Cirrus VK30 Prototype

car designer Molt Taylor for help in designing the drive system. The VK30's drive shaft and dry fluid clutch are similar to the one Tay- lor had certified for his Aerocar. Because oil must travel more than 6.5 feet from the engine-mounted governor to the propeller, the prop is sluggish in response to changes in rpm settings. A solution under consideration is moving the governor nearer the prop. Another solution may be an electrically controlled prop. In fact, the long oil line apparently was the culprit in an accident in mid- February. Alan and Cirrus marketing consultant Rich Blackmon were return- ing to Wisconsin from a demonstration tour in Florida when the oil line broke over Georgia. Apparently, the line chafed where it passed through a bulk- head. The engine seized, and they landed the VK30 in a plowed field- gear and flaps up. No one was hurt, and aside from the prop and the obviously ruined engine, the airplane received lit- tle damage. The Cirrus is scheduled to be flying with a 300-hp 10-540 engine and new prop in time to make it to the Experimental Aircraft Association's Sun 'n Fun Fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, April 8 through 14. The number-two proto- type with the V-8 engine also may be at the show. Cooling an aircraft engine buried in- The Cirrus fuselage is shipped in one piece (left). Internal access (below) is relatively easy. side a fuselage is not the problem many people believe it to be, according to Alan. The Cirrus uses a large fan in the engine compartment to cool the engine while on the ground because there is no prop out front to circulate the air. A sin- gle, electrically controlled cowl flap helps maintain the proper cylinder head temperatures in flight. The airscoops on the side of the fuselage have been made smaller because originally the engine ran too cool, Dale says. Entrance to the VK30 cabin is through a clamshell airstair door on the right side of the fuselage. A small baggage area is located be- hind the rear bench seat. The pilot and front-seat passenger step through a narrow aisle between the two front seats. Because the wings are located behind the rear seats, all passen- gers have an excellent view up and down. The nose slopes out of sight of those in the front seats. The number-one aircraft has a two-piece windshield; subsequent aircraft will have a one-piece windshield that is extended about five inches lower on the nosecone. The wraparound windshield gives a true Learjet feeling to the pilot. A blustery January crosswind prom- ised an adventuresome flight as I taxied the VK30 to Runway 19 at the Baraboo- Wisconsin Dells Airport. Alan occupied· the right seat. - For takeoff, Alan set the main flaps to the takeoff position. The cruise flaps also were down. 88. APRIL1990 flaps. First the cruise flaps are brought up. Then the main flaps are brought up. Then the cruise flaps, with separate tog- gle switches for left and right sides, are put partway back down for the climb. On subsequent airplanes with bearing actuators, the main flaps will be brought up and the cruise flaps will be left in the Down position, which significantly in- creases climb performance. According to Alan, even complete asymmetric deflection of the cruise flaps causes such minor roll changes that a runaway cruise flap system on approach or takeoff would not cause the aircraft to be out of control. A more convenient location for the cruise flap switches would reduce the work load. On the prototype, the switches are mounted on the center console below the power quadrant. The main flap switch is lo- cated on the main panel. According to Alan, they are considering a yoke- mounted thumb switch for roll and pitch trim. Moving the switch left or right will activate the cruise flaps. Slide it forward or backward for pitch trim . In addition to helping with roll trim, the cruise flaps can increase cruise speeds by about four to six knots, ac- cording to Alan. Of course, in the wrong position, they can reduce cruise speeds by an equal amount. Once the flaps are properly config- ured, the airplane flies quite convention- ally. We climbed at nearly 1,000 feet per minute while indicating about 130 knots. Leveling off at 3,500 feet because of clouds overhead, we headed in a roundabout way for Dane County Re- gional Airport in Madison, about 30 nm to the southeast, for some landings into the wind. The airplane is