Aviation, Inc.
www.hiperlightaircraft.com
Titan Aircraft
www.titanaircraft.com
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Escapade II / Bobcat
95
Sherwood Ranger
70
132
39
$37-58k
80
40
$40-60k
S-18
180
215
63
Thunder Mustang
345
375
68
Hiperlight SNS-8
58
93
27
$20-30k
Hiperlight SNS-9
85
113
39
$31-50k
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
$3-45k
$350k
T-51 Mustang
150
170
42
$80-100k
T-51 MustangV6*
175
197
48
$80-150k
T-51 Mustang LSA
140
170
42
$80-100k
Tornado I Sport
95
113
30
$20-35k
Tornado II FP*
100
120
40
Tornado II Trainer
110
150
35
$35-45k
Tornado MG
100
130
35
$16-25k
Tornado MG II*
120
150
35
Tornado S Model
125
150
35
$35-50k
Tornado SS
125
150
40
$38-60k
Toxo Sportster*
175
180
40
Turbine Design
TD-2*
330
400
65
Turner Aircraft, Inc.

www.turnert-40airplanes.com
T-40
145
170
45
$8-20k
T-40A
147
160
56
$12-30k
$20-35k
Toxo Aircraft North America
U.S. Airborne Sport Aviation LLC

www.usairborne.com
T-40A Super
155
175
62
Airborne Edge X 2000*
54
82
19
Edge XTS-912/Streak II XT*
75
92
39
Powerlite Trike*
35
50
20
Red Back*
25
34
32
U.S. Aviation
Cumulus
75
90
32
Ullmann Aircraft Company
Panther*
200
200
67
Ultimate Biplane Corp.

www.ultimatebiplane.com
10-100*
140
190
55
Ultravia Aero Intl Inc.
Unger, Carl H
$12-19k
$100-200k
10-200
170
190
60
$60-90k
10-300
190
195
60
$95-190k
20-300
190
200
58
$108-213k
$8-12k
Pelican PL*
145
155
49
Pelican PL/912S*
130
140
50
Pelican Sport*
126
132
44
Breezy R.L.U.-1
80
105
28

51
Vans RV-4
Velocity V-Twin
KITPLANES, August 2014
Wag Aero Sport Trainer
KITPLANES, April 2013
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Vans Aircraft, Inc.

www.vansaircraft.com
RV-10
197
208
63
Velocity, Inc.
www.velocityaircraft.com
Velox Aviation Inc.
$95-121k
RV-12
131
135
47
195
205
53
$75-95k
RV-3
196
207
51
$35-63k
$37-73k
RV-4
192
204
51
RV-6/6A*
199
210
49
RV-7/7A
206
216
51
$60-65k
$41-97k
212
222
51
$41-98k
RV-9/9A
188
196
50
$44-82k
Velocity Elite RG*
210
230
70
Velocity SE-FG
184
201
70
$70-140k
Velocity SE-RG
200
218
72
$75-150k
Velocity SUV*
175
183
65
Velocity TXL-RG-5
288
290
72
$175-250k
Velocity V-Twin
207
230
82
$235-400k
Velocity XL-FG
213
238
75
$110-180k
Velocity XL-FG-5
200
218
75
$110-185k
Velocity XL-RG
219
262
75
$125-195k
Velocity XL-RG-5
230
247
75
$125-195k
Rev1, Rev2*
200
230
63
Betabird
80
80
45
Gypsy
45
55
22
$2-5k
J3-JR
45
55
25
$2-4k
Mr. Easy*
50
63
28
MW-7
55
85
35
Skypup
50
69
26
Whing Ding
35
45
24
$2-5k
$2-5k
Woodhopper
30
40
18
ViperJet Mk II*
400
538
88
VSR
www.snoshoo.com
SR-1 Snoshoo
200
260
65
$2-5k
$650-795k
$15-30k
SS2000*
50
67
20
SST2000*
60
100
22
VX Aerospace Corporation
www.vxaerospace.com
FX 300*
WACO M-F
W.A.C.O. Aircraft Company Ohio, Inc.
$2-5k
VSTOL Aircraft Corporation

vstolaircraft.com
$85-105k
120
140
48
$120-150k
Sport Trainer
85
94
38
Sportsman 2+2
124
128
38
Wag-A-Bond
124
126
43
A6M2-Zero
135
155
55
$18-24k
F-4U Corsair
135
155
55
$18-28k
F8F Bearcat
135
155
55
$17-26k

52
Price
RV-14
Viper Aircraft Corp.

www.viper-aircraft.com
WAR Aircraft Replicas

www.waraircraftreplicas.com
LSA
Legal
RV-8/8A
Vintage Ultra and Lightplane Assoc.
Wag-Aero Group
www.wagaero.com
Plans
$35-45k
$45-60k
$29-40k
World Aircraft Company Spirit
York Laser Z-200
Zenith Zodiac CH 650

WAR Aircraft Replicas
www.waraircraftreplicas.com
Warner Aerocraft, Inc.

www.warnerair.com
Weedhopper, Inc.
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Stall
Speed
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
Focke Wolf 190
135
155
55
$16-26k
Hawker Sea Fury
135
155
55
$16-26k
Hurricane
135
155
55
$17-26k
Messerschmidt BF-109
135
155
55
$18-24k
P-40 Warhawk*
135
155
55
P-47 Thunderbolt
135
145
55
$14-26k
$17-26k
P-51 Mustang
135
155
55
Revolution I/Spacewalker I*
120
140
38
Revolution II/Spacewalker II*
120
125
42
Sportster*
110
125
43
Weedhopper 40*
55
60
20
$45-55k
$9-11k
Weedhopper Standard*
50
55
25
$4-10k
Weedhopper Super*
60
65
25
$12k
Weedhopper Two Place*
55
65
28
$14k
PGK-1 Hirondelle*
145
157
55
WetTrike, Inc.
WetTrike*
45
60
26
Williams, Lynn
www.flitzerbiplane.com
Flitzer Z-21
93
105
42
Flitplane
63
70
28
Western Aircraft Supplies Ltd.
Wings of Freedom LLC

www.wingsoffreedomaviation.com
World Aircraft Company

www.worldaircraftco.com
World War I Aeroplanes
York Enterprises
www.yorkaircraft.com
Zenair Ltd.
www.zenair.com
Zenith Aircraft Co.

www.zenithair.com
$10-25k
$7-12k
Phoenix 103
63
75
28
$1-2k
Spirit
115
143
35
$55-65k
Spirit
110
125
35
$60-75k
105
125
27
$60-75k
Vision
Fokker D.VII*
117
S.E.5a*
136
Laser Z-200
165
180
64
$30-50k
Laser Z-2300
195
250
60
$30-50k
Ultimate Series*
170
220
60
CH 750 Cruzer
118
125
39
$20-55k
STOL CH 750
100
105
35
STOL CH 801-HD
105
110
39
Zodiac CH 640
150
157
47
Zodiac CH 650
138
138
44
CH 750 Cruzer
118
125
39
$21-50k
STOL CH 701
85
95
30
$30-50k
$38-65k
STOL CH 701 Amphib
74
90
32
STOL CH 750
100
105
35
STOL CH 801
105
110
39
$38-65k
$60-100k
$45-100k
$35-65k
$18-60k
$40-80k
Zodiac CH 601 HD
120
135
44
Zodiac CH 601 UL
120
135
44
Zodiac CH 650
138
138
44
$35-65k
Zodiac XL*
134
138
44
$29-60k

$8-46k
$8-45k
53
Air Command
Commander Elite EJ22 Tandem
Auto Gyro Cavalon
Aviomania G1SA- Genesis Solo
Rotorcraft
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
A-B Helicopters
A/W 95*
65
65
Aero-Works, Inc.
Microlight
60
Single Place-High
Performance
Two Place Tandem

Ultralight
Air Command International, Inc.
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Aircraft Designs, Inc.

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American Sportscopter, Intl. Inc.
Stall
Speed
LSA
Legal
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$18.5k
65
$25k
70
$34k
55
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Kit
Plans
Commander Elite 3202*
55
75
Commander Elite 447*
50
63
Commander Elite 503
55
75
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65
95
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Commander Elite 912

Tandem
75
110
$60-75k
Commander Elite EJ22

Tandem
75
110
$40-60k
Commander Elite Mazda*
70
120
Commander Elite S/S F-30*
65
84
Commander Elite
Single-Place EJ22
65
95
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Bumble Bee
40
65
$2.5-5k
Sportster
75
90
$6-25k
UltraSport 254*
63
63
$35k
UltraSport 331H*
65
104
$38k
UltraSport 496 RT*
69
104
UltraSport 496H Hornet*
70
104
$68k
Auto Gyro USA

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Calidus
100
120
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Cavalon
90
120
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MTO Sport
100
120
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Aviomania Aircraft
www.aviomania.com/
G1sa Genesis Solo
80
105
$19-27k
G2sa Genesis Duo
90
120
$35-50k
Barnett Rotorcraft
Barnett J4B*
97
120
Barnett J4B-2*
93
112
$19-38.5k
BRC540 Coupe*
110
138
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CH-7 Angel*
80
100
CH-7 Kompress*
100
129
Sycamore Mk1*
80
90
KC 518 Adventourer
155
CH-7 Helicopters Heli-Sport S.r.l.

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Chayair Manufacturing & Aviation
Composite Helicopter
International Ltd.
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54
$395k
FD Composites ArrowCopter AC-20
HoneyBee G2 Microlight
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Eagle R&D, LTD

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Helicycle
95
110
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Eagles Perch*
85
113
GEN H-4*
60
100
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90
121
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75
100
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60
90
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55
80
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60
90
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81
107
Engineering System Co., Ltd,

Aviation Division
FD Composites GmbH
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Groen Bros. American Autogyro
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Gyro-Kopp-Ters
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Helo Werks, Inc.

Hillberg Helicopters
Hinchman Aircraft Co.

HoneyBee G2, LLC
Im FlyN Mfg. LLC

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Innovator Technologies
JAG Helicopter Group, LLC

Joe Souza Gyroplanes
Ken Brock Mfg.

Little Wing Autogyros, Inc.
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Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
Price
$40-45k
$150k
$18.5-23k
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RotorMouse EH 1-01*
160
180
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145
185
Two Place EH1-02*
130
170
H-1 Racer*
65
85
HoneyBee G2 High
Performance Single
60
75
HoneyBee G2 Microlight
60
HoneyBee G2 Two-Place
Tandem
60
HoneyBee G2 Ultralight
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85
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55
63
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70
100
Mosquito Air
60
70
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Mosquito XE
70
85
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Mosquito XE3
80
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Mosquito XEL
65
75
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Mosquito XET
80
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JAG*
145
178
Bandit Two Place*
40
70
Bandit Ultralight*
55
63
Super Bandit*
65
85
KB-2 Gyroplane*
70
95
KB-3 Gyroplane*
60
63
LW 3+2*
75
100
LW-3
75
100
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LW-4
75
100
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LW-5
75
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Stall
Speed
Innovator Technologies Mosquito XE
55
Magni M-24 Side by Side
RotorWay A600 Talon
Sport Copter Vortex

KITPLANES, May 2014
Model
Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Magni USA, L.L.C.

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M-14*
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$76-79k
Kit
M-16
90
115
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M-18*
70
105
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M-22
95
115
M-24 Side by Side
90
105
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100
130
North American Rotorwerks

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Pitbull UL*
58
63
Pitbull II*
70
88
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70
85
PAM Group
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45
60
Raven RotorCraft Inc.

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Raven Lite*
60
65
Neico Aviation Inc.
Rotary Air Force SA Pty Ltd

(Rotary Air Force Marketing, Inc.)
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Plans
$92-94k
RAF 2000*
85
140
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Dominator
65
114
Dominator Tandem
70
95
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RotorWay International
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A600 Talon
95
120
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Exec 162F*
95
115
Safari Helicopters
(CHR International, Inc)
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Safari*
85
100
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Safari 400
85
100
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Showers Aero
Skytwister*
65
80
Lightning
50
65
Sportcopter II
100
120
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Super Sport*
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Star Bee Gyros

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(The Butterfly LLC)
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75
80
Vortex M912
95
110
Star Bee Light
55
65
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Aurora Butterfly
70
90
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Emperor Butterfly
55
63
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Golden Butterfly
70
95
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60
70
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Super Sky Cycle
70
90
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55
63
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70
95
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50
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56
$70-75k
The Butterfly Aircraft Monarch
Vertical Aviation Technologies
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Viking Aircraft, Inc.
Vortech, Inc.
www.prismz.com/helio
Zeus Helicopter Inc.
Vertical Aviation Hummingbird 260L
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Seats
Cruise
Speed
Max
Speed
Hummingbird 260L
100
120
Hummingbird 300LS
100
120
Viking*
33
33
A/W 95 Helicopter
60
75
G-1
50
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90
Kit
Plans
LSA
Legal
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$207-215k
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63
$17.5-18.5k
103
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Kestrel Jet Helicopter
55
63
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New Choppy Helicopter
65
80
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New Choppy Ultralight*
55
63
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Shadow Gyroplane
70
100
Skylark Helicopter
70
95
The Sparrow*
60
63
Zeus*
95
110

Stall
Speed
Vortech Hot Rod Helicopter
$28-33k
$34-36k
$9-11k
For a side-by-side comparison of models, visit www.kitplanes.com/aircraftdirectory. J
57
Installing a rotary engine in a Glasair III.

