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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 1637.PDF
894 SGP.222 in the Air . Flight instruments are on the left, radio in the middle, engine dials out of sight on the right and engine, trim and fuel controls on the central pedestal—all in the modern trend and neatly arranged "Flight International" photographs rate of climb speed was 105 m.p.h., the engine-failure critical speed 82 m.p.h., normal power-off approach speed 90 m.p.h. and full fuel allowed 6hr endurance, with an excellent 3151b allowance for equip- ment and baggage in this aircraft after full fuel and four occupants. Book performance showed a range at 55 per cent power of frac- tionally over 1,000 miles at 8,200ft with a TAS of 162 m.p.h. Power settings of 75 and 65 per cent respectively produce TAS of 183 and 173 m.p.h. Range, speed and particularly load are therefore very respectable. Maximum speed for full flap and gear was a rather low 112 m.p.h., making the airbrakes doubly useful. For this flight the SGP.222 had three occupants. While Wie- singer taxied out through the crowded Messegelande to the main runway, conversing incongruously in English with the German controllers—German-speakers were segregated on another fre- quency—I noticed the good fit of the doors and smooth-working catches, pleasant shading from the tinted windows and a tendency for the aileron wheel to bump my knees. The inner tanks were full and the outers showed a quarter, which was helpfully listed on a table as implying 21 litres. After the customary ATC delay at the end of the runway, Wiesinger lined up and handed over to me for the take-off. Accele- ration was brisk, the rudder became effective quite soon and Wiesinger motioned me to rotate as we passed 60 m.p.h. We used the normal 20° of flap, but the full 30° may be used for short-field performance. Cleaning-up produced virtually no trim-changes and we were soon settled in a very respectable climb, indicating some 1,200ft/min at just over 100 m.p.h. To clear the local area we turned north at 1,200ft and gained an indicated 170 m.p.h. with 25in and 2,500 r.p.m. The SGP.222 immediately felt smoothly responsive and very stable despite the rather bumpy air. It would hold an angle of bank, FLIGHT International, 26 May /964 roll fast, turn on rudder or aileron alone with little skid and seemed to hold its heading quite well. It reminded me in a way of what the Miles Gemini might have become had the company been able to continue development to its logical conclusion. The feel was just as pleasant and responsive, though the stability was better and all the modern trimmings were provided. My only comment was that the aileron wheel was a little too far forward for comfort. Having very little time, we went straight into a series of stalls. Clean, power off, the hooter started sounding at 80 m.p.h. and the aircraft stalled in the most gentlemanly way at about 75 m.p.h., with ample judder and neither nose- nor wing-drop. Extending flap and undercarriage and trimming at 1.2 Vs we slowed down again and the horn blew once more at 80 m.p.h. After that speed fell off steadily, with a smooth increase in stick force until the aircraft once again entered the judder with the stick hard back. But it continued to be flyable in the descent, with the nose just above the horizon and sufficient aileron available to pick up which ever wing tended to dip and to perform controlled changes of direction. I did not quite believe this until Wiesinger demonstrated 60° turns in both direc- tions despite a full aerodynamic buffet and considerable rate of sink. He then set 75 per cent power with flaps and gear up and climbed to a stall at just over 60 m.p.h., again with effective aileron control remaining long after the stick reached the back stop and the buffet had set in. With my recent background of American small twins I tend not to persist into the stall after it has fully developed, a con- siderable drop of nose and wing being almost inevitable and leading to pronounced dive angles. The SGP.222, by contrast, remained perfectly docile and controllable without dropping anything. Wiesinger went on to demonstrate excellent longitudinal stability of the aircraft when trimmed clean with 75 per cent power at 110 m.p.h., and gliding at 90 m.p.h. with everything down. It returned well to trimmed speed when disturbed. We then pressed on with single-engined flying, feathering and switching off the left engine at 160 m.p.h,, with very reasonable yaw response. The left engine is the less favourable to feather, because the right engine loses about a dozen horsepower in driving acces- sories. I slowed down progressively, noting reasonable rudder loads before trimming and finding full rudder applied without undue leg strain at about 80 m.p.h. Rudder trim proved very effective and quick to apply, and it cancelled out 75 per cent power at speeds down to 85 m.p.h. Beyond that I managed to hold the aircraft straight down to the aerodynamic stall and stayed there a while without throttling back. Again, this is very docile indeed. At 2,500ft I managed a positive climb on full power and found that, though the rate of climb was very sensitive to speed—an error of 3 or 4 m.p.h. would cancel the climb—the correct speed was unusually easy to hold. By now it was time to dash for home and we wended our way through some dense showers towards the light aircraft runway just north of Langenhagen main airfield. Because of the usual cut-and- thrust landing scramble, Wiesinger took over and made a steep curved approach at 100 m.p.h., jockeyed his way through some really vicious cross-wind gusts and set the SGP.222 down firmly with the aid of the spoilers, which I had not had time to try during the flight. They really kill lift and plonk the aircraft down, so that the tyres can be screeched with braking effort the moment they touch the ground. The acid test from the commercial point of view will be whether the SGP.222 will catch on in the European market, and whether its makers will prove able to support it properly. With Bolkow as their agents in Germany they have a good foothold north of Austria. Time will tell in the sales field, but from the pilot's point of vjew the SGP.222 is certainly exceptionally pleasant. Representing the SGP.222 in production fo-jn OE-FEC is the third prototype. This was ^ aircraft flown by Mark Lambert at Hana^
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