FLIGHTLINE
INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS
SubSonex Soars
Jet-powered aircraft ascends over Oshkosh
JOHN MONNETT’S SUBSONEX MADE ITS FIRST FLIGHT on August 10,
2011, at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Jet
sailplane pilot Bob Carlton was at the controls of the jet-powered
aircraft and was selected to be the test pilot in part because his
Super Salto jet-powered glider uses the same Czech-built PBS
engine as the SubSonex.
The flight lasted 14 minutes, during which time Carlton kept
the throttle at 70 percent power as he reviewed the low-speed
characteristics of the aircraft, including how it performed in a stall.
On a second flight, which occurred the next day, the throttle was at
90 percent as Carlton worked on expanding the test envelope.
While the SubSonex may someday be offered as a kit, Sonex
Aircraft founder/CEO John Monnett says the project will be kept
on the back burner as other kits in development—such as the
Onex—are finalized.
DREAMLINER RECEIVES FAA TYPE,
PRODUCTION CERTIFICATES
BOEING’S NEW 787 DREAMLINER aircraft received
official authorization to begin commercial
production on August 26. Boeing launched the
787 program in April 2004 and rolled out its first
conforming prototype aircraft in July 2007. That
airplane made its maiden flight on December
15, 2009, and since then a total of six flight-test
aircraft have accumulated more than 4,645 flight
hours—about a quarter of them flown by FAA
flight-test crews. The Dreamliner is the world’s
first major airliner to use composite materials for
most of its construction. Boeing states the 787 uses
20 percent less fuel, produces less noise compared
to similarly sized airplanes, and incorporates
many capabilities of the nation’s Next Generation
Air Transportation System, or NextGen.
ELECTRIC MC30E FIREFLY FLIES
WITH NEW MOTOR
THE FIRST FLIGHT OF LUXEMBOURG SPECIAL
AEROTECHNICS’ (LSA) model MC30E Firefly
electric airplane took place August 1 with LSA
founder/manager/test pilot Jean-Luc Soullier
at the controls.
The Firefly is a
converted MC- 30
Luciole design by
Michel Colomban
of Cri-Cri fame
and is powered by
a new E-Motor
electric propulsion
system from
Electravia. The 26-hp motor gets energy from
a 4.7-k Wh Kokam battery, turning a two-blade
E-Props propeller. After the first seven flights,
test results show a max climb rate of 1,181 feet per
minute, a top speed of 119 knots in level flight, and
189 feet for takeoff runs. LSA claims a 55-minute
flight duration in its present configuration and
noise levels measuring 52 decibels at takeoff.