By Paul Janssens
Last month, I explained why I chose

a 300-hp Mistral engine to power my
Glasair III. We also looked at building the airframe, and I showed how I
modified the kit to accommodate the
Mistral. This month, well take a closer
look at the engine.
Mistral Engines (www.mistral-engines.
com) was started by a group of pilots in
Switzerland who recognized the need
for modern engines that were less polluting and used jet fuel or mogas. They
took a long hard look at all available
options and saw what Mazda had been
doing with the Wankel engine. The
group began testing a Mazda RX-7
engine and thought it had great potential. Over the last decade or so, they
58
have brought the engine from a good car

engine to a very capable aircraft engine.
Birth Pains
Mistral adapted the engine for aviation

use with a reduction planetary gearbox they designed, added redundant
systems, and then started testing. They
ended up making a lot of the engine
parts themselves, as some Mazda parts
were not considered sufficient for aviation standards. The exhaust system was
tuned to provide fuel efficiency and performance, but as the customer started
flying, it turned out to be very noisy.
Next they started working on getting the engine FAA certified. Thats
when the group ran out of funds and
the company was put to sleep to prevent everything from being lost. By this
time, I was installing the engine on my
aircraftand sweating things out.
In 2010 new investors were found and
work continued with a reduced staff.
The strategy turned to selling engines in
the Experimental market so that certification could be funded. Mistral is doing
well now, forging ahead. The 200-hp
engine now flies on a PA-28, Glasair II,
and GlaStar, and the 300-hp engine on a
Maule, RV-10, and Glasair III.
Easy Installation
My airframe was almost finished when

the engine was delivered. Talk about
Swiss qualityit was a beauty! Best of
all, it came plug and play. Just bolt on

the engine, install the ECUs (engine
control unit), firewall passage plugs,
engine management system, instrument panel switches, and then simply
plug in the wiring harness. It all went
together very quickly.
Electrical System
Mistral is very safety-minded, as redundancies in the engine system clearly

demonstrate. For example, the engine
turns two separate alternators, each
feeding its own battery. One alternator
and its battery form a separate power
system called a bus. The main bus feeds
all the aircraft systems, starter included,
and one of the two electric fuel pumps.
The engine bus feeds the second fuel
pump. The ECUs decide which of the
two buses is the best, and feed off it. One
bus can easily operate one fuel pump
and both ECUs. So, if one alternator
fails, you can still drain the battery on
that bus and continue flightunless
the other alternator also fails and the
second battery drains. Should that ever
happen, its not been your day.
I designed and installed the wiring
between the ECUs and the switches
in the instrument panel to meet my
personal preferences. Wiring was easy,
and gave me the chance to incorporate
some changes:
Depressing a switch starts the
engine. I didnt want this switch
to remain live as long as the master
switch is on, so I installed a starter
arm switch in series. This switch
also removes the ECUs from the
main bus, where the voltage dip
caused by the starter draws power
and could affect the ECUs.
Mistral wanted me to buy five
analog instruments to show rpm,
manifold pressure, oil temperature,
oil pressure, and coolant temperature, just in case the digital engine
display failed. This would have
been quite expensive, not to mention the real estate required on
the panel. When I learned that the
signal for these instruments was 0
to 5 volts, I bought a rotary 5-way
switch and a 0-to-5-volt voltmeter.
Photos: Paul Janssens
When viewed from the front, the large coolant radiator is on the left and the oil cooler is
on the right.
I then selected the information I

wanted to read, and during the testing of the engine, I simply removed
the voltmeters scale and replaced
it with a scale showing green arcs
drawn for each of the five parameters. If the main display failed, I
planned to land as soon as I found a
suitable airport, and all I needed to
know was that all was in the green.
It cost me $30.
Fuel System
Mistral offers an engine-driven fuel

pump at the back end of the engine,
but Im happy with my two electrical
pumps for a very good reason: Mogas
evaporates quicker than avgas, so
there is greater risk of vapor lock. My
pumps sit just outside the fuel tank
and put the whole fuel system under
72.5 psi (5 bar) of positive pressurea
great thing to have.
The fuel is filtered and injected into
the engine. This means that a return
line to the tank is required to allow the
excess fuel to return. The engine will
run on avgas, but prefers mogas because
it doesnt contain lead, which deposits
on the spark plugs. You can also mix
avgas with mogas in one tank if the need
arises. The ECUs will do all the work for
you, automatically adjusting the mixture for density altitude.

Cracked Sump
I did have a couple of teething problems; the most important one was a
crack in the aluminum-cast engine
sump that I found during taxi tests.
Mistral reacted in their usual fashion.
After getting details, they confirmed
they had a crack in the same area on
one of the sumps they tested. They
designed a reinforced sump, but never
got a repeat crack on the other sumps,
so none of the new models were made.
I was offered a temporary replacement
until the new sumps would be produced
to replace all present sumps. I decided
to wait, and got my new sump within
two monthsand a Mistral engineer
came and installed it for me.
Starting the Engine
Start-up is easy: ECUs on, one fuel pump

on, and it starts just like any engine.
You can shut the engine down by either
switching the ECUs off, or by stopping
the fuel pumps. I prefer the latter but
the engine stops immediately in both
cases. One electric pump is always on, so
the second one functions the same as the
normal boost pump in a conventional
system. However, the second pump
should be switched on below 1500 feet
agl or in case of suspected trouble.
You need to warm up the engine somewhat before you start drawing power, but
59
The oil cooler is mounted ahead of the exhaust collector.
that takes only a couple of minutes. The

runup test is like a Lycoming, but sounds
a lot different. As you switch one ECU
off, the engine will miss completely for
a fraction of a second. You then check
the rpm drop and switch the ECU back
on. The ECU will self-test and be on
line again after another hiccup from the
engine. Then you test the second ECU.
The whole process takes about a minute
but feels like a long time. At first, I got
some well-intended warnings over the
radio from people that heard the engine
missing during the run-up. I now brief
people before I leave an airfield where
Ive never been before.
Fiberglass cooling duct for the radiator.
Normal Operation
The engine has little inertia, and the

power is there before you know it
surprising the first time! I felt like that
needed to change before I first started
flying, but I must admit that it feels normal now. On the other end, the engine
idles at 600 propeller rpm, and that
helps reduce landing distance. At full
power, the engine turns at 6500 rpm,
and with the 1:2.9 reduction, the prop
will be at 2350 rpm max. In cruise youll
be at 2000 prop rpm. This keeps prop
noise very low.
There is a lean button. Below about
80% power, the pilot can push this button
and the ECUs will automatically lean the

engine. This saves a noticeable amount of
fuel. The lean feature will automatically
cancel if the ECUs detect a problem, or if
you set the power above 80%.
The water cooling is simply wonderful. No big temperature changes, even
after a long dive at idle power, but the
warning thresholds need to be revised.
On hot days, I get the amber warning
light about half a minute after takeoff, as
the heat wave hits the sensors. I climb at
140 knots to increase cooling, and three
minutes later, the warning disappears.
But that first warning comes at 207 F
(97 C), with redline at 216 F (102 C).
When I first saw that amber warning
right after takeoff, it was not a happy
feeling. The engineers at Mistral studied the data and concluded that there
was no danger because the redline was
set at a conservative value. Here again,
you see that the people who developed
the engine had car-engine backgrounds.
In a car, a flashing LED is considered
fancyin an airplane, it simply isnt
good for the heart. Mistral recognizes
that they need input from pilots to
improve integration of the systems, and
they are getting close to making a very
good system.
Minor Display Problems
The oil cooler is mounted on the left side, ahead of the engine, and the coolant radiator is
on the right side.
60
The color LCD engine display needs

some minor work. There is some data
presented that interests me, being a sort
of test pilot, but for normal pilots, it just
clutters up the display. I fly the engine
A large custom-made radiator was required to put as much cooling

surface under the cowling as possible.
on the percent-power scale because rpm

and manifold pressure are not presented
on the same screen.
Mistral has determined thresholds
for activating warnings that work fine in
cars, but give spurious warnings in flight
and can cause interference with the aircraft electrical system. For example, I
am still flying with an alert that warns
Getting ready to fly with the ugly first-edition exhaust. Mistral is

working on a better system for noise reduction.
me of high currents on both buses, and

on every flight at some point, the system
will say maintenance required. That
is just about the worst message you can
get in flight, but its caused by a voltage
spike that occurs when operating the
gear. Its just a question of resetting the
threshold and delay values, and thatll
be quickly done.
Also, the warnings are not pilot proof

yet. What if a student pilot sees a red
Pwtr high? If he read the manual,
hell know it means that the water pressure is highbut unless hes an engine
mechanic, he wont know if its pay
close attention or do something now
time. Again, this is a small software
change and will be solved.
61
reduction gearbox every 200 hours so

they can keep an eye on how the parts
are doing. I dont mind, as its good to
know people are looking out for my
safety. Removing and installing the
gearbox takes about an hour. Mistral
and I have agreed to additional restrictions, but its all for a good cause.
So, with a fuel burn of 13.5 gallons
(51 liters) of mogas per hour, and a bit of
oil, this engine is very cost efficient compared to most aircraft engines that produce a similar amount of power. Its also
a lot less polluting with no fuel injected
just to cool the cylinders.
Transporting the Mistral-powered Glasair III to the airport.
One big advantage is that you can

download the data from the ECUs and
Mistral can tell you how your engine is
doing. Very reassuring.
Oil and Spark Plugs
You have to keep the oil level up in this

enginethis is the most important
thing to remember with a Wankel. The
engine will inject a measured 0.2 quarts
of oil into the combustion chambers
every hour to lubricate the seals. With
the 9-quart sump, you burn off the oil in
about 50 hours, so you keep adding oil
and it stays remarkably clear. The reason
is because, unlike a piston engine, the oil
62
in a rotary engines sump doesnt come

into contact with the combustion chamber. In a piston engine, its this contact
that makes the oil go dark.
Mistral suggests an oil change every
100 hours, and its a must if you fly on
avgas. Spark plugs are changed after 100
hours on mogas and 50 hours on avgas
due to lead deposits that form on the
spark plug insulators. Fortunately, the
plugs are normal, inexpensive car plugs.
Apart from adding oil and checking
the coolant level, this engine is usually
very low maintenancebut not in my
case. Because Im one of the pioneers,
Mistral requires that I send in the
No Negative Gs
Mistral engines are wet sump types; the

oil gathers at the bottom of the engine.
Practically, it means that at zero G, or at
negative Gs, the oil pump will suck air
bubbles, and the engine will be ruined
in seconds. My engine has a G limit of
0 to +4. I have pulled up to 4 G during
loops, and theres no problem. Mistral
already has plans to modify the oil system so it can accommodate negative G.
Then Theres the Noise
The Mistral sounds like a Formula 1 car

at full revs flying overhead. Some say it
sounds great, but the noise carries far,
and I didnt build this airplane to give
people a bad feeling about aviationor
bad reputations to airfields.
The Wankel produces one exhaust

stroke per engine rotation in each
rotor, and the gasses are supersonic
as they leave the combustion chamber. This creates a higher heat load as
the gasses leave the engine at about
302 F (150 C) warmer than from a
piston engine. Besides the heat load,
shockwaves put additional stress on
the exhaust system metal. Stainless
steel will not support this sort of treatment for a long time, so a better metal
is used. Remember Inconel, the metal
that was used to build the X-15?
Mistral is acutely aware of the noise
problem and knows that if they want to
sell engines in Europe, it must be fixed.
In order to qualify for a noise certificate
(required in most of Europe), they need
to reduce the decibels a little and change
the frequency a lot. Until now, Mistral
had other priorities, but noise is now
being aggressively addressed.
Usually this is accompanied by a sad

facial expression, either spontaneous
or with that air of I know. Youll see
these peoples minds racingshould
they tell me this is a bad idea, or is
discretion better?
Now, I cant take everyone up flying, so
I generally select the most vocal person in
a group of critics, and I know theyll be a
convert after we land. Once youve experienced it, the power and smoothness of
this engine will convince you and give
you a great feeling of safety. I admit I was
a bit apprehensive before every flight at

first, but as soon as the engine was turning, all of that disappeared. Now, with
one year under our wings, I look forward
to flying my Glasair, and a lot of that has
to do with the engine.
I admit to being biased because Im
flying with a Mistral. And I was very
critical before I started researching this
engine. But I can honestly say, its what
I have learned and experienced that has
made me so happy with the Mistral.
These engines have a great future! J
A Wankel? Really?
The biggest disadvantage of this

engine, and its a significant one, is
the look I get confronted with every
day when I move the aircraft out of
the hangar. People will come up and
ask questionsand I wait for ithere
it comes! Ooh, its a Wankel engine!
Paul Janssens
Paul Janssens was born in

Belgium in 1964 and made
his first solo flight in a glider
at age 15. He has since accumulated over 7800 hours in
45 types of gliders and has
won the Belgian Gliding
Championship and World
Mountain Gliding Championship several times. He
specializes in flying long distance in the Alps, and trains
and instructs competitive,
long-distance glider pilots.
He flew in the Belgian Air
Force for two years, flew private jets for seven years, and
freight for 15 years. He has
5500 hours of powered flight
time in 34 types. A designer
of model aircraft, his web site
is www.pjmodelclassics.be.
63
The FAA will soon allow

an additional pilot during
Phase 1 testing.
By Paul DYE
It has long been a tenet of flight testing that you never risk more
lives in a test program than necessary. This has been true in both
the professional civilian and military worlds for a long time, and it
is codified in the Experimental/Amateur-Built world via our operations limitations. Section 10 states that During the flight-testing
phase, no person may be carried in this aircraft during flight unless
that person is essential to the purpose of the flight.
Up until recently, the FAA interpretation of essential personnel has meant that, for single-engine Experimentals, only one
person can be onboard. It has been argued by many that an additional person is useful to take data, look for traffic, and operate
systemsbut that is not the interpreatation that counts. The FAA
has maintained that if the pilot cant do those things in a simple
aircraft, then they arent truly qualified to be the one doing the
flying. Basic risk management says that the fewer warm bodies you
put in harms way, the better. This has been true since the E/A-B
world was createduntil now. With the issuance of a new advisory
circular, the FAA is going to start allowing the option of having an
additional pilot in the cockpit of two-seat (or more) Experimental
aircraft during Phase 1 testing. By so doing, the FAA believes that
they can reduce fatal accidents during the critical early hours of a
new Experimental aircrafts operating life.
How did we get here? It all started with a letter from the NTSB to
the FAA issued back in 2012 giving the agency specific suggestions
The single seat, one-off KK-1 couldnt accommodate a second pilot

you had to fly it solo the first time.
64
This figure from AC 90-APP is a stark reminder that most accidents in Phase 1 flight testing
occur in the first few hours of testingand 18% happen on the first flight.
of ways to reduce the accident rate in

Experimental aviation. When compared
to the certified GA world, Experimental
aviation looked particularly bad, and the
NTSB had studied the accident reports
and records to provide a top ten list of
improvements it would like to seeand
that the FAA could implement. While
not binding on the FAA, the FAA nevertheless was obliged to look at the areas
suggested by the NTSB report and either
implement the suggestions or provide
rationale for why they were not going to
do so. Statistically, the two greatest causes
of Phase 1 accidents were fuel system
problems (leading to engine failures) and
loss of control accidentsand the two are
not mutually exclusive.
The argument for two in the cockpit
goes like this: A builder has finished
their new airplane, but they are not current, not experienced in type, or not
experienced with flight testing to feel
comfortable doing the first flight on
their own. Rather than simply relinquishing the airplane to a qualified
friend or other pilot, they stubbornly
maintain that they are going to be in the
cockpit for the first flight of the plane
they builtand since the rules say they
have to do it alonethey do. That lack of
experience or currency (or both) comes
to bite them when the engine stumbles,
or the airplane is more than they were
expecting, and the subsequent loss of
control or untoward arrival to earth ends
badly. Now, it is argued, if they had a
qualified safety pilot in the cockpit with
them, then when the engine stumbles,

they have someone to take over and save
the day. That makes sense right up to
the point when you ask, So what is the
inexperienced pilot doing there in the
cockpit anyway? And an unemotional
risk analysis will support that point of
viewthere is no reason.
But human beings are far from
unemotional, and often far from logical. Imagine that you are a flight advisor
who has been asked to help a person plan
their first flight. The builder/pilot maintains that the airplane will not fly without them in the cockpitand they want
an experienced pilot to come along. You
advise them of the facts, but they maintain that if they dont have a qualified
pilot to ride along, theyre going to do it
solo. Now that is a dilemma if your goal
(as an FA) is to try to keep things as safe
as possibleand save lives.
So what if it was legal to have a qualified pilot aboard? Is this really a good
idea? The truth is that if there are, say,
ten fatal accidents a year on first flights
(it is more or less the case, statistics
being what they are), half of those are
engine failures, half are loss of control.
If an inexperienced pilot is alone in the
airplane, lets assume that all are fatal.
But if there is an experienced pilot
onboard, a percentage may not be
because the experienced pilot performs
a successful forced landing, and knows
how the airplane handles and stalls. You
will probably cut the number of fatal
accidents more than in half. Surein
Figures: Courtesy of FAA. Photos: KITPLANES Archives and NASA
65
some remaining percentage of cases, you

