Another video – this time of the Critters Lodge Fly-in early May 2015. Critters Lodge is at Dillard Ranch Airfield east of Centerville in Texas. Lovely weather and great use of a hi-resolution camera mounted on a drone. Cold Play fans will like the music – ‘Sky Full of Stars’. What a great way to spend a weekend.
Andrew’s Foxbat – photo courtesy Mick Worthington
The following ‘comment’ was submitted by Andrew Murray – Foxbat owner in Western Australia – in response to my recent blog post about ‘Light Sport Aircraft – which is best?’. I think it is of enough interest to publish it as an item in its own right – thank you Andrew!
I am just back from Sun ‘n Fun in the US where I had the opportunity to inspect almost all of the latest offerings in the LSA (and also light GA aircraft) arena. I was also tickled pink to meet and speak with Yuriy Yakovlyev, designer of my cherished Foxbat of course !
It was great fun to look at all the aircraft now available and dream of having a stable of them to suit every whim. It would be a “stable” because, as you point out, everything is a compromise and nothing does everything. Choosing an LSA is, I think, a matter of choosing the “right” compromise. By this I mean the one that suits one’s own flying profile but also one that makes a good balance between the fundamental qualities you mention.
I can honestly say I visited only one stand where, if the vendor had said “I will here and now swap this aeroplane for your Foxbat” I would have said “yes” (and even then it would require some sober thought). That was the Carbon Cub stand – I would LOVE one of those but sadly they are twice the price of the Foxbat (at least).
[Andrew, I agree. I share my Tyabb hangar with Stephen Buckle, the Australian Cubcrafters agent, and have been able to fly a Carbon Cub several times. It’s a wonderful aircraft to fly but as you say, quite expensive.]
In your post you refer to a lot of individual features such as range, speed, load carrying capacity (which I think is one of the critical things) and so-on which inform a buying decision. We all go through this dissection analysis when forking out money for a plane but I wonder how much of it just rationalisation. Most of us buy an LSA for FUN.
What makes it fun ? For me the key things are:
1. Good visibility – if I am going to enjoy the sky and the view of the ground I want to see as much of it as I can.
2. The ability to get up high quickly – it makes me feel safe and see point 1 for the view.
3. The ability to fly low and slow safely – a lot of what I want to see is on the ground. That means a reliable engine and good low speed handling qualities.
4. Control harmony – it needs to feel nice to fly.
5. It has to look nice. Sounds odd but we spend far more time looking at our aeroplane from the outside than we do looking out of it from the inside. I don’t want an ugly aeroplane…no fun in that.
I think Yuriy and his team got the balance just right. At some point I want to buy a fast cross-country aeroplane and preferably one capable of mild aerobatics. That means probably an RV-7 or something like that – as I have a PPL I can go out of the LSA realm while my medical holds. When that time comes thiough, I REALLY hope I don’t have to sell the Foxbat (or at least not sell all of it) in order to afford the RV. That aeroplane will go more than 50% faster than the Foxbat so the speed does make a difference – distances beween flying friends can be large in WA.
[Again Andrew, I agree with the RV-7. I owned an RV-7A for a short while before someone made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. As a great handling, fast cruising aircraft – over 175 knots true at 7,500 feet – it takes a lot of beating. Foxbat owner Bo Hannington at Serpentine, WA, has that ideal combination – a Foxbat for his weekend pleasure flying and a quick RV-6 for cross-continent travel. Takes some beating.]
Sun ‘n Fun was awesome by the way – well worth the long trip. Friendly and diverse and no problem getting up close and personal with all kinds of aeroplanes. Among my favourites in the formal show were the twin Beech aerobatic display and the Aeroshell formation aerobatic team flying Harvards. The latter did a close formation (very close !) aerobatic display down to a couple of hundred feet – awesome in itself but get this: they then repeated it (a) at night (b) in and out of thick clouds of their own smoke (c) while trailing fireworks. Spine tingling but also incredibly beautiful and all to the sound track of those six radial engines. Some pics and videos on their Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/AeroshellAerobaticTeam
Oh..and did I mention the jet assisted radial biplane? Something weird happens in the brain when that goes over the top sounding like a jet fighter!
