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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 0553.PDF
Switches and instruments are well within reach and sight notches are quite easy to pull, to obtain 30° or 40° of flaps. Flat plexiglass panels are used for the forward and side windows and vision is good laterally and forward. The high wing obstructs, upward and some turning, view. Our estimated take-off weight was about 1,500kg as we pulled on to Runway 27 at Williamsport. Wilson says the -540 will produce more than "...42in [manifold pres sure] but use only 40in for take-off. I shoved the throttle up and the Gavilan accelerated well to rotation speed of 70kt. FLYING THE GAVILAN We were airborne in about 250m and climbing at 700ft/min (3.5m/s). I retracted the flaps at 500ft and settled into an 85kt climb, where a power of 34in and engine speed of 2,450rpm produced a climb rate of about l,000ft/min. Flap retraction verified Wilson's claim of no pitch or trim changes. . We levelled at 2,500ft with cruise power at 29in and 2,400rpm. Fuel flow at the low altitude was 781itres/h and indicated air speed was 109kt. Wilson calculated the power setting at 65% and the Gavilan steadied for a 113kt cruise. Light to mod erate turbulence at low altitude rocked the aircraft but the ride was not harsh. Our first flight ended after 27min flying to Lock Haven. Wilson told me to fly over the airport at 1,500ft, from where I could easily see the old Piper factory where thousands of Cubs were borne. On the downwind leg, I pulled one notch of flap followed by a sec ond notch on the base leg. The Gavilan slowed to 90kt and, on finals, I added the final notch and we slowed to 75kt. The landing was simple, although I thought it was going to be quite firm. The elastomers absorbed the arrival merely squatted on the and the Gavilan runway with no rebound or bounce 3' On the flight back to Williamsport, Wilson demonstrated the stability of the Gavilan. Sharp inputs on the rudder, aileron and elevator caused no upsets. Trimming at 85kt, Wilson held the aeroplane until 75kt and released the control column. The phugoid cycle was about 35s with a mini mum speed of 67kt and maximum of 97kt. Stalls were almost "non-stalls", with the nose merely nodding up and down. The clean-stall warning came at 75kt and, at 67kt, the aeroplane began to sink. Full flaps lowered the stall speed to 60kt and, again, the Gavilan merely nodded rather than exhibiting a clean stall break. Adding power terminated the stall and no control column back-pressure release was necessary. Back at Williamsport, we shot one touch- and-go and a final landing. The Gavilan would not bounce although I flew a steep final approach. The second landing was power off and an attempt at a short field-length. Although I missed putting the aeroplane on the num bers, we still used less than 300m for landing. The return flight took 30min. The Gavilan is a simple aeroplane with simple systems and simple flying.character istics. Design is straight-forward with noth ing fancy, as Wilson says. The cost target is The Colombian military is among the potential customers for Gavilan SPECIFICATIONS Powerplant Propeller Wing span Length Height Wing area Aspect ratio Empty weight Useful load Fuel capacity Payload with 378/itres fuel Max take-off/landing wt PERFORMANCE Take-off distance, ground roll Take-off distance, over 50ft (15m) obstacle Max rate of climb Maximum cruise speed Cruise speed at 10,000ft, 75% power Range with 30min reserve, 75% power Service ceiling Landing distance, over 50ft (15m) obstacle Landing distance, ground roll AIRSPEEDS Stall, flaps up Stall, 40° flaps Best angle of climb Manoeuvring speed Maximum diving speed Max speed, flaps extended Textron Lycoming TI0-540-W2A 260kW (350 hp) at 2,600rpm Hartzell three-blade, constant speed 12.19m (40ft) 9.53m (31.25ft) 3.35m (11ft) 18.95m2 (204ft2) 7.84 1,270kg (2,800lb) 771kg (1,7001b) 454litres (120USgal) 500kg (1,0001b) 2,040kg (4,5001b) 900ft (275m) 1,500ft (475m) 366m/min (1,200ft/min) 145kt (268km/h) 135kt (250km/h) 1,120km (607nm) 2„000ft (7,620m) 1,558ft (484m) 643ft (196m) 69kt (128km/h) 58kt (107km/h) 85kt (157km/h) 136kt (252km/h) 203kt (375km/h) 105kt (194km/h) $270,000 for the basic VFR aeroplane and an additional "...$15,000 will make a good IFR package", according to Leaver. El Gavilan has been planning to deliver the first ten aeroplanes by the end of 1993 (see box, below). Follow-on production is slated for 20 aeroplanes in 1994, 30 in 1995 and full production capacity of 40 aircraft a year by 1996. The Gavilan 358 will be used as an air taxi, which, Wilson says, is "...just what is needed in South America. A short 30min flight over the mountains may be a day or two's drive in a car, if roads are available". At $270,000, the Gavilan will not be cheap but it will be what a taxi should be: tough, simple and reliable — just what Leaver ordered when he wrote his design specifica tions on a single sheet of paper. D At the end of February, 1992, the Gavilan sustained substantial damage during an emer gency landing following a "complete and sudden" engine failure while on a test flight in the USA. Eric Leaver, projects manager for Aero Mercantil, saysthat initial investigations have revealed "...an accumulation of aluminium particles in the oil sump" of the Textron Lycoming TIO-540 engine. The NTSB is organising the official investigation and Textron Lycoming is expected to assist in the tear-down of the engine. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 4 - 10 March, 1992 47
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