Aeroprakt grabs world record with A-40 aircraft

Yuriy Yakovlyev – CEO of Aeroprakt Limited – and his team have done it again! Not content to rest on their laurels after winning gold medals in two major light aircraft championships this year, they have now landed a world record.

Their A-40 competition aircraft – adapted from the well-known A20 tandem 2-seat taildragger in pusher prop configuration – has achieved a staggering and authenticated 229 kilometres on just 8.5 litres of fuel. In imperial measures, thats over 142 miles on 2.25 US gallons; over 63 miles per gallon, 3.7 litres per 100 kilometres!!

Whichever way you measure it, it’s an amazing feat for a 2-seat aircraft using a standard Rotax 912 series engine – no batteries or electric motors. Pilot and co-pilot for this extraordinary accomplishment were Yuriy’s son Timofey and engineer Taras Sotnicenko. Looks like Timofey has his father’s genes.

Very big congratulations from Foxbat Australia to all involved!

You can follow the maestro Yuriy on his FaceBook page by clicking here.

Foxbat Australia – new website coming!

After almost 5 years with our current website at www.foxbat.com.au we have developed a new, much more modern site design for Foxbat Australia which will be going live in the next week or so.

Although the old website has been widely used and favourably commented on, apart from making it more visually attractive, we have aimed to make navigation simpler – particularly for the many visitors seeking technical specifications and maintenance information.

All the details from the old site have been retained and updated, including the ever-popular ‘Used Aircraft‘ page, which is statistically the most visited single page on the site! In addition, if you want to find a school or club in Australia using Aeroprakt aircraft, we have introduced a clickable map to help you find one near to you.

There are also additions of an in-site photo and video gallery, so you don’t have to navigate away from the site to see visuals. However, our linked Foxbat YouTube channel and Foxbat Facebook Page will remain in operation – have a look, we post new items regularly on Facebook and are planning more YouTube videos over the coming months.

Once the new site is up and running, feel free to send me your comments!

DirectFly Alto LSA

Short video of trip to Parkes, September 2019

Over the last 6 months or so, I have been flying a new-to-Australia low wing all metal Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) built in the Czech Republic, called the DirectFly ALTO. In particular, as mentioned in my previous post, I flew the Alto from our Tyabb Airport base to the recent Australian AirVenture 2019 airshow at Parkes in New South Wales and back again with my friend Mike Rudd.

The return trip totalled 9.6 hours of flying – mostly into moderate to strong headwinds – burning an average of 17.2 litres an hour. We were only around 5 kgs (about 11-12 pounds in the old fashioned measure) under the maximum gross weight of 600 kgs (1,320 pounds). Nevertheless, the Alto still had plenty of get-up-and-go and we cruised along happily – if a little bumpily at times – at around 105-115 knots True Air Speed.

The horrendous dust storms in Parkes, followed by rain, reminded me how easy it is to clean a low wing aircraft; I think we washed and leathered it off at least 4 times over the two main days of the show. I suppose the drawback is that you can’t shelter from the rain by standing under the wing!

My friend Mike, whose backside can be very critical of aeroplane seats, commented that (a) it was one of the most comfortable planes to sit in for several hours’ flying, and (b) that it handled the sometimes moderate turbulence very well. The Alto adopts a sort of ‘fishtail’ waggle through the worst turbulence – if you leave it to find its own way rather than fighting it, the ride is not bad at all.

Although I’m a definite high-wing pilot, I must say that the view out of the Alto is superb – most of the time it feels like you’re flying on a magic carpet, with an almost unobstructed view forward through about 270 degrees. With a high wing, I guess you tend to look more at the ground when flying; with a low wing, you see much more of the sky and the eve changing cloudscapes around you.

The tinted canopy and 4 powerful air vents kept us cool and un-burnt. And the forward-sliding design of the canopy presented no worries about it popping open in flight or blowing over if left open on the ground.

All-in-all a very nice low wing all metal alternative to a Foxbat or Vixxen – and the pricing is good too! PS> This demonstrator aircraft is now for sale – please contact Ido Segev 0431 454 676 for information and pricing.

Click here for more information on the ALTO.
Click here or on the photo above to take you to the YouTube video Mike made of our flight.