Happy Flying!
As they say, don’t try this at home….
Click on picture for the link. Sorry about the GoPro Promo.
Here’s a short video (in case you haven’t seen it) about the last flight of a Qantas Boeing 767, VH-OGG, where it has been mothballed in the Mojave Desert.
The all-female crew flew the aircraft from Sydney to California with just one passenger on board – the reporter.
As usual, click on the picture to link you to the video.
Thanks to owner Phil Ward, who sent these pictures of Sydney Harbour, taken from around 500 feet in his A22LS Foxbat Amphibian. Only helicopters and float planes can fly around the harbour like this…time to put some floats on your Foxbat!
Click on photos for a larger view and use the ‘Back’ button to return to this page.
Last February [writes Roger Brown, Chairman of the the Vintage and Classic Glider Club of New Zealand] the Club was to hold its Annual Rally at Taumarunui. However due to unforeseen circumstances the tow plane that we were to be operating with ‘fell over’ less than half a day short of our rally starting. A Recreational Light Aircraft, a Foxbat, was generously offered as its replacement by the Foxbat NZ Distributor [LiteFlight Green]. The Vintage Kiwi team gratefully accepted the kind offer and thus were able to continue with the rally and have a great week’s flying.
This is my own personal view of having used the Foxbat as a glider tug for that week and the increasing use of Recreational Light Aircraft in that role here in NZ.
General overview
In all of my years of gliding, I guess there have not been many tow planes that I have not been towed by. However they can be easily grouped into the two main aircraft types that are generally used here in NZ for towing duties as a degree of comparison with the Foxbat. I have also had a couple of tows behind a high wing Tecnam and several tows with a FK9 Recreational Light over the years so am reasonably familiar with that type of aircraft operation.
1. Piper Pawnee 235/250 hp. Designed as a working agricultural aircraft, (spraying and fertiliser), it is an aircraft that certainly has the capabilities of towing any glider required in any conditions.
2. Piper PA18a Super Cub 150/180 hp. Designed primarily as a private utility aircraft that has also been used for flight training and agricultural work, it has the capabilities of towing any glider required in most conditions.
3. The Foxbat A22 is designed as a low cost Light Recreation Aircraft, but is capable of towing a selection of gliders as required, as I see it.
T
he Foxbat A22 Specification.
However it is interesting to look closely at the Foxbat’s specs. Because, other than its lower weight and much lower horse power, its wing loading, and speed range is not far short of a big Piper Pawnee which came as a surprise. A design envelope of +4 -2 g would certainly give some confidence. Place into that equation a max cross wind component of 14 knots, a cruise duration of 6.25 hrs plus reserve, a VNE of 120 knots running on 95 mogas and with a 100hp Rotax combined air / liquid cooled engine and you do have a very handy two-seater light weight aircraft indeed. With an impressive fuel economy which would certainly be one of its big selling points along with an engine life of 2000 hrs TBO, with an achievable initial outlay cost, a Recreation Light aircraft has to be a very tidy package indeed as far as any gliding club treasurer is concerned.
But like the Pawnee and the Cub, it also an aircraft that was not specifically designed to go towing gliders, but it can, and does, and like any towing aircraft, will perform well as long as it tows within its own performance parameters.
Actual Operations at the Vintage Kiwi Rally.
The Vintage Kiwi Rally at Taumarunui attracted some 14 sailplanes including an ASK 21 and a Grob Twin Astir MK3. Other than three pilots who had towed behind a Recreational Light Aircraft before, the rest were flying a little in to the unknown. We used the shorter towrope that came with the aircraft that was successfully used launching at the Drury Champs a couple of weeks beforehand. This worked very well and allowed the Foxbat to easily climb out at 400 – 500 ft per min rate of climb. Obviously with only 100hp on hand there were no real margins to play with in this towing environment, as Taumarunui airfield is surrounded by hills and very high country, so very accurate flying was required by all. Reminded me very much of towing behind a Tiger Moth, same overall skill set applies – accuracy. There was really was no wind for the whole week (only when a thermal came through) and the ground temperature was some 28 – 30 Degrees C – very warm.
