<< Back to page 1

In less than a minute we were passing through 1,200 feet and I suddenly spotted a large flock of birds circling in what could only be a decent thermal. I promptly changed course to join them, while asking for John to shut down the engine and feather the prop. Obviously, I was keen to find out how well this first production Europa MG soared and to do this it is essential that the engine is shut down.

Interestingly, and perhaps contrary to what you might expect, an engine just ticking over at flight idle lets the propeller produce far more drag than a stationary propeller, even an unfeathered one. This is because the revolving propeller is creating a turbulent, rotating airflow around the wing root and fuselage that is adding quite a lot of drag. I was also keen to show John that it was possible for us to fly for an hour on little more than a litre of fuel but alas, my over-confidence was to prove my undoing. Although (and despite the absence of a variometer) I managed to centre in the thermal quite quickly, I became aware that not only were we not climbing as rapidly as I'd hoped, but the wind was also slowly but surely drifting us back into the circuit! Well, discretion is definitely the better part of valour, so I reluctantly re-started the engine and we motored briskly away from the airfield.

At 2,000ft I shut down the engine, feathered the prop and began to demonstrate to John my remarkable ability to find sink wherever we went. As we sank through 1,400ft I was beginning to think I was starting to make a fool of myself, but I eventually blundered into a decent thermal, which lifted us rapidly to 3,500ft. John was impressed, I was relieved and we spent the next hour roaming around the Florida skies. Having removed our headsets John and I took turns to fly, and I really enjoyed showing him the rationale behind the basic soaring decisions I was making (and not all of them good, to be honest!) In many ways this also served to illustrate perfectly one of the great things about a decent motorglider that it is possible to let your pupil go that little bit further without winding up in a field! While flying from thermal to thermal I also took the opportunity to assess the aircraft's general handling and performance. As I already knew from my flight in the prototype, the handling is very well sorted. As the Europa MG uses the same fin and rudder as the XS, it would not be unreasonable to expect that it would run out of rudder while countering the adverse yaw. In fact, this is not the case. The rudder is perfectly adequate, yet mysteriously, when flying with the short wing the aircraft doesn't feel over-ruddered. I found this fascinating.

There are a number of aerodynamic problems related to flying two different wingspans on the same tailplane, fin and rudder, and I suspect that Europa's master aerodynamicist Don Dykins put in a considerable amount of work to overcome them. Irrespective of which wing you're flying with, the controls are all powerful and well harmonised, stability around all three axes is good and its overall handling qualities are excellent. Its performance as a glider is also good. Europa Aircraft claims a best glide ratio for the production MG with a feathered prop of 27:1 at 53kts, and I think that this is entirely plausible. As for the sink rate, this is a claimed 200ft/min at 47kts for a production aircraft at its maximum weight of 1,370lb, which I think is about right. Solo with half fuel and no baggage and this should reduce to below 200ft/min.

Flight at either end of the speed range engine on or off was also illuminating. At the slow end, its stall behaviour is commendable, while even with the long wings it can easily cruise comfortably at speeds in excess of 100kts. After 90 minutes we really should have been getting back, but I have to say that I was enjoying myself so much that I really didn't want to!

A combination of only average soaring conditions and the absence of a variometer ensured that remaining airborne by using my intellect, as opposed to the engine, was not only sufficiently challenging but also great fun. Nevertheless, we both had work to do, so we reluctantly decided to return to Plant City. John was keen for me to see how easily an air start can be made, so having set the engine up for the start and unfeathered the prop, I dived to 105kts in order for the airflow to rotate the propeller against the engine compression. As John had said as soon as he turned the fuel pump on, the motor burst into life and I eased the throttle back to idle and began a gentle descent towards the Plant City circuit. It is normal practice when flying motorgliders to glide down the final approach, so upon turning base I closed the throttle fully, trimmed for 55kts and then controlled the approach with the airbrakes. Very accurate spot landings can be made by using the airbrake lever to control the approach. Conversely, a no-airbrake landing would result in an incredibly long float; for all motorgliders go a formidable distance in ground effect.

An intriguing characteristic of the trailing-edge airbrakes is that they do not snatch open, even at faster than circuit speeds. When unlocked at around 55kts, the airbrakes float at about one third open. They are locked shut by a simple mechanical detent (unlike most motorgliders, which use an over-centre geometric lock). They could be a little more powerful but that's probably a personal preference as they are perfectly adequate. I've always felt that a motorglider cannot have too much power in either the engine or airbrake department! Despite full airbrake, I rapidly began to appreciate that I'd turned in slightly early. However, the introduction of a steep sideslip soon got us back on the glide slope and I kicked the aircraft straight and then gently lowered the Europa onto the runway. As with any monowheel, or indeed taildragger, this is often the point at which things get interesting. However, this really is a well-mannered beast, and required only the occasional prod on the rudder to keep it straight as we slowed to a stop.

I have to say that, in a week that was filled with flights in a wide variety of aircraft, I really enjoyed my experience in the Europa Motorglider. As I drove away from Plant City, I considered the numerous changes I would incorporate if I were to build a Europa. Starting at the spinner, I would love to fit a small diesel engine. I would also probably replace the current three-bladed electric constant-speed unit with a three-position two-blade mechanical propeller. Obviously, I would own both sets of wings and would certainly look at configuring the cockpit so that the P1 seat was on the right. This would ensure that the airbrake lever could be operated by the left hand. I would also look at the possibility of installing a separate motorcycle-type wheel brake lever on the airbrake handle. I would definitely prefer the electric trim to be on the stick and I would also install a three-position Master switch incorporating a 'Soaring' setting for the electrics. A yaw string would be handy, while a pneumatic switch for setting the pitot-static system to 'Soaring' would also be a useful item. Decent variometers are a must and the pitot-static system should be compensated for 'Total Energy'. An 'Undercarriage Unsafe' warning light interlinked between the airbrake and undercarriage levers might well prove prudent, while an easily-installed portable oxygen system would be useful for exploring those big wave systems.

Indeed, the Europa motorglider is an ideal machine in which to sail the endless ocean that is the sky. Just like the sea, the sky is rarely flat calm. There are endless waves and troughs, ebbs and flows all providing a source of energy that can be utilised. Imagine investigating a really big, high-altitude wave system, thermalling across country, running a long ridge or exploring a complex sea breeze front. Quite an attractive prospect eh? The icing on this particular cake is that it is possible to share these sublime experiences sitting alongside a friend. Alternatively, if you've got somewhere specific to go, then simply change the wings (which takes all of ten minutes) and you've converted the aircraft into a serious tourer, with good range, speed and endurance.... plus a better MPG figure than many cars!

The more observant amongst you may well have noticed that the accompanying data box does not contain figures for range, endurance or ceiling. The more knowledgeable amongst you will probably have already worked out that for an MG flying in reliable soaring conditions, figures for absolute range and endurance become almost meaningless. Pilot fatigue becomes the dominant factor and even here the Europa impresses. The cockpit is comfortable, with adequate heating and ventilation and also very quiet, due mainly to the precision fit of the doors. And as for its ceiling? Well, the Yorkshire Gliding Club's absolute altitude record is over 33,000ft, and as Europa's base airfield at Wombleton is really quite close to Sutton Bank I imagine that the Europa team are already exploring that particular wave system! In summary, this really was a tough aircraft to find fault with. Most of my minor quibbles can be easily addressed during the construction phase, and if you do own both sets of wings then you quite literally have two different types of aircraft for not much more than the price of one. And if that's not a bargain, then I don't know what is!

Contact Webmaster | Back to home page | Back to Flight Test page
© Key Publishing Ltd.