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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 10:17 pm
by Richard Mole
Bill, sorry to say that I don't really know for sure why the B&S engine was preferred over the Visa or the Honda for Luciole but my guess would be that the weight would be a major consideration (especially for the Visa) and probably cost also for the Honda.

Nick, thanks for the link to the SD-1 Minisport. Do you, or anyone else on here, know the details of the new sub 120 kg German category referred to on the webpage for the SD-1? Reading between the lines, it may be a category that requires a sub 65 kph stalling speed and sub 120 kg empty aircraft weight but - joy oh joy - without any daft additional wing loading restriction based on empty weight?

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:25 am
by Nick Allen
Richard, some searching and google-translating, has yielded this:
Since 18 January 2010, there is a new ultra-light class: UL up to 120 kg empty mass (including harness and rescue) are exempt from the patterns and traffic authorization. In place of registration occurs a sample test. Licenses for these light sports aircraft are granted indefinitely and for issuing fitness certificate [i.e. medical, I think that means] is not required.
My resident German translator is...in Germany, but I'll try a more detailed search when she is back next week.
Perhaps an email to the DULV might elicit some info.
(Does this mean we might get eine Maulwurf Mite...?)

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:21 am
by Brian Hope
Terry Francis at Reality Aircraft might know the details of the 120kg German category, he has an order to supply a number of Reality Kids to Germany as a result of its introduction. I think BRS may be mandatory as he is having to fit the aircraft with them.

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:21 pm
by Richard Mole
Hi Brian, yes I guess a ballistic chute is required. The SDplanes.de German agent of the SD-1 supplies the Magnum 300 Junkers Profly priced at over 2000 Euros. But seen as a down-payment against avoiding an airframe annual renewal fee and with no requirement for an annual medical examination, that would seem a pretty fair exchange financially. I guess too that the inclusion of the ballistic chute was seen by the German authorities as an offsetting safety factor for dropping an in-depth airworthiness investigation of the design?

Hi Nick, yes a good translation of the German regulation would be very interesting. It would inform not just the SSDR debate but also the putative experimental category discussions, to say nothing of the medical requirements for recreational SSEP.

The German agent also seems to be including the newish Verner JCV-360 engine (26 hp max continuous, say 32 kg installed, liquid cooled) in his basic kit. Verner engines have not really been that impressive to date, but its really good that a new small engine has been brought to market, and who knows whether it may become a well repected reliable work horse. Having a few high-hour SD-1s in a few years time would be an excellent shop window for a good product.

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:44 pm
by Richard Mole
woops - the German Agent's site states that the aircraft has been type approved in Germany. So my suggestion that the sub 120 kg Germany category is de-regulated now looks wrong. I should have waited for details of the airworthiness requirements from Nick before speculating on here.

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 10:17 am
by Richard Mole
Nick Allen and anybody with excellent German:
I have had a go at translating the DULV leaflet on "Light sports aircraft" describing the sub 120 kg German category, which is taken from the Federal Law Gazette(P. 9, article 2) see http://www.dulv.de/News/K103.htm

But it was done with Internet tools as I'm no linguist. If you PM me your private email address I'll send you a word DOC for checking together with the PDF of the German original.

Its an important national example of SSDR (also 2-seat DR!) that deserves to be better known about in UK.

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 3:32 pm
by Nick Allen
Richard, I've sent you a PM.

Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:58 pm
by Richard Mole
Nick,

ta - I've emailed the attachments to your private email address for checking. Many thanks

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 8:20 pm
by IanTadd
I have no idea what the requirements are in terms of weight and power but this may be of interest

I recently replaced a Honda engine on my digger with a Loncin clone. I paid £216 inc vat and delivery it was an exact fit and arrived full of oil. All I had to do was bolt it in place and put some petrol in, it even arrived already filled with oil. It started first pull and has continued to do so despite keeping outside in the rain and cold. After 2 months of use there is no sign of oil loss To be safe I ordered a bigger engine than the original Honda but it was slightly lighter and at 13hp 2hp more than the Honda it cloned.

Two aspects that may be of particular interest are that when I was sorting out the model I needed it was mentioned they had versions of the engines with built in 2:1 reduction, electric start as well as more powerful versions that were the same size and weight.