delightful in steep turns, climbs, and descents, with the controls just heavy enough to make it feel stable-like a good instrument airplane ought to feel. Punch the nose over, and the indi- . cated airspeed will quickly wind up past ~ the redline of 215 knots if power isn't managed properly. Later models will have a never-exceed limit of 230 knots, Alan explained. The KIapmeiers say SUGGESTED RETAIL $4,495 20 Meg ALL SYSTEMS INCLUDE: • Microsoft Works Communications Spreadsheet Data Base Word Processor • MS DOS 3.3 • 2400 Baud Modem • Travel Case/Carrying Bag • 1 Year Limited Warranty • CYMA Bookkeeper Pilot and Airplane Accounting System Software MITSUBISHI MP-286L rpm for the climb. I then blipped the thumb-operated electric trim switch down. The trim system moves the entire horizontal stabilizer, not just a trim tab. On the prototype, though, the electric motor is much too fast, causing dra- matic pitch changes with just the touch of the switch-an- other thing to be fixed on future produc- tion aircraft. Alan then showed me the drill for the SUGGESTED RETAIL $4,995 TOSHIBA T1600 SAMSUNG S5200 32 Meg Battery·operated performance in a light, full-featured laptop. 20 Meg SUGGESTED RETAIL $5,695 J-'" .. - -.- .' ., ... " Your Personal DUAT Connection Through Laptop Computers Creating the Portable Office On the runway, I cranked an aileron into the wind and applied full power. Tracking the centerline was easy-de- spite the wind. Per Alan's instructions, I pulled the yoke about halfway back and waited. At about 70 knots, the nose be- gan to lift off, and less than 2,000 feet from the numbers, the airplane jumped into the air. There was not as much ten- dency to overrotate as I had been told to expect in a pusher airplane. I flipped the gear up and pulled power back to about 25 inches manifold pressure and 2,500 FOR FASTEST SERVICE . All sales are subject to a $40.00 shipping and CALL TOLL FREE . ra':.~~Ii~~p~;arge Indiana and Michigan sales 1-800-762-9698 A' . ~•• AIl.t. - ~ ;';=; =0:. --~ f ACCEPTED --- _-.~---- --~ .. MARSHALL AVIATION SERVICES Mktg. Div. ci Marshall & Foe CPA's' 314 W. High St .• Elkhart, IN 46516 • 219/522-5102 • FAX 2191522-0250 WRITE IN NO. 96 ON READER SERVICE CARD 90. APRIL 1990 Career information, aviation resumes and computer job referral for pilots, flight attendants and mechanics. II_A4959 Massachusetts Blvd. Atlanta, GA 30337 1-800~UE finish the kit are included. Cirrus com- pletes all of the structural parts that re- quire curing under pressure. The build- er's work with composites is limited to putting down layer after layer of mate- rial and resin. The Klapmeiers figure a basic IFR air- plane with a used engine will cost about $70,000. A builder who opts for a new engine and a deluxe panel will spend about $112,000 overall, they project. Build time is estimated at 2,000 hours. The company offers a builder-assist pro- Airline Career Days Pilots, Flight Attendants. Mechanics Atlanta. May 12 Call for details! FAPA offers aviation products and services designed to help you obtain pilot employment, regardless of your level of experience. And the best part is you'll save time and money and be more suc- cessful. We have the information piece and nearly complete. The builder must install the flaps and ailerons, fuel lines, wiring, and other systems. All of the parts for the con- trol and drive systems are in- cluded. Cirrus also supplies the control lines, yoke, and rudder pedals. The builder must sup- ply the rest of the interior, avi- onics, engine and mount propeller, and electrical system. The composite materials needed to To maintain a near-optimum angle of attack in cruise flight/ the Cirrus employs cruise flaps on the trailing edge of the main Fowler flaps. they are considering adding speed brakes to increase the descent rate. The problem is finding a place in the wings to stow the speed brakes. The wings are already filled with fuet plumbing, wir- ing, and landing gear. Even at our low altitude, we started slowing the Cirrus about 20 miles from the airport. The airplane took nearly a minute to begin slowing after I pulled the power back to about 17 inches of manifold pressure. With gear extension at 120 knots, the nose pitched up only slightly. At 95 knots, it was time for the flap routine again. First, cruise flaps up. Then main flaps down. Then cruise flaps down. I'm anxious to fly the num- " ber-two airplane with the simpler