still have a fatal accidentand now you
kill two people instead of one. The question is, by putting the experienced pilot
in the cockpit, do you cut the overall
number of fatalities to a lower number
than before? The FAA has numbers and
accident statistics that show that they
believe that you will. By allowing the
extra person, they acknowledge that you
will still kill some peoplebut it is a
lower number than if you forced all the
flights to be solo.
This is a hard reality for experienced
risk managers to swallowthis author
included. Having been in the test business
for over forty years, I always try and cut
down the exposure to the fewest number
of souls. But in those cases, I am always
dealing with qualified individuals who
are going to follow the rules because that
is their job. The Experimental/AmateurBuilt world is different, and we have to
recognize that. We do not have the force
of employment rules to keep pilots on the
straight and narrowall we really have
is peer pressure. The process allowed by
the FAAs new advisory circular is not
Test plans are divided into Initial Tests, which require a very qualified additional pilot
(or a solo flight), and tests which will fill out the Phase 1 program and require less of the
additional pilot.
as simple as just finding a pilot to sit in

the other seatthere is a lot that goes
into determining who is qualified. But
that is simply an indication of just how
seriously the FAA takes the risk management processif there are going to
be two people in the cockpit, then they
Are Two Better Than One?
Dealing with problems during a test flight requires experience and

quick thinkingquick enough to determine that, oftentimes, no
response is necessary. Especially in todays world of computer monitoring, alarms are often false, and if the airplane is flying just fine, the best
thing to do is, as the old saying goes, to wind your watch. Another old
adage of fly the plane trumps alland if it is flying just fine, taking
quick action on a false alarm can frequently lead to a bad end.
Well-meaning but inexperienced builders have been taking their
new airplanes aloft solo for as long as the Experimental category has
been around. Most do just fine, but many, unfortunately, are no longer
with us. The question everyone has been asking for years is, Would
a more experienced hand in the cockpit make a difference? The
answer is debatable because no one has any data with two pilots in the
cockpitbecause up until now, that option has been against the rules.
We know of no simulator studies that have been done on the topic (an
interesting project for a graduate student in aviation science, if anyone
is reading), so we are left with speculation.
What can go wrong with an experienced pilot in the cockpit? the
advocates of two-up ask. Well, we have to recognize that the owner/
builder has a lot invested in his masterpiece, and if the engine fails on
takeoff, his inclination is to save the machine. The non-owner qualified
pilot is going to be intent on saving their bacon (he may not care about
the owner, but certainly his own skin is in the game, and hed like to
keep that intactand the owner is along for the ride). We need to
66
want the additional body to be valuable

to decreasing the overall risk.
First things First
There is no getting around your operating limitationsthey are part of your

airworthiness certificate, and they have
hope that a very thorough preflight briefing has been conducted, and
the rule of the qualified pilot is the final authority! has to be understood. Otherwise, why are they there? But fights over control are not
unknown, even between students and instructors, so the risk is always
going to be there.
It doesnt take a knife fight in the cockpit to cause a crasha simple
confusing condition can start the ball rolling. The engine does something funny, the qualified pilot wants to react, but the owner/builder
says, Oh, thats normal for this engine because. And they get into
a discussion that distracts both from whats going on. Distraction is
always badand it is harder for one person to distract themselves.
Two can, however, be better than one if proper discipline is followed,
an understanding of who is truly pilot in command is agreed upon
before flight, and the two pilots trust each other to carry through on
this agreement. (Swapping controls in the middle of an emergency
is a bad idea by the wayit is better to have the experienced pilot
flying during phases where failures could have a critical consequence.)
Properly briefed and trained, a two-person cockpit can be a healthy
environment during emergenciesand this is what the FAA is hoping
for with the issuance of this AC.
Only time will tell if this new program reduces casualties. Well be
watching along with everyone else, encouraging good risk management and looking for good results.
P.D.
the force of law. And every set of ops

lims written to this point (that meet
the guidelines of FAA headquarters)
state that only essential personnel may
be aboard during Phase 1. That means a
single person for all reasonable modern
homebuilts. So the first thing that has to
change in order for the dual-pilot option
to be in play isthe ops lims. A provision of the approval of the new process
will be that DARs and FAA inspectors
will issue an operating limitation that
allows a second person on board, so
long as they meet the requirements of
the advisory circular as a qualified pilot.
Sorryif you have a set of ops lims
issued before the approval of the AC,
youll have to get them modified to be
strictly legaland the AC specifies how
to do this.
Program Eligibility
There are some general rules that must

be satisfied in order for a builder to
consider the second pilot option. The
builder/pilot must own all or some
portion of the aircraft and hold a valid
pilot license appropriate to the aircraft.
They must have a current flight review,
and meet the recent flight experience
requirements in order to carry passengers. And they need to list the name of
the additional pilot in their own logbook for each flight in which the additional pilot is carried. Aside from the
ownership requirements, these are easily
met to be legal for flying the airplane
anyway, and add no further burden.
Aircraft Eligibility
As important as having the proper operating limitations is having the right aircraft. Not all Experimentals will qualify
to be eligible for the new program of
dual pilots during Phase 1. There are
three requirements listed in the AC
and all must be met. First, this must
be an Experimental/Amateur-Built or
Experimental Light Sport Aircraft. Second, it must be from a kitno plansbuilt
aircraft are allowed (this is to assure a
certain level of conformity to a standard
design). Third, the aircraft must have
fully-functioning dual flight and power
67
builders. The bottom line is that if you are

doing something radically different than
what has been done before, the airplane
has a significantly higher risk and therefore should be flown solo.
In addition to having an eligible
engine, the powerplant must be tested
according to a long-standing flight-testing advisory circularAC 90-89. The
testing must be documented and signed
off in the aircraft logbook in order to
qualify for the Additional Pilot Program (this can be done by the builder).
Tests required include:
Mixture and idle speed check
Magneto check
Cold cylinder check
Carburetor check
Fuel flow check
Unusable fuel check
Compression check
While this might, at first, seem to be a
long list, most of these items are done by
a conscientious builder before the first
flight todayregardless of how many
souls will be onboard. Such tests are a
great way to get to know the airplane,
provide numbers on fuel flow and tank
calibration for a POH, and familiarize the pilot with engine starting procedures, operating characteristics, and
normal instrument readings.
Test Plans
To qualify as an additional pilot during initial flight testing, these recency-of-experience
criteria must be met.
controlsno stick-only backseat aircraft

need apply.
The purpose behind all three of these
rules is to ensure that the aircraft is a
well-known standard type that has
known flying characteristics. We all
know that just because it is a kit, and just
because it has flown before, that doesnt
ensure that it flies wellbut at least the
pitfalls of the design should be known.
If an aircraft is built from a kit, but has
significant modifications, it might not
be a good candidate for the program.
While the AC doesnt specifically
address airframe modifications, the
most common mod that builders make
is to install a different powerplant, and
68
because powerplant failures account for

one-third of all E/A-B accidents, the AC
goes on to have specific requirements for
the powerplant as well.
Powerplant Eligibility
In order to qualify for the Additional

Pilot Program, the aircraft must be
equipped with an engine recommended,
supported, or provided by the kit manufacturer. Accessory modifications (such
as after-market fuel injection and electronic ignitions) are allowed. Unless the
manufacturer directly recommends auto
conversions, they are not allowed. Turbine engine aircraft are excluded from the
program, but this wont affect too many
The FAA recognizes that there is a difference between initial testing of an aircraft
for stability and control, and subsequent
performance testing and opening up of
the envelope. In order to mold this into a
Phase 1 program, they have tables in the
advisory circular that show typical testing
required for initial testing and follow-on
testsand they use these tables to define
the skill-set for the additional pilot based
on where the aircraft is in Phase 1. Simply put, an additional pilot needs to have
a higher level of qualifications for initial
flight than for subsequent flights where
the aircraft has begun to prove itself. To
operate as the additional pilot during the
early phases of the test program, a pilot
must meet a set of criteria delineated in
the AC, and the additional pilot must
continue to meet these criteria until the
aircraft (and the builder/pilot) has met
Even the ViperJetcomplex by anyones definitionrequires only one pilot to fly. Interestingly enough, it would not qualify for the dual-pilot program because it has a turbine engine.
the initial testing requirements. These

requirements include eight total hours
of flight time and specific tests such as
ground runs, taxi tests, first flight, pitot/
static checks, wings-level stalls, and
approaches to accelerated stalls.
Once these initial tests are complete,
logbook entries must be made attesting
to these results, and the requirements for
the additional pilot drop significantly.
What this really does in a practical
way is to allow a highly qualified pilot
to be present in the cockpit during the
initial, more risky phase of Phase 1,
and once that period has passed, Phase
1 will begin to allow such activities as

pilot transition training by CFIs or
other pilots experienced in the aircraft.
It also allows a less-experienced additional pilot to go along to take notes
and gather data if the builder/pilot feels
that is necessary. This helps to satisfy
the demand by those who want to get
trained in the aircraft they built without having to wait for Phase 2 to do so.
Pilot Qualifications
You dont have to have the last name

of Yeager, Crossfield, or Rutan to meet
the standards of a qualified pilot for
the initial flight phasesbut the process delineated in the advisory circular
will take a close look at a pilots recent
experience, experience in type, and overall flight test experience before blessing
them to occupy that second seat on a
first (or subsequent) test flight. You dont
have to be the greatest pilot the world has
ever seenbut experience in the realm
of flight testing is going to be required to
meet the initial level of the bar.
Rather than defining a single set of
mandatory requirements to determine
a pilots eligibility to act as a qualified
pilot, the AC provides two scoring matricesone to determine a pilots recent
experience, and one to look at their overall accumulated experience to determine
if they can achieve enough points to
qualify. For instance, in the recent experience category, they get points for takeoffs and landings in the previous 90 days,
time in type, and total hours of flight
time. For each of these categories, there
are absolute minimumsnot meeting
them kicks the pilot out of the matrix,
69
and out of the program. Not having at least ten takeoffs and
landings in the previous 90 days, having no time in type, or
having less than 500 hours will disqualify a pilotamong
other things.
If a pilot scores high enough on the recent experience
matrix, they move on to the experience matrixa measure
of their overall experience in the type of aircraft and test
flying in general. Points are given for time in the same category and class, the same type of aircraft, and time in the
same model. On the flight test side, points are earned for
previous Phase 1 experience, for time in the same configuration of vehicle (canard or high performance), for firstflight experience, and for the level of pilot certificate held.
Graduates of a qualified test pilot school are given a very
large number of bonus pointsas youd expectbut test
pilot school is certainly not required to qualify.
A passing score on both the recent experience and overall
experience matrices allows a pilot to act as the additional
pilotbut does not require them to do so. That should be
remembered. It is still a personal and professional choice to
act as an additional pilot, and builders need to recognize
that many pilots may decline based on risk minimization
analyses. This is, after all, a voluntary program for both the
builder/pilot and the additional pilots.
Whos Watching?
Experience counts for an additional pilot, and this matrix will help to
determine if they have what it takes.
70
So how is all of this supposed to be enforced? Is the FAA

going to check logbooks and score sheets before every flight?
Will there be surprise inspections at dawn on first-flight
days? We havent seen a plan for this part of the program,
but judging by how the FAA checks medicals, I would suggest that this process will be enforced by peer pressure and
the honor system. Lets be honestwe all know of people
that are doing Phase 1 with more than one person, despite
what their op lims say. We also all probably suspect that
old Fred down in the end hangar hasnt seen a doctor since
before the days of computerized medical forms. Virtually
all of general and Experimental aviation is enforced by the
honor systemthe occasional ramp check notwithstanding. Compliance is assumed until an incident or accident
takes place. And, unfortunately, E/A-B airplanes in Phase 1
have way more than their share of incidentsso the odds of
being found out in the case of a problem is probably greater
than if the average GA pilot flies the wrong altitude while
VFR on an airway.
We expect that there will be many builders who are overjoyed at the prospect of being able to find a qualified pilot to
accompany them on their first flight. We expect that there
will be a great many qualified pilots who will not do so. We
expect that there will be pilots who qualify under the program who will be happy to oblige, or who agree to go along
because they are afraid of what will happen to a rookie if they
dont. My expectation is that many of those who are best
qualified will look at all aspects of risk for a particular airplane, pilot, and situation, and use their best judgment to fly,
not fly, or simply intensify their counseling of the pilot one way or another.
Many will read the title of the new
advisory circular, see that their ops lims
allow two people, and grab old Fred
down at the end of the row to go along
and keep them safe on their first
flightbut that is not the intent of the
authors of the new advisory circular. The
FAA authors understand that they wont
eliminate all of the risks of Phase 1, and
that pilots die the way it is now. Under
this new program, some will still die, but
they believe that the statistics will show
that fewer overall will come to a bad end.
And in the ruthless world of risk management, a reduction is always a win.
Late Update!
As we were going to press, Kitplanes

was informed that the new Advisory Circular (AC90-116) has been approved and
was released on 23 September 2014. The
necessary paperwork to modify Aircraft
Operating Limitations is still in review,
but is expected soon.
How the Pros Do It
So when professional test pilots plan a first flight or early flight-test program, do they take
another pilot along? The answer (in almost every case I can cite) is nonot in aircraft that
require only one pilot to fly. Professional organizations use risk management matrices to
minimize the exposure to both loss of the aircraft and loss of lifeand the results almost
never come out positive to adding a person to the cockpit. There are some exceptions,
particularly highly complex aircraft that require multiple crew positions to operate, but
most homebuilders are not assembling F-14s.
A casual survey of experienced test pilots by this author showed a great reluctance to
encourage two pilots in the cockpitalthough some admitted that if they felt a person
was just going to go off and cause an accident, and they couldnt dissuade them from doing
so, they might feel obliged to go along to save a life. Some, given this argument, pointed
out that if a rational argument on minimizing risk couldnt persuade the builder to allow
someone else to do the first flight, then how could they be relied upon to act rationally in
the cockpit if something went wrong? Most experienced pilots were not interested in getting into an argument while an airplane emergency was in progress.
In professional organizations, egos and the emotional arguments of being attached to a
project are generally subjugated for the common good of minimizing potential risk to life
and property. In the Experimental world, we are remarkably free of FAA regulations that
prohibit us to harm ourselves. Professional organizations have a lot more money and
a reputation at stakeand they usually come down on the conservative side.
In my years at NASA, I saw many risk analyses done countless times, and no matter how
cool something sounded, the low-key, low-risk path was always the final choice. We
always felt it was better to have the people and the airplane available a second time to
repeat a test flight than it was to lose it on the first. J
P.D.
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71
Buying a
Used Homebuilt
For someone considering aircraft ownership,
used Experimentals deserve serious consideration.
By Brent Owens
There are many reasons why you

might want to buy a used homebuilt
instead of building. Those who have built
their own airplanes know the satisfaction
of spawning a flying machine with their
own two hands. But the reality is, some
folks are either not in a position to build,
or they simply arent interested.
That doesnt mean you have to be a
builder to enjoy the benefits of Experimental aviation. There are plenty of used
amateur-built aircraft for sale, and many
are an excellent value. Nevertheless, buying a pre-owned homebuilt can seem like
a daunting task. I will attempt to dispel
the myths and provide helpful advice so

you can understand whats involved.
For this article, Ill assume you are
interested in purchasing a flying aircraft, not a project to be restored or completed. Ill also assume you have decided
on your budget and mission.
Why Not Buy a Used

Production Aircraft?
One reason is the sheer variety of

homebuilt aircraft available. Many
designs are significantly different from
anything that exists in the production
world. This point alone draws a large
crowd to Experimentals that might otherwise opt to buy something built in

Wichita. Another consideration is some
homebuilt aircraft are no longer available
in kit or plans form, but are for sale on
the open market as flyable airplanes.
One universal difference between
factory-built and Experimental aircraft
is the cost. Because an Experimental
is amateur-built, it doesnt carry the
burden of liability insurance, factory
overhead, and certification costs. Also,
depending on the popularity of the
model, most homebuilts are valued near
the cost to build, with no consideration
This is a fine example of a used homebuilt. It is a 2008

