It's hangar might be ready in time!

Because I'm not getting a trailer for this glider, but will treat it more like an airplane that is kept assembled and ready to fly, I went looking for a hangar about 8 months ago. All the hangars were full, but fortunately, someone was going to build a new one with about 12 individual hangar spaces. By September, they were ready to pour the concrete pads; in October that, and the paving to the hangars, was done. Great progress! Done before December!

Then, nothing happened until Jan 23, 2014, about a month from actually needing it. I was becoming concerned, but in two days they made considerable progress, getting the entire structural portion erected.

 (click to enlarge)

The hangar building that the Phoenix will inhabit is erected

The siding, roof, insulation, electrical wiring, and door installation with take longer, but if they keep at it, it should be ready before we bring the glider home. Worst case: I'll have to tie it down on the ramp, or find a space in someone's hangar for a couple weeks until my unit is ready.

With the glider in Melbourne, FL (and the pictures to prove it), and now the hangar going up, the whole thing is starting to seem real, and not just a dream.

It's in Florida!

Today, the container with our Phoenix arrived at the dealer's (Jim Lee) hangar at the airport in Melbourne, FL. Here's the fuselage (click to enlarge):

And here are the wings (left), long (7') wing tips (center right), and the horizontal stabilizer (right); in the background, someone else's bits.

 

"It's like babies, they all look the same", you say? Well, yeah, but they look "different same" to their parents, right? 

The major work for a week or two will be at the avionics shop, installing the "glass panel", other instruments, auxiliary battery, and  the strobe, position, and landing lights required for night flying. When Jim gets it back, he'll install the oxygen system, check out all the systems, flight test it, have it inspected, and get it registered with the FAA. When we get there, he hands me the keys, we jump in, and fly off into the sunset - after about four days of flight and maintenance training.

For a look at what's in the cockpit and  on the panel, visit an earlier posting on the Phoenix cockpit (or scroll down three postings).

How did Dad talk you into flying home with him?

"How did Dad talk you into flying home with him?" asked our son week or so ago.  Here's Jan's answer:

Hi, About a year ago Eric said "I put a refundable deposit on a Phoenix. Thought I'd give you some time to get used to the idea." Wasn't really crazy about the idea in the beginning. Then Ed flew his Phoenix here and gave me a ride. Of course, he made sure is was a very smooth and easy flight. Then we met up with the Owens at Parowan and Russ gave me a longer ride and his wife couldn't stop raving about how much fun they were having. Guess I've gotten used to the idea. I'm not at all interested in the soaring part, but getting from point A to B seems very efficient. We'll see how that goes. Eric says I can opt out (so to speak) at any time.  

I'm not surprised she's willing to try it; after all, we met because she had a sports car and participated in rallys and other sports car events. She says of the Phoenix, "it's like being in a sports car!".

Jan in the "sports car" with Russ Owens at Parowan, UT

For the 38 years I've been flying gliders, she's driven pickups, and then motorhomes, pulling a 30 foot glider trailer to track me down at some little airport I've landed at. She always seems to get there pretty quickly, apparently because “the motorhome just goes faster when the glider isn't in the trailer”. Hmm...

I know she is a little nervous about traveling in one, but she likes the fact that it can glide much farther than airplane so it can make it to an airport if the engine quits. Also, having it's own parachute to let it and it's occupants down safely if things go really wrong is big plus with her. I'm not expecting either of those things to happen, of course.

Why choose the Phoenix?

Why the Phoenix, and not a "regular" glider, like the one I already have? Here's what I have now, a Schleicher ASH 26 E:

My glider for the last 19 years: single seat, 60 foot span, all carbon fiber construction, 50:1 glide ratio - an amazing machine (photo by Russ Owens)

Not mine, but the same model under power - slow and only one hour of fuel (photo by Russ Owens)

About two years ago, after flying single-seat, high performance gliders for 35 years, I began to think it was time for something that was different, preferably smaller and lighter, a bit less trouble on the ground, and with greater range under power, so I could use soaring opportunities 100 miles, or even farther away, but still get home easily after the soaring quit.

I got interested in the Phoenix when a friend of mine ordered one. He had an ASH 26 E like I did, and flew even more aggressively, so I began thinking if he likes the Phoenix, maybe I would also. It is smaller and lighter, it's easier to handle on the ground and small enough to fit into a normal hangar (no trailer required), and it has twice the speed under power and four times the range under power - and two seats.

The more I thought about, the more attractive the extra seat became. It would let Jan and I travel in an entirely different way than our usual motorhome travel, carry friends and family on rides, and share soaring with other pilots. I can't do any of those things with the 26 E, and it seems like they would a lot of fun. And, of course, I could still go soaring in it by myself any time the weather permitted, just like now. So, I ordered one.

Since then, I've flown in a couple Phoenixes, making me wish I'd ordered one sooner!

Ed Walker's Phoenix

Note: Our Phoenix shipped from Bremerhaven as scheduled, due to arrive in Miami Jan 12. Check the "adventure schedule" here.

The Phoenix cockpit

[For today's "faux flight", go to Flying home]

(click any picture to enlarge it)

The Phoenix seats two people side-by-side in the roomy, comfortable cockpit. "It's like a sports car!" says Jan, my wife, getting ready to take a ride with Ed Walker. The canopy hinges forward, making it fairly easy to walk up the wing from the rear, then lower yourself into the seat.

Ed Walker's Phoenix

The oxygen cylinder is mounted on the rear of the package shelf, where it's easily turned on by the pilot when it's needed (typically, above 10,000' altitude). The occupants use nasal cannulas, which are more comfortable and use less oxygen than a mask. The flow
is independently controlled for each person
 by the electronic regulator.