flap system. Alan explained that gear and flap speeds of subsequent airplanes will be at least 120 knots and possibly as high as 140 knots. A Madison controller cleared us to land on Runway 31. The Cirrus de- scends in a flat attitude, and Alan rec- ommended landing it like a twin. Just fly it onto the runway, he urged. I worked the throttle on short final to hold about 75 knots. Over the runway, a little tug up on the elevator, and the mains touched down, followed quickly by the thud of the nose gear. It wasn't elegant but not awful for the first time. One of the best things about flying an unusual airplane is the attention it at- tracts. Once we cleared the active run- way, the controllers asked if we could taxi back by the tower so they could get a better look at the Cirrus. Alan chuck- led as if this weren't the first time he'd heard such a request, and we obliged. While the controllers looked the air- plane over, Alan explained that the Cir- rus is not for everyone. For some, the price is prohibitive. At a cost of $42,500, plus another $2,000 for delivery, Cirrus kits are expensive. Unlike some kit airplanes, however, the Cirrus is very complete when it ar- rives-in a semitrailer. The fuselage is in one piece. The wing, with a single-piece main spar and a 20-foot front spar- each made of carbon/graphite-is one WRITE IN NO. 84 ON READER SERVICE CARD AOPA PILOT • 91 Cirrus VK30 Prototype Base price: $42,500, not including engine, propeller, and avionics All specifications are based on mallufacturer's calculations. All perfomlance figures are based on standard day, standard atmosphere, sea level, gross weight conditiO/Is unless otherwise noted. Specifications Lenglh Heighl Wingspan Wing area Wing loading Power loading Seals Cabin lenglh Cabin widlh (fronl seal) Cabin width (rear seal) Cabin height Empty weight Gross weight 3,550 lb Useful load 1,350 lb Payload w/full fuel 780 Ib Fuel capacity, std 95 gal/570 Ib Oil capacity 12 qt Baggage capacity remaining useful load Performance Takeoff distance, ground roll 1,800 ft Rate of climb, sea level 1,500 fpm Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std fuel @ 75% power 211 kt/4.95 hr 5,000 ft (16.7 gph/l00.2 pph) Limiting and Recommended Airspeeds Vfe (max flap extended) 95 KIAS Vie (max gear extended) 120 KIAS Vne (never exceed) 213 KIAS Vr (rotation) 70 KIAS Vso (stall in landing configuration) 59 KlAS dream machine of the 1990s won't turn out to be the Dwane Wallace or Walter Beech and the Cessna 210 or Beech Bo- nanza of the twenty-first century. D Cirrus Design Corporation Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Airport S3340A Highway 12 Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913 608/356-2266 Powerplant Lycoming 10-540, 290 hp Recommended TBO 1,400 hr Propeller Hoffman, constant-speed, three-blade, 74-in diameter 26 fl 10.66 fl 38.66 fl 120 sq fl 29.58Ib/sq fl 12.2Ib/hp 4 8.5 fl 4 fl 4.5 fl 4ft 2,200 lb ism, and business sense, the brothers are still dreamers, though. Over A&W root beers and hamburgers, they talk of pres- surization, bigger engines, bigger cabins, more speed. A tweak here, and maybe a tweak there. The enthusiasm is catching, and a lis- tener can't help but wonder if the likes of Dale and Alan Klapmeier and their gram in which buyers can spend several days or weeks at the Wisconsin plant working under the tutelage of experi- enced Cirrus employees. Options for buyers in a hurry are "ready to install" instrument panels and engines. The avionics and switches are prewired and ready for installation. The brothers are working with suppliers of converted automobile engines and with Teledyne Continental Motors to supply complete engine kits. Cirrus plans to in- stall the new liquid-cooled, turbo- charged Continental Voyager T-550 en- gine in its number-three airplane. The company has not set prices for those op- tions, Dale said. Cirrus testing has been patterned after a Federal Aviation Regulation Part 23 flight-test program, according to the Klapmeiers. James Patton, a research pi- lot and former head of flight operations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at Langley AFB, has conducted the flight testing of the VK30. Ground vibration testing and flutter analysis were completed a year ago at the University of Texas. Analysis of structural testing resulted in strengthen- ing of the wing spar caps. For all their practicality, professional-