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stevezzzz
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Re: Mustang Air to Air: The Sequel


You asked me to comment on the Pipistrel when I had a chance. Here\'s what I know so far.

- It goes fast on very little fuel: I\'m seeing 125kt-130kt TAS at 8500\' MSL while burning 3.3 gph (the Remos would never go that fast even at full throttle, at sea level, burning 6+ gph). If I want to push 5gph through the Pipistrels\' engine, speeds are right around 140kt TAS. The tanks hold 24.5 gallons usable fuel: you do the math. This thing has legs!

- Low cruise is 2.5gph at 105-108kt TAS. My bladder hurts just thinking about what that means. Nine hour legs, over 900 nautical miles, with reserves? Mind boggling.

- Constant speed props are a thing of joy. 4900rpm gives me a very comfortable cruise, smooth and (relatively) quiet. And I can always get full takeoff rpm, density altitude notwithstanding.

- Pipistrel\'s fit-and-finish is outstanding.

- The new Rotax 912 iS seems like a really nice upgrade: for the same 100hp output, the new injected engine has much lower specific fuel consumption than the venerable 912 ULS, runs much smoother, and you never have to balance a pair of cranky carburetors.

The cabin is nicely appointed but a little cramped in shoulder room compared to the Remos. My panel includes a 10\" Dynon Skyview MFD and I designed things so I can slip my iPad into a holder on the passenger side, flush with the panel, next to the Dynon. I ordered mine with extra-large sliding photo windows in both doors, so I don\'t have to open the door to shoot. It\'s a good thing, because the door-opening and -closing process in flight is much less well thought out than in the Remos. If I really need to I guess I\'ll just leave a door behind on the ground rather than wrestle with opening it in flight.

Here are my notes on cruise speed and fuel flows from today\'s 2.5 hour test flight. I\'m flying off the 10-hour Phase I restriction on the Experimental airworthiness certificate, so it seemed like a good time to learn a little about what it can really do. \'DA\' stands for Density Altitude. Note that the cruise speed doesn\'t change much between 3.3 gph and 4.5 gph, it\'s within my 5-knot measurement uncertainty.

4900 rpm; 8500MSL; DA10400; OAT 58°F; speed in knots
2.5 gph 105-108TAS 90-93 IAS
3.0 gph 118-123TAS 98-102 IAS
3.3 gph 125-130TAS 107-112 IAS
3.5 gph 125-130TAS 107-112 IAS
4.5 gph 125-130TAS 107-112 IAS

5300 rpm, full throttle
5.2 gph 138-141TAS 118-121 IAS

Here\'s a stereo pair from today\'s flight: Horsetooth Reservoir, Longs Peak (one of Colorado\'s Fourteeners) and a sky full of lenticulars. At my altitude it was mostly smooth with light winds, though I did get me teeth rattled a minute or two after this was taken.




May 05, 2014 at 04:46 PM





  Previous versions of stevezzzz's message #12327306 « Mustang Air to Air: The Sequel »

 




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