Xenon Coming to America

[ventana7]

It's official. The Xenon will be coming to America. The factory is now working flat out to have a machine ready for Bensen Days. I've just returned from Poland where I spent a week in the factory and flew a new machine that was being sent to Ireland.

The flight characteristics are excellent and the design is a real breakthrough. It is built much like a Cirrus with the composite sturcutre being the actual airframe. There is no keel tube and the mast and motor attach directly to the composite cabin. The designer, Raphael Celier is briliiant in how he has solved problems and reduced weight. All up weight is about 600 lbs, and it is offered with Rotax engines so has a gear drive. The pre-rotator can do 300 prm making short take-offs normal. The prop is a DUC windspoon which is very strange looking but quiet and efficient.

The outside profile looks like the new Adam Aircrfat jet and inside it looks like a Lexus. It's very well laid out and luxurious (one option is heated leather seats)! A 10" wide console seperates the 2 pilots so no shoulder rubbing necessary and visibility is very good.

It is available fully factory built.

I will post more pictures a bit later on.

Rob

[enewbold]

Originally Posted by ventana7

The outside profile looks like the new Adam Aircrfat jet and inside it looks like a Lexus. It's very well laid out and luxurious (one option is heated leather seats)! A 10" wide console seperates the 2 pilots so no shoulder rubbing necessary and visibility is very good. Rob

Thanks for the info, Rob. And I'll bet the price delivered, as you've specified, is around $100,000. Right?

Thanks,
=Ed=

[ventana7]

Here are pics of a few of the 21 machines they have finished.

[twistair]

Rob,

That's very interesting news and report. I failed to find any pricing information at their website, could you tell something about this?

Thanks in advance,

[barnstorm2]

Wow.

I hope that makes it to B-days! Any plans for Mentone?

[ventana7]

The price for the standard Xenon with the Rotax 912S is going to be about $ 63,000 delivered fully built to the US.
There are 2 turbo models a Rotax 914 (100 Hp or 115 HP for 5 minutes) or a 912 with a Mitsubishi turbo delivering full time turbo boost and 122 HP. Either turbo model will be about $73,000 delivered fully built to our customer service centers.
The machine should be here for Bensen days and Sun n Fun and will certainly be at Osh and Mentone.
Rob

[ventana7]

The value for your dollar in the Xenon is tremendous for several reasons. It is so well designed that the number of parts is half of most comparable gyros. That makes it less expensive to make and faster and less expensive to build. It is all made in Poland that has a long history of building aircraft and more recently lots of high tech, but they still have very low salaries- less than $300 per month for skilled workers. A factory built machine of this quality with a $25K aircraft engine is a pretty good deal.
Rob

[brett s]

What category airworthiness certificate?

[Cobra Doc]

With out better information, it looks like the A/W would be Experimental-Exhibition. That kind of puts a limit on any usefulness.

[enewbold]

Originally Posted by ventana7

The value for your dollar in the Xenon is tremendous for several reasons. It is so well designed that the number of parts is half of most comparable gyros. That makes it less expensive to make and faster and less expensive to build. It is all made in Poland that has a long history of building aircraft and more recently lots of high tech, but they still have very low salaries- less than $300 per month for skilled workers. A factory built machine of this quality with a $25K aircraft engine is a pretty good deal. Rob

I'm surprised that the price cam in that (relatively) low, which puts it squarely in competition with the Magni. Good - it's about time we had some new machines available to us in that price range. However, as mentioned previously, we still need to know the airworthiness category the FAA will place it in.

Also, I presume it comes with a cabin heating system installed?

Cheers, Ed

[enewbold]

Originally Posted by ventana7

Here are pics of a few of the 21 machines they have finished.

Hmmm, I just noticed that the throttle is operated with the pilot's right hand. The vast majority of us have always flown gyros and helis with the throttle (and collective - if applicable) with the left had.

Does anyone think this might be an issue, or something we just manage to overcome and ignore through training?

Thanks, Ed

[ventana7]

From now until January 31, 2008 we will be registering them as E-LSA. That means you can use it about the same as Exper Amatuer Built. It has lights and space for a Xponder so you can fly into any space you are qualified for and fly at night if you are a PPL. Also means if you take a 16 hour course you can do your own maintence and annual. And if you sell it the new buyer can also take a 16 hr course and do the annual too. This is a good incentive to buy it this year. After this year we will probably do it as Exper Amatuer Built and have a build center where you can build most all of it in 2 weeks.

Every major component of the machine has been fully stress analyized using a real aircraft CAD/CAm program named Katia which is used by Dassault Aviation in France/. The Rotax meets ASTM and the factory will be working towards full ASTM compliance. If and when the FAA is thinking of granting wider accepatnce to gyros it is likely this will qualify. It already has French Ultralight catagory acceptance and is under review for UK section T approval. Also approved in So. Africa and elsewhere.

[_MOL_]

It comes standard with cabin heating, a very simple and light system that’s works well.
Pilot is seated in right-hand side, as with other side-by-side rotorcraft, hence, left-hand for throttle.

[ventana7]

Forgot to answer the other questions. Yes it comes standard with cabin heat which worked well in Poland (which was colder than a witches...).

Ed,
Re the throttle: Raphael flew left seat and he is used to it and had no problems. I flew right seat which put my left hand on the throttle and right on the stick as I was used to. The view is so good thru the huge windows, bubble doors and feet windows that I felt OK not sitting in the left seat in the pattern -though I admit it was different. I have ordered my machine to fly from the right. If I change my mind it is a quick fix to swap it over.
I know I felt wierd in a Cirrus with the side sticks the first time but it went away quickly.
Rob

Cody,
Do I talk to you about insurance acceptance?

Rob

[ventana7]

On the E-LSA issue: Raphael is kinda crazy on weight. He can actually tell you how many grams each nut and bolt weigh. He re-designed the composite structure many times to reduce the parts count-- every less bracket for whatever is pounds saved. It is also very aerodynamic so it goes through the air easily (even has a lifting body ). The result is a gyro that even with 2 pilots, fuel and luggage in the LARGE luggage space can have great performance with only 100-120 hp.

This means you can use a Rotax and not be forced into the heavier Subaru, and that means you can come in under the LSA weights. ( In France it has to be under 450KG)

Todd- if this crosses the line from providing info to becoming a sales pitch please let me know and I will do it privately.

Rob