A classic Italian

The differential ailerons are pushrod operated, as is the all flying tailplane, or stabilator, which has the usual mass balance weights and trimmable anti servo tab. The rudder is operated by cables with spring centring, and you can sense the difference in its slightly heavier feel. Both the ailerons and the rudder have static balances, and all controls, including the electric flaps, have only two hinges. The flaps are mechanically interconnected to prevent asymmetry, a neat solution to a nasty problem in some other, and older types.

The main undercarriage comprises a sturdy lateral steel tube spar to which are bolted two legs of high strength 2E1000024 steel or alternatively Ergal 7075 aluminium. These are particularly designed to be the least strong part of the arrangement, and are easily replaced in less than one hour, should they be bent in a heavy landing. Four inch wheels with 400 by six tyres are retarded by hydraulic disc brakes operated together by a single hand lever. The nose leg is a conventional oil filled shock absorber from one of Italy’s most prominent motorcycle companies, and its 400 by four wheel can be steered through up to thirty degrees either side of the centre. All three legs are covered by easily removable composite fairings and all three wheels have neat, close fitting spats.

The engine is a nominally one hundred horsepower Rotax 912ULS – which is fast becoming a powerplant of choice for LSA aircraft – although the similarly popular, eighty horsepower Jabiru 2200 is an option which saves three kilos weight plus the complexity of the Rotax’s liquid cooling system (and probably a few dollars too). Either a two bladed wooden GT propeller or a three bladed Duc composite airscrew can be fitted. This example had the wooden GT prop. Both engine types are fed from twin wing root tanks, each of fifty litres capacity with two litres per tank unusable. Both filler caps incorporate calibrated dipsticks, a typically innovative Fly Synthesis touch. Twelve volt electrics supply an eighteen amp hour battery.

There is a full width baggage shelf behind the pilots, with a weight limit of sixteen kilogrammes. It can be accessed from ground level under the rim of the canopy, although this is a little awkward, and it is better to climb up on to the wing and put anything into it from the cockpit over the seat backs. The aeroplane’s total disposable load is 245 kg, with a limit of 196 kg total for the occupants.

One innovative optional extra is a ballistic parachute – a useful add on for anybody considering undertaking much flying in IMC or over water, urban areas, deserts, mountains, forests or any other kind of ‘tiger country’ where a conventional forced landing would be beset with problems. This example also had a moving map GPS display and an autopilot – handy, although not really vital, for long cross countries.

Slightly unusually, you board a Texan from ahead of its wing, by standing on the fixed steel step and using the sturdy windscreen frame to haul yourself up with, as advised by the POH. From the wing root walkway, you have to step down on to seat squab and then, holding the seat back, turn and slide your feet forwards to sit down. The seats are comfortable, and fitted with fully adjustable, fixed, four point harnesses. Each seat slides fore and aft, rising as it moves forwards to cater for folk with both shorter legs and bodies.

“The word ‘Texan’ conjures up a big, lumbering fat bloke wearing a chequered shirt and an oversized hat. This aeroplane is nothing of the kind”

The canopy is supported by twin gas struts, and swings up and backwards to open. Once you are ensconced, you can turn and reach up and behind you to pull it forwards. It can be locked partly closed using the two separate but rugged latches, one on each forward corner. I thought that these were a little fiddly to position properly because of this big canopy’s flexibility, particularly when locking the canopy fully closed, but there is a useful red light on the lower left instrument panel to warn when it is not correctly locked shut. When in the partly closed position a gap of about two inches (5 cm) all around lets in plenty of cooling air – a very useful facility for us on this 38-degree day. Even when it is fully shut, there is more than enough headroom for the tallest of men, and the cockpit sills are well separated for the broadest of hips.

Engine starting is simple, and although the Rotax has a choke rather than the more conventional primer, we did not need it in the prevailing heat. There are no toe brakes, just a small hand-brake lever between the occupants’ hips, on the central console behind the fuel cocks, with a mechanical latch for parking. I prefer dual toe brakes (particularly as a back-up to steering), but have to admit that this system worked nice and progressively and the nose wheel steering via the rudder pedals functioned very well, and was light, with a good, tight turning circle. Visibility in all directions is superb, you can even see the entire rear fuselage and tail, making the pre take-off control checks very easily to accomplish.