Starduster Too for $37,000. This machine appears to be
well built and is in excellent condition. It has tons of ramp
appeal and probably flies as good as it looks.
72
for the labor involved. This represents a

tremendous value for the buyer.
There are also some regulatory differences between factory-built and
homebuilt aircraft. These regulations
vary from country to country, and
should be well understood before getting too far into the buying process.
In the U.S. there are no restrictions
on buying a used homebuilt, as long as
it is maintained and operated in accordance with the regulations governing
Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft.
The current U.S. regulations even allow
non-builders to do their own maintenance, as long as the annual condition
inspection is conducted by a licensed
A&P; this is another big advantage over
factory aircraft.
In many cases, modern homebuilts
offer safety features that simply arent
available in a comparably priced used
factory aircraft. Some examples include
modern EFIS displays that provide
incredible situational awareness, better
ergonomics, and human-factors considerations in the cockpit design, and
advanced engine monitoring and warning capabilities. All are very common in
todays Experimentals. However, in the
production world, only the newest models have these features unless an older
aircraft has been retrofitted at great
expense. In both cases, most of these are
out of reach for the average buyer.
Doing Your Homework
Since you already have a budget and

have set a goal for what you intend to do
with your new machine, the next step
is research. This is vitally important.
You need to know whats out there that
meets your needs.
One way is to spend some time on the
Internet learning about various makes
and models. A good place to start is
the KITPLANES online Buyers
Guide. At the end of the specifications
for many aircraft are links to related
articles. The KITPLANES archive
contains hundreds of pilot reports and
builder articles about a wide range of
homebuilts, so theres a good chance
youll find what you need. Access to all
information is free for subscribers and
Photos: Gary Gylten
The devil is in the details when it comes to homebuilts. You can see this builder took
great pains to even match his labeling with the color scheme. The layout of the cockpit
is nice and clean, and works well for the mission.
newsstand customers who purchased

this issue (See page 28 for details).
Other publications are also a good
source of relevant information. And
youll gain valuable insight by surfing the
Experimental sections of the Internet
classifieds. When you see something that
looks interesting, click to investigate it
further and see if it suits your needs. For
modern buyers, the Internet is definitely
your friend.
Its important not to fall in love with
an aircraft that is plagued with issues
or doesnt meet your objectives. Spending more time here will pay off in the
long run, plus why wouldnt you want
to fully educate yourself on your future
pride-and-joy?
As part of the learning process, youll
want to determine if this aircraft is
something you have the capability of
maintaining. Many Experimentals are
straightforward and employ factory construction techniques and systems, but
some can be very unorthodox. This can
be a huge hindrance for finding a qualified and willing mechanic. You dont
want to buy a complicated machine and
later be forced to sell it because you cant
maintain it. If you work as an engine
builder for a NASCAR team for your
day-job, that V-8 powered Mustang replica might not be an issue. For the rest of
us, shop accordingly.

As far as the aircraft itself, youll

want to know if it is still supported
by the kit manufacturer. Can you still
obtain parts? Are they costly? Can they
be easily fabricated? These are important details to flush out that will not
only affect maintainability, but resale
as well. An aircraft constructed from
unobtainium might be cause to reevaluate. Thats not to say you shouldnt buy
an out-of-production homebuilt. In
fact, plansbuilt airplanesthe genesis
for this industryhave never enjoyed
support. In the end, its all about being
Lessons Learned
My eagernessand a reasonable
pricegot the best of me when I purchased a used plansbuilt aircraft sightunseen in my early 20s. A friend, who
is a highly experienced pilot, but not
adept at mechanical matters, brought
it home 1000 miles from Florida. Once
it was safely in the hangar, we found
all sorts of issues, some of which were
structural and needed immediate
attention. While repairs were not costly
and easily within my flight instructor
budget, it could have been disastrous.
In the final analysis I ended up working
on this airplane more than I flew it
lesson learned indeed.
B.O.
73
informed and making the appropriate

decision for your situation.
Lets Go Shopping
Once you have a short list of aircraft

models that will fit the bill, youll want
to do some serious shopping. Again,
print and online classified ads are very
helpful. You might get lucky and find
your dream machine on a bulletin
board at the local FBO, but even then,
use classifieds to compare it with whats
available on the open market. It might
take some time, but this will let you
determine two important elements:
how big is the market, and what are the
price ranges. Since you have done your
Say What?
Here is a list of acronyms youre likely to

see in a classified ad:
Total Time: TT
Total Time Airframe: TTA
Total Time Engine: TTE
Total Time Since New: TTSN
Time Since Major Overhaul: TSMOH or
SMOH
Time Since Top Overhaul (if applicable): STOH
Time Since Factory Remanufactured
Engine: SFRM
Time Since Propeller Overhaul: SPOH
No Damage History: NDH
Here are important questions to ask the
seller:
Any liens?
All aircraft logbooks complete and
available?
Builder records (build logs, receipts,
photos)?
Current annual condition inspection
and due date?
General condition?
Who was the builder (if the seller
didnt build it)?
Any known defects?
Any open squawks?
Any extras (spare parts, ground
equipment, portable electronics, etc.)?
Any specific questions about make
and model.
Are additional photos available of
anything you need to see.
B.O.
74
homework, those classifieds should also

provide relevant information about
that model to improve your decisionmaking process.
If there is an aircraft based locally that
is on your list, you could approach the
owner about selling it. Many have purchased their aircraft this way. You save
a lot of money and hassles when buying
close to home.
At this point you need to take your
research and build a questionnaire or
checklist, so you can ask the right questions when you contact sellers. If there
are certain items you must have, or pitfalls that you want to stay away from,
asking those questions first saves everyone a lot of time.
If possible, talking to the original
builder can be very insightful. You can
pick their brain about details that might
not otherwise be available.
If the market is large enough, it is
helpful to have a list of two or three
final candidates that you can prioritize
and go visit (with the intent to buy).
Recognizing that you may be traveling
long distances to view these birds, you
need to plan carefully; the expenses can
add up quick.
Often you can get a good feel for
how well an aircraft is constructed and
maintained at first glance, but youll still

want to crawl around and take a very
close look at everything. Even if you dont
feel like you know what you are looking
at, common sense can be a powerful
judge. However, this should not replace
a pre-purchase inspection. A thorough
pre-purchase inspection is an important
part of any aircraft transaction.
Hire an A&P or Inspect It Youself?
If you are qualified to do the pre-purchase inspection, its easy enough to do

it yourself. Otherwise you will need to
rely on a third party (not the seller). You
can use an A&P mechanic, a nearby
EAA Technical Counselor, or another
builder. If the person inspecting the
aircraft has experience with the model,
its helpful. But sometimes thats just
not possible. The key thing is to make
sure the airplane is safe. That means it
must be built and maintained to aircraft standards. These findings will
determine if the aircraft is something
you need to walk away from or not.
Small issues that can easily be corrected
shouldnt be a problem. In many cases,
you might be able to make the go/no-go
determination yourselfbut only you
can judge your qualification to make
that decision.
Getting a good look under the cowl is key when buying any aircraft, but maybe more so
with an Experimental. As is often the case, youll find that these machines are built with
a lot of TLC. The good news is, it is easy to detect sloppiness. In this example you can
see there was careful consideration firewall-forward.
Even with a third party inspection,

youll want to pour over the aircraft
yourself. Beyond the airworthiness
determination, you need to be generally
satisfied with your potential purchase.
The same goes for the logbooks and all
the records.
The Paper Jungle
You (or your inspector) need to make

sure that all the documents are in order
and there are no concerns. Each Experimental aircraft is issued a unique set of
operating limitations by the FAA. Make
sure there is nothing in there that would
be onerous for you or the next buyer. The
paperwork review is an important step
for many reasons:
1. Youll be using an A&P to sign off
future annual condition inspections.
If they see something that makes
them uncomfortable, you may be in
for problems. You wouldnt be the
first person to have to redo a 10-yearold repair or modification.
2. If you plan to resell the aircraft, the
next buyer will be combing through
the records as well. You dont want to
lose a deal or take a hit on the value
due to inherited paperwork, or lack
thereof. If it is possible to get copies of
the records before traveling to the airplane, you shouldits that important.
Demo Flights
If possible, you should fly the aircraft

before making the purchase. If the
airplane has a single seat, youll have
to work out the best way to do this, or
maybe forego this step. For multi-place
aircraft, the seller should be able to take
you up and at least demonstrate that
everything is in working condition.
This is your chance to see the airplane in
action and get your initial impressions
about how it flies.
If you are not qualified to fly
the aircraft and the seller is not an
instructor or highly skilled in the aircraft, use caution! Do not use a demonstration flight as your checkout.
Leave that for subsequent flights with
someone qualified.
One of the telling accident statistics
for Experimentals is first flightsbut
its not just the first test flight that is a

problem. Many folks attempt to teach
themselves to fly their new aircraft
with disastrous results. Seek out an
instructor or someone with experience
in the aircraft. A local builder or EAA
flight advisor can help. Some models
have transition courses available that
can really lower the exposure involved.
This is one area that you need to put
your ego aside and carefully consider
the risks.
Dont Forget Insurance
This is an important consideration. More

than one excited buyer has found that
the combination of the aircraft and their
pilot experience made them uninsurable, or the insurance was so expensive
it was cost prohibitive. Its worth mentioning that insurers are wildly different, so exhaust all your resources before
you give up. However, if insurance
is a challenge, it might be a hint that you
are running into an area of risk. Insurance
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75
Noting details like the condition of these intake couplings (not weathered or oil soaked)
and the overall cleanliness of the engine room can tell you a lot about an aircraft.
isnt required, but at least some insurance

to protect you from personal liability is
highly recommended.
Completing the Sale
Bringing it Home
Once everything else is completed, its

time to get the aircraft home safely.
There are a couple of ways to do this:
1. Obtain a ferry pilot. This could be
an experienced colleague or a professional ferry pilot that you hire.
2. Ferry the aircraft yourself, if you are
qualified to do so.
3. Have the seller fly the aircraft to its
new home.
76
Brent Owens
Once you have satisfied all the questions and you feel good about the deal,
its time to purchase the aircraft. This
involves a title search, title insurance,
possibly money in escrow, a bill of sale,
and most likely a purchase contract
(optional). I wont go into the details
here, but youll want to research these
steps thoroughly. Many of these items
can be completed before ever traveling
to see the aircraft. Its also quite possible
that the seller may not be up to speed
on all the transactional matters, so you
need to have a firm grasp on the process.
Additionally, youll have local tax
implications, as well as state and federal
registrations, to comply with. And dont
forgetyoull need a home for your
acquisition, so these details need to be
flushed out as well. This all sounds ominous, but its not really hard.
In all cases, dont compromise safety.

This isnt the time or place for you to
learn to fly your new steed. Swallow
your pride and live to fly another day.
When it comes to value, its hard to
beat buying a previously loved homebuilt.
If you have ever been to Sun n Fun or
AirVenture, you know that oftentimes
they are built with such care as to put
factory aircraft to shame. I know a lot of
pilots that have jumped into Experimentals and have never looked back. Dont
let the process intimidate you; there
are plenty of knowledgeable people out
there that are more than willing to help.
All you have to do is ask.
Happy hunting! J
Brent Owens is an ATPrated pilot and a flight
operations manager for a
large business jet provider.
He has flown his whole life
and enjoys all aspects of
aviation. He has rebuilt a
1946 Ercoupe and a 1970
plansbuilt Bucker Jungster I,
and built an RV-8. He is
formerly the vice president
of EAA Chapter 9 and
serves as an EAA technical
counselor and flight advisor. He is passionate about
promoting flight and sees the
Experimental sector as the
biggest growth opportunity
for recreational aviation.
CHECKPOINTS
Pre-buy inspections.
So why do I need a pre-buy inspec-
tion, you ask? Youve already seen the

airplane, you really like the paint scheme,
and the panel has most, if not all, of what
you want. And you went and flew it for
30 minutes and it handled great!
I would ask how many of you got married after one date, but I fear there is
always one who will raise his/her hand.
Instead I will share with you some of
my thoughts on the need for a pre-buy
inspection and why I think they are
becoming even more important as time
passes on. Then you can decide if you
should take this step prior to buying.
Remember, were supposed to be having
fun here, so no sense taking the beauty
home, only to find out it wasnt all that
we thought it was.
My experience has led me to believe
there are three critical areas that need to
be closely scrutinized: the airframe, the
engine compartment, and the aircraft
wiring/plumbing. Each area has its own
areas of specialty. And to accomplish
a good pre-buy, the aircraft should be
opened up as if ready for a condition
inspection, and performed by a knowledgeable and experienced person relative to the specific aircraft.
I like to start with the airframe, which
is a little different than in the certified
world. Why? Because Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft arent built on assembly lines where we can be reasonably
sure that everything aft of the firewall
is the same. Here we can be reasonably
assured that every aircraft is going to be
different. A good place to start is with
Vic Syracuse
Photos: Vic Syracuse
the tail, as that is where the builder usually started, and this is where you can see
how the progression of skills begins.
There are some critical holes in the tail
that dont leave a lot of room for proper
edge distance if not done carefully. I
have seen some tails on aircraft that had
bolt holes mis-drilled and covered up,
and some even missing bolts and rivets. I have seen one that I thought was
not even airworthy enough to be flown
home. I had one customer whom I really
felt sorry for, as he had purchased an
aircraft sight-unseen. The workmanship
was really bad and it took him a while to
make things right, eventually reselling it.
The rear spar bolts are another very
critical area to check for proper edge distance. I think it is important to check and
see if the aircraft has been built according to plans, or if there have been any
modificationsespecially those that
might affect the structural integrity, such
as drilling holes into longerons for equipment without adhering to edge distance
rules, or removing too much bulkhead

material behind the instrument panel to
fit all of the whiz-bang equipment.
The landing gear is another area to
check, especially if the airplane has been
routinely operating off of grass or unimproved strips. These types of operations
do take a toll and lead to cracks in weldments and wheelpant brackets, as well
as corrosion due to the moisture from
dew or wet grass. A good cleaning, followed by an inspection with a bright
light and magnifying glass, will usually
do the trick here.
On fabric aircraft the age and type of
fabric, as well as the covering process,
should be considered. With regards to
composite aircraft, checking for bad
bonds and/or possible delamination in
structural areas should be a high priority.
Again, an aircraft-specific knowledgeable person is critical.
When it comes to plumbing, wiring,
and systems, my experience has shown
that these arent really the strong areas
Guess what this plate was doing? Yep, hiding a mis-drilled hole next to the correct hole!
Vic is a Commercial Pilot and CFII with ASMEL/ASES ratings, an A&P, DAR, and EAA Technical
Advisor and Flight Counselor. Passionately involved in aviation for over 36 years, he has built
nine award-winning aircraft and has logged over 7500 hours in 69 different kinds of aircraft. Vic
had a career in technology as a senior-level executive and volunteers as a Young Eagle pilot and
Angel Flight pilot. He also has his own sport aviation business called Base Leg Aviation.

