|
A Hornet
Without A Sting:
We Fly the US Light A/C Hornet
By J.R."Zoom" Campbell
Whenever one sees the USLA Hornet
two-place Affordable Flyer, one can't help but compare it to the
Quad City Challenger that preceded it by many a year. Even the
designer of this rugged tandem seater understands why... they DO
look alike... until you look closer and only slightly below the
surface. There, things change, as the rigid, unyielding structure of
the ruggedly-engineered Hornet shows that this, folks, is something
entirely new.
The Hornet, folks, is one tough
"mutha".
I mean, the next time some ignorant
moron tries to describe our favorite pastime as being populated by
"overgrown aerial lawn-chairs", I dare you to show them pictures of
the skeleton of this thing and then take bets on how many megatons
it's gonna take to dent it (air-burst or groundblast, your choice).
| PERFORMANCE: |
ONE PILOT |
FULL GROSS |
| Glide Ratio |
10:1 |
9:1 |
| Stall Speed (w/ flaps) |
32 Mph |
40 Mph |
| Stall Speed (normal config) |
40 Mph |
45 Mph |
| Max. Level Flight Speed |
120 Mph |
120 Mph |
| Climb Rate (Ft. / Min.) |
1000 |
600 |
| Takeoff Distance |
175 Ft. |
375 Ft. |
| Landing Distance |
150 Ft. |
250 Ft. |
| Cruise range w/ 10% reserve |
350
miles with two people at 70 Mph (18 gal. tanks) |
Let's face it -- someone with a
really big erector set did some overtime on this baby. It just dares
you to come up and kick the tires... but do be careful if you do...
you might hurt yourself!
The Hornet is a strut-braced,
two-seat tandem, high-wing monoplane with trigear, pusher-power, and
dual controls. It uses rugged aluminum-tube structures, aluminum
wing components, and Dacron covering.
It can be flown open cockpit or
enclosed (the WIDE left and right side doors swing upwards), and the
machine features a wealth of standard features you don't normally
find on such birds... like electric flaps, electric pitch trim,
hydraulic brakes, dual aileron control systems, pneumatic suspension
on all three wheels, and very adjustable seats (over 6" of travel).
The lean little Hornet stands just
6' high and 20' long. The wings span 27.5' and the wing area adds up
to 137 sq ft, to produce a stall speed of 35 mph. Wing loading is
7.2 lbs/sq ft. It totes up at 475 lbs empty with the Hirth 2703
engine (55 hp) and has a gross weight of 1000 lbs.
The 10-gal fuel tank should drive
it along for a claimed 400 miles (a bit optimistic on that one, we
think), but the bird does cruise 80 mph with a top speed of 120 mph.
Fuel capacity may be taken up to 18 gal. At full gross, the 55-hp
Hornet climbs out at over 400 fpm (over 700 fpm with the 65-hp Hirth
2706), and our test flights showed better than that through several
climb profiles on a warm day. A 65-hp Hirth 2706 may also be
utilized.
|
SPECIFICATIONS: |
|
|
|
| Wing Span |
27.5 Ft. |
|
Empty Weight |
475 Lbs. |
| Wing Area |
138 Sq. Ft. |
|
Gross Weight |
1000 Lbs. |
| Wing Loading |
7.2 Lbs./ Sq.
Ft. |
|
Fuel Capacity |
9/18 Gals. |
| L.O.A. |
20.0 Ft. |
|
V.N.E. |
125 Mph. |
The Hornet needs only 400' for
takeoff (maybe a mite more if fully loaded, but not much) and 250'
for landing (true... great brakes). The service ceiling is a hypoxic
12,000'. Payload with full fuel is 465 lbs.
The attention to detail is
incredible; it's really a shame that this bird can't be covered in a
clear covering so that its rugged innards can be displayed to one
and all. It surely would be a confidence booster to anyone going
aloft in a Hornet for the first time. The aluminum fittings are
first rate and some of the specific hardware choices are impressive.
Each landing gear has a pneumatic
suspension system (Zoomer-Proof!), which proved to be able to take a
lot of abuse (I can vouch for that personally).
I did have the chance to play with
the bird several years ago at Arlington, but I wanted the chance to
really run a full series of tests on the beast. Surprisingly, it
took a while for that opportunity to come around and I really wish
it hadn't... this thing is a sweetie.
So... our flight test came to us
courtesy of some lovely blue skies and open spaces surrounding the
1997 Copperstate EAA Fly-In... a wondrous event that I never fail to
enjoy each year.
Entry and exit are not all that
cumbersome, thanks to the fact that the doors are wide and mounted
low to the ground. It is best to enter from the right so that one
does not hang tender portions of one's anatomy on the throttle (and
make the tower wonder why you sound like Mickey Mouse...), although
it does not protrude all that far.