AirVenture 2019 – a bit of a disaster

My friend Mike and I flew from Tyabb to Parkes on Thursday 19 September, full of anticipation for the upcoming AirVenture 2019 show. A couple of owners/friends were bringing an A22LS Foxbat and an A32 Vixxen to complete our static display along with the DirectFly Alto we were flying.

We set out nice and early (well, it was for us!) leaving the ground at about 07:45. Tracking north for Wangaratta, we immediately hit some strong headwinds coming over the ranges. And so this was the story pretty well all the way to Parkes, where we arrived at about 15:00 after stopping at Wangaratta and Temora – where, by the way, we briefly ran into Ian McDonell, A32 Vixxen syndicate manager, flying down from Caboolture to Tocumwal in the opposite direction.

At that stage, the weather forecast for Parkes didn’t look too bad; breezy but clear on Friday, with strengthening winds and a late possibly showery change on Saturday, and light (head!) winds on Sunday and Monday for our trip home.

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In the event, the ‘strengthening winds’ on Saturday turned out to be 30+ knot northerlies gusting 45-50 knots (YES!) raising an almost impenetrable cloud of dust in the air. The seminar and main indoor exhibitor tents were rated to about 75 km/h (that’s about 40 knots) so the whole site was evacuated at about 10:30 and did not re-open until 15:00 that afternoon. Even after that, there were intermittent and heavy rain showers, so the day was pretty well a wipe-out. However, thanks to Bob (you know who you are!) for braving the weather to come and order a new Foxbat on Saturday afternoon!

Our three planes were all pointed into wind and well tied down so we suffered no damage. They were all covered with a thick layer of dust – made to look much worse by the developing rain showers – although the insides remained mercifully clean.

As forecast, Sunday dawned beautifully clear with almost no wind…it was almost as if the previous day had just been a very bad dream.

We flew home in the Alto on Monday 23 September, again with headwinds most of the way and a dessert helping of showers as we approached the Kilmore Gap through the ranges, plus one final, very big shower overhead Tyabb – we circled out to the west for about 30 minutes, waiting for it to pass through.

The Alto performed faultlessly. Mike even commented that it was probably the most comfortable Light Sport Aircraft he’d flown in – which is high praise indeed, considering his rear end is noted for its predisposition to numbness in less accommodating aircraft! Overall, the return trip was 9.6 hours’ flying, using a whisker under 165 litres of fuel. True airspeed lingered between 105 and 115 knots but average ground speed on the two trips was just under 75 knots – which included take-offs and landings.

It was a shame that the main exhibition day was such a disaster. I hope the organisers had insurance cover (if such a thing is available) because total visitor entries must have been a fraction of what they were hoping. One of our competitors commented that there were ‘more exhibitors than visitors’, even on Sunday, when the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.

I hope the organisers survive to fight another day and run the show again next year.

AirVenture 2019

This year’s AirVenture fly-in and airshow seems to have come round all very quickly! Last year the show visited Cessnock, near Newcastle in New South Wales.

This year we are at Parkes in central west New South Wales – famous for the nearby ‘Dish’ radio telescope which was involved in communications for the first human landing on the moon.

The show runs from Friday 20 September to Sunday 22 September inclusive, with an airshow planned for Sunday, 10.00-14.00. We’re told there will be hundreds of fly-in and drive-in visitors this year – so why not join them and come and see all manner of light and very light aircraft, warbirds and aerobatic displays. Plus a huge range of aviation related merchandise ranging from nice little toys, all the way up through avionics and beyond.

As usual, Foxbat Australia and our sister company, AeroEdge, will have Foxbat, Vixxen and Alto aircraft on static display. A couple of schools/clubs using Foxbats for training will also be giving ‘TIFs’ – trial instruction flights – so you can find out just how much fun it is to fly a Foxbat.

Come and say hello! We’d love to see you there!

Aeroprakt CEO at Avalon Airshow

Terrific news! Yuriy Yakovlyev, CEO of Aeroprakt, 2018 World Ultralight Champion and designer of the A22 Foxbat and A32 Vixxen aircraft will be joining us at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon Airport near Melbourne.

