Experimenter

SEP2014

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.

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24 Vol.3 No.9 / September 2014 THE ZIGOLO ULTRALIGHT no resistance. All the way back and the prop stops for soaring or dead-stick landings. There's no choke. No warm up. No CGT or EGT or oil temp gauges to fret over. There is a voltage monitoring LCD to speak to how much electric "fuel" remains in the "tank." (Someday soon we'll have an established electric fl ight lexicon. For now, gas motor slang will have to suf ce. Whatever…we're still saying "horsepower" from the whip and buggy days.) Sitting with all that air around you—front, sides, above, and below—the lap belt/shoulder harness removes any nattering worries about falling out in bumpy conditions. The Zigolo is meant for power-of (or glide-boosting idle), thermal-hitching fl ight. It can handle the bumps just fi ne with its static-tested +6g/-3g ultimate load rating. But how does it handle the decent pilotage requirements of ground skimming along at a height of 10 feet down a tree-lined runway? Time to fi nd out. Following Chip's prefl ight coaching, I taxi out to the grass strip at South Lakeland. I slide the power knob to the stops… all 3 inches of travel—not much of a macho pilot's move there—but the electric motor rewards that minimal slide with a satisfying, robust surge. I'm quickly rolling, I pop the tail up…and see I'm heading right for two big plastic buckets marking the threshold. Ack! Luck smiles as I maintain my equanimity, split the 6-foot distance between them, breathe a sigh of relief, check the Hall wind meter disk, see 25 mph, and ease back on the stick…and we're airborne. Not so artful, but the ego will recover. A quick stick juke left and right tells me the full-span ai- lerons deliver a decent response indeed, certainly lighter and requiring less rudder than many other ultralights I've fl own. Leveling of in ground ef ect, I feel some decent pops from early thermals, and keep the glider low over the runway as Chip had advised. The foot pedals provide all the rudder push you could want. After 20 seconds fl ying down the strip, it's time to "chop" power. We settle back down, and the Zigolo lands on the smooth grass as sweet as you'd ever want with a comfort- ing little fl oat, fl are, and touchdown. That fi rst hop tells me all I need to know: Zigolo is easy in handling, fun to fl y, lands like a fl oater, and responds well to three-axis input. Next fl ight, please! The Zigolo and I make another pass, then another, then another, which provides a good thermal pop just after takeof . Unable to resist, I pull the stick back and gain a quick 150 feet. Out the back side of the bump, we dive down again, kill the power, and glide along for another easy landing. Sweet. Steady. Smooth. What a very nice little airplane! T HE NE X T S T EP This electric prototype is meant to be a proof-of-concept test bed for the electric propulsion system. Accordingly, it will soon fade into history in favor of a Generation 2 model, with a more powerful, more ef cient motor Chip's developing with electri- cal engineer Don Lineback. I had a lengthy chat with Don at EAA AirVenture Osh- kosh 2014 and can report with some enthusiasm that the new outrunner-type motor package they're developing could be a strong step forward for the fl edgling electric fl ight industry. Chip hopes to be ready to go with the electric Zigolo by this December. Meanwhile, you can put down $10 for a delivery position right now. Don't want to wait? Buy the gas-powered Zigolo now and take delivery in a few weeks of either a (newly FAA-sanctioned) 100-hour E-AB kit or an ARTF machine. Each comes complete with covered airframe, powerplant and con- trols, basic instruments, and either a Comelli or BRS airframe emergency reserve parachute. "I won't sell a Zigolo without a chute; it's standard equip- ment for the price," Chip said. For those who want both the benefi ts of quiet electric and traditional gas power, you can buy both: The powerplants are interchangeable in about two hours. For a treat meanwhile, get your mojo working by searching YouTube for videos of Zigolos fl ying worldwide. You'll see what a sweet performer it is, power on and of . Let's wrap up with Chip Erwin's take on electric fl ight: "It works, it's viable, and I like it. Now I can fl y at 500 feet and enjoy that low altitude. It's high enough for the chute to deploy, and quiet enough not to bother anyone. "Now, instead of 'Get the gun, Martha!' when noisy two- strokers fl y overhead, people will wave, if they hear you at all, especially once we reduce the prop noise even further." All I'll add to the mix is this heartfelt promise: Once you fl y electric, aircraft handling and performance issues aside, I'd bet you'll never want to mess with a gas-powered airplane again. Yeah, it's really that cool. For more information about the Zigolo, visit www.Aeromarine-LSA.com . SPECIFICATIONS Wingspan: 36.4 feet Wing area: 170 square feet Wing aspect ratio: 7.9 Empty weight, including parachute: 276 pounds (254 pounds plus 24-pound parachute allowance) Load factor: +4/-2g (safety factor 1.5, for +6/-3 ultimate load) Stall: 22 mph Cruise: 35 to 40 mph Sink rate: 276 fpm Glide ratio: 11-to-1 Anticipated electric motor endurance: 45 minutes Yes, the Zigolo MG is a tube-and- fabric, bare-bones af air, but it will get you in the air under power to soar around with performance akin to a modern hang glider…

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