Fly Kitplanes: The Paradigm of Efficiency

Today I will present two aircraft that are efficient examples of a new direction in the Kitplane/LSA marketplace. With the insane trends in 100LL avgas pricing, and no clear solutions for a cost effective universal aviation fuel, the economics of aircraft operations are more important than ever. Reading the various kitplane forums, it is not hard to find thread discussions which display the many concerns related to operational costs. The fuel costs alone have become a significant factor for many builders and buyers in their Kitplane/LSA selection. When the Kitplane/LSA community is looking at over $5.00 a gallon for 100LL avgas, it makes complete sense why there is a logical focus on aircraft efficiency. The competition of efficient aircraft designs is a welcome direction in my opinion, and some of the brilliant efforts are definitely worth a detailed review.

Our first Paradigm of Efficiency is the Phoenix S-LSA Motorglider. The all composite Phoenix can be considered a multi-role LSA aircraft, with designed versatility to perform multi-missions. At first look, you can see the foundation of a glider design. After additional review, you see the intelligent multi-role capabilities throughout the design. The smart 2 seat Phoenix is set up as a taildragger with quick adjustable wing sections (36 or 49 ft wing span options). This is a 100 Hp Rotax 912 ULS powered LSA with a manual feathering Woodcomp Varia 1.6 prop. Flight reports rave about the interior comfort and excellent flying characteristics - this is just a very exciting direction for LSA buyers.

To highlight the Phoenix LSA cross country efficiency let's take a look at some numbers - 36 ft wing span option - cruise 900 nm (approx 8 hours) at 118 knots at 5,000 rpm with 26 gallons total fuel (two 13 gal tanks). For glider operations - 49 ft wing span option - 32:1 glide ratio, 20,000 ft service ceilings, and 1000 fpm powered climb dual (1200 fpm solo).

AVweb Video Review

Courchevel Dreams!

Reference Section -

Phoenix Air USA - http://www.phoenixairusa.com/Home_Page.php

The second Paradigm of Efficiency covered in this report is the Pipistrel Virus SW. This is another all composite and extremely efficient design. The Pipistrel Virus (Vee-Roos) is actually a very fast airplane with bragging rights low fuel burn - 3.0 gph at 120 kts! The VNE for the Virus is set at 163 kts with a turbulence penetration speed of 130 kts. Build the Virus as an Experimental category aircraft and you have one heck of a cross country speedster (of course the LSA version is speed limited to 120 kts for max straight and level speed). You can order a Virus with a 80 Hp or 100 Hp Rotax 912 engine and 3 blade in-flight adjustable prop (LSA version has the flight adjustable prop disabled to meet the category requirements). Set power to 75% in the 100 Hp option and you can hit cruise speeds of 147 kts!

The Virus SW has up to a 7.5 hour endurance with 26 gallons total fuel (approx 765 to 890 nm range). The standard empty weight is approx 635 lbs with 1320 lbs as the max structural weight - this leaves a total payload of more than 660 lbs. Full fuel payload is listed at approx 497 lbs - more than adequate for two large pilots and some baggage. A superb interior with Audi designed seating - how can you go wrong? Class leading speed, extended range, and up to a 20,000 ft service ceiling, makes the Virus SW a champion of efficiency!