Kitplanes

We received the German type certificate for the Explorer UL-600 in December 2019.

Hi Steve, any progress? Looking forward to seeing you fly. I am sending you an article that SA Flyer mag did for the Nov 2017 issue. Not sure if I am allowed to post it here but will e-mail. Enjoy

Steve is still busy but making great progress. There was a long period that he couldn't work on his project but last I heard he was covering. Send me an e-mail and I will answer questions you might have and also send yo Steve's details. Our Auz agent's details are also on our website.

Hi Steve, it is not ideal but here in South Africa the temps are pretty much the same at the moment and we do work. It only takes longer to dry and you have to spray thinner coats but if you covered the wings and no UV can get to the material then rather wait until you are at temps between 22 and 25. To hot (over 30degr) is also difficult as the dopes and paint dry as it leaves the spray gun and you get a rough finish.

That's great news. Glad you are making progress. We have a great whatsapp group for owners, builders and pilots and if you would like to join then just send me the cell number you use for whatsapp. I know you said your ipad cannot use whatsapp but as far as I know it has changed in the last year so maybe just check. Do not leave the wings for too long without UV protection.

Hi Steve, did you manage those tail upgrades?

Steve, if you have access to a good welder there are some upgrades you can do to the tail section by adding aerodynamic horns on the elevator and rudder. These are reasonably easy to do and this will convert the Mk2 into a Mk3.

Hi Steve, it will probably be best I send you the drawings for the attachment plates and you can then have them laser cut from steel.

Hi Steve, the Alaskan gear is great and would recommend them. Only thing is that in your case you will probably have to replace your wheels and brakes as well. The ALG uses a bolt on axle. Berringer made the system for us so the Matco E-series will also fit but when you start adding all these costs together you end up at 6500 USD easily. You would also need to modify the attachment points on the airframe to accommodate the gear. I would just buy the Matco E-series, weld a flange on the landing gear and buy the LSA 22" slicks from Matco and keep the bungees.

Hi Steve, haven't heard from you in a while. Are you still building?

Hi Steve, the trip to Oshkosh was awesome. I flew the Safari with the American distributor from Winnsboro, TX to Oshkosh. It was an experience of a lifetime. I will post some pics a bit later.

I just completed my Safari LSA. How is your Explorer coming along?[GALLERY=media, 3805]Kitplanes Safari LSA/VLA by Kitplanes posted Oct 20, 2016 at 9:43 PM[/GALLERY]

Looking good there Steve. Any further progress?

Sorry the pics only came through now this side. I see you did stick the capstrips on. Juts leave it as it is, it will be perfect.

Its up to you but in 25 years its never been a problem in the African sun. In my opinion the sheet will make no big difference, in fact it will make the area on top of the tank look awkward as the wing will not look uniform. The fabric makes these waves between the ribs and what we do is stick a double capstrip on top of the tank to give the illusion of a rib being there and then you do not see the tank. Up to you. Also fist check what the reaction of the styrene with the dopes and thinners will be. I suspect it will eat up the styrene.

This is very true and one of the reasons you cannot use a pre 2006 engine case for these mods. It needs to be a new engine or very close to new to be able to sustain the 120hp for 2000hr's. The pilot also has to use common sense and not boost the engine for 5min. Just use the power to get off the ground and then throttle back. That way it will last forever. Our climb rate in the Safari is 1400ft/min @700kg at sea level and with that rate you only need to boost for 30 sec or so to be clear of almost any runway obstacle.

Exactly the reason we only take them to 120hp and not the figures used by Celliers.

Hi guys, I am a manufacturer from South Africa. Do not confuse licensing with certification. Let me start with certification. In RSA part 21 and 24 of the Civil Aviation Regulation lays down the law for certified(part21) and non certified aircraft(part24). It can be very confusing because a non certified aircraft can also be certified as a production build aircraft under part 24. The Slings mentioned here are what we called Production Build Non type Certified Aircraft. Confusing I know but in essence it means that it is a previously classified Amateur build aircraft that went through a certification process under supervision of the SACAA under part 24. This allows these aircraft to be build as production build aircraft. They are certified in the sense that the aircraft complies with an international certification standard like FAR 23, CS VLA or AST F2245 for LSA. It also means that the manufacturing facility conforms to the regulatory requirements for certified aircraft with the EXEPTION that for aircraft under 750kg there is no need to have a design organization approval as is required for full y certified aircraft. It also allows you to you approved but not necessarily certified equipment like the Rotax engines, MGL avionics and uncertied props. This ruling was for 2 seat aircraft only but there is heavy discussions going on at the moment regarding the Jabiru 4 seater as well as the Sling 4 as the intent was not to be able to sell 4 seat aircraft as production build under part 24. The moment an aircraft is production build in SA it means that it has certain extra privileges which include training and commercial use. This is now creating a safety concern and I think that is what is being address. The only reason this part was brought in was to accommodate the LSA and VLA categories but some companies were trying to sell the 4 seat aircraft under the 2 seat rule. As for licensing, we have the ICAO PPL license and higher and you can basically fly anything from 450kg up to 5700kg on the PPL. Then we have the National license that is administered by RAASA (Recreation Aviation Administration of South Africa). They manage the renewal of the yearly airworthiness of all part 24 aircraft as well as the Recreational Pilots license. The RPL include Microlights, LSA, TMG, Gliders, Gyro's etc etc. The LSA license if for MTOW of 600kg, 2 seats, by day only. We can have retract, VP and the max level speed is 150kts. Stall speed of 45kts. If you want any other privilidges then you need to get yourself a PPL.