77
for a lot of builders. The proverbial rats

nest of wiring can make it difficult to
chase down problems, and sometimes
is the source of unexplained gremlins,
such as instrument gyrations when
the microphone is keyed. It seems not
everyone understands that the rubber
motor mounts not only dampen the
engine vibrations, but also electrically
isolate the engine from the airframe,
thus requiring a bonding strap from the
engine to the mount/firewall to insure
electrical continuity. And just because
the bonding strap was initially installed
doesnt mean it is still intact. It needs to
be checked regularly for structural and
electrical continuity. I really like it when
I see two bonding straps.
Sometimes I see prospective buyers
thinking they are going to buy a cheap
airplane and spend money upgrading
the panel, not realizing that it could
be a much more time-consuming and
costly job than anticipated. In some
cases, it could take a substantial amount
of rewiring, including having to replace
all of the old copper automotive wire
with aircraft-grade wiring and proper
grounding in order for the new stuff to
work properly. Sad to say, but electrical systems seem to be a problem for
many builders. And the simple electrical
needs of early VFR-only aircraft are a far
cry from the requirements of all-electric
glass panels and entertainment systems
in todays aircraft. Wire routing, antenna
distances, and grounding are so much
more critical to insure proper performance and reliability.
Notice the hairline crack on the nosewheel wheelpant bracket? The aircraft was flown
extensively off grass, and the axle through-bolt was not torqued properly.
Im also seeing a common theme

among the older types of aircraft, especially RVs. Early RV kits were a far cry from
the pre-punched kits of today. And many
of the pre-punched parts in todays kits
actually had to be made out of raw materials, requiring more refined metalworking skill sets, as well as an understanding
of the various types of metals and where
and how they could or could not be
used. I dont mean this as disparaging in
any way, but I think the last generation
was more frugal when it came to aircraft
building. It was a generation without a
lot of extra spendable income, so build
times were longer, and there were many
trips to OSH scrounging for the deals
in the Fly Market. I knowI was one of
them! Im seeing this show up now as the
fleet ages and many of these builders are
selling their airplanes. I see a lot of surgical tubing behind instrument panels
that has become very brittle with age.
When used in vacuum systems it is a recipe for disaster. Ive recently seen hoses
Not only is this a rats nest of wiring, the circuit breakers are
installed behind the main panel.
78
with date stamps of 3Q 76 going to oil

coolers. Sloshing compounds in wing
tanks are also prime candidates for problems. The bottom line on the airframe is
to make sure it is solid. While all things
probably can be restored to flying status with some time and money (Glacier
Girl is certainly a prime example), most
likely you are not interested in that type
of project. Fixing a poorly built airframe
can take a lot of time, unlike an engine
compartment, which can be completely
replaced in a couple of days.
Speaking of the engine compartment, lets zero in on some prime
candidates in this area. Certainly a
compression check and a visual/sensory check of the oil, as well as cutting
open the filter, should be mandatory.
Lots of kudos here for builders/owners who have had the aircraft on an
oil analysis program! Looking at the
spark plugs will also yield some clues
as to how the fuel and ignition system
are working, as well as some insight
This would be very difficult to troubleshoot any problem. Best to

start over!
regarding internal cylinder health. Are

they oily? Worn? Lead fouled? Be sure
to check the baffling for security and
cracking, the engine sensors for proper
mounting, and the oil and fuel hoses
for age and wear. Dont forget to check
the propeller leading edge as well as
the spinner, and especially the spinner
bulkheads for cracks. And heres a couple of things that routinely get overlooked: the carburetor or fuel servo
inlet screens, the gascolator screen,
and the oil sump screen. I had one original O-320 (no dash number) on an RV-6
that still had the original blue paint on
the oil sump screen AN-900 crush gasket. Hard to believe, but it appears that
I was the first one to remove it in many,
many years!
The rubber motor mounts are also
an area that needs looking at for two
reasons: they do age, and some builders used less-than-ideal rubber mounts,
for the initial installation. Ive replaced a
number of these with real Lord mounts,
and the owners really notice an improvement with regards to engine vibration.
In the end, a list of discrepancies
should be presented to the prospective
buyer, and any potential safety issues
should be discussed with the current
owner. Some may need to be fixed
right away, and some may be able to
be addressed in the future as a budget
allows. Either way, everyone is more
informed, and hopefully the flying fun
can begin!
Look closely and you will see that the

aged and fragile surgical tubing is no
longer connected to the instrument. This
was on an airplane that was regularly
flown IFR without an autopilot!
I have been discussing an idea with

other contributing editors at KITPLANES
regarding a potential rating system in
the three areas I mentioned (airframes,
powerplants, and systems) that should
help buyers and builders rank an airplane. Ill go into detail in a future article,
but heres the general idea: Not every airplane is meant to be an Oshkosh winner
or last forever. Sometimes things can be
adequate (acceptable), sometimes they
can be better, and sometimes they can be
best. As an example, think of tires. They
can be had in everything from McCrearys
to Michelins. I think over time our readers
will even help refine the list. Stay tuned! J
Holes drilled without bolts installed, bolts installed where they shouldnt be, and bolts
not installed where they should be! There are four washers on one bolt, but the maximum is three. This is not even airworthy, yet was signed off as having done snap rolls in
the logbook. Can you say lucky? Aircraft was represented as high-end and the seller
was asking a premium price.

79
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Finally, an electrical fix.

Electrical problems on an airplane
as low-draw as our Kitfox IV are insidious: you hardly know you have them
at first. Our panel setup is so minimal,
with just a Grand Rapids Technology
EIS, one radio, one transponder, barely
an intercom, and some Whalen strobes/
nav lights pulling power (and rarely all
at once), you need to watch the voltmeter in cruise to even notice that the
battery is draining. Waiting until the
battery wont start the darned thing at
an outstation brings on the wrath of my
mechanic-builder-husband. I learned to
pay regular attention to electrical output on this airplane.
But honestly, the problem was getting old. Thats why we finally bit the
bullet and did it: retrofitted the electrical
power supply on our 22-year-old Jabirupowered Kitfox IV. It only took two burnt
out stators and the company abandoning the original technology to convince
us (if you read this column regularly you
know we are rarely on the burning tip of
the aviation tech revolution).
though we had equipped it with the

proper lighting to do so.
At TBO we swapped the Rotax for
a four-stroke Jabiru 2200, a solid little
four-cylinder, air-cooled, direct drive
enginebut it, too, had weaknesses
when it came to electricity generation.
It came with a 9-pole stator; something roughly akin to what youd find
on a lawnmower.
The stator was mounted on an X plate
right to the back of the engine, with a
magnet ring fixed to the flywheel that
rotated around it. As the magnetic field
cut across the winding, an AC current
was produced and was connected to
a Key West voltage regulator and converted to DC for aircraft use.
Though the clearance behind the
engine was better than it had been on
the Rotax 582 installation, it still got hot
there. Anytime you put something that

is supposed to generate electricity in an
engine hotspot with inadequate cooling, youll have troubles sooner or later.
The best the original installation was
rated for output was 44 volts (AC) with
a maximum current of 10 amps at 3100
rpm. Since economy cruise is at about
2900 rpm, we werent getting full electrical output unless we were near full
power, which is 3300 rpm. But wed had
the same issue with the Rotax 582, so we
hardly noticed. We just kept avoiding
low-light flying. Seemed simple enough,
even if it was limiting.
That said, it wasnt a surprise when the
first installation failed.
Failure is the Mother

A one-time failure of an aircraft or
engine part is generally acceptable in
A Problem From the Beginning

Heres some history to catch you up. The
airplane started life with a Rotax 582
two-stroke engine, which was adequate
for lifting our rears off terra firma, but
lets just say its electrical output, for
radios, lights and such, was a little on the
tepid side. Unless you were at high cruise
youd be draining the battery with the
strobes, transponder and radio on. We
managed by pretty much never flying it
before dawn or through twilight, even
Amy Laboda
Photos: Amy Laboda
The original 9-pole stator was mounted to this X plate at the back of the engine. It was
removed and a new bracket was fabricated for the Nippon Denso alternator.
has taught students how to fly in California, Texas, New York and Florida. Shes towed gliders, flown
ultralights, wrestled with aerobatics and even dabbled in skydiving. She holds an Airline Transport
Pilot certificate, multi-engine and single-engine flight instructor ratings, as well as glider and rotorcraft (gyroplane) ratings. She also helped with the build of her Kitfox IV and RV-10.
81
The 3/8-inch thick aluminum bracket resembled something you might see in a classic ukiyo-e woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai.
It was trimmed to shape with a bandsaw and looks nothing like the X bracket that had been the original mount.
my book. I mean, even with good quality control from the manufacturer the
occasional problem part slips through,
right? Besides, at the moment the original
equipment failed, we were struggling in
our relationship with the Jabiru anyhow,
working to get the cooling right. New
heads with more fins and a precisely
tuned plenum took care of the issues
wed had with the cylinder head cooling,
and we figured that would help with the
electrical cooling issue, too.
It didnt. The new stator lasted about
the same as the one before. Then the voltmeter began its telltale wobble, refusing
to show 14 volts even at full power. We
kept the battery on a trickle charger, and
my mechanic began looking at alternator
options. It was 2014, and surely the OEM
had a better solution to this problem.
Turns out, the OEM did. It had discontinued the use of the 9-pole stator and
moved to a 12-pole stator. And yes, you
could get a retrofit, if you were willing
to part with the appropriate number of
AMUs (aviation monetary units). Really,
quite a lot of them for such a small airplane. We kept looking.
There were options. One of them
was going with a classic ram-air driven
alternator. It is a relatively elegant solution employed as a backup electrical
generator on large aircraft. The ram-air
alternator pops out the bottom of, say,
an Airbus, in the unlikely case of a total
electrical failure, and, given the proper
airspeed, spins up to power the emergency bus. Several companies adapted
82
this technology for light aircraft, and at

least one created a product that could
be mounted on the belly of super-lights,
such as the Kitfox, to provide exclusive
electrical current during flight. Of course,
that meant our battery would have to
start and run all electrical components
on the ground every time. Using this
technology also meant wading deep
into the mucky pool of Experimental
aviation, since we had not seen it on
any other Kitfox, nor on any other Jabiru
engine installation. Mmm, cutting edge.
Trial and error and trial and...probably
more AMUs than originally estimated.
(What am I saying? Always more AMUs
than originally estimated.) Just thinking
about it made me squirm.
A couple weeks before Sun n Fun
2014, my mechanic came to me with
another idea. Rotec, an Australian company, had a retrofit alternator kit for
Jabiru 3300 engines that employed a
real Nippon Denso 100211-4540 IR/IF 45
amp alternator. Yes, there were AMUs
involved, but no more than the OEM kit,
and the result, if it worked, would be stable and provide ample electrical power
to the aircraft. The upgrade is relatively
simple, with the original stator and magnet being replaced with a new alternator
bracket and pulley. The alternator is then
mounted, plugged in, and the installation is complete.
There was one problem, though. Our
engine was a Jabiru 2200. But surely
the company had or was working on
a kit for our engine, too? A phone call
enlightened us. Turns out, there wasnt

exactly a screaming mob of Jabiru 2200
operators lighting up the communications lines to Rotec demanding a retrofit
kit. That said, the company was open to
working with us, if we were willing to do
a bit of the work.
After a face-to-face meeting at Sun
n Fun, the deal was settled. If my
mechanic could create the proper
mounting plate to marry the Rotec
alternator system to the Jabiru 2200
engine, Rotec would sell us the system.
And if we gave the design back to Rotec,
thered be a discount in it; enough of a
discount to make it worthwhile.
Yes, there I was, squirming at the cutting edge again, but this time the carrot
on the stickstable and ample electricitywas a big enough reward. My
mechanic put his designer hat on and
went to work.
Off With the Old

First things first: he had to remove the air
filter box to make room for the alternator
to fit behind the engine. Then he removed
the X bracket, which the stator is bolted to,
and removed the ailing stator. He removed
the magnet ring, which was bolted to the
flywheel with button head cap screws.
Those didnt want to come loose, but he
got them off, stripping two of them in the
process (insert expletive here).
I had to remove the flywheel and
drill out the stripped screws and then
apply some heat to the studs to get them
loose, he said, describing the workday
The Nippon Denso alternator installed on the Jabiru 2200. The mounting brackets
unusual shape provides clearance around the engine mount.
grumpily. Be careful about heat around

the magnets on the flywheel, he warned.
Heat can weaken the magnetism. Also,
remember to mark the flywheel position
and do not move the crankshaft, so that
the flywheel will be in the same position
for the new installation.
Unconventional, Maybe Inspired

The bracket took some doing. In the end
it looked nothing like the X bracket that
had been the original mount. Instead it
resembled something you might see in a
classic ukiyo-e woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai, a cresting wave. First
there were paper templates, then cardboard templates, and finally plywood of
the proper thickness. He consulted with
several CNC saw operators, who told him
that the labor involved in digitizing the
design for the plate on a one-off wasnt
worth it. The 3/8-inch thick 6061-T651 aluminum blank hed ordered for the bracket
plate could just as easily be trimmed to
shape with the ordinary Delta band saw
he kept in the back of the hangar.
They were right. With the right blade
and cutting oil, the saw cut the plate
slow but steady. He used Scotch-Brite
wheels, along with a sander, to smooth
out the tooling marks on the cuts and
plate, then primed and painted it, leaving a clean area for the ground connection. Perfectly honed and professionally
smooth it was not, but it was structurally
solid and promised to hold an alternator
in place, up high enough on the back of
the engine to facilitate good cooling (and
not so high as to require a modification
to the Kitfoxs unique, bulbous cowling).
He used four 10-24x3/4-inch socket

head cap screws to bolt the pulley to
flywheel, then mounted the alternator
bracket in place. Next came attaching
the alternator to the bracket and connecting it to the pulley via a Napa 4L220
drive belt and wiring it up as per Rotec
instructions. It looked good, so he fired
it upand it ran bad, with no alternator output at all. Argh. Time to walk
away and think, because, after all, this is
Experimental aviation.
After a good meal and a nights sleep,
he returned to the project and decided
to use the other spade terminal on the
alternator, then re-time the flywheel. The
engine started up smooth, and the alternator put out a delightful 14.2 volts. At
that point he fitted a new K&N RU-0500
air filter and blast tube to the engine and
then took it up for a test flight. Success!
Id like to say its great to have an airplane I can comfortably fly in the dark,
but really, who wants to fly a Kitfox in
the dark (I mean, taildragger landings are
just freaky at night)? What I do love is seeing the voltmeter needle pop to life with
each engine start, and consistently show
me a steady 14 plus volts on every flight.
It doesnt seem to care anymore if I want
to be an energy hog and use my strobes
and transponder at the same time (really
nice when going into a controlled airfield). I can use the intercom to keep up
a steady stream of conversation with
my passenger, appreciated or not. And
I dont need to worry if a headwind has
me out past sundown on the run home.
Maybe the bleeding edge of Experimental aviation isnt so bad, after all. J

83
PRACTICAL ELECTRICAL
Lithium vs. Lead-Acid:

The bench tests.
A few days ago one of my readers

volunteered his new Aerovoltz 12-cell
Model EV02 lithium ion battery for
detailed examination of performance
on the bench (hat tip: Matt Stecher). I
want to make it clear that this article
is not intended to champion or discourage a switch to lithium batteries.
Nor is it intended to paint Aerovoltz
with a black, sticky brush. This article
will illustrate the thought processes
for evaluating battery performance,
integrating the battery into an aircraft
electrical system, and offer guidance
for all wannabe manufacturers of aircraft batteries as to how their products
performance influences the designer/
builders buy decision.
The Aerovoltz 12 appears to be fabricated from three parallel strings of
four cells each. The battery data
makes no claim for an internal battery management system (BMS). This product does
feature a multi-pin connector for attaching an Aerovoltz
proprietary battery-charger/cellbalancing accessory. The physical
size of the silos suggests that
core components for this battery
are cells conforming to the industry standard 26650 form factor.
(See http://tinyurl.com/own2t3y.)
An exemplar cell offered by A123
Systems is described in this data
sheet: http://tinyurl.com/k2zrckf. Data
for most cells in this form factor cite a
capacity on the order of 2.5Ah. Some

examples cite capacities of 4.0Ah or
more! These claims seem exaggeratedI will acquire some of these cells
for further examination.
The web site and printed literature for
this battery calls for charging voltages
not to exceed 14.4V. It cautions against
discharge below 9.0V. It states that batteries discharged to 6.0V or less are considered trash. The literature also cites a
cold cranking rating of 410A.
The Tests
I first applied a constant current, constant voltage charger set for 14.4V/3A
to the battery. I observed an initial
charge current of 3A that tapered to
Robert L. Nuckolls, III