Our panel isn't fabricated yet, but will look almost like this one (click to enlarge)

On the left side panel...

• Far left: key switch and electrical master switch
• Big LCD panel: displays engine and flight parameters, and the GPS navigation map
• above the panel on the right: the variometer ("vario") - glider rate-of-instrument
• Underneath the panel
• The large red handle under the panel: deploys the aircraft rescue parachute in an emergency, bringing the aircraft and occupants to the ground at a safe descent rate
• Wooden knob thingie: the pilot's control stick with buttons to control the navigation map

On the middle panel...

• Big LCD panel : soaring optimized GPS navigation map
• On either side of the LCD panel: switches for the instruments, radio, intercom, fuel pump, etc
• along the bottom: aviation radio (left) and intercom (audio control for the aviation radio, pilot headsets, warnings from the instruments, and satellite radio)

On the right side panel...

• A column of circuit breakers for the power socket, landing and position lights, spare circuit
•  Backup flight instruments, should the main LCD monitor fail
• Round dial (left): mechanical airspeed indicator
• Round dial (right): mechanical altimeter
• Underneath the right side panel...
• "Glove box" for small storage
• Large red knob: Fuel tank selector (left wing tank, off, right wing tank)
• gray cylinder with switch on top: right seat control stick

Pressing on towards home

[the "faux flight" continues...]

It's warmed up quickly in Moriarty, NM, now at 48 degrees, and sunny. A bit breezy at 18 mph, but right down the runway, so it's not a safety issue, just colder feeling. We will leave before 10 am to avoid the stronger winds forecast for later in the day, and head toward Boulder City, NV. The winds aloft are stronger today at 40 knots (pilots use knots instead of mph - 46 mph), so our ground speed will be only 70 knots/80 mph. Boring....

The planned route from Moriarty, NM, to Boulder City, NV, via Winslow, AZ, and the Meteor Crater. The wind
 barbs show 40-50 knots wind from the WNW.

The "flight" went well, but slowly, due to the 40 knot headwinds. Details in the usual place: Flying home

Virtual wave flying today!

[Remember, my "flights" are virtual, for practice planning purposes. The Phoenix is still on it's way to Miami from Europe.]

Satellite photo - The wind is blowing west to east

Jan 3 - Friday morning:

It's 30 degrees at Moriarty, NM, but at least the wind isn't blowing on the ground. The strong west winds aloft are producing a fantastic wave cloud that stretches the entire state from Colorado to Texas. 

This is a wonderful soaring opportunity, so I'll be flying today instead of traveling. Jan isn't keen to fly for several hours with the engine off (no heat!), in the winter, and on oxygen, so she'll amuse herself on the ground.

What's wave? Take look at this explanation (scroll to the last paragraph and picture). Because the lift is aligned with the mountains, it's like a highway: the rising air is in the same place as long as the wind blows, so the glider can fly straight and fast without turning. On a day like today, flights of hundreds of miles are possible. Here's my route (magenta line) for today's "faux flight" (click to enlarge):

Albuquerque is at the center, Moriarty is 40 miles to east at the western tip of the route, blue/yellow are clouds, wind barbs show about 30 knot winds

I expect to get as high as 18,000 feet (12,000 feet above the ground), the general limit for pilots not flying under direct air traffic control, like airliners. From 10,000 feet and higher, I'll use supplemental oxygen from the cylinder mounted behind the seats, with the flow automatically adjusted for altitude and breathing rate.

"Flight" report later today - time to take off!

Friday evening: The wave clouds gradually dissipated, probably because drier air blew in. The rising air (the "lift" in gliderspeak) continued almost unaffected, as the winds did not change very much. Saturday looks like it will be windy in the afternoon, so we'll try to "leave" as soon as the morning warms up a bit.

Winter flying issues

It can be beautiful - just be very careful while traveling!

 Winter flying can be unpleasant. Nobody wants to be at the airport in 20 degree weather, wind blowing, trying to brush the snow and ice off the airplane. Even the airplane doesn't like it, because it's small battery (every extra pound means the aircraft can carry one pound less baggage, fuel, or persons) makes it hard to start in sub-freezing wather, and the wind can skid it around on the snow and ice when it trying to take off. For the occupants, it's a safety issue if you have to land at a small airport due to weather or other problems, which may not be attended or have heated facilities.

It can be beautiful in winter, of course, as the picture illustrates. Watch the 3 minute video of a winter test flight at the factory in the Czech Republic:

Our plan for the trip from Florida to Richland is to avoid freezing weather by staying as far south as needed. Several Phoenix motorgliders have done the trip from Florida to the West Coast in the winter months, all successfully, with minimal delays of only a day or two, so it is practical to expect to do the same.

The "faux flight" home continued today. See the remarks added to the "flight page":

"Flying home" continues...

I've continued the faux flight home on the posting where it started, so the continuity is retained, and will continue to do it that way. We did decide to "leave" Eagleville, so go to that posting to see the details: Flying home

Today's "flight" illustrates the effect of wind has on slower flying aircraft like the Phoenix. A thirty mph head wind like today, for example, reduces the ground speed of the Phoenix from 125 mph to 95 mph, a 25% reduction. That increases the flying time for today's 568 mile trip from 4:33 to 6:00, over one and half hours! On the other hand, going downwind is great fun and really makes the trip quicker.

A jet airliner flies about 500 mph, so is little affected by a 30 mph wind, but even they can be significantly affected the much stronger winds that occur at the high altitudes they fly.