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
S un 'n F un 2 013 homebuilts served as a graphic testament to the two-place design's successful passage and demonstrated crosscountry capabilities. The pilots averaged 189 knots on their 4,400-mile trip to Lakeland from Palhoça in Brazil's Santa Catarina state. If the profile of these airplanes strikes you as familiar, check out photos of Stelio Frati's 1955 design, the Falco. While the lines are similar, differences do exist. Those differences work mostly to a builder's advantage. For example, the Falco is predominantly an all-wood kit consisting of hundreds of component parts. Wega Aircraft created an all-carbon-fiber kit with construction centered on final assembly of two major structures: the Wega's smooth one-piece wing and the curvaceous carbon-fiber fuselage. Wega Aircraft tapped Superior for its EX-360 engine, and MT Propellers for a three-blade, composite, constantspeed prop. Cabin access comes through a pair of clamshell-style doors, rather than the Falco's sliding canopy. The Falco cockpit spans 40 inches, roomy for its size; the Wega cockpit space spans 44 inches. The result is an aircraft with a 190-knot cruise potential—165 at economy cruise—about 15 knots better than the Falco. With 57 gallons of fuel to feed the 180-hp, four-cylinder engine, the Wega can fly about 1,200 miles. Company founder Jocelito Carlos Wilder confirmed the company's plans to market a "complete kit" to the U.S. market, with "complete" translating to a standard spinner-to-tailcone package created to leverage better pricing than builders could get buying individual components. And yes, that means complete in the best sense: carbonfiber airframe to glass-cockpit avionics and firewall forward with engine, prop, and all the hardware. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the company remained unable to quote a price for its complete kit. But their thinking was that the basic airframe kit would go for about $40,000 with the fully complete kit coming in at about $100,000. They plan to nail down pricing by EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013, when these folks from southern Brazil will be ready to escape the southern hemisphere winter. Learn more at www.AeroWega.com. Spark of Smarts—E-Mag Electronic Ignition E-Mag's P-114 electronic ignition has been available for a while, but it's the new Series 200 that attracted attention at Sun 'n Fun. 22 Vol.2 No.6 / June 2013 Designed for certification (and ultimately use on certificated aircraft), the Series 200 (and the 114) tackle the issue of redundancy differently than the other certificated options— the older Unison Lasar Ignition and other experimental systems. In the Lasar system's case, ship's power runs the system; should that power fail, a pair of conventional magnetos take over, with magneto-level performance. In the case of other options, keeping a mechanical magneto served as the redundancy option. Mount two and your engine will enjoy all the benefits of: a) total redundancy, b) dual ignition (plus 12 to 15 percent power), and c) the seamless advance curve and spark power available from an all-electronic system. The new six-cylinder Series 200 and the Series 114 run on the power of a miniature three-phase brushless alternator integral to the unit. With each unit running on self-generated electrical power, there's no need for mechanical mag backup or ship's power. The system needs ship's power only to power the system at engine start. After that, the internal alternator takes over and produces the needed power as long as the engine continues to turn. The E-Mag