We’re not exactly talking about a kit aircraft you can build in your garage, but HyperMach Aerospace(http://hypermach.com)  is hoping to build the Mach 4.0 SonicStar that will haul 20 passengers. The British company is looking for funding partners. According to HyperMach officials, new engine technologies and a way to defeat the sonic boom are two reasons that could allow them to succeed where others have failed.

The beautiful Mississippi country setting was accentuated by the bright October sun and pleasant temperatures on a recent Saturday, when Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1189 enjoyed our annual outing at the Lee Place in rural Noxubee County. Our hosts regaled the 100 or so attendees with fried catfish, fries, hushpuppies, and coleslaw, plus tasty homemade desserts.

The Beech 18 (below) was the largest airplane to fly in, and  the one that attracted the most attention. There was also a T-6, three Stinsons, several RV’s and a wide variety of other aircraft. Click here for photo gallery.

My home Friday night – tent behind left wing on my RV; the one with the yellow Global prop. See ‘SERFI 2011‘ for more photos, and also links to the Thatcher and Fly Baby sites.

My friend Mel sent me this photo – made in 1968 – of him in his first airplane, an Ercoupe. He wrote: “[This is] the plane I took my first cross country in, to Fulton County Airport near Atlanta. It had a hand crank Omnigator radio with a range of about 500 feet. We carried a cockpit full of sectionals, which I had marked off in 20 mile increments and me looking for the next water tank, railroad, lake etc. We finally made it. My partner and I paid $2400.00 for it and thought that was all the money in the world. I found a picture on the internet of the very same plane, currently residing in Quincy, Il. Life is good!”

Standard Empty Weight           415 lbs.

Fuel Capacity                          30/46 gal.

Max Useful Load                     444 lbs.

Max Rated Thrust                    265 lbs.

Sea Level Climb                       2,750 fpm

Climb at 12,500ft.                    1,400 fpm

Takeoff roll                              1,500 ft.

Landing roll                              1,000 ft.

Flight Time                              1.5 to 2.5 hrs. (no reserve)

Max Speed VNE                      250 KIAS

85% N1 Speed                        159 KIAS

To legally pilot the FLS Microjet, the FAA requires a BD-5J Experimental Type Rating (ETR). To receive the required ETR, each pilot must complete ground & flight training with an authorized BD-5J flight instructor, hold a temporary FAA issued Letter of Authorization (LOA) to conduct flight training, and eventually receive a “check flight” examination by an FAA Experimental Aircraft Examiner. To receive an LOA it is recommended that pilots have at least 1,000 hours of flight time including 100 hours in turbojet aircraft. BD-Micro is introducing a program for the qualification and training of FLS Microjet pilots.

In addition, homebuilders will be required to build the FLS Microjet under professional supervision in a builder assistance program at BD-Micro Technologies, Inc. in Siletz, Oregon. This is to ensure that this complex, high performance aircraft is assembled correctly and efficiently. It will also allow the owner to register it as an experimental aircraft under the FAA 51% amateur-built guidelines.

The company further states “The BD-Micro Technologies, Inc. FLS Microjet is a sophisticated and advanced high performance aircraft with professional grade systems and features. Designed to meet the needs of the serious pilot, the FLS Microjet is essentially the same aircraft as the popular airshow BD-5J’s of years past but has benefited from years of development and refinement. Owning and flying a FLS Microjet is as close as a civilian pilot can come to the thrill of flying a jet fighter without spending a half million dollars.”

The EAA’s Bleirot XI replica. Photo courtesy EAA.

Did you hear about the U.S. Airmail shipment where the pilot just circled over the destination post office in Mineola, New York and tossed out the mail sack? The sack burst open and letters scattered all over the place. It attracted a great deal of attention at the time, September 23, 1911. That’s right, we’re almost at the centennial mark for air mail delivery in this Country.

