From The Cockpit- Fuji FA200

However there has been apparent and total unsurity about building light aircraft. Certainly it has dabbled in producing civil aircraft (though these too have been developed in a half hearted manner) , but to the observer, the policy makers of Japan’s industries have lacked conviction of the viability and profitability of general aviation aircraft manufacture.

in design, Fuji Heavy Industries’ successful soiree in this area followed the contemporary standards of the American lightplane, albeit with some arguable loss of style. The FA200 is no beauty; instead its appearance is functional, almost brutish.

The Fuji is a single engined four seater: cantilevered low-wing monoplane with a bubble canopy enclosed cabin. The shape of the canopy gives the cabin an appearance of perching atop the long slab-sided fuselage. The aircraft’s structure is a semi-monocoque light alloy design. The wing and tailplane are constant chord in planform; the fin on the other hand is swept, and has a rudder-to-fin area ratio of about one-quite high; rudderfree overbalancing does not occur however, and instead its powerful control in the directional sense is welcome on aerobatic manoeuvres and on crosswind operation. Assisting rudder power is the length of the vertical stabiliser moment arm-fuselage length is a high 27ft, and it is ‘all’ behind the wing quarter chord. Aileron, flaps, fin and tailplane all have corrugated skins, adding stiffness to the structure. The landing gear is fixed tricycle, all legs have standard gas/oil shock struts. The main gear legs are faired.

The Fuji’s airframe design strength is high-with AUW limited to 2,0721b and only the front seats occupied, the aircraft is +6g limited, and able to handle all basic aero manoeuvres, and then quite a few advanced ones.

Down the back end, the tailplane design is additionally commendable insofar as it uses an inverted airfoil section. Although this is an eminently logical choice because tailplanes operate at negative incidence (due to wing downwash), if not negative lift, through most of an aircraft’s normal flight envelope, you will find such on very few lightplanes (Norman’s Fieldmaster is another, needed there because of the large flap area and hence greater downwash effect).

On my introduction to the Fuji at Fogarty Field near Bacchus Marsh, and having come from the usual Cessna treadmill-with the not so usual Victa Airtourer distraction recall my intrigue at this apparent oddity of design. The advantages of the choice are a lower tailplane sectional drag and, more importantly, a greater resistance to tailplane leading edge stall – apparently occurrent on the Cardinal for example and cured there by fixing an inverted slat at its stabilator leading edge.

Wingroot steps help the pilot and passengers up onto the wings for stepping thereafter into the cockpit. The canopy slides fore and aft for cockpit entry/exit and is locked, once settled in, with a turn on the singular overhead lever.

Fuji produced two principal FA200 variants-160bhp versions, designated the FA200-160 and FA200-180. Those at Fogarty’s were the FA200-160 carburetted model. They were powered by the Lycoming 0-320 and 10-360 respectively. Engine installations are conventional. Access is provided by piano-hinged and camlock-fastened left and right cowling panels. To check the oil, the left side cowling needs to be raised. The advantage of this arrangement is that the pilot cannot but, on his preflight, miss checking the engine compartment for security and condition of the fuel system components, ignition harness etc, and most importantly perhaps, for any foreign bodies lodging there.

Once strapped inside, the pilot is presented with a panel and control arrangement that is quite typical of the American lightie of the day (the FA200 was produced in the early seventies), including the black glass fibre moulded surround for the flight/ engine instrument cutouts. The rudder pedals control nosewheel steering via a spring linkage, and have the standard rocker action toe brakes incorporated. One thing that is different – the seemingly massive pistol grip on the throttle, its size distracting to the eye, but there certainly is no mistaking the control by feel.

The fuel selector on the other hand is “reticent” – unfortunately it goes without being noticed. This is due to its location on the floor, between seats, below the engine control quadrant. It is in the ideal location to be overlooked on prestart checks. As this placement takes no account of the variability of human performance, the selector should not be left off at any time (there is, after all, absolutely no benefit in turning it off between flights); otherwise, at some time, the engine will be started with the selector off. Thereafter, with the Fuji’s fuel system there is sufficient fuel in the lines between the selector and engine for about three or four minutes running at ground handling revs. A warm engine at start, short taxi, checks, and you just may be airborne . . .

The fuel selector location however is the only significant deficiency to the Fuji cockpit layout. The flaps are mechanically operated, the lever being between seats. Elevator trimwheel is similarly located.

