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| New Digital Panel |
| The digital panel in our latest S-19LS Venterra features the Garmin 696, Dynon……….Screens, and autopilot. It also features three back up gauges , ASI, ALT, and compass. The layout places each Dynon panel centered over each side, with either a radio or transponder below. Packed with about everything you would want our latest digital panel should satisfy most. |
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| Overall the production planes keep getting nice little touches, like decals telling tire pressure, finished out canopy handle, tight fitting gear juncture fairings, and charging post for either keeping your battery topped, or jump starting. Refinement in weight reduction is always in play, the latest plane weighed in at 847 fully equipped, not bad for such a capable plane. |
| Stabilator Down Spring |
One of the advantages of a stabilator is control feel can be programmed. The recent first flight of a builder built S-19 in Chile by Renato Werth’s team, brought attention to pitch rate. The pilot reported the plane was pitch sensitive and the handling very responsive. In our production Venterra’s we install a Stabilator down spring. This bungee assembly has the ability to set the pressure at a desired level. The planes we build are set at 8lbs.s. As high as 12 lbs. has been used, but at the cost of one Knot in cruise speed. What this does is place the control harmony in square. Oddly enough to feel “in square” the pitch has to be two times the pressure you fell in roll. Since Renato’s plane did not have this system installed it sent a red flag up, and we are responding in getting the pitch down spring kits out to everyone, and hopefully they will be installed prior to your first flight. It does make a big difference! |
| Soft Start Standard |
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| The new 912ULS engines are coming with soft start standard. We have already made the changes to the pack to include an ACS switch plus the push to start button. You will need a key to start you plane, so keep that in mind, and maybe place the extra key in a secret spot on the plane, just in case you drive all the way to the airport to find you forgot the key! |
| The soft start retards the ignition so it is now required to wire up the system with a separate starter switch. We choose the push button type for the reliability, and small sizing. |
| Should of Had a RANS! |
| As many may know back in November I spent several days at Piper Aircraft flying with their marketing team and flight engineers. They were considering the S-19LS for their entry into the SLSA market. I sensed the choice was already made before I started working with the Piper team, by the questions they were NOT asking. I decided I would stay and see what the experience of being at and working with a well-known aircraft manufacture feels like. |
| For three days I flew over a dozen people including test pilots, marketing people, including the VP of marketing. They were all very pleasant people, and serious about light sport planes. They made many comparisons to the Sport Cruiser, which ended up being the plane selected. Why they choose an Eastern Block country plane over a made in USA, had more to do with economics then the actual product. |
| I think Piper will learn that dealing with a remote off shore manufacture has untold hidden cost. Cessna is already finding this out, and they are many times the size and buying power of Piper. Unless Piper somehow manages an atypical experience with offshore dealings, I predict this to be at the least an interesting relationship. I wish them luck, but we all know they should have had a RANS! |
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