Reviving this old thread. This engine has been used by Gyro manufacturers for many years. Not many people know this but it is actually approved in Germany as a CA912ULST engine on the Xenon. On the certificate it states that the take off power is 107Kw at 5200rpm and continues is 96kw at 5000rpm. I think the rpm restriction is because of the noise requirements in Europe. The Rotax 914 is a 912 UL with the turbo and assosiated electronics as well as ignition module that delivers spark at different intervals between the two units. The RST (we call it the ST engine) is as mentioned above the same engine with the major difference that the turbo is mechanically controlled with the vacuum. The biggest disadvantage of this engine is that if you slam the throttle open, especially at sea level, it can be over boosted but this is where pilot training comes in. So in short. When used with the new Rotax casing later than 2006, this engine at 120hp will give you a 2000hr TBO no problem. If you boost it over 120hp then you are in Lion country and on your own. A friend of mine owns a Gyro manufacturing company and he has been using these engines for the last 12 years. They

Reviving this old thread. This engine has been used by Gyro manufacturers for many years. Not many people know this but it is actually approved in Germany as a CA912ULST engine on the Xenon. On the certificate it states that the take off power is 107Kw at 5200rpm and continues is 96kw at 5000rpm. I think the rpm restriction is because of the noise requirements in Europe. This power seems a bit excessive for this engine for reasons stated below. The Rotax 914 is a 912 UL with the turbo and assosiated electronics as well as ignition module that delivers spark at different intervals between the two units. The RST (we call it the ST (Super Turbo) engine) is as mentioned above the same engine with the major difference that the turbo is mechanically controlled with the vacuum. The biggest disadvantage of this engine is that if you slam the throttle open, especially at sea level, it can be over boosted but this is where pilot training comes in. So in short. When used with the new Rotax casing later than 2006, this engine at 120hp will give you a 2000hr TBO no problem. If you boost it over 120hp then you are in Lion country and on your own. A friend of mine owns a Gyro manufacturing company and he has been using these engines for the last 12 years. He is of the opinion that for every 5hp over 125hp you can loose as much as 500hr's on your TBO.

Very nice work there Steve. Keep it up.

Explorer wings can fold. Cruise 100kts. Stall @600kg = 36kts. www.saplanes.co.za There is one under construction in Australia. A normal kit will be in the region of 18000 Euro including shipping to AUZ and a quick build kit will be about 24 000 Euro delivered in AUZ. Quick build consists of the wings that are built and rigged to the fuselage, controls installed and travels set. Luggage bay constructed and some other smaller jobs. Still complies with the 51% rule and saves you 300-350 hr's of work. Here is the link to Steve's build http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/bushbaby-explorer-mk2.135145/

How about this one

Show us a pic of those tank extensions you are making..And what colour scheme are you thinking off?

Hi there Steve, your build looks great... The covering is from us at Kitplanes for Africa. We developed the nitrate butyrate system about 18 years ago and have been using it ever since on our own products and the last couple of years some other repair orgs and homebuilders have bought from us. The system is made to mil spec but we have never officially certified the system as they are approved for use with our aircraft. You can either finish your aircraft with coloured butyrate or you can paint with Automotive paint. We use paint at the factory to get that nice shiny finish and it will last 15 -20 years like that or you can use the coloured butyrate and then it will last much longer, The fabric weight we use is 77gram/m2 or approx 2,25oz/yd2 and is polyester fabric. The thing to understand about painting your aircraft is that the paint will get brittle over time and start to crack, the fabric will still be in perfect condition underneath. if you polished atleast 2 -3 time per year, then the paint will last. If you look after the aircraft the paint will last nearly as long as the fabric will. As standard we add a flex additive to our paint and it helps but you still need to polish regularly and keep it hangared when not required to be in the sun. And for the guys saying that you cannot repair a painted aircraft, well that is bull. Our fabric bond can be used on top of the paint and will not come loose. Our system is much cheaper than most. An aircraft the size of the Explorer will use abour 33-35m of fabric.10-15 litre of Nitrate, 15-20 litre of butyrate, 3 litre of fabric bond and about 100gram of UV paste that gets mixed with 5 litre of butyrate. We developed the system to work with commonly available lacquer thinners and you mix 50/50 except for the fabric bond where its about 20-30%. For a whole aircraft the covering costs (Excluding paint) ex factory will be just about 1000USD.