12 minute read
PROJECT NEWS
Projects which inspire others to build their own aircraft Compiled by Mike Slaughter
Project News
Looking down the New Projects listing at the end of this column, I see that the Sling 4 TSi continues a run of relative dominance. Over the last six months it’s virtually accounted for one in every four new project registrations. Impressive for any manufacturer, but this is a single model type.
Clearly it possesses attributes that many feel makes it worthy of their hard earned, hopefully we’ll see an update on one of the builds in the not-too-distant future – anyone?
In this month’s column, we have tales of two Bristells, another popular type for Project News, but interestingly both are repeat builds for their owners. Chris Simpson’s story below is one of alternating RV ownership and Bristell building. Geoff Beale’s is described as a winter lockdown project and was only around seven months from start to finish.
We have so many tech options that we can now add to our projects, but I’ve never heard of anyone adding a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) to an LAA type before. It’s an interesting idea and indeed I have suffered two punctures myself this season both fortunately at home base. Geoff has added TPMS to his Bristell following previous problems of his own.
Such enhancements set me thinking, many new projects feature fully configurable electronic display systems for flight and engine monitoring. Is it time we started detecting these other inputs like TPMS into them? I know my Mini Cooper loves to nag me that it’s time to inflate the near side rear wheel, replace the brake pads, book a service and so on. A winter project perhaps!
To get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a pic, email: projectnews@laa-archive.org. uk. Please share your story!
Bristell G-CLUI is my second aircraft of this type. Some time ago I’d lost, and subsequently regained, my medical but in between I had sold my much loved RV-9A. So, with a regained medical but nothing to fly, I decided to build a Bristell, as I knew the UK agents. They were also local to me, so technical support would be readily available.
Construction was not particularly difficult, but the build manual was not very good, although this has now been greatly improved.
The aircraft was completed in a just over a year and, much to my relief, flew very well from the first flight. The performance and handling were not quite up to Van’s RV standard (100hp versus 160hp) but were acceptable to me and the fuel burn was very much reduced. One big bonus was that the Bristell was much better on grass than my RV, which had what some consider the suspect RV nose gear, although I had strengthened mine with the approved ‘Anti-Splat’ device from the USA.
The Bristell nose gear has a coil spring and shock absorber at the pivot point and is able to handle rough strips that I wouldn't have even considered landing at in my RV. Of course, one of the secrets of landing nose gear RVs on grass is to perform good landings where the touch down is always on the main gear first.
Bristell ‘number one’ and I were getting on very well, until out of the blue I was offered an RV-6A, complete with hangarage at Shoreham, which is always in rather short supply. I simply couldn’t resist the prospect of dashing around again at 140-plus knots, so I sold the Bristell and bought the RV.
This example was somewhat more elderly than my first RV and the purchase turned out to be a poor move. She flew very well, and the engine never missed a beat, but the aircraft seemed to suffer from recurrent and annoying faults. I was getting a bit fed up with constantly having to work on it while the rest of the hangar went flying, so I decided to sell it on.
I then decided to build another Bristell, for the same reasons I built the first one, the decision being helped by the fact that Bristell UK had a kit in stock. I thought that as I knew what I was doing this time, the elapsed time for the build would be much shorter. I duly started the build and then Covid struck along
Above Bristell ‘number two’ about to set off for the first flight. Photo: Chris
Simpson
Left Cockpit interior finished and complete, a plus point of the Bristell is all of the ready-made finishing panels resulting in a modern ‘automotive’ style appearance. Photo: Chris Simpson.
with the first lockdown. I wasn’t building the aircraft at home as my double garage was too small this time, so I had to stop everything. Fortunately though, I had brought the instrument panel blank home and completed this during the lockdown as I had, or could order online, everything I needed. Covid has had a dramatic effect on the build time, and it has taken considerably longer overall than my first Bristell.
The kit was much the same as the first one except for being quite a bit more expensive! Some improvements had been made, such as the canopy locks now have two stages to reduce the risk of it opening in flight, the nosewheel steering is now operated by two Teleflex cables instead of one, the electric drive mechanism for the Fiti prop is different, and presumably better, and the build manual is much improved with many more photographs. Also, the CofG datum point and calculation is different from my first Bristell, with a solid steel spacer between the prop and Rotax gearbox instead of an aluminium one, and a much heavier battery mounted on the firewall instead of the very light lithium battery on Bristell number one, both of which bring the CofG further forward. However, during testing the aircraft felt just the same as my first Bristell to fly. I also decided to fit an autopilot this time, and of course that also added time to the build.
The aircraft was duly completed, and engine runs successfully made to check for leaks, etc.
The testing of the aircraft was carried out by Farry Sayyah at Shoreham over two days on the 15 and 24 June, when the aircraft flew very nicely, and all was found to be satisfactory. The full Permit to Fly has now been issued and my Rally slot is booked.
Many thanks are due to Farry for his advice and guidance, and to my wife and others for her and their help when four (or more) hands were required during the build.
In the middle of 2020, one of my flying buddies asked whether I would be willing to sell my Bristell. He had been impressed with it ever since he first saw it at Henlow. To cut a long story short, he didn’t pursue the purchase, so I advertised the aircraft online with AFORS and it sold within 24 hours, and at a price significantly greater than my buddy had offered, and what it had cost me to build, less my time of course. However, the new kit had gone up 30% in the meantime, so my new one cost me a lot more.