84
less than 0.1A in about 15 minutes. In

other words, the battery was nearly
topped off as received. A load test at
400A produced a terminal voltage
of about 8V. I topped the battery off
again before discharging it at 3A constant current until the terminal voltage
dropped to 10V.
The first discharge cycle demonstrated
7.3 Ah of capacity as shown by the red plot
in the chart. A third 14.4V top-off and 6A
load produced nearly the same capacity
(shown in black). Subsequent tests were
conducted at 6 Amps after top-offs at
14.0V (blue) and 13.8V (green).
Similarities in this family of plots
is interesting. You will recall plots
for lead-acid products depicted in
prior articles illustrated considerable
spread in useful capacity over a range
of test loads. Discharge plots for leadacid showed ever-increasing
loss of energy to internal
heating as battery loads are
increased. The four plots in the
chart suggest that (1) internal
losses in this battery are quite
low, (2) adjustment of the charging voltage over 13.8V to 14.4V
produced no significant change
in the batterys stored energy,
and (3) my original guess for a 3x4
array of 2.5Ah cells was accurate.
A 400A load test was repeated
after one last top-off. Again, the
batterys terminal voltage dropped
to about 8.0V.
Bob Nuckolls retired from Beech Aircraft in 2007 after more than
45 years of work in certificated aviation and over 25 years of support for the homebuilt aircraft industry. Bob publishes The AeroElectric Connection from his web site at http://aeroelectric.com.
He also hosts the AeroElectric-List on Matronics.com. This
special-interest forum serves approximately 1200 participants.
Interpretation
In terms of alternator-inop endurance, the Aerovoltz 12 will support a
6A load for just over one hour when
new (consistent with a 3x4 array of
2.4Ah cells), and just under one hour
at end of life. These tests suggest that
the Aerovoltz 12 battery at end of life
is a 5A energy source for one hour. It
follows that this battery will support
a 1.25A load in a four-hour endurance
mode at end of life.
The manufacturers claim for 400A of
cold cranking ability is suspect. The
legacy cranking test calls for loading
a battery until its terminal voltage
drops to 9.0V. Load current is modulated as necessary to maintain 9.0V.
Read cranking current at the end of
15 seconds. When this test article was
loaded to 400A at room temperature, it dropped immediately to 8.0V.
It would drop still lower at cold temperatures, hence my assertion that
the test article did not deliver to the
published specifications.
The lead-acid equivalency of this
product in aviation terms is nowhere
near that claimed in published data.
For example: A review of published
data from Hawker-Enersys on the
Odyssey series batteries (http://tinyurl.
com/mfwd8yn) reveals that the PC535
will support a 6A load for about two
hours when new and 1.6 hours at
end of lifea little better than the
1.2H/0.95H of an Aerovoltz 12.
Room temperature cranking abilities of the two batteries are on a par
with each other. So in aviation terms
I would have to say that the Aerovoltz 12 is not quite equivalent to
the PC535, which is rated at 13Ah at a
10-hour rate.
The PC535 weighs in at about 12
pounds, so substituting an Aerovoltz
12 will save you about 11.5 pounds.
System Integration
These test data suggest that the legacy
13.0V calibration point for low voltage warning is probably too low. The
lead-acid battery delivers energy at
12.5V and below, while the bus voltage for charging is maintained at 14.2V
Photos: Robert L. Nuckolls, III
The four plots suggest that (1) internal losses in this battery are quite low, (2) adjustment of the charging voltage over 13.8V to 14.4V produces no significant change in
the batterys stored energy, and (3) the authors original guess for a 3x4 array of 2.5Ah
cells is accurate.
to 14.6V. The lithium product delivers

energy at 13.2V and below, while wanting to be charged at no more than
14.4V. The band between alternatoroperating and alternator-inop is much
tighter, and its centered at about
13.8 volts. The narrow span between
normal bus voltage and battery-only
ops voltage may drive a requirement
for tighter tolerances in the low-volts
warning set-point.
The alternator regulator set-point may
need tighter control. Few regulators
are adjustable. No built-in regulators
are adjustable.
Legacy over-voltage indication and
shut-down philosophies may need
further study. If sustained operation
over 14.4V is deleterious to the battery,
then an OV protection device might be
crafted to allow operation over 14.4V
for a minute or so before tripping off
lineoperation above 15V might call
for trip after 100 mS.
The Aerovoltz products are fitted
with maintenance connectors. The
manufacturer claims that battery
life will be improved if the battery
is charged with their proprietary
balancing charger. Most vehicles,
including our airplanes, are cranked
and parked with a topped-off battery. If a smart charger is necessary to
maintain or restore a batterys internal order, it follows that a prudent
preventative maintenance protocol
would call for capacity checks (deep
discharge to 10V) followed by a cellbalancing recharge under command

and control of a smart charger. Just

how often this procedure should be
conducted is not yet known.
Conclusion
These tests were conducted gently and
well within parameters suggested by
the manufacturers published limits on
a readers brand-new battery. I wanted
to return the battery none the worst
for wear. I have some individual cells
on order that will be subjects of more
aggressive studies.
I hope this brief peek into the life
and times of an exemplar lithium battery demonstrates that the popular
lead-acid equivalency numbers are
meaningless to the aircraft systems
integrator. Its important to note that
published marketing data for most, if
not all, lithium products falls short of
whats necessary for well-considered
system design and operations. If your
chemically stored energy design goals
call for battery-only endurance equal to
or better than fuel endurance, then the
choice of batteries must include an evaluation of contained energy balanced
against design goalsirrespective of
your choice in chemistries or battery
architectures. This study also illustrates
the need for careful consideration for
the small, but significant differences in
performance between lithium and lead
technologies. Those little differences
may have a profound influence upon
return-on-investment for making the
lead-to-lithium switch.
Fly comfortably J
85
SHOP
TIPS
Roll Your Own Brake

Fluid Pump System
By Axel Alvarez
Rolling your own brake fluid pump and filling your brake system can be easily
accomplished by following the steps below. You will need the following parts
found at your local home improvement store.
Qty
Part Number
Description
1 LFA-765
3/8-inch to -inch converter
LFA-85
-inch to 1/8-inch converter
LFA-714
1/8-inch nipple
10 HSVIG10
3/8-inch ID clear vinyl hose
2 HSVIG2
1/8-inch ID clear vinyl hose
Model 56HD
Half-gallon handheld sprayer
Hose clamp
For 3/8-inch ID hose
Building It
Start by disassembling the tip of the

handheld sprayer (Fig. 1). Teflon tape
was added to the threads after disassembly. Keep the left-hand grommet
shown in Fig. 2 and discard the righthand grommet.
Next, mate the grommet kept from
Fig. 2, the LFA-765 fitting, and the LFA85 fitting (Fig. 3). Screw the new tip onto
the handheld sprayer (dont forget the
grommet) and secure the 1/8-inch ID clear

vinyl line (Fig. 4). Make sure that the clear
vinyl line is tight on the fitting. A loose
connection between those two parts
will allow air to be introduced to the fluid
later on when the fluid is pumped.
Install the LFA-714 fitting (or whichever fitting works for your set up) on the
brake reservoir and attach the 3/8-inch
ID clear vinyl line securing it with a hose
clamp (Fig. 5). Let the other side of the
hose hang outside your aircraft (Fig 6).

This will allow you to pump fluid into the
brake system, overflow it, and not spill
any fluid inside your aircraft.
Using It
Fill the modified handheld sprayer with

your choice of brake fluid, screw the top
on and give the sprayer about 10 pumps.
Prime the modified handheld sprayer by
pressing the trigger and letting the fluid
flow out of the hose and into a small container until no bubbles are observed in
the clear hose (Fig.7).
Once the modified handheld sprayer
and the aircraft are set, follow standard procedures for adding fluid into
your brake system with one exception:
Instead of manually pumping fluid, pressurize the handheld sprayer as required.
The pressure inside the modified handheld sprayer will allow for continuous
fluid discharge, therefore minimizing the
chances of introducing air into the fluid.
If for some reason one of those pesky
air bubbles makes it into the line, dont
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
86
worrypump fluid until the air bubble

reaches point A on Fig. 7 and then stop.
Stopping will allow the air bubble to climb
back up to point B. Repeat the process
until fluid comes out of the brake reservoir
and into the 3/8-inch ID overflow hose.
Now release the air pressure inside
the modified handheld sprayer by slowly
unscrewing the top (just enough to hear
the air scape, do not completely unscrew
the top). Press the modified handheld
sprayer trigger until the overflow fluid on
the brake reservoir disappears. Screw the
modified handheld sprayer top and close
the nipple on the bottom of the brake
caliper. Remove the modified handheld
sprayer from the brake caliper nipple and
remove the overflow hose/fitting from
the brake reservoir (dont forget to place
the plastic cap back on the reservoir).
Repeat the process on the other side
if you have individual reservoirs. You
should now have air-free fluid in your
aircraft, operational brakes, and no mess!
Dont forget to label your new tool (Fig.
8) and brag to your friends. J
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Photos: Axel Alvarez
87
Home Shop Machinist

Totally tubular:
Tips for tube notching.
Tube notching is a skill that, with the
right tools, is easy to master and is useful

for a variety of airplane projects. Although
this article will focus on notching with
basic machine tools, there are a number
of dedicated machines, jigs, and fixtures
for tube notching (also called mitering
or fish-mouthing) that can produce, with
some limitations, similar results.
Many tube fabricators use bi-metal
hole saws for notching. They are relatively cheap, work great for almost any
angle or offset, and they stay sharp for
a reasonable number of uses. They are
available in 1/8-inch increments starting
with 1/2-inch diameter. Metric sizes are
also available.
For most tube fitting operations, standard off-the-shelf bi-metal hole saws
with 6- to 8-teeth-per-inch (TPI) work
fine. If you are working with thin-wall
tubes (.028 or .035) and find that standard saws are too grabby or otherwise
not working, fine-tooth (10 TPI or finer)
saws might be more forgiving.
Not all hole saws are created equal.
Cheap bi-metal saws from the local
hardware store or home center do not
work for precision notching. Too often
they wobble (run-out) and/or have
erratic tooth-set. When used in a milling
machine, the wobble makes the resulting notch size too big. If youre using an
accessory fixture with a hand drill (see
sidebar), wobble translates into vibration.
If youre lucky, you only get some nasty
chatter marks. If not, the saw might snag
the part and twist it loose from the clamp.
Either way, the better option is to use a
premium-quality hole saw.
My preferred hole saws are made by
Bahco. Bahco hole saws are premium-
grade tools that go through 4130 chromoly tubing like butter. They have very
little run-out and are consistently sized
to very close tolerances. The best examples of this fact are in the photos of the
fitted joints that accompany this article.
Youll also notice the arbor is not the
standard hardware-store type with a pilot
drill. For precision tube notching you need
a better arbor. You can make your own
from 5/8- or -inch precision-ground shaft
(any free-machining steel is fine), or buy
one from a supplier like Paragon Machine
Works (www.paragonmachineworks.com).
Paragon sells a 7-inch-long hole saw arbor
with either 1/2-20 thread for saws under
11/4-inch diameter, or 5/8-18 thread for
saws 11/4-inch diameter or larger.
Another important accessory is a
V-block clamp with heavy-duty clamping bars (Fig. 1). The V-block clamp
Fig. 1: The V-block clamp is a versatile and secure way to fix round tubes and bars for machining operations. It can be fastened to the
table with T-slot components or bound in a mill vise. The mill-vise option allows you to tilt the V-block for angled cuts.
Bob Hadley
88
Bob Hadley is the R&D manager for a California-based consumer products company. He holds
a Sport Pilot certificate and owns the VW-powered Victory Stanley Fun-Kist.
shown in the photos is a low-cost

import model; the size is 4 inches x
4 inches x 90 degrees. This particular clamp sells for about $130. It can
hold any size tube from -inch to
2-inch diameter. Clamping V-blocks
should not be confused with inspection V-blocks. In addition to costing a
lot more, inspection V-blocks usually
have only one clamp because they are
designed to snug parts in place for
measuring, not machining.
Building a Triamajig
This project is an imaginary part well
call a triamajig (as in thingamajig).
It consists of three different diameter
tubes. The steps detail how to notch
the joints so they mate together perfectly for welding. Good welds start
with good joints!
First determine the length of each
tube to be notched and the hole saw
needed for each notch (Fig. 2). On the
triamajig, we need three sizes: 11/2-inch,
11/8-inch, and 5/8-inch.
Next, fix the V-Block clamp in the mill
vise and center the V-block clamp (Fig.
3). The centering tool in the drill chuck
was shop-made on the lathe for this purpose. It makes set-up fast and accurate.
Once the V-block is centered, you can
reliably notch any diameter tube at any
angle without re-centering. If the design
calls for an offset notch, the centering
tool provides a reference zero.
Using a 11/2-inch hole saw and the
V-block at 90 degrees, notch the 1 1/8inch tube (Fig. 4). Note how the end of
the tube projects with minimal overhang from the V-block. Reducing overhang to the minimum eliminates the
potential for chatter. Using the same
setup, miter the 90-degree notch in the
5/8-inch tube. Tighten the travel locks
on the mill to prevent the table from
creeping. All the notches are cut with
the mill set to 900 rpm.
Now test the fit. If you are using a good
quality saw and the set-up is securely
clamped, you should easily get a joint
with minimal gaps (Fig. 5).
Using an angle finder or protractor,
set the V-block in the mill vise to 45
degrees (Fig. 6).
Photos: Bob Hadley
Fig. 2: Determine the length of each tube to be

notched and the hole saw needed for each notch.
Fig. 3: Fix the V-Block clamp in the mill

vise and center the V-block clamp.
Fig. 4: Using a 11/2-inch hole saw and the

V-block at 90 degrees, notch the 11/8-inch
tube.
Fig. 5: With a good quality saw and secure

set-up, the joints should look like this.
Fig. 6: Using an angle finder or protractor, set

the V-block in the mill vise to 45 degrees.
89
Figs. 7 & 8: In order to make a 45-degree

cut, the tube overhang must be increased.
Fig. 9: If the notch appears off-center,

remove the flashing (burrs) before making
adjustments.
Using the 11/2-inch diameter hole saw,

miter the first end of the hypotenuse
leg of our triangle. Note that in order to
make the 45-degree cut, the tube overhang must be increased. Therefore, take
a roughing cut, about halfway (Fig. 7),
then a finishing cut (Fig. 8).
Switch to the 11/8-inch hole saw and
notch the opposite end of the hypotenuse leg to the target length. Doublecheck the orientation! Take note of the
flashing (burrs) left by the saw (Fig. 9).
The flashing can make it appear the
notch is not perfectly centered. Before
you make any adjustments, grind or file
it off to get a better view.
Notching long angles (30 to 60
degrees) will result in a sharp point at the
long end. Before welding, file or grind
back the pointy edge so its perpendicular to the mating face (Fig. 10). This helps
the weld penetrate the full thickness of