The Foxbat was utterly reliable and performed very well. Overall it did a total of 48 launches. On one day it did some 14 launches. We were able to launch the ASK21 with two POB, but felt more comfortable with launching the Twin Astir with only one aboard which is where it was felt the Foxbat’s limit was, with this operation, from this airfield, in these hot arid conditions. However, that decision may well have been changed if this combo were flying from a flat and more benign area, such as Matamata as an example.
However, we did have one ‘upset’ at 600ft and one aborted take-off to be fair. The ‘upset was caused by a very powerful King Country thermal that tossed the Foxbat badly off line. The glider pilot released straight away – problem solved. The aborted take-off was caused by low acceleration and a bad wing runner. The glider released – problem solved once again. However after a slightly different approach to the operation by the tow pilot and wing runner, there were no further issues and every one continued to be launched behind the Foxbat absolutely trouble free. I am told that the visibility from the Foxbat is apparently awesome, especially on its way down after release, when one can initiate a very steep descent profile because the engine remains at a constant temperature (no air cooled potential spiking issues here).
The Big Question that I have always asked myself is, “Can a Recreational Light Aircraft fit into the NZ Gliding Club scene as a ‘stand-alone’ club work horse?”
For me, the jury is still out – I have to say mainly due to my still limited overall exposure to operating with such an aircraft. However as far as the Vintage and Classic Glider Club were concerned, it did perform very well with the range of gliders that turned up for that week, and slotted into our operations like a ‘pro’. However we were operating in very good pristine conditions. How a Recreation Light would have performed with a descent gusty cross wind, and with some real wind bouncing off the many hills that surround the airfield I am not sure.
Ho
wever, a club such as Aviation Sports based at the Whenuapai Air force base in Auckland, who have operated a FK9 for a few years now would be far better placed to comment. The Taranaki Gliding Club at Stratford is another club to have gone down the Recreational Light direction having just unpacked their new Eurofox Recreational Light to take over from their big Pawnee, which has now been retired. It should be flying shortly.
The Canterbury Gliding Club has also recently received their new Recreational Light to supplement their operation I understand. So there is defiantly a move into that direction and the next 12/24 months or so will more truly reflect on their towing abilities, as well as their true maintenance and operating costs as the towing hours and cycles start to build up.
However for a small – low hour – club it could also turn out to be the actual saving of such a club just in the sheer economics of operating such a tow plane, all things considered. For a bigger club it would certainly price average their launching and operating costs for their members to benefit from.
Service life span as a tow plane? Who knows, but really who would have thought that clubs would still be operating tow planes that date back to the 1960’s and are still towing with them some 54 years later. I certainly would not have put money on that one, I have to say.
The Vintage and Classic Glider Club of NZ Inc. wishes to thank Ian Williams, and Jim Lyver for bringing the Foxbat down all the way from Mercer and to tow for us. And of course to Doug King, the owner and NZ Distributor for the Foxbat for allowing a group of people whom he had never really met before, to commandeer his aircraft so as to have a wonderful weeks’ – ‘boys with their toys’ – gliding in the heart of the King Country and its amazing soaring areas. We were truly grateful for your support.
Roger Brown, Chairman, The Vintage and Classic Glider Club of NZ Inc.
If you’re an old aeroplane enthusiast, here’s your once-a-year chance to see dozens of them all in one place – Echuca Airport, on the Murray River, north Victoria, on Saturday 28 March.
The Antique Aeroplane Association of Australia – AAAA – is holding their 39th National Fly-in over 27-29 March 2015. Aircraft will start arriving on Friday 27th and departing on Sunday morning, 29th. In between, Saturday should see a wonderful array of old flying beasts on the flight line (as well as their aircraft!).
On Saturday evening, AAAA is holding its annual dinner at the Moama Bowls Club across the river – tickets will be on sale on Friday and Saturday.
The last time this event was held at Echuca in 2011, I flew up from Tyabb in a SportStar with Mike Rudd, who made a couple of great videos about the show. You can click here for part 1 and here for part 2.