One interesting feature is the
rather novel "kickstand" (optional) that extends below the tail
section and keeps the bird from depositing its tail on the deck when
no one is ensconced within. A small cable attaches to a slot in the
left rudder pedal to hold it open and all one has to do is lift it
out of the slot and release it to get rid of the kickstand.
Deployment is similarly uncomplicated. This is a rather nice
feature, as a number of aircraft tails tend to thud unceremoniously
to the ground when people get out of them (not to mention the fact
that it's a bit embarrassing to the ground hogs that look at ya like
you weigh four gazillion pounds when your tail hits the deck).
The Hornet is equipped with two
separate control systems, each featuring rudder pedals, a single
center control stick, and a left-hand throttle. The front seat gets
the big instrument panel, but there's room for a small one in the
back, if you like. Seat and shoulder belts provide pilot restraint.
Pilot seating is comfy... with adequate seat width, generous head
and shoulder room (especially without doors), and adequate leg room.
How Does It Fly?
The primary ultralight runway was a
LONG taxi down Williams field from the ultralight display area,
which gave me a chance to feel out the taxi abilities of the Hornet.
The nosewheel offers obedient steering; braking is good, but not
overly sensitive; and the visibility is quite good despite the low
seating. Ground stability is excellent, with tight turns offering a
little leaning but no attempt to turn turtle.
Arriving at the far end of the
ultralight runway, we had the chance to work a bit of pretty rough
pavement (POTHOLE ALERT!!! AAAAOOOOGGAAA!!!!) and found little
protest from the gear en route, attesting to its promise of rough
field capability. Braking is a somewhat weird affair, which was one
of the very few discordant notes I encountered throughout the entire
test. Aft stick actuates both brakes, and while this was quite
effective for taxi, I was sure to have to deal with it on take-off.
I'm not sure I like this, but it is one of those things that a
builder can easily change if they choose.
With little else to hold us back, I
received some last-minute instructions from USLA's official
babysitter (sent, no doubt, to protect me from all those suicidal
tendencies I've been exhibiting of late, according to some errant
Internet critics... grin). I was warned that one needed to set a
modest rotation attitude after 45 mph or so and not to over-pitch
the take-off in order to keep from actuating the brakes and seek a
proper climb attitude right from the get-go (and slamming the nose
into the deck rather awkwardly).
A little clumsy at first, I did,
indeed, over-pitch the rotation at 45 mph but found it easy to
correct and the bird lifted off in a bit over 400' thanks to my
ham-handedness throughout the procedure. Later take-offs showed that
I could cut that by 50-100' and almost in half when I flew solo.
A 55-60 mph climb speed produced a
decent climb rate of a steady 700 fpm (density altitude in excess of
4000', kids) with a take-off weight that was easily within 50 lbs of
gross. Not too shabby, especially since I had already hit the lunch
wagon some hours before (a sight known to scare the heck out of
small children and weight-conscious aircraft designers).
Proceeding east, we smoked along in
a cruise climb of 60-75 mph and topped out at 2500' a few miles away
in order to try the beastie out and see if I could scare the hell
out of my co-pilot (we test-jockeys are a sadistic lot,
donchaknow...). The overall effect is very pleasant... especially
when the air seems a mite rowdy. The look of beefiness is echoed by
a feeling of similar sturdiness when the thermals start barking. One
gets the feeling that the only thing that would tear this beast
apart would require ramming the side of a hill.
Visibility is quite good because
the nose is skinny and there is only a little tubing to obscure
forward or peripheral vision. Due to the slope of the nose, climb
vis is pretty open as well.
I had no problem cruising a solid
75-80 mph on our test flight and found the control system to be
light and well-balanced, with pleasing yaw/roll coordination,
harmony, and response. The pitch axis is modestly pressured with a
good damping profile and a generous control range. Overall pitch
stability is quite good with a slow oscillatory return to the
trimmed attitude from both 15- and 30-degree stick-free pitch
displacements. Within two cycles, we were steady and ready to play
again... and the strict adherence to the trimmed reference was
laudable. Short period investigations were nearly deadbeat and the
little Hornet was really beginning to grow on me nicely.
Roll is modestly encumbered with
adverse yaw and the pressures are also on the moderate side. Roll
rates (a Pitts, it ain't) are modest and well amplified with a
little prior influence from the rudder. Lateral stability, as
demonstrated during side-slip investigations and recoveries, was
pretty strong. The rudder really dominates this airplane with only
light separation and lots of authority. The rear-mounted engine does
show off a bit of pitching with power changes but the margins are
mild and easily countered with trim.
The electric flaps and pitch trim
work very well and I sure wish I'd see more of this kind of
engineering in the rest of the industry. The pitching action
associated with flap actuation is modest and offers a fairly
nose-down attitude when it all hangs out... just the thing for a
steep approach.
