The Flyer LSA

[stefan]

................a sneak preview of whats to come this year

[stefan]

Plans are underway to start the construction of the Flyer LSA prototype. The aircraft was designed originally as a 4 seat 250kt aircraft, called the Phoenix, but was scaled down to target the more lucrative LSA market. Some details are on their website http://flightsciences.net/ The specs listed on the site is based on the US restriction of 120kts on the LSA speed where in SA this limit is 150kts. I will update the spec here and on Facebook as we go along. A scale model of the Flyer was build and wind tunnel tested at the CSIR and the real numbers were very close to the calculated numbers so we are quite certain that we will be whithin 5-7% of the published performance figures.

We are planning on building and testing the prototype and then to make the aircraft available as a complete kit. The engine used in the design was the UL power 260i but the Jabiru 85 and probably the 120hp should also work.

At the moment we are looking at cruise speeds of 130-140kts @65-70% power and a topspeed of 150kts (due to legislation)

We have a target selling price of a Fly away aircraft of R 880k excl VAT and a kit without engine, prop and avionics in the region of R300k excl VAT

[Walid]

Impressive !

[Donovan]

Ok Stefan

At this rate you going to have all the aircraft one will need.

1. 4 seat taildragger for family touring and bush adventure (130kts)
2. 2 seat economic tourer basically work commuter (130kts)

Now you have just one more rabbit to pull out of the hat then it's a onestop NTCA shop.

regards
Don

[heisan]

Hi Stefan,

With South Africa's rather high LSA weight limit of 600kg, why not try design around a slightly bigger engine? The ECi O320 list price is the same as the Jab3300/UL260, and there is a pretty strong used market in O320 size engines for home builders too. And for the experimenters, the bigger Subarus are in the same weight class. O200 and O235 would also be nice, but they tend to be more expensive.

It would probably not be best to design specifically for the SA market, but it would be nice if the engine mounts and support structures were designed to handle the weight - then SA builders with the extra 60kg available, could go for the cheaper conventional engine options.

Thanks,
Justin

[stefan]

Hi Guys, thanks for all the responses.

I am not the designer of the aircraft, I will ask Mike to give his inputs here.

My opinion is that Mike designed the plane as a production build plane, so the options as to what engines etc can be installed will be limited to what was initially approved. However, the plane will also be available as a kit. In that case other engine options could be explored. One of the largest limiting factors with this engine is prop diameter. With a 64 inch prop it is impossible for the prop to hit the ground and gives adequate ground clearance. Any engine that will turn slower than 2900-3300 rpm will need a much larger prop or a very course pitch smaller one. There are some obvious drawbacks to the course prop but all this could be investigated. A VP or CP prop could be the answer but weight could be the killer so far aft. Our aim is to first build the prototype so we can establish the actual empty weight and CG. This will determine the max engine weight.

PS - 600kg does not give you too much room to maneuver. With 2 x 100kg Pilot's 65kg of fuel, 30kg of luggage you have to have and empty weight of at least 300kg or less. That is quite difficult considering the size of this cockpit. The point is that engines that will weigh more than 85kg fully installed will severely limit the load carrying capabilities.

[heisan]

Thanks. I was assuming the plane would be designed for the international market - leaving us with an extra 60kg of wiggle room locally...

[stefan]

For certification purposes you only need to work on 80kg per pilot, the max fuel weight and the luggage weight but that is not realistic. Working with a 80kg pilot weight does open up more room for extra weight but you have to be realistic otherwise you end up with a plane that you cannot load anything in, legally.

[MikeA]

Howdy Guys:

This is MikeA. I'm the guy responsible for the pretty bird in the pictures above. We are in the VERY (emphasis mine) early stages of deciding whether to go ahead with this project. As they said in the movie "The Right Stuff", "No Bucks, No Buck Rogers". These aircraft development projects are expensive but we'll see how she goes.

Flyer was designed with the USA S-LSA and E-LSA markets in mind although the aircraft should do well in Europe, Australia and right here in SA (don't know aboout China). The primary US restrictions are that the airplane must weigh 600 kg or less, must carry no more than 2 folks, must utilize a fixed or ground adjustable propeller, must utilize fixed landing gear, must stall at no more than 45 knots and must fly no faster than 120 knots at Sea Level using MCP. Flyer meets all these requirements although keeping the speed down to 120 knots is going to require some work.

