Another around the world trip - new design

[Spin]

http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/news.asp

 

I see the boys from The Airplane Factory are doing another of their round the world proving flights, this time in a four seat version of the original Sling. They are planning to finish the prototype in the next 7 days and then fly it westabout to be in the US in time for Oshkosh. I'm not sure that I'd want to be working under quite that amount of time pressure to fix the inevitable niggles- but I applaud their spirit of adventure and the rather attractive aircraft they are producing.

 

I was a little disappointed to see that they are planning to use a Rotax 914 to power the plane which is expected to gross 850kg with approx 400kg useful load. The designer cites the light weight vs 115hp power delivery, even at the high density altitudes common where it is built (easily 7500' in summer) as the major attractions of the Rotax. I don't pretend to be an aircraft designer, but it seems a hell of an ask especially when the 115hp is only good for 5 mins max. (Am I correct in understanding that the engine reverts to normally aspirated once the 5 mins is up - ie actually less than the nominal 100hp continuous as the altitude increases?) I've only flown behind one once and that is how it was explained to me. I suppose it could be argued that a J430 has only 120hp at sea level and manages to shift 760kg - maybe its me that needs to adapt my thinking but I cannot help looking at an O-320 say and thinking that for virtually the same price as the 914, you could have 160hp and a 2000 hr TBO as opposed to 1200.

 

 

 

[Spin]

Update on the above, sanity prevailed and the frantic rush to make Oshkosh was abandoned in favour of a slightly delayed, eastabout circumnavigation. They are 3 legs into the journey, presently in Phuket. The Airplane Factory have nonetheless gone from the computer rendering above, to a pretty and by all accounts sweet flying aircraft in a remarkably short time.

 

http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/sling4atw_news.asp

 

 

 

[Spin]

Latest update on the round the world trip; the two pilots took off from Majuro, Marshall Islands around 8am AEST, expected flight time to Hawaii 22 hours! Fantastic adventure, but rather them than me I'm afraid - huge hops across the ocean, dodging unfriendly weather at 1,000' asl and dealing with perhaps understandably reluctant aviation bureacracy, isn't my idea of fun:no:. All going to plan, they are likely to land before they took off..........

 

This morning's update on facebook;

 

"The guys have taken off with a massive 620l of fuel for Honolulu, Hawaii. Not too long into their flight from Marshall Island, they will cross the International Date Line, in effect "flying back in time" by losing a day. Updates will be posted as it becomes available"

 

 

[Spin]

Much as I may curse modern technology on occasion, the world really has become a smaller place - although the pilots (and their tailbones) may not agree:laugh:. Have just been listening to the Sling team setting off from the Hawaiian Islands, bound for LA, via liveatc. Estimated flight time 21+ hours. So final hop across the Pacific, leaving the trans US journey and 3 further jumps across the Atlantic between them and home. They certainly have taken a major bite out of the total trip by now.

 

 

[Spin]

Yeah they have a full MGL avionics suite, incl autopilot which they have used extensively. The seats also fold back, allowing the off duty pilot to sleep, but even so...............

 

Interior photo;

 

 

 

[rgmwa]

20 hours in a small plane... autopilot? my legs are aching just from thinking about it...

... yeah, no toilet breaks... my legs would be aching too, from being crossed for so long.. !!

 

rgmwa

 

 

[Spin]

I've just had another look at The Airplane Factory website and see the loons are 2 plus hours into their final lap - a direct flight from Rio to Cape Town! Expected flight time 27h50mins, talk about developing corns on your tail bone. Quite interesting to go into the live track map, it even gives you current speed and altitude. I must say that little aircraft and the 914 have been an eye opener to me. They apparently took off from Rio with 820 l of fuel aboard - I wonder how far over gross that put them, considering the quoted useful load is about 450kg.

 

 

[rgmwa]

Almost 28 hours over the cold Southern Atlantic. That's impressive!

 

Bass Strait is about as much water as I'd be willing to tackle!

 

rgmwa

 

 

[naremman]

Without wishing to make light of the contemporary flights, they certainly make an interesting contrast to the Around the World flight made by Cliff Tait in a 115 hp Airtourer in 1969.

 

Cliff managed to get his Airtourer registered in the Agricultural Category!! Max take off weight went from 1650 lbs (750 Kg) to 2000 lbs. The only navigation aid was a valve driven ADF.

 

One of the more challenging legs of his flight was the flight across Greenland. Weather meant that Cliff ended up landing in Sondre Stromfjord, and he was intent on proceeding onto Iceland. After assessing the options he took nine hours of fuel onbaord rather than a full load of 15 hours, and painstakingly coaxed the Airtourer to over 11000 feet to traverse Greenland!!

 

It is great to marvel at all aviation accomplishments, but the risk factors in these feats should never be lightly dismissed. I suppose Lindbergh has no shortage of people who thought he was crazy attempting the Atlantic.

 

 

[Spin]

I remember reading the book about the Airtourer circumnavigation as a kid - wouldn't mind getting my hands on it now again, certainly was a fantastic feat.

 

 

[naremman]

I remember reading the book about the Airtourer circumnavigation as a kid - wouldn't mind getting my hands on it now again, certainly was a fantastic feat.

Spin, sorry to say that you will probably face quite a challenge to lay your hands on "Flight of the Kiwi". Cliff Tait attended the 1999 Airtourer Association Convention in Mildura, and even he said that he was finding it hard to locate enough copies himself so that he could give a copy to each of his kids and grandkids. He always scoured second hand shops hoping to pick up a copy.

 

Cliff also wrote "Water Under My Wings", which really is compelling reading, and gives a fascinating account of his delivery flights of NZ built aircraft, which includes details of over 100 single engine crossings of the Tasman Sea.

 

Claude Meunier's website, Earthrounders, currently has a photo of ZK CXU on its home page, and I think there are some more details on Cliff's flight within the website.

 

I currently have both of Cliff's books, but the only time I have let them out of my sight was to loan them to Claude, on pain of calamitous consequences for their non return, when he was developing his website.

 

Wishing you well in seeking out the book, and it really is a great story that is deserving of greater coverage.

 

 

[Spin]

Now there's a challenge! Sadly the copy I read was a public lending library edition, probably long since discarded - can only hope it ended up in appreciative hands.

 

 

[turboplanner]

There's a copy of "Flight of the Kiwi" by Cliff Tait on Amazon at $75.06 if you're quick

 

 

[Spin]

Further update on the current adventure, I woke up to find the boys had landed safely in Cape Town sometime before midnight AEST. As they put it, "The Bullet is back!" I scoured the SA sites looking for photographs, but suspect that most people are still engagegd in an almightly P*%$ up at Stellenbosch Flying Club, where the welcome party was planned. Prelim advice is that they left Rio with 770l of fuel aboard, 300 odd kg over gross and did the crossing in a bit short of 27 hours, landing with around 4 hours of fuel in reserve - all in a stretched LSA type with a Rotax 914 up front.

 

 

Approaching CT International, mountains of the Cape Peninsula in background

 

 

Arrival at Stellenbosch. The aircraft in the background is also interesting, a Ravin 500 which is an SA designed and built composite rework of the original Piper Comanche. There is at least one flying in Aus and several in the US I believe, powered by a variety of aero engines as well as Chev LS1 conversions. One is also serving as the flying test bed for a new aero engine design from SA. Photo courtesy of "elbow" from avcom.

 

 

 

[turboplanner]

They certainly can celebrate after pulling off that one!