The flaps are electric, with their long, three position, spring loaded, and centre off actuating switch low down on the central console. A small dial indicating deflections is located immediately above it, with the fifteen degree T/O and 45 degree LAND positions clearly marked, although there are no detents or pre selected switch positions.

Opening the plunger throttle (on the upper, sloping portion of the central console) produced immediate acceleration, with only a small requirement for right rudder to keep straight. As advised by Howatharra Aviation’s CFI and demonstration pilot, Ed Smith, I maintained a light backpressure on the stick to keep the small nose wheel just off the ground until 45 knots, when that slight rearward pressure would lift us into the air. And that wasn’t for long, because it seemed that no sooner had I lifted the nose wheel, than we ourselves lifted off at about forty knots and soared into the air after maybe a hundred metre run. Remember, the temperature was a scorching 38°C, although there was a nice breezy ten knot headwind to assist us.

Retracting the flaps at 200 feet caused a barely perceptible sink, after which we accelerated to the normal climb speed of seventy knots. This is also Vy, or the speed for best rate of climb at which, two up and with two thirds fuel (and on a very hot day) we indicated around 700 to 800 feet per minute in the gusty, bumpy air. The Rotax’s torque demands a little right rudder all the way up the climb, but that doesn’t take long, and I soon noticed that the Texan’s carbon fibre airframe absorbed the engine’s vibration well, and kept the interior comparatively quiet. It was also cool, despite that enormous transparency, and thanks to a pair of generous vents either side of the lower windscreen, which directed a steady breeze of ventilation directly on to our faces.

“No sooner was the throttle advanced than this super lightweight aeroplane sprang back into the air.’

Later, flying solo and in slightly cooler 34°C conditions, I timed 54 seconds to climb from 200 to 1,200 feet, or over 1,100 feet per minute, which is remarkable for a low powered two seater, and testimony to the low drag and light airframe weight of this super little aeroplane. The GT propeller is well matched to the Rotax engine because we were only indicating 5,300 rpm, comfortably below the 5,500 rpm maximum continuous figure, while throughout our hot flight all engine temperatures and pressures remained well within limits.

It was immediately clear that the Texan’s controls were almost perfect, with near classic harmony. Its ailerons were finger tip light and very responsive, although the aeroplane was still just stable in roll. Indeed, they remained reasonably light right up to the 129 knot Vne. As it should be, the feel in pitch was very slightly heavier (although still light in comparison with most American lightplanes) and again the Texan was longitudinally stable. Its rudder is noticeably heavier, but at no time was it unpleasantly so, and the aeroplane was also strongly directionally stable.

A tiny squeeze of rudder is needed to coordinate low speed turns, but at cruise speeds you could actually leave your feet on the footrests provided beyond the rudder pedals. The Texan’s roll rate is better than most lightplanes’, with instant roll acceleration and immediate damping, and its all round visibility is nothing short of superb. Absolutely everything above the horizon can be seen in all directions, and you sit so far above the comparatively small wings that even the downward view is superlative. This is helped by a low set instrument panel, so the forward view is excellent too.

“It was immediately clear that the Texan’s controls were almost perfect, with near classic harmony.”

This outstanding combination of delightful controls and superb visibility was most apparent during our formation sortie for the accompanying photographs, which was nothing sort of a delight as I danced the nimble little Texan around our lumbering Maule camera ship. That forty five minute flight passed in the blink of an eye, and with none of the aching muscles and stiff shoulders so frequently apparent after these often demanding sorties.

Although not the fastest cross country aeroplane, the Texan is still no slouch in the cruise, although necessarily limited by its low power – balanced of course by a notably frugal fuel consumption. Once you level out it quickly accelerates to cruise speed, and at 3,200 feet we saw an IAS of well over 90 knots (almost 100 knots TAS) at a throttle setting of 5,000 rpm, at which Fly Synthesis claim a fuel consumption of 18.5 litres per hour. This drops to around sixteen litres per hour in the economy cruise of eighty knots. Oil consumption for both the Rotax and the Jabiru is reckoned to be less than 0.1 lph.