the tube. Do this just before welding,
because grinding this edge changes the
reference dimension of the tube.
Heres another important detail before
welding: Anywhere a tube is closed off
by welding, drill a vent hole for hot gases
to escape (Fig. 11).
Now its time to fit the triamajig
together and tack weld (Fig. 12). All the
joints should look good. This is the last
chance to check the angles and fits. If
something is amiss, grind off the tack
welds and remake or rework the offending part.
The last step is welding. Once thats
complete (Fig. 13), the finished triamajig
is ready to be mounted for posterity!
Fig. 10: Before welding, file or grind back

the pointy edge so its perpendicular to
the mating face.
Fig. 11: Anywhere a tube is closed off by

welding, drill a vent hole for hot gases to
escape.
Special thanks to Billy Griggs for TIG

welding the triamajig project.
The Ol Joint Jigger

Most of the major suppliers to the homebuilt
community (Aircraft Spruce, Wicks, and others)
offer tube-notching fixtures designed to make
centerline notching cuts in round tubes. The
original, and perhaps the most ubiquitous, is the
Ol Joint Jigger (www.jointjigger.com). Its an ingenious device that is easy to set up and use. Getting good results with the Ol Joint Jigger is not
hard, but you need to: A) have it mounted solidly
to a bench, B) use a good quality hole saw, and C)
have a good size electric drill (one with a -inch
chuck is required). It is possible to use the Ol Joint
Jigger in a floor model drill press, the advantage
being more power and more control over the feed
with the quill handle on the drill press. J
B.H.
90
Fig. 12: Tack weld, then check the angles

and fit of all joints before final welding.
Photo courtesy of Ol Joint Jigger
Fig. 13: Exercise complete! The finished

triamajig ready to be mounted for posterity!
Building an RV-12 as E/A-B instead of ELSA,

trying to second-guess the FAA.
By Mel AsbeRry
Question: Im thinking of building

a light-sport-eligible Experimental/
Amateur-built RV-12 instead of an
ELSA. There may be engines and
props available that take the speed
of the aircraft beyond the 120-knot
LSA limit. If so, to protect the pilot
(and any other subsequent pilotowners), do you placard that Vne is
120 knots? Or do you placard an
rpm limit?
Answer: Vne is not relevant to the
speed limitations for LSA. The top speed
limit is the maximum speed in level
flight. The rpm limit is set by the engine
manufacturer. If you build your own
engine, you can set your own rpm limit.
Question: My intent is not to fly
an RV-12 faster than the LSA-mandated 120-knot limit. But if the aircraft is capable of faster speeds,
how do you document, placard,
or establish the parameters in a
manner that a DAR and the FAA
would accept?
Answer: The DAR/Inspector does
not accept or deny LSA parameters.
The aircraft will be certificated in the
Experimental/Amateur-Built category.
Eligibility for LSA operations is the
Photo: Mel Asberry
responsibility of the owner. If challenged, the owner must show proof that
the aircraft fits within LSA parameters.
The FAA is not in the habit of challenging these operations unless there are
extreme circumstances.
Question: LSA rules allow fixedpitch or ground-adjustable propellers only. Does the FAA not want
pilots to be in control of prop pitch
to ensure they dont fly faster than
120 knots?
Answer: This rule was primarily to
reduce pilot workload for a local, funflying aircraft with minimum operational complexity.
Question: The Aeromatic prop
adjusts itself to flight conditions
based on physics, and the pilot
cannot control it. At higher rpm
its a climb prop; at reduced rpm
in cruise, it becomes more coarse
and gives better fuel economy. Why
would this be a bad thing?
Answer: No one said this would be a
bad thing. Its just that the FAA could
not list every possible option, and listing fixed-pitch or ground-adjustable
props was the easiest way to address
the situation.

Question: If the FAA lifts the medical requirement for aircraft with
gross weights above 1320 pounds,
do you believe that there will be
restrictions against horsepower,
speed, and complex aircraft? Might
a 180-hp RV-7 with a constantspeed prop fit the possible no
medical required environment?
Answer: The original proposal for an
exemption listed maximum horsepower
and other limitations. The current proposal for a rule change includes much
more relaxed limitations. My guess is
that, if it happens, the result will be
somewhere between these.
Question: Id hate to sell our RV-7
in favor of an R-12, only to find out
two years from now that you no
longer need a medical to fly the
RV-7. What would you do?
Answer: I would never sell an airplane
based on what the FAA may or may not
do. The odds of you guessing correctly
are probably somewhat less that those of
flipping a coin. J
Please send your questions for DAR
Asberry to editorial@kitplanes.com with
Ask the DAR in the subject line.
91
Keith Hedricks Rans S7S
After three years and a lot of help from my friends, 74VK took to the air.
This is a great flying airplane and a lot of fun to fly.
Litchfield, Illinois
tobradex2@hotmail.com
Jay Bell's RV7-A
My almost complete RV7-A quickbuild first flew in October 2012 following a 2-year build, and it accumulated 98.6 hours and 5500 crosscountry miles during the next 11 months. It has an Aero Sport Power
IO-375, Catto prop, AeroLEDs, Dynon SkyView, Icom A210, Classic
Aero interior, and AntiSpat Nose Job. Planned upgrades include paint,
electronic ignition, transponder, and landing lights.
Thanks to my patient wife and navigator Lynne, my son and riveting partner Ian, Mike Seager for teaching me how to fly RVs, Vans and
other vendors with excellent products and service.
Olds, Alberta, Canada
Roger Tracys Sonex
Sonex N1579C made its first flight on April 8, 2013. The project was
started at the end of June 2012. It was certified on April 1, 2013. The
engine is an AeroVee 2180. I added hydraulic brakes from Great Plains
andaxles from Tracy O'Brien. The comm radio is a Flightline 760 and
the transponder is a Sandia STX 165. The Sonex isa great-flying plane.
Lake Placid, Florida
roger.tracy@hotmail.com
Steve Kunkles Plansbuilt Mustang II
After 3 years of building, in June 2013, I got the FAA inspection and
at the end of July, the test pilot took it up and all went well. I have been
flying and have about 22 hours on it now.
It has an IO-320 with Hartzell C/S prop and a Dynon SkyView with
autopilot. Im still doing a lot of testing on the plane and myself, but at
22 squared she flies at 130 knots burning 7.4 gph.
What an airplane! Thanks to Kitplanes magazine for being a
great information resource!
Oley, PA
srkunkle@yahoo.com J
Submissions to Completions should include a typed, double-spaced description (a few paragraphs only250 words maximum) of the project and the finished aircraft. Also include a
good color photograph (prints or 35mm slides are acceptable) of the aircraft that we may keep. Please include a daytime phone number where we can contact you if necessary. Also indicate
whether we may publish your address in case other builders would like to contact you. Send to: Completions, c/o KITPLANES Magazine, P.O. Box 1295, Dayton, NV 89403. Digital submissions
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requirement. You may also submit electronically at www.kitplanes.com, just click on Completions: Add Yours in the upper right corner of the home page.
92
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Vans Aircraft 17 503-678-6545

May 2014 Vortex M912 Gyroplane, Building a Bearhawk
LSA, Stick Grip Market, Heat Shields
Vertical Power 87 505-715-6172

April 2014 2014 Alternative Engine Buyers Guide, Sonex to
Alaska, The Original Homebuilt, Wooden Props
Viking Aircraft Engines 75 386-566-2616
Wag Aero 76 800-558-6868
VAL Avionics 94 800-255-1511
Wicks Aircraft Supply 27 800-221-9425
WhirlWind Propellers 94 619-562-3725
Zenith Aircraft Co. 65 573-581-9000
Zenair Ltd. 94 705-526-2871
Sling 4, 30 Years of KITPLANES, Installing a

Smoke System, AKIA Industry Insights

March 2014 2014 Engine Buyers Guide, Aerobatic Panther,
Engine Build School, Sport Class 2013
February 2014 2014 Rotorcraft Buyers Guide, Alpi Pioneer
400T, Aerodrome Airplanes, Grand Champions
93
builders marketplace
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Fit to 5/8" thru 1-1/8" sticks
Next day shipping for virtually
any configuration you desire.
619-562-3725
www.whirlwindpropellers.com
812 Jacquelyn St. Milton-Freewater, Oregon 97862

800-204-7625 541-938-0533 Fax: 541-938-7242
VW Based aircraft engines
VW Type 1 Based Engines from 1600cc to 2276cc.

50 to 103 hp. Direct, Reduction and Flywheel Drive.
Engines, kits and engine parts.
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7011 N. 160 Avenue, Bennington, NE 68007
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Kits or factory assembled. 750 to 2500 lbs.

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or 705-526-2871
94
LANDING GEAR
Your Complete Source
for Wheels, Brakes
& Landing Gear
Aircraft Multi-point Fuel Injection
Factory Direct
Grove
www.groveaircraft.com
1800 Joe Crosson Dr.
El Cajon, CA 92020
Aircraft Landing Gear Systems Inc.
619.562.1268
Operates all engines from 65 to 800 HP

Applications for V6/V8 engines
Manual Mixture Control
Bolt on Kits for Lycoming Engines
No Carburetor heat required
Instant throttle response
All Mechanical, No Electronics
Increases mid-range HP
Approved for Aerobatic use
Compatible with all Fuels
Precise Fuel Metering under all conditions
111 Airflow Drive

Spartanburg, SC 29306
(864) 576-4512
(864) 576-0201 (Fax)
www.airflowperformance.com
Email: airflow2@bellsouth.net
INTRODUCING THE LEGAL EAGLE XL
A NEW ultralight with a larger cockpit area. Empty 246 lbs.,

wing area 120 sq. ft. Gross wt. of 575 lbs. STOL. Powered
by Better Half VW aero engine. Wood wings, steel fuselage,
and aluminum tank construction. Airplane plans $80.
Engine plans $20. 4 helpful DVDs, $25 each.
Contact L.E. Milholland for plans, DVDs and wing and
fuselage parts. Work: 281-375-5453, Cell: 281-785-3777.
Contact John Bolding for materials package and
welded fuselages. 281-383-0113.
Have You Seen Us Lately?
The KITPLANES web site is now better than ever!

KITPLANES.COM is YOUR guide to the most
comprehensive homebuilt information available,
and access to our archives and aircraft database
are FREE to registered subscribers!
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95
continued
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Tel: 800-583-3306 Fax: 419-585-6004.
Visit us on the web at www.recpower.com
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96
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2008 Wood Court, Plant City FL 33563

Ph: 813-752-3711 www.sensenich.com
97
YOUR HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT AUTHORITY
The Builders Marketplace offers several advertising opportunities designed to
enhance response for your precious advertising dollars. This section offers 1-,
2- or 3-inch ads designed by us or provided by you. Here are samples of the
three different sizes, acceptable formats and the rates to submit your own
Builders Marketplace ad or have us create one using your photo/logo and text.
As you know, advertising isnt just reaching people...its reaching those who are
most likely to buy your product and producing results. The kit manufacturers and
our regular advertisers who sell via mail order and track their response tell us
that KITPLANES regularly outperforms other media on a cost-per-sale basis.
This no-waste circulation delivers greater efficiency for your valuable ad dollars.
In advertising, consistency pays off. Your ability to sustain a long-term advertising
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with deadlines to formulate your advertising schedule now, or call Chuck Preston
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98
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email: chuck@kitplanes.com

Actually, when they are on supersale they are only $5, but I didnt want
to give you false hope. Yes, the airplane division of Harbor Freight sells a
perfectly good multimeter (voltmeterammeter, ohmmeter, diode, transistor, and small battery tester) for this
amount. Any day of the week. As many
as you want.
200 millivolts (0.2 volts) full scale to
1000 volts full scale. 200 microamps to
10 amps full scale. 6 resistance scales
from 200 ohms to 2 Megohms full
scale. Transistor beta (current gain) up
to 1000. Diode forward voltage and
indication of polarity.
But wait, you sayyou want more?
For another dollar they will sell you the
same meter with a backlight so you can
work under the panel in the dark.
As with all good, inexpensive things,
inexpensive meters like this can and will
fail. The failure rate is in direct proportion
to how badly you need to make the measurement and how tight time is to get the
airplane fixed and in the air. The problem
with a do-all instrument like this is that
you really never know if it is a broken airplane giving you an improper reading, or
a broken multimeter giving you an incorrect indication.
Enter the world of the $10 KITPLANES
Multimeter Test Box. Actually it is an any
multimeter test box, all the way from
the lab-grade $1000 HP to this $510
Harbor Freight wonderand anything
in between.
To do a really proper test box, you
would need one known and calibrated
Jim Weir
Drawings and photos: Jim Weir
The $10 airplane

fix-it tool.
test point for each range of the multimeter. To do that job with a $10 test box
(especially if we want it to run from a
9-volt battery) is well-nigh impossible.
The good news is that these cheapie
meters generally fail one complete
function and not just one range. That is,
if the voltmeter is good on the 20-volt
range, it is generally good over the
whole range of voltages. Same for current and to a lesser extent for resistance.
Heres the deal: This unit will put
out a single, precise voltage and a
single, precise current. It will have
Yes, you can buy a perfectly good

multimeter from Harbor Freight for less
than $10, but it makes sense to check its
accuracy with the KITPLANES Multimeter
Test Box.
three different resistor values for three

ranges of the ohmmeterputting the
meter into the resistance function and
then connecting it across a voltage is
the classic way of blowing one or more
resistance functions, so I thought it
best to splurge on three switches and
three resistors to test three of the
most common ranges.
Although this meter is really no good
for small AC voltages, I thought it would
be a good idea (since I had a couple of
spare op-amps along for the ride) to give
you an AC voltage that could be used to
calibrate the vertical sensitivity of your
lab oscilloscope. This function comes
along for less than a buck in additional
parts and can be used as a quick-anddirty signal generator to test the phones
on your headset.
So, lets go with the design. Ive
made it so that you can use either an
aircraft 12-volt battery or a self-contained 9-volt battery. I much prefer
the 9-volt batterystealing power
from the aircraft under test, and with
a nearly unlimited amount of current
in the event of a short, probably isnt
the best idea in the world, but it is certainly possible to run this device from a
12-volt source if need be.
The true reference in this whole
circuit is D104, a 5-volt Zener diode.
Normally Id just run a current-limiting
resistor to the + supply (+V) and take
the minor variation in current between
a 9-volt battery and a 12-volt supply that
will reflect a very minor variation in the
Zener voltage. However, since this is a
is the chief avioniker at RST Engineering. He answers avionics questions in the Internet newsgroup www.pilotsofamerica.comMaintenance. His technical advisor, Cyndi Weir, got her
Masters degree in English and Journalism and keeps Jim on the straight and narrow. Check
out their web site at www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes for previous articles and supplements.
99
This inexpensive multimeter calibration tool can test the accuracy of any multimeterfrom a $1,000 lab-grade HP to a $510 Harbor
Freight wonderor anything in between.
precision instrument, the current source