My new kit arrived early September and, as it was my second Bristell, it was a lot quicker to build, since I knew what I wanted and where to get all the bits that were not provided in the kit. It was my winter lockdown project, and I have since given a presentation to my Rotary club about the build. It was effectively finished by the end of March 2021, bar tweaks and minor changes that my Inspector wanted. Covid and other issues delayed my Inspector coming up to my garage to sign it off before shipping it to the airfield. This meant it was the end of May before I could tackle the final assembly and fit the wings. My Inspector and the LAA have signed it off in the last few weeks and I now await the test flight paperwork, hopefully in the next day or so.
The engine is the same as in the previous example, a Rotax 912 ULS, and the aircraft has all the options the kit manufacturer supplies, too numerous to list. Avionics wise, I opted for the top end Dynon SkyView HDX 1100 with a Garmin G5 backup, Trig radio and Dynon (Trig) transponder. It has the full Dynon autopilot from day one, in my last aircraft I fitted the autopilot a couple of years after finishing the build. I also have a panel fitting for my iPad mini which runs SkyDemon. For EC I have fitted a PilotAware Rosetta.
Following an incident a couple of years ago on a
Below In the hangar and waiting to be test flown. Photo:
Geoff Beale.
L
Left The very neat servo installation for the autopilot. Photo:
Geoff Beale.
Right The component parts of the Magnum 601 whole aircraft recovery system.
Photo: Geoff Beale.
take-off roll from Coventry, debris on the runway punctured one of my main tyres. So, I have fitted a tyre pressure monitor to ensure I know if I have a flat and can take measures when landing. Also fitted is a ballistic whole aircraft parachute in case it all goes pear shaped up top. I had great difficulty obtaining a system, my last aircraft used the American BRS parachute, and I was the first to use it on the Bristell.
With Brexit problems though, there was no way of getting one out of the European distributor in Germany. The US supplier would have sold me one directly but there were no rockets likely to be available until the end 2021. However, a fellow flyer had a Magnum 601 system which he had never fitted to his Bristell, and it had recently been serviced by the Czech manufacturer. We agreed on a price and I bought it off him and fitted it. Since it was a different parachute system, I had to go through the whole LAA mod process. It was a lot easier than the first time, so Bristell builders now have the choice of two different ballistic parachutes to install if they wish.
Why build a second Bristell and not something else? I did fly another option before deciding but found it wanting in a number of areas. The Bristell was the most comfortable and the best kitted out aircraft, so it wasn’t a difficult decision. Since my last build, BRM Aero has made some nice changes. One bugbear I had with my last Bristell was that the canopy latch would occasionally pop open in flight. Not dangerous, just noisy, windy and frustrating. The new one has an improved locking mechanism that shouldn’t suffer the same problem. It also has a double nicoflex link from the pedals to the front steerable nosewheel. Student pilots in Europe had tried to turn the nosewheel whilst stationary and had been bending the fixing brackets. A double link has made this a lot more difficult. It’s not a problem that I have suffered as I only turn when the aircraft is moving. Incidentally, the cost of the supplied Bristell kit was similar to my alternatively considered type.
The most challenging part of the build was sorting out the complex avionics wiring and checking it out. But as the saying goes, one piece at a time.
I am now just waiting for its first flight and final sign off before full permit.
I would love to think it will be sorted for me to be able to fly into the LAA Rally…
Top Slick and virtually finished cockpit, you can just see the BRS handle in the P1 footwell. Photo: Geoff Beale..
Above The parachute system installed and ready to be hooked up to the parachute canopy. Photo:
Geoff Beale.
G-CLMC (LAA 027-15453) Isaacs Spitfire By Richard Teverson
It doesn’t seem like five years ago, but time flies! That’s when we last had an update from Richard on his then finished Menestrel.
Keen to fill the building void when that project flew the workshop, Richard thought an Isaacs Spitfire might be an interesting type to tackle – and here it is. Started in November 2016, he received his Permit to test in May this year. Richard reports that the aircraft flew very well, although quite differently to the Menestrel, and that most of the testing is complete with the exception of some of the aerobatic test flying.
It’s hoped the paperwork will be completed in time for the Rally, as the aircraft’s slot is already booked.
Below Graceful or sleek? This is an undeniably attractive aircraft that we’d all be very proud to own. Photo: Richard Teverson.
New Projects
If your aircraft has been featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at: projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk
n Sling 4 TSi (LAA 400A-15774) 19/7/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering n Sling 4 TSi (LAA 400A-15773) 16/7/2021 Mr A P Ringrose, Priorswood, Rosemary Lane, Alfold, Surrey, GU6 8EY n Aeroprakt A32 Vixxen (LAA 411-15776)
26/7/2021
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering n Van’s RV-12iS (LAA 363A-15772) 7/7/2021
Cleared To Fly
If your aircraft has featured recently in the magazine and has subsequently completed its maiden flight, Project News would like to hear from you at: projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk
n G-XGAB Bristell NG5 Speed Wing (LAA
385-15716) 28/7/2021
Mr Geoffrey Beale, 1 The Drive, Wheathampstead, St. Albans, AL4 8LE n G-XIVA Van’s RV-14A (LAA 393-15468)
7/7/2021
Mr Robert Jones, 7a Castle Street, Christchurch, BH23 1DP
Above G-CLKY Mission 108 just about ready to test fly. Photo: Lambert Aircraft. Mr M Streatfield, 10 Oxenham Way, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 1WD n TL2000UK Sting Carbon S4 (LAA 347A15775) 21/7/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
n G-CLKY Mission M108 (LAA 370-15672)
7/7/2021
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering n G-CLMA Van’s RV-12 (LAA 363-15502)
7/7/2021
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering n G-CYGI Hapi Cygnet SF-2A (PFA
182-12084) 7/7/2021
Name & Address held by LAA Engineering