The Weight and Balance has been extensively analyzed. Some numbers- The estimated Empty Weight is 581 lbs (264 kg). Carrying two 95 kg guys, 25 kg baggage and 20 gallons fuel results in a weight of 531 kg.

The airplane is very big on the inside (130 cm across). Getting in and out would be very similar to getting in and out of your car.

As you all know, selling price is a huge factor. $80K is the target for the States. If that price can be met and if the bird does what it's supposed to do (God willin' and if the creeks don't rise), it will sell.

Later,

MikeA

[Steve]

Any progress on this project?

[stefan]

Hi Steve,
We are first completing the Safari VLA certification. This will be completed this year. As soon as time and finances allow we will start prototyping. We will keep you guys posted. This project will definitely continue. We just have to take it one project at a time. This might change should we get more funding somewhere to allow this project to develop alongside our current ones.

[Donovan]

Hi Stefan

So from above, the Xpedition on hold too?

Don

[stefan]

I am still working on the Xpedition on the sideline. At the moment we do not have enough space in the factory for all the developments. I am waiting on Hugo to extend the factory. This will happen hopefully soon.

[stefan]

Specifications
Airworthiness Category:
ASTM F2245 and CS-VLA
Weights : Empty: 649 pounds
Maximum Gross: 1289 pounds
External Dimensions
Length: 18.5 feet
Wingspan: 30.2 feet
Height (to top of fins): 6.3 feet
Internal Dimensions
Cockpit Length: 79 inches
Cockpit Width: 51 inches
Cockpit Height (floor to ceiling): 44.2 inches
Cockpit Layout
Two seats, side by side
Baggage compartment behind seats

Powerplant
Rotax 914
Maximum power: 115 BHP
Number of cylinders: 4
Drive: Speed reduction unit
Cooling: Air and liquid and oil cooled
Time Between Overhaul (TBO): 1500 hours
Propeller
MT, 2 blades, 5 foot diameter, constant speed
Airframe Materials
External surfaces: Structural fiberglass/foam sandwich
Internal structural members: Carbon/foam
Control Systems
Control surfaces: Stabilator, Rudders, Ailerons
Cockpit Controls: Dual sticks and rudder pedals
Trim: 3 axis electric
Power: Single lever (no propeller control, no mixture control)
Landing Gear
Main Gear: Retractable, laminated structural fiberglass struts
Nose Gear: Retractable, Oleo strut, full swivel

Calculated Performance
Payload
Maximum crew weight: 420 pounds (two 210 pound men)
Minimum crew weight: 110 pounds (one 110 pound woman)
Maximum baggage weight: 70 pounds
Maximum fuel weight: 150 pounds (25 gallons)
Note: There is no trade-off of crew weight, baggage weight or fuel weight due to Center of Gravity restrictions.
Stall Speed: 46 mph (40 knots)
Take-off Ground Roll (Sea Level): 350 feet
Take-off Ground Roll (7,000 feet): 450 feet
Landing Ground Roll (Sea Level): 430 feet
Landing Ground Roll (7,000 feet): 530 feet
Rate of Climb (Sea Level): 1500 feet per minute
Rate of Climb (7,000 feet): 1175 feet per minute
Service Ceiling: In excess of 20,000 feet
Cruise Speed @ 75% (Sea Level): 165 mph (144 knots)
Cruise Speed @ 50% (Sea level): 142 mph (123 knots)
Cruise Speed @ 75% (7,000 feet): 175 mph (152 knots)
Cruise Speed @ 50% (7,000 feet): 151 mph (131 knots)
Range @ 75% (Sea Level, 45 minutes reserve fuel): 660 miles
Range @ 50% (Sea Level, 45 minutes reserve fuel ): 900 miles
Range @ 75% (7,000 feet, 45 minutes reserve fuel): 700 miles
Range @ 50% (7,000 feet, 45 minutes reserve fuel): 960 miles
Fuel Economy @ 75% (Sea level): 31 miles per gallon
Fuel Economy @ 50% (Sea level): 40 miles per gallon
Fuel Economy @ 75% (7,000 feet): 33 miles per gallon
Fuel Economy @ 50% (7,000 feet): 43 miles per gallon

Note: The performance above is shown at a median weight of 970 pounds.