The current edition of Sport Aviation tells about a Bleriot building project by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). The project was not an easy one, with no complete plans available. When it was finished it was found to be underpowered and somewhat unstable, according to test pilot Tom Hegy. But the design was good enough for designer Louis Bleriot to create an international sensation by flying it across the English Channel in 1909. It was easy to forget that he crashed when he attempted to land in England. The French design set the standard for aircraft controls. Clyde Cessna trained in one. You can see the Bleriot replica at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Chapter 1189 had its August fly-in at the Graber place in rural Noxubee County today. There was a bigger than usual assortment of airplanes on the field, from a Navion to Piper J-3′s and a Taylorcraft representing factory built craft, and a Legal Eagle (with a half-Volkswagen engine) to a Vans RV-10 and everything in between in the Experimental category.

The nice L-19 Bird Dog above is one we don’t see very often. The Bird Dog was a liason and observation airplane manufactured by Cessna and first delivered to the U. S. Army in 1950. It was used extensively in Vietnam for artillery support. Before Vietnam, it was used in Korea. American TV personality Ed McMahon flew 80 combat missions in one in Korea.

One notable event happened in 1975, one day before the fall of Saigon, when South Vietnamese Air Force Major Buang-Ly loaded his wife and five children into the two-seat O-1 Bird Dog (as the Army called it) and took off from Con Son Island. After evading enemy ground fire Major Buang-Ly headed out to sea and spotted the aircraft carrier USS Midway. Getting low on fuel, he dropped a note asking that the deck be cleared so that he could land. Knowing he was desparate, and in a humanitarian act, Rear Admiral Lawrence Chambers ordered that UH-1 Huey helicopters be pushed overboard into the South China Sea to make room for the brave pilot. The Bird Dog that Major Buang-Ly landed in is now on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.

American television personality/actor Ed McMahon was a Marine Corps aviator and piloted one in Korea, flying more than 80 combat missions during 1953.

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Belite in the News: James Wiebe received the August Raspet memorial Award at Airventure 2011 at Ashkosh,  WI. This award is named for the noted Mississippi State University Aeronautics Scientist who did pioneering research on boundary layer control during the 1950’s. Wiebe, who owns Belite Aircraft , received the award for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of light aircraft design.

In the process of creating a full-featured airplane that could still meet the weight limitations specified in FAR Part 103 (ultralights), he developed a new carbon fiber wing spar that lowered the weight of his highest performing airplane to 200 pounds. He also incorporated new engines that are lighter and more reliable than previously used ones. As if this were not enough, he also has developed a whole line of lightweight avionics, from airspeed indicators to G meters. He has a patent pending on a water detecting instrument that alerts the pilot when even a minute quantity of water is found in the fuel tank or lines.

Belite Aircraft sells both ready to fly airplanes and kits. Click here to see what the company has to offer.

Homebuilt Jet? Residents of Oshkosh, Wisconsin who looked up because they heard a little jet fly over this past Wednesday were treated to a rare sight: A pretty little yellow Sonex with a jet engine. It was John Monnett’s SubSonex on its maiden flight with jet sailplane pilot Bob Carlton at the controls for the 14-minute flight. The flight confirmed the SubSonex’s slow flight characteristics, which were done at 70% power.

Then yesterday, he took it up for a 45-minute flight done with the little jet engine whining away at 90% power. Click on videos to see both flights.  “The faster I went, the better it felt”, reported test pilot Carlton after the first flight. In the videos you can tell which one was done at 90% power. It took off and climbed like – well, like a jet.

The Little Hornet may some day be a kit, but it will have to wait on other kits in development, such as the Onex.

EAA Chapter 1189 Members Enjoy Fly-In / Corn Roast

Our Chapter is located in east central Mississippi. The rural, agricultural area lends itself well to private air strips, so many of our 100 members have them. Our July fly-in was at one of these farm strips, and we enjoyed BBQ and locally-grown corn-on-the-cob. The weather was not good – threatening rain, so we had only five members to fly in. But we all have a good time. Pretty airplanes, a grass strip in the middle of a cotton field, good food, and lots of people talking about airplanes – it doesn’t get much better.

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