Apart from the flying, Echuca is a great place to visit at this time of year, with paddle steamer trips on the Murray River as well as a great selection of cafes, shops and restaurants. Echuca is under a 3-hour drive from Melbourne, and less from Albury-Wodonga, Wagga Wagga, Bendigo and the like, so even if you can’t fly-in, the location makes it a reasonable day-trip.
Fingers crossed for good weather and I’ll be taking the Interstate Cadet to join the festivities. Hope to see you there!
Foxy Ladies hand over the baton in Bundaberg
L-R Nathalie, Danielle and Heather
As mentioned in a previous post, on Sunday 8 March, Heather and Nathalie carried the baton from Caboolture to Bundaberg for the Women Pilot’s Relay of Flight in support of the Australia Cancer Council.
Originally hoping to raise $1,500, in the end Heather and Nathalie managed over $3,600!! What a fantastic effort and congratulations to all donators and helpers alike.
Good on you Foxy Ladies!
PS – You can still donate to the cause – click here to take you to the Foxy Ladies fund raising page at the Cancer Council website
Well, the 2015 Australian International Airshow, subtitled ‘Heroes of the Sky’ has come and gone.
As usual, the trade days – Tuesday to Thursday and Friday morning, were dominated by suits and uniforms, as the heavy end of town came to look at, marvel and maybe even buy some of the amazing hardware on offer. The weather was reasonably co-operative and Word War One monoplanes, biplanes and triplanes carried out mock dog fights followed by modern day big noisy fighter jets, afterburners lit up and dropping decoy flares as they climbed vertically through the cloud base.
On the ground, the static aircraft numbers steadily built during the week as more exhibitors and organisations arrived for the public days – Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. On one of the trade days, while things were quiet, I had a chance to wander round the three big display ‘halls’ – huge marquees joined together with coffee shops and cafes – and the outside static exhibits.
This year’s show seemed quite a contrast with the last one, in 2013, in that here seemed to be far fewer civil and military drones on display this time round. They were there of course but last time they seemed to be everywhere you looked – small ones with less than a metre wingspan/diameter, right up to the huge US Airforce drone with a wingspan longer than a Boeing 737, which this year was flown in (remotely of course) from Guam. Maybe drones have gone top-secret or perhaps most of the wannabe’s couldn’t be, and only a few remain in business?
There was a thin sprinkling of Light Sport Aircraft – Tecnam, Sling, Brumby, Evektor, Flight Design and Foxbat, plus a few other specialists like powered parachutes. But most of the Recreational and Light Sport importers/manufacturers stayed away….as there is no ‘NATFLY’ this year, I’d expected to see many of them with a static display – the price to put a couple of aircraft at Avalon isn’t so different from NATFLY and certainly a lot less than the cost of an advert in some of the flying magazines.
At Foxbat Australia, we had a static display of three aircraft – all co-incidentally yellow – quite close to the main entrance. This year the usual questions: ‘how much?’, ‘how fast?’, ‘how high?’ and ‘what’s the engine?’, were supplemented with ‘can you get another colour than yellow?’ Apart from the quiet trade days, I’d say the attendance was up on 2013, particularly on the Saturday, when I and my helpers were kept busy with visitors who genuinely seemed to be looking to buy. The proof of the Avalon sales pudding is usually over the 6 months following, when people have had the chance to reflect, research, fly and decide.
Many thanks to owners Chris Plumstead and Bob Medwell for loaning their aircraft for display; and Mike Rudd and Rob Goodman for ferrying them into and out of a busy Avalon. Thanks also to Soar Aviation for adding one of their school aircraft to the display and to Koushik and Damien (both Soar instructors) for ferry duties.
There is already an amazing number of Avalon 2015 videos on YouTube, one or two of which are reasonably well produced including a short clip from Black Sheep Productions, but many of which are either too long and boring or badly shot and edited – or both.
Finally, this picture was taken by Mike Rudd (in a Foxbat) on the way back from Avalon to Tyabb. The formation Foxbats are being flown by two experienced formation-endorsed pilots – Rob Goodman and Damien Nott – as they crossed Port Philip Bay in the evening sun.
As usual, click on the photo for a bigger version.