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ZENITH STOL CH 750 MEETS
51 PERCENT
Test Flights
ALBUQUERQUE-BASED DESERT AEROSPACE, LLC has completed its
certification tests flights of the new TST-14J BonusJet two seat,
self-launching sailplane. The BonusJet features a jet engine that can
be retracted into the fuselage for high performance cross-country
soaring. The jet engine, a Czech TJ- 100, can be extended and
restarted in flight; the start sequence is fully automatic, requiring
only the flick of a switch by the pilot, reducing the cockpit workload
while soaring.
With its 56-foot wingspan, the BonusJet is a modification of the
TST- 14 Bonus glider, manufactured by TeST Gliders in the Czech
Republic. The jet modification was designed and installed by Desert
Aerospace in the U.S. Desert Aerospace intends to market the
BonusJet, as well as other jet sailplane conversions.
Bob Carlton of Desert Aerospace says that he anticipates the
BonusJet’s price will be competitive with current piston/prop
motorgliders.
AN FAA NATIONAL KIT EVALUATION Team
(NKET) visited Zenith Aircraft Company in
Mexico, Missouri, and determined that its
STOL CH 750 aircraft kit meets the major
portion (or 51 percent) requirement of Title
14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21,
Certification Procedures for Products and
Parts. “Based on the FAA’s on-site inspections
and our discussions, the STOL CH 750 kit will
be added to the FAA list of eligible aircraft
kits,” said Zenith’s President Sebastien Heintz.
For more information, visit www.ZenithAir.com.
The BonusJet will be on display at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010. Learn more at
www.DesertAerospace.com.
STUDENT-BUILT JET ENGINE
WINS FLABOB SCIENCE FAIR
A WORKING TURBINE ENGINE built by two high
school students took top honors recently at
the Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy’s
annual science fair in Riverside, California.
Anthony Mosallam and Jonathon Deming
scrounged parts to assemble a jet engine that
generates enough thrust to push the engine
and its relatively heavy stand across the floor.
The students expect to continue working on
it with hopes of refining a model that’s usable
for light aircraft flight.
Flabob Airport Preparatory Academy is
a tuition-free, public-charter high school
and middle school (grades 7-12) located on
Flabob Airport and operated by River Springs
Charter School.