Despite its light airframe, and probably thanks to its low profile drag, the Texan retains its airspeed well when you close the throttle quickly, suggesting an engine failure immediately after take off would not be the drama it can be in some other, more draggy lightweight airframes.

And, as you would expect from a modern certified aeroplane, the Texan’s low speed manners are impeccable – or at least they certainly were at our mid range centre of gravity. I was eventually able to make it stall clean after some light aerodynamic buffeting, resulting in a positive but mild nose drop and a slow right wing break away at 35 knots. Holding the stick hard back against its stops resulted in a gentle, nodding, wing rocking descent with the ASI oscillating between 35 and 37 knots, and still under pretty good control, albeit with that right wing continually wanting to fall away.

With approach flap, I could not induce a proper stall after a normal, one knot per second speed reduction, although with a slightly more rapid deceleration I was able to get another gentle g break at 35 knots in 600 feet per minute of sink. Full flap had much the same result, but now at 34 knots and with a higher sink rate. Once more clean, but with a moderate power setting, the stall speed lowered to below thirty knots indicated, and still with remarkably good control power available in all three axes, suggesting this little aeroplane would have a very good short field landing capability. All in all, this was very benign behaviour.

I did notice a slight aerodynamic noise whenever the slotted flaps were fully deflected to 45 degrees, and their extension caused a small pitch down which was quickly trimmed away using the fast acting console mounted rocker switch. A stick top trim switch is mentioned in the manual, and this would be much preferable to the current system, which requires a glance into the cockpit to find that trim switch whenever you want to minimise (the admittedly light) residual fore and aft stick loads. Alternatively, there is a manual trimmer, and all three react very quickly to inputs, so only the tiniest stabs of adjustment are needed.

Ed subsequently showed me that the Texan’s flight controls continue to work very effectively at just five knots above the stall. It is easy to maintain an attitude and to manoeuvre, and the aeroplane remains very stable even at this low speed of forty knots. It is both eminently feasible and safe for a novice to make a low level precautionary landing ground inspection at a mere fifty knots and at just one hundred feet above the trees, as Ed had me demonstrate for my BFR. There is only one caution: the Fly Synthesis manual warns that pilots should add five knots to all airspeeds if their wings become wet – this is a routine precaution with the modern, highly sophisticated series of ‘laminar flow’ light aircraft aerofoils.

Normal descents can be made at 100 knots with 4,000 rpm, which gives a gentle 400 to 500 foot per minute descent angle. With the throttle closed, and at the sixty knot best glide speed, our indicated descent rate was 600 fpm. A full rudder sideslip did increase this, but only to 1,300 fpm, since the Texan’s rounded rear fuselage produces very little drag, even when presented sideways to the airflow.

Entering the circuit, I had to remember the comparatively low, 59 knot flap limit speed, and consequently used up much of the downwind leg getting our airspeed under control and below this. Also, with such a low flap limiting speed, I did find it a hard to peg our airspeed accurately at 55 knots thereafter, and kept noticing the needle had momentarily crept over the flap limit. Using full flap and a slightly lower airspeed of fifty knots helped with the speed keeping, but a higher flap limiting speed would have been nice.

Circuit visibility was as excellent as ever, and the only handling issues I had were controlling the airspeed and trying to get this lightweight aeroplane to descend on base leg with the approach flap setting. The Texan is so happy in the air, it simply does not want to stop flying! Sideslipping helped, but once I had the flaps down in the full, landing position, these problems went away. Running them out all the way produced a small, easily held pitch down, after which it was necessary to trim forwards a little to peg our speed at the fifty knot final approach speed.