Show dates are Tuesday 26 February to Sunday 03 March – with trade days from Tuesday to Friday and public days Friday to Sunday. Yuriy will be with us from Tuesday to Saturday inclusive – come along to our static display at area EN13 near the main entrance and say ‘Hello!’.

Foxbat Australia will have a high spec A32 Vixxen and an A22LS Foxbat on display.

Next to us, our new venture partners, AeroEdge Pty Ltd, will be launching the DirectFly Alto 912TG in Australia.

We still have a few trade tickets left but hurry, it’s first come first served!

Australian International Airshow 2019

Seems such a short while ago that we were enjoying the 2017 Australian Airshow – and yet it’s already 2019 and the bi-annual show is almost upon us again!

Foxbat Australia will, as usual, be exhibiting in the static aircraft area. We are planning to have our new A22LS Foxbat demonstrator there, which is fitted with an AirMaster in-flight adjustable propeller, plus a nice red, highly specified A32 Vixxen. The exact site details have not yet been confirmed but we will publish them as soon as we have them.

Location for the 2019 Airshow is Avalon Airport, south west of Melbourne.

Dates for your diary are: trade days, Tuesday 26 February-Friday morning 01 March 2019; public days, afternoon & evening of Friday 01 March – Sunday 03 March. We will have a limited number of trade day tickets available, with a priority given to existing Foxbat Australia owners – please contact Ido or me if you are interested.

PS – we are expecting a brand new (to the Australian market) low-wing all-metal, 2-seat LSA aircraft to be on display right next to us. This aircraft has a number of unique features and will be available at a very attractive price…

Aeroprakt A32 demo flight

Via the cockpit video recorder, follow Yuriy Yakovlyev, A32 designer, Aeroprakt CEO and gold award-winning pilot as he takes the A32 through a demonstration flight routine at the 2017 Krakow Airshow in Poland..

It’s interesting to watch Yuriy’s use of throttle and flap and his control of airspeed throughout the 5-minute routine. This video shows what the A32 can do when flown by an experienced pilot.

However… PLEASE NOTE: most of the manoeuvres in this flight sequence are illegal in this type of aircraft in Australia! DO NOT try this at home – remember, Yuriy has many thousands of hours flying experience, not only in his own Aeroprakt factory aircraft but in many other types too.

As usual, click the picture or on this link to see the video: Yuriy flies the A32 at Krakow, Poland

Tyabb Airshow

Well, how quickly have another 2 years sped by? It’s time again for the bi-annual Tyabb Airshow, to be held this year on Sunday 11 March 2018. Gates open at 08.30 and the air display starts at 11.30. The theme of this year’s show is ‘War & Peace’ and there will be many of the old warbirds, for which Tyabb is famous, on display on the ground and in the air. In addition, many Tyabb hangar owners will be opening up their doors to show aircraft old and new.

The airshow this year is sponsored by BP and Eastlink, as well as the Peninsula Aero Club, which has a proud tradition of supporting local community service clubs from the proceeds of their airshows.

The 2018 Airshow is no different with the major beneficiary to be Riding for the Disabled (RDA). RDA Victoria is a not-for-profit organisation that enables individuals with a variety of disabilities, ages and backgrounds to develop independence, a sense of freedom and to reach their equestrian goals, through adaptive coaching techniques and equipment.

The Aero Club will also be supporting the Tyabb CFA, a vital service for all of us, the Mt Eliza Lions Club which exists to support the comminity through a variety of initiatives and the Tyabb Football & Cricket Clubs which serve local youth.

You can save $5 per head by purchasing your tickets on line by clicking here. This will also save you having to queue at the gate to get into what is always a very popular show.

Foxbat Australia will have several aircraft on static display, including the Kelpie and Vixxen, as well as the evergreen Foxbat – come along to Hangar 11 and say hello – we are just across the grass to the south of the main club house.

Australian Airshow 2017 – Avalon wrap

Mike Rudd, in his own inimitable style, has produced an excellent short video covering the 2017 Avalon Airshow. Although majoring on the Foxbat Australia display, there are comments from Evektor Aircraft and Sling Aircraft, as well as a selection of interesting people who visited our static display.

As usual, click on the picture or use the following link to see the video: 2017 Avalon Wrap