Experimenter

August 2013

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/149316

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Ju s t A ir c r a f t 's Sup e r S TO L sandwiched between my bookend moments of abbreviated runway occupancy. The SuperSTOL needed at most a slight, two-toes-only touch on each rudder pedal, a light two-fingers hand on the stick, and smooth throttle use in exchange for the reward of a fun flyer with excellent manners. On the ground, a long neck, a thick seat-bottom cushion, and constant S-turning help keep the runway ahead in view off the high, steeply angled cowl. Aloft, however, no such vision limitations exist, thanks to ample glass and broad skylights. No one should tire from flying this plane; it was no work at all. Hangar Kin—the Highlander and SuperSTOL On appearance alone the SuperSTOL stops people in their tracks. Little wonder, given its distinct features. But beyond the differences, the SuperSTOL is all Just Aircraft, employing simple, proven technologies: welded steel fuselage, metal wing substructure, and cloth covering. Just's Escapade and Highlander share a fuselage with different wings and gear; the SuperSTOL shares some of the Highlander's fuselage structure and construction philosophy. But it's still its own plane, differing in many distinctive ways. For example, that distinctive main landing gear delivers more than 20 inches of stroke available from the long shock absorber, wholly different than the more conventional tail-wheel mains of the Highlander. But where the SuperSTOL varies from the Highlander most is its wing. Each leading edge sports a selfadjusting slat—a cuff conforming with the leading edge shape that pivots forward to form lift-enhancing slats. The slats deploy automatically at about 55 knots indicated and stow, also automatically, at about 57 knots. Stowed, they impose next to zero penalty on airspeed performance. Deployed, they allow approaches at a steep angle indicating 40 knots—probably a high number because of the steep angle of attack the combination of 40 knots and idle engine power produces. Stall is so low and at such a high pitch angle that it made me question the airspeed indicator's accuracy. Silky smooth in operation, the pivot mechanisms move on ball bearings with rubber bumpers cushioning deployment and retraction. Those slats get help flying slow-speed exercises from the huge, half-span Fowler flaps while wide-chord, 16 Vol.2 No.8 /August 201 3 half-span ailerons give the pilot significant roll authority, even at the highest angles of attack the plane can fly; and it can fly at ridiculously high angles of attack with just a modicum of power. Working together, the aggressive flaps and automatic slats enhance the slow-speed numbers of the SuperSTOL while the long-chord ailerons contribute significantly to two-fingers-is-enough roll authority available right down through stall. SuperSTOL: A Name and a Design Philosophy Designer, engineer, pilot, and Just Aircraft partner Troy Woodland wears a lot of hats, as does his partner Gary Schmidt. During Sun 'n Fun 2013, Woodland took on the role of showing off the SuperSTOL. "My design approach tries to continually make runways unnecessary," Woodland explained as we prepared N272SS for my flight in it. STOL performance is nothing new to the pair of Schmidt and Woodland. Their planes all adhere to a philosophy that follows that slower and shorter are often more attractive than faster and longer. But the SuperSTOL performance review revealed it to be not only short-field exceptional but approach-error tolerant, as we'll see from our flight. "Getting into a field too short to depart from is its own safety element," Woodland said. For that very plausible possibility, the SuperSTOL retains two traits present in its predecessor designs: folding wings and the ability to tow the folded, secured aircraft. Born of Highlander, Kin of Helio, With a Bit of Porter for Good Measure Schmidt and Woodland's previous creations—the basic-trainer Escapade and the robust bigger brother, the Highlander—number nearly 400. As with the Highlander, prospective SuperSTOL aviators enjoy two approaches to flying their own model. First, there's the experimental kit approach, with two options: Build it as a sport pilot–eligible experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) by listing its legal gross weight at 1,320 pounds, or build it as an experimental amateur-built (E-AB) with a 180 pounds greater weight of 1,500 pounds. With the factory number for an empty SuperSTOL at 720 pounds, the E-LSA option leaves the operator with a useful load of 600 pounds, and yes, it will make the power-based formula for fuel. Use the option to build

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