Taxiing and takeoff on the FA200-160 yielded no surprises, at least in the pleasant autumn weather at the time I flew from Fogarty’s. The landing gear handled the roughness of the packed dirt runways satisfactorily. Airborne, the performance of the Fuji didn’t exude excitement, particularly with four adults on board. The typical light chop over the Brisbane Range escarpment as one headed westward, over Ballan and clear of the Melbourne CTA lower steps, did not help in this matter, but nevertheless, a check of the manual shows a gross weight climb rate at ISNSL of 680fpm only. If the Fuji 160 is sluggish getting to altitude, once there it gets along at a reasonable pace-100 knots at 5,000 feet for 550 nautical miles plus reserve on its 200 litres of avgas.

Handling of the 160 is reasonable. Certainly its elevator and ailerons are responsive and control is positive; Fogarty’s were far sighted in selecting the Fujis as trainers. I have no doubt they make a fair pilot from the abinitio student; yet, in addition, the instructor not only may talk about stall/spin control, he can also take the student aloft for the latter to develop proficiency in incipient and fully developed spin recoveries. Let it not stop there. The 160 can teach the trained pilot basic aerobatics and more. Loop from 125 knots, Zimmermann turn from 10 knots higher, barrel roll or slow roll from 120 knots.

The Fuji can be snapped: entered at about 80 knots, a sharp pitch-up with elevator and impulse of rudder autorotate the aircraft consistently in a snap roll. Pulse the elevator forward and opposite rudder will crisply stop the roll. The aircraft’s consistent autorotation characteristics make for amenable spinning characteristics as well. Of course, the FA200-160 suffers from a lack of horsepower in its execution of aerobatics. Height is continually lost, limiting the duration of an aero sequence, and the number of sequences in a practice session.

This limitation is pretty well removed on the FA200-180A, by virtue of the extra horses under the bonnet from its fuel injected Lycoming 1O-360-B1B. I flew this version of the Fuji a short time after the FA200-160. Flying it out of Moorabbin, I completed my CSU (constant speed prop) endorsement, which had been half heartedly started some time previously at Cambridge on a C182. Engine handling is standard ‘injected Lycoming’ -notably, mixture ICO during start, until engine firing, fuel pump on for takeoff and landing.

The empty weight of the -180A at 650kg, is up 30 kilos over that of the 160, but takeoff weight is up 90kg to 1,150kg when operated in the normal category, and 60kg to 740kg when operated in the aerobatic category. It is when conducting aerobatics that the constant speed prop is appreciated most -set and ‘forget’ at 25in. 2,500-2,600rpm, and a reasonably level sequence can be flown. It was also in the Cranbourne aero training area and the Moorabbin zone that the Fuji’s visibility was much appreciated. The windscreen/canopy split line is quite wide, and unfortunately obtrusive, but elsewhere about the clock visibility is unobstructed. The top of the canopy is light alloy, thereby keeping the hot sun and heat out of the cockpit.

In the circuit, with 25 degrees of flap pulled down, 80 knots is the normal base configuration; over the threshold should see you no higher than 70 knots with land flap lowered. Higher speeds will see the aircraft float excessively; no great concern on Moorabbin’s sealed runway, but dicey on the shorter gravel strip at Fogarty’s. To be fair, operate it according to field conditions and the Fuji is at home anywhere I’m sure. For my money, the extra horses, CSU operation, and extra weight capacity make the 180A a far more preferable machine than the 160, particularly for training or touring operations in the warmer months of the year.

As a successor to Nakajima Aircraft Company, Fuji Heavy Industries was formed in 1953. The former was established in 1914, and built over 30,000 aircraft up to the end of the Second World War. Fuji’s soiree into light aircraft manufacture commenced with licence builds – the Beech Mentor, Cessna Bird Dog, and Bell 204/5 series of helos. Design on the FA200 Aero Subaru started in 1964, with the prototype flying in August 1965. Normal Type certification was obtained on the FA200-160 in March 1966, utility and aerobatic certifications following in July 1966 and July 1967 respectively. The FA200-180A was then developed and received all-category certification a year later.

Meanwhile production commenced in March 1968, a total of about 250 being run. The surprising number perhaps of about 100 aircraft were sold locally and remained in Japan – the remainder were exported with 14 presently on the Australian register.