Finally - flying the A22LS

[Guest SrPilot]

It took a while, but this morning I finally managed to fly an A22LS. In the U.S., they are not registered as "Foxbat" but as Aeroprakt A22LS aircraft. The one I flew is one of the latest of the rather limited number in the U.S. Until today, the lightest airplanes I had flown were the Cessna 120 and the RV-3A. I did some dual in a glider once, but that was maybe 20 years ago. And getting a seat in the 22LS in my area is not easy to do. This airplane is the only 22LS I've ever seen at our airplane, and except for the numerous videos from Australia, the UAE, Russia, Ukraine and Poland, it is the only one I've ever seen fly. In fact, the first time I saw one fly, I was sitting in it.

 

The 22LS seemed to be a rather straightforward airplane once I adjusted to it. It is quite different from the aircraft I have been flying, Add to that fact, today was quite warm in the Southern U.S. (our summer) so it was a little bouncy sometimes but nothing like what I expected.

 

The 22LS responded to the controls rather well. It anything was less than solid, it was me - not the airplane. Stepping out of a Nanchang CJ6A (my airplane) into a 22LS is quite a step. It had been a long time since I had left the GlaStar for the CJ or the RV3A for the GlaStar. My last flights in the GlaStar were perhaps 3 years ago. And the airport pattern speeds on the CJ aren't that far removed from the cruise speeds of the 22LS. The pattern speeds of the 22LS almost reminded me of the taxi speeds for a CJ. But I do tend to taxi a mite too fast sometimes.

 

What did I and 3 other U.S. pilot-friends of mine think of the little puppy? We all liked it. One friend who had not been that positive about the Foxbat during our discussions as I researched the airplane was very positive after looking it over. He said a) the plane looks considerably better than its pictures and b) the quality of the construction was far beyond what he was expecting. Another friend asked that I meet him for lunch this week to chat about the costs involved - he may be interested in one too. Yet another friend - an airplane and helicopter mechanic, and an RV builder - thought it was a very nice "little bird." Everyone at the FBO said it was a nice looking airplane and all mentioned how quiet it was compared to the other aircraft on the ramp. We als had lots of U.S. Air Force guys coming over to look at the plane. They were flying in on training missions in turboprops and Pave Hawk helicopters. We turned out to be the most interesting plane on the ramp.

 

Will I end up with a 22LS? Maybe. We will see. We now are talking options, costs, production and shipping schedules, etc. More to come - maybe. All-in-all though, a fun day in a fun airplane.

 

 

[Downunder]

Most GA types I have in the right seat tend to get a bit panicky on final (quiet and still), generally with their eyes glued to the ASI.

 

With, say, a 10 knot headwind and a 50 knot final speed, it looks like we're not moving too fast.....The view outside boosts that image I think.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Great work, coming straight out of the greater inertia of the CJ!

 

 

[Guest SrPilot]

Great work, coming straight out of the greater inertia of the CJ!

Hi tp. Well they both land the same. Just a matter of keeping the prop ahead of you and the wheels underneath. The rest, they say, is a piece of cake.

 

Although I did detect that the A22LS is a mite lighter and slower than the CJ. Just a bit, mind you, but I'm still reading up on the subject to be sure.