Slow flight is a pleasant joke,
lots of warning and very good roll and yaw response, right up to the
break. The buffet starts coming on about 42-45 mph when all cleaned
up and 2-3 kts slower with flaps hanging. It is modest and of low
frequency. As you get near 40 mph, you hit the pitch stop and unless
you have a little energy to coax it through the break, there is a
good chance that all you will get will be some mushing.
With a little acceleration, the
nose pops up, sniffs around and takes a very sedate departure that
takes little rudder to keep on the straight-and-narrow and even
sloppy yaw inputs seem to induce little inclination to follow. If it
breaks, the magic number seems to be a tad under 40 with two souls
on board and just a tad above 35 mph with just my carcass enclosed.
There is no overt tendency to spin
and a few falling-leaf maneuvers (which aren't much to speak of...
it really doesn't want to wander) showed that the rudder was very
much in command no matter what.
I really tried to screw this bird
up and couldn't get it to do anything bad... even with everything
all crossed up and some nasty throttle inputs in an accelerated
stall. Nope... it doesn't do the "Nasty" when it comes to
slow-flight. A run at top speed produced no sensitivity, a high
damping rate, and little more than more noise... further, the bird
definitely hits a wall at 100 mph or so... making high speed
runaways in sudden descents a rarer possibility.
I flogged the Hornet hard on my
return for landings at Williams Field; killing the throttle and
slapping in some slip killed the speed very nicely. Using 50-55 mph
through final and a no-flap for my first shot, I noted good
directional control as we slowed in the flare (about 40 mph or so)
and plenty of elevator to keep the nose off before hitting the
braking stop. Partial flap touchdowns were even easier as the bird
came in even slower (45 across the fence) and easy braking offered
solid 300-400' roll-outs.
On our last dual landing run, I
elected to go for a full slip approach from on high -- no flaps and
hold it off from about 2' and test my trademark "Thunder-Crunch"
arrival. This arrival is well known to those who have flown with me
and results from thousands of hours of screwing up landings and
using the "I was just testing the gear" excuse to good effect...
sometimes on people who even believed me. (There's a sucker born
every minute, folks... believe you me.) By the way, the Hornet slips
fairly well but it doesn't take a lot of slip to start killing some
altitude and airspeed.
With a full stall from 2-3', there
was sufficient pitch authority to hold it off and let the machine
drop well and produce a rather solid but well-attenuated arrival
that produced no directional offsets and a surprisingly comfy
arrival. Heck, there were no earthquake sirens or anything... the
gear made it look easy... and it was. As I said... "Zoomer-Proof".
I had the chance to do some solo
runs (scared that poor guy a whole bunch, eh?) and used the
opportunity to push the bird a mite at high speed. Some time ago, a
small elevator flutter was encountered on a previous flight test and
the factory had dealt swiftly and positively with the problem... but
still I wanted to see if I could excite an unfriendly harmonic
(heck, we had a chute on board... right?).
The airplane really doesn't want to
be pushed hard and as previously noted, it hits the wall at a little
over 100 mph. However, in a descent, under power, a few stick raps
at 120-130 mph (Vne is 125) produced no excitement and the natural
damping of the aircraft showed itself off well. A total winner,
that's what this critter is.
By the way, serious kudos for the
construction manual. This computer-generated manual is well done,
thoughtfully laid-out, clearly illustrated, and includes color
photos of critical assembly steps -- some serious work when into
this baby. A very laudable effort.
The kit goes for $18,000 with
engine, prop, and basic goodies. Options include tail stands, dual
tanks, instrument package, and custom seat covers. New is a door
kit. There is a simple info sheet that is available free of charge
and a video for $10. Estimated kit construction time is 200 hours.
FMI: US Light Aircraft Corp, 27080 Rancho Ballena Ln, Ramona, CA
92065; (619) 789-8607.
Test Pilot's Summary: Very snazzy
little bird well-engineered, rugged, and loaded with goodies not
found elsewhere. A nice flyer, the open-cockpit mode is definitely
the way to go on a warm summer day and the gear handles short field
environments very well. The stability and control profile is
decidedly genteel... with no surprises or overt sensitivities even
if you get slow and sloppy. The feature set is very generous and the
engineering appears to be outstanding. An impressive first effort
from this company. I hope they decide to design more airplanes.
- Design/Engineering: A-. Really
well thought out.
- Ground Handling: B. Tough gear.
- Flight Characteristics: B. Nice
low-speed handling.
- Company Profile: B.
- Kit/Plans: B. Great workmanship.
- Bang For The Buck: B+.
- Risk Factor: 4. A very promising
company.
- Final Grade: B+. I expect great
things from this company. Highly recommended.
|