The increased drag gave a safer, steeper descent, with improved obstacle clearance and the nose more depressed for better forward vision (although, in truth forward visibility is exceptional whatever the flap deflection) and superior speed stability. Plus, the reduced approach speed gave a greater margin below the flap limit speed. Full flap also meant I didn’t have to keep using sideslip to get down on a sensible glide path angle. Boy, this dainty little aeroplane sure does not want to return to terra firma!

I made several landings, both with the approach flap as recommended by Ed and with full flap, either using power or gliding, and I found that the flare height and control were spectacularly easy in all cases. It was undemanding to hold the aeroplane off the runway until it would eventually quit flying at around forty knots, or perhaps even slightly less. Even then, there was more than enough elevator control to hold off the nose wheel right down to a taxying speed, although you would have to be careful not to scrape the Texan’s small ventral fin which, as well as presumably improving its directional stability, guards against getting the nose too high, either on take off or on landing.

The post flare float was reduced with full flap, as were both the touchdown speeds and rollout distances, so in the end I preferred that. Touch and goes were easy, even with full flap. No sooner was the throttle advanced than this super lightweight aeroplane sprang back into the air. A full stop landing, rolling to a halt was easily accomplished in 200 metres, and after my final touchdown I stopped in 150 metres with some enthusiastic braking. It may not be advertised as such, but this is a STOL aeroplane, although it handles very much better than some types that are claimed as being STOL.

In 2003, Fly Synthesis announced an electrically retractable undercarriage version of the Texan. Its empty weight and stalling speed are slightly increased, but its Vne rises usefully from 129 to 151 knots, while the quoted 75 per cent cruise speed increases by a remarkable 21 knots from 103 to 124 knots. Even the RG’s rate of climb is claimed to increase, despite its greater weight, from a commendably good 1,181 to an almost incredible 1,575 feet per minute.

The most recent and useful innovations in the company’s programme of continuous development are an increase in the Texan’s maximum take off weight to 600 kilogrammes, a larger 100 litre fuel capacity, differential toe brakes, improved canopy and engine cowling aerodynamics and increased Vne and cruise speeds to 135 and 113 knots respectively.

I was very impressed with this aircraft, which is certified as an LSA. To me, the word ‘Texan’ conjures up a big, lumbering fat bloke wearing a chequered shirt and an oversized hat. This aeroplane is nothing of the kind, although it is so roomy it could doubtlessly easily accommodate two such gentlemen.

This Texan has all the classic Italian attributes, including great performance and handling on low power. It is nimble and agile in flight without ever being skittish or squirrelly. I loved it!

ENDS
3,061 words
© R J Grimstead 2009

THE FLY SYNTHESIS TEXAN TOP CLASS

Dimensions
Wing Span 8.60 m
Wing Area 12.04 sq m
Length 6.92 m
Height 2.61 m
Seating two, side by side
Weights & loadings
Equipped empty 305 kg
Max take-off weight 550 kg
Max baggage 16 kg
Standard fuel 72 lit
Max wing loading 37.38 kg/sq m
Max power loading 4.56 kg/hp
Load factors +4/ –2g
Manufacturer’s quoted performance
Sea level Vne 129 kt
75% cruise ( ft) 103 kt
Stall, full flap 36 kt
SL take-off dist 360 m
SL take-off run 155 m
SL landing dist 275 m
SL landing run 140 m
Sea Level climb rate 1,181 fpm
Engine: One four-cylinder, air and liquid-cooled Rotax 912 ULS, producing 98.6hp (73.5 kW) at 5,800rpm. TBO 1,500 hrs.
Propellers: 1.55-metre diameter, two-bladed, fixed-pitch wood Tonini GT2/173/155 propeller.
Manufacturer: Fly Synthesis SRL Via Gorizia 63, I-33050 Gonars/Udine, Italy. Tel: +39 0432 99 24 82. Fax: +39 0432 93 12 80. www.flysynthesis.com.
Dealers: Fly Synthesis Australia, Tel: 03 9745 2048 0404 897 452. www.flysynthesis.com.au.
Howatharra Aviation, Serpentine, Western Australia. Tel: 0402 755 642.
Price: Featured aircraft, approx $123,000 plus GST.