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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 0096.PDF
90 FLIGHT International. 12 January 1980 release knobs came in for a lot of attention in the UK last year, and this one's location would be hard to better. In an emergency, the hand has only to snap down a few inches from the throttle and jerk a solid-looking lever backwards. Panel layout is neat and simple, with ignition and master switches at the bottom left and all electrical switches, fuses and contact breakers ranged along the bottom edge. The main flight instruments have a stan dard T layout, but there is an annoy ing split between the r.p.m. gauge next to them, and the remaining engine gauges on the right-hand side of the panel. The cylinder head tem perature gauge, an optional but very useful extra when towing gliders, is tucked even further away from the pilot on the far right. Still relatively rare on small touring aircraft are two decent-sized pockets to hold maps or manuals on each side. There is ample space on the panel for a good selec tion of avionics, and a generous fresh air/heating duct on each side. While the RS 180 seats four in com fort and with excellent visibility you cannot fly with four average adults and full tanks and stay within the weight limits, as you would expect with an aircraft of this power. Yet two loading samples show an ample performance. You can carry four 1701b adults, plus 101b of baggage each and enough fuel for over 400 n.m. with reserves. With full fuel the RS 180 effectively becomes a three- seater unless you have lightweight passengers, but you can then carry three 1701b people with more than 301b baggage each for 600 n.m., with a reserve. The Sportsman rudder pedals are beefy-looking devices and pivot for ward to work the differential brakes, which are locked for parking by one of two small knobs above the throttle. Nosewheel steering is via a spring rather than direct linkage, giving a "soft" steering action for taxiing. With just the two front seats occupied this is a nose-heavy machine, as we discovered immediately we be gan rotation during take-off. The sit ting position is delightfully high for a good view but it leaves the short stick somewhere down between the knees. This takes a moment to be come familiar and the movement seems to be upwards as well as back wards when applying up elevator. The stick feels to be hinged well back beneath the seat. The revised and now almost cruciform tail assembly in cludes a closely balanced elevator with a wide-span, anti-balance tab to pro- •'•: ' • Specification jSpan 34ft 5*in (10 5m) Length 23ft 5 in (7 15m) Height: 18ft 5in (2-55m) Engine Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 h.p. at:: 2,700 r.p.m. Propeller Hoffmann two-blade Usable fuel: capacity 45 3gal (544 US gal) Oil capacity 1 5 gal Empty j weight 1,411 lb (640kg) Gross weight 2,425lb (1,100kg) Performance : Range (no reserve) 750 n.m. (1,390km) Speeds 75% power cruise at 8,500ft with glider-towing propeller:? : 122kt TAS (225km/hr). Stalling, clean, power off: 59kt I I (110km/hr). Stalling, full flap: 49kt (90km/hr). Marketing Maker Sportavia-Putzer, Flugplatz Dahlemer Binz, D-5377J Dahlem-Schmidtheim. UK agent: Executive Air Sport, Exeter Airport, telephone Exeter 79946, Honiton 850458 or Sidbury 362. UK basic price: £24,600 Price as tested : £28,000 Avionics as tested: (King) KX175 nav/com; KR85 digital ADF; transponder »
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