Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/134623
T h e Z e n i t h 75 0 C r u Z e r at Sun 'n Fun 2013, the CruZer was powered by ULPower's new 130-hp UL350iS 3.5-liter engine (214 cubic inches). This engine is one of a new breed of slightly larger displacement, flat-four, air-cooled light aircraft engines that are traditional in layout, including eliminating a reduction drive unit and going direct drive. At the same time, they are state of the art in design, manufacturing, and operation; it's FADEC equipped, among other things. (See the sidebar for details.) Besides the ULPower engine, a builder has plenty of engine options available. Te console mounts pilot/co-pilot heater controls. Te CruZer uses aircraf-grade pulled rivets throughout. Sebastien said, "We set the cowling and engine compartment up so that the older, very available, and often less expensive Continental O-200 and Lycoming O-235 engines will both fit, and we make motor mounts for those and other engines. The UL engine only weighs 172 pounds whereas the O-235 weighs nearly 300 pounds installed, which is why there is so much room behind the UL 350iS. We have a long mount for that engine and short ones for the others." As with all Zenith designs, the aircraft is available in every form from plans to a quick-build kit. Constructed of flat-sheet aluminum, with very few complex parts, the aircraft is ready made for the scratchbuilder. However, if a builder decides to move up to any of the kits, the building time plummets, courtesy of Zenith's huge CNC flatbed routers. The computer-controlled routers roam around over a flat sheet, putting the holes in the parts so they all matched. Sebastien said the 400-hour build time they quote to build from a quick-build kit is a realistic estimate, but variations will be introduced both by builder experience and the degree of finish. The more complex the paint and interior, the more time will be required. And unfortunately, the more the aircraft will weigh. So how much less STOL and how much more of a cruiser is the CruZer? Sebastien said, "Where the STOL is off the ground in 100 feet and requires a 500-foot runway to safely take off and land with good margins, the CruZer gets off in 275 feet and needs 220 feet to land." Te fuel valve is recessed in the lef cockpit panel. 18 Vol.2 No.6 / June 2013 That's still very strong STOL performance, but Sebastien said, "In the CruZer, the average low-time pilot would be very safe flying off of 750- to 1,000foot runways, assuming reasonable approaches. This would provide him with lots of safety margin. At the same time, however, he would have nearly 20 percent more cruise performance at the same fuel burn. It's a much more efficient airplane for those who really don't care about having the absolute ultimate in offairport performance."