comprised of D103-D105, Q101, and
R101-R102 is not dependent on the supply voltage. It provides a constant 8 mA
to the Zener over a very wide range of
supply voltage. As another Weir two-fer,
D103 is a red LED that provides an on-off
indicator light.
U101A is connected as an extremely
high input resistance unity gain amplifier. It takes nanoamperes (nanoampere
one billionth of an ampere) of current
from the Zener reference voltage and
outputs that same exact voltage, but
with a relatively large current measured
in tens of milliamperes.
U101B is connected in a little-known circuit called a Howland Constant Current
Source, which is dependent only on the
input voltage at the left end of R103. Since
we spent a lot of time and circuitry making the voltage source so accurate, we
might just as well use that voltage from
U101A as the reference voltage for the current source. A milliameter connected to
the output of U101B through R107 doesnt
care (within some reasonable limits) what
100
the internal resistance of the meter is,

but will drive about 5 milliamperes into
the meter.
R108, R109, and R110 are connected
in series, so that if switches S2, S3, and
S4 are closed, the resistance between
the resistance test point and the ground
test point will be a dead short, or zero
ohms. If S4 is opened, then there will be
R110 (1.0K ohms) between the test point
and ground. Likewise, if S3 is opened,
then R109 (10K) or S4 is opened, and
R108 (100K) will appear between the
resistance test point and ground. If all
three switches are open, then 111K (100
+ 10 + 1) will appear between the test
point and ground.
As I said, this inexpensive HF voltmeter doesnt have much of an AC voltage
range, but we had two leftover amplifiers, and a lot of you have oscilloscopes
without a vertical channel amplifier, so
U101C is configured as a 400 Hz filter and
U101D is a comparator. When the slightest noise comes out of U101C, U101D
makes it into a square wave, which is fed
back to the filter, which outputs a clean
sine wave, which drives U101D into more

saturation, which is fed back to the filter, and around and around we go until
U101D goes into complete saturation
and the circuit stabilizes. This all takes
place in a millisecond (one thousandth
of one second) and the circuit winds up
stabilizing at about 7 volts peak-to-peak
(2.4 volts RMS) of fairly pure sine wave.
This circuit will also drive headphones.
You are almost through; stay with me
here. No matter how good a Zener diode
you buy, or how precise an opamp you
buy, you are stuck with passive components (resistors & capacitors) that
have their own tolerances and errors.
So, while I say you should be getting 5
volts for your DC test point, in practice it
will never be 5.000000 volts. 4.98? 5.03?
Probably, but the good news is that with
modern components and techniques,
it will stay that way for the foreseeable
future. The trick is to borrow the best
multimeter you can get and measure
your own particular Test Box, then permanently mark the test point with your
measured data. Now you have a truly
Complete Kits
and Sub-Kits
Available!
www.SonexAircraft.com
or call: 920.231.8297
The multimeter test box came out with a test voltage of 5.12 volts, according to my $250
lab multimeter. The HF multimeter read 5.15 volts, a difference between the two of 0.6%.
accurate instrument for checking your

inexpensive multitesters.
For example, the KITPLANES Multimeter Test Boxas constructed from
randomly chosen parts from my engineering stockcame out with a test
voltage of 5.12 volts, according to my
$250 lab multimeter. The HF multimeter
read 5.15 volts, a difference between the
two of 0.6%. The lab meter read 5.20 milliamperes on the Test Box; the HF meter
read 5.21. Thats a difference of 0.2%.
Here are the values the lab meter read
for resistance, and for comparison, Ive
put the HF meter values in parentheses: 100K resistor reads 98.5K (98.6K),
10K resistor reads 9.94K (9.92K), 1.0K

resistor reads 1.016K (1.000K). Now we
have our KITPLANES Test Box calibrated
and ready to use.
Ive still got the RV wind tee in the
back of my mind, but one of our fellow
pilots has a problem that Im going to
tackle first. It seems that several years
of military airplane and explosion noise,
plus a few dozen years of civilian airplanes and fire trucks, has made our
friend quite hard of hearingyet he
uses the telephone quite easily. There is
an answer, and Ill share it with you in a
future issue.
Until thenstay tuned J
The lab multimeter read 5.20 milliamperes on the test box, while the HF multimeter read
5.21. Thats a difference of 0.2%.
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP,
MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION
(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)

1. Publication Title: KITPLANES. 2. Publication Number: 08911851. 3. Filing Date: 9/5/14. 4. Issue Frequency: 12 issues
per year. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually:12. 6. Annual
Subscription Price: $29.95. 7. Complete Mailing Address of
Known Office of Publication: Aviation Publishing Group, LLC,
an affiliate of Belvoir Media Group LLC, 800 Connecticut Ave,
Norwalk CT 06854. Contact Person: Greg King, Phone: 203857-3119. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters
or General Business Office of Publisher: Aviation Publishing
Group, LLC, an affiliate of Belvoir Media Group LLC, 800
Connecticut Ave, Norwalk CT 06854. 9. Publisher: Phil Penny,
800 Connecticut Ave, Norwalk CT 06854. Editor-in-Chief: Paul
Dye, 800 Connecticut Ave, Norwalk CT 06854. Managing Editor:
Mark Schrimmer, 800 Connecticut Ave, Norwalk CT 06854. 10.
Owner: Aviation Publishing Group, LLC, an affiliate of Belvoir
Media Group, LLC, 800 Connecticut Ave, Norwalk CT 06854.
11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security
Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount
of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None. 12. Tax Status:
Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication
Title: KITPLANES. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below:
October 14. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation (Average No.
Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/No. Copies
of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date): a. Total
Number of Copies (Net press run): (39,229/36,000) b. 1. Paid/
Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form
3541: (24,223/24,432). 2. Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated
on Form 3541 (0/0). 3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers,
Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid
Distribution: (3,067/2,590) 4. Other Classes Mailed Through
the USPS: (0/0) c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation:
(27,290/27,022) d. Free Distribution by Mail: 1. Free or Nominal
Rate Outside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541:
(45/37). 2. Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies as Stated
on PS Form 3541: (0/0). 3. Other Classes Mailed Through the
USPS: (0/0). 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the
Mail: (757/506). e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution:
(802/543). f. Total Distribution: (28,092/27,565). g. Copies
not Distributed: (11,138/8,435). h. Total: (39,229/36,000) j.
Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (97.1%/98.0%).16.
Publication of Statement of Ownership: Dec.14 17. I certify that
all information furnished on this form is true and complete:
Greg King, VP, Circulation.
101
VTOL safety
and control problems.
The idea of an airplane that can take
off and land vertically, and cruise with

the efficiency of a conventional airplane
is attractive. Many attempts have been
made to produce a machine that realizes this dream, but success has often
proven elusive.
Last month, we began to look at the
challenges this seemingly simple idea
poses for the designer. We saw that just
to produce enough vertical thrust to
get the machine off the ground takes a
lot more power than a conventional airplane requires to take off and climb away.
This means that the designer is already
faced with the problems of an oversized
engine and its effect on weight, cost, and
fuel consumption. And once the vehicle
has enough power to lift off, and a way
of directing the thrust vertically, the challenge has only begun.
We now need to address the knotty
problems of safety and control. These
are intimately linked in any airplane,
and even more so on a VTOL design. Its
a difficult design problem, and its not a
surprise that VTOL aircraft have a higher
accident rate than conventional ones.
Engine Failure:
The biggest problem facing any VTOL
design is how to keep the occupants
safe in the event of an engine failure
while the machine is in thrust-borne
flight. The lift that keeps a conventional
airplane aloft comes from the wing
interacting with the air flowing over it.
If the engine fails, a fixed-wing airplane
can glide down to a safe landing if it has
only one engine, and (usually) maintain
Barnaby Wainfan
102
level flight and get to a runway to land if

it is a multi-engine machine.
On a VTOL machine, the lift is produced directly by the propulsion system.
If it fails, the lift goes away. As we saw last
month, a primary reason that helicopters
are the only VTOL machines in regular
use is that the large rotor disk keeps the
power required to hover down to a reasonable level. The second advantage of a
helicopter is that it can autorotate. If the
engine fails, the pilot can de-pitch the
rotor blades so that they are kept rotating
by the airstream. This maintains lift and
allows the helicopter to glide (steeply)
and land safely using the kinetic energy
of the spinning rotor to allow the pilot to
briefly add pitch to the rotor to check the
descent just before touch down.
Higher disk loading VTOL aircraft,
including tilt-prop, tilt-rotor, lift-fan, and
direct jet lift designs all have the same
problem: They dont autorotate. Accordingly, if an engine fails, its lift goes away
immediately. If the aircraft has only one
engine, it will fall. Unless it is at very high
altitude when this happens, it will not be
able to get enough airspeed on the way
down for the wing to take over the task of
keeping the airplane flying before impact.
This places severe demands on the design
of the system. Either the machine must
incorporate some system to save the
occupants (ejection seats or a full-vehicle
recovery system) in the event of an engine
failure, or it must be operated in such a
way that it is never hovering at an altitude
high enough to hurt the people aboard if
the airplane falls down due to a failure. This
is theoretically possible, if we limit hover
altitude to a few feet, and then accelerate in ground effect to a high enough airspeed to fly away. Unfortunately, this kind
of operating limitation also negates most
of the advantages of VTOL.
Multiple Engines
Another approach is to use multiple
engines. While this eliminates the problem of total loss of thrust (lift) from a single
engine failure, it introduces other issues.
The first is the same problem faced by
any multi-engine airplane. The engines
must be powerful enough so that the
surviving engine(s) can keep the airplane
flying with one engine inoperative. Its
an even bigger problem for a VTOL aircraft because the engines must be sized
to produce a lot more thrust than the
engines of a conventional airplane.
An even more important issue is that
the thrust must be centered at the CG in
hover and slow thrust-borne flight. If the
airplane has more than one engine, it
must be able to drive all of its thrust producing elements (props, fans, rotors, etc.)
with the surviving engine(s) in the event
of a failure. If we allow one prop or rotor
to stop while the others keep producing thrust, the airplane will pitch or roll
uncontrollably depending on the location of the failed thrust producer.
This forces the machine to have a complex transmission, with cross-shafts linking
the rotors, props, or fans, and clutches to
allow the failed engine to be disconnected
so it does not drag the rest of the system
to a halt. On a tilt-rotor such as the V-22
Osprey, there are drive shafts running the
full length of the wing, from one nacelle
is a principal aerodynamics engineer for Northrop Grummans Advanced Design organization.

A private pilot with single engine and glider ratings, Barnaby has been involved in the design of
unconventional airplanes including canards, joined wings, flying wings, and some too strange
to fall into any known category.
The two-place VC200 Volocopter, shown here making its first flight, is an environmentally
friendly helicopter that uses 18 electrically driven rotors for propulsion.
to the other to make sure that both rotors

can be powered by either engine. Needless to say, the transmission system for this
is heavy, complicated, and expensive.
One possible solution to the one
engine inoperative problem is to use so
many engines that the surviving engines
can compensate briefly for the failed
engine without resorting to cross shafting or other interconnects between
engines and propulsors. One example
of this approach was the Dornier Do-31
VTOL jet transport. The Do-31 had a total
of 10 engines. One Rolls-Royce Pegasus
engine (the same engine as the Harrier)
was mounted in a pod under each wing.
The Pegasus nozzles swivelled, so these
engines were used for cruise thrust with
the nozzles directed aft, and vertical lift
with the nozzles aimed down. At each
wingtip, there was a large pod holding
four vertically oriented lift engines. Doors
on top and bottom opened to deploy the
lift engines for vertical flight. In hover, there
were five engines on each side of the airplane making vertical thrust. If one failed,
the other four could produce enough
thrust to compensate for the failed engine,
making it possible to land safely.
Electric Motors
More recently, the idea of using multiple electric motors driving propellers or
rotors for vertical flight has gotten some
interest. The idea is that with enough
small lift motors distributed over the vehicle, no single motor would be critical, and
Photo: Courtesy of e-volo GmbH
they could all be controlled by varying the

power fed to each one, without the need
for mechanical controls of fuel systems for
each engine. Recently, a company named
e-volo first flew a prototype of a vehicle
using 18 electric motors and propellers to
take off and hover like a helicopter. They
call their concept a Volocopter.
Yak 36 Forger
Yet another approach to multi-engine
VTOL safety is the rather direct method
adopted by the Russians on the Yak 36
Forger. The Forger had two engines:
a main engine that provided thrust in
cruise, and a lift engine mounted vertically just behind the cockpit. For vertical
flight, the nozzle of the cruise engine pivoted 90 degrees to direct the thrust down,
and doors opened to expose the inlet
and exhaust of the forward-mounted
lift engine. Both engines were needed
for vertical flight. If either one failed the
airplane would pitch uncontrollably and
crash. The Russians did not try to interconnect the engines. Instead they developed
an ejection seat that automatically ejected
the pilot if the airplane went out of control
in VTOL mode. I have read that the system
worked quite well, and the only fatality in
the Forger due to engine failure in vertical
flight was a pilot who disabled the autoeject mode on his seat because he didnt
trust it. Unfortunately for him, it was not
active when the lift engine of his Forger
failed shortly after takeoff, and he was not
able to manually eject. J

103
By Robrucha
104

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Fixed Wing &

Test Pilot Times Two

December 2014 | Volume 31, Number 12

Annual Buyers Guide

overview of kit- and plansbuilt fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft.

leverages high-volume recreational engine output to help sustain its

64 Souls On Board: TWO. The FAA will soon allow an

72 Buying a Used Homebuilt: For someone considering

aircraft ownership, used Experimentals deserve serious consideration.

91 ask the DAR: Building an RV-12 as E/A-B instead of ELSA,

92 Completions: Builders share their successes.

Checkpoints: Pre-buy inspections. By Vic Syracuse.

81 Down to Earth: Finally, an electrical fix. By Amy Laboda.

KITPLANES December 2014

KITPLANES December 2014

of soaring for both of us. I have my glider

again due to obscure deed restrictions

Photos: Courtesy of Sonex Aircraft

long-winged bird was a new experience

much as we love to flyand with a second or third project, it is nice to be able

It is the nature of a monthly magazine

KITPLANES December 2014

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed

Thanks for pointing that out Red

We get lots of requests for information from

Jim Weir responds: The airplane parts

Accepting the Risk

Great editorial in the July 2014 issue

Were always glad to hear that builders and

Back Issues: Call 800/571-1555

KITPLANES December 2014

www.kitplanes.com & www.facebook.com/kitplanes

Smart servos. Smart touchscreen.

2014 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries

G3X Flight Systems

We were bored! We were restless, too.

KITPLANES December 2014

like a bunch of bored birds perched on a

Its a one-hour cross-country jaunt from

Airdrome Airplanes plant in Holden,

www.kitplanes.com & www.facebook.com/kitplanes

too early and Bullwhip will put you

was grinding away. That meant Robert

Cruise speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 mph

Pre-welded 4130 steel fuselage.

KITPLANES December 2014

Large drawings can be found all over the workshop.

Baslees Latest Design

In the spring of 13, when wed entered

KITPLANES December 2014

A shot down the port lower wing.

Sharon made the mistake of going too

was popping rivets as fast as she could

www.kitplanes.com & www.facebook.com/kitplanes

Then I recognized the vertical fin and

his mechanics tinkered with his S.E.5as

KITPLANES December 2014

invincible. That was the basic reason the

Its Movie Time Again!

Back in 2004, Robert was contacted

So, they asked him if he could build

movie was finished, Robert brought all

Flying the S.E.5a

64 Souls On Board: TWO. The FAA will soon allow an

72 Buying a Used Homebuilt: For someone considering

91 ask the DAR: Building an RV-12 as E/A-B instead of ELSA,

92 Completions: Builders share their successes.

Checkpoints: Pre-buy inspections. By Vic Syracuse.

81 Down to Earth: Finally, an electrical fix. By Amy Laboda.