Texan’s best yet – flight review
Fly Synthesis’ fun-flying product range now includes six separate Italian-built light sport and ultralight aeroplane types, the most popular of which is its Texan Top Class 600 LSA. Having won my RAA pilot certificate in a Texan 550, I was more than happy when Australian Director Caz Monteleone invited me to update my Texan experience at his Donnybrook base on Melbourne’s northern fringe.
The all-composite Texan itself is available in three versions, all with the same basic airframe. Texan Club (“La Sicurezza” in Italian marketing terminology) is a lower-cost and unpretentious variant aimed largely at flying schools and with fewer standard options than its slightly better-dressed siblings, but conforming to the general specs of the 550. However it comes standard with the newly streamlined canopy and cowl, so it shares the same outside appearance as the 600 model, and can be registered either as an ultralight at a MTOW of 450 kg, or in LSA category at 550 kg.
Texan Top Class (“La Passione”) is the showpiece. Its increased 600 kg MTOW is thanks to some structural beefing-up, and to extra features as standard equipment, such as a strengthened undercarriage, pilot and passenger toe-brakes, and lockable fuel caps. That extra 50 kg makes this model a fine choice as a tourer, offering even better payload/range for the longer trip – as one example a 50 kg wife or an extra 3½ hours of fuel.
Let’s take a closer look at what brings it all together.
With an airframe certified to +3.8 and –1.9g, the Texan comes either as a retractable, or as the popular and sturdy fixed-gear model I’m flying today. The structure is all carbon fibre composite, with style, elegant finish, and cabin comfort levels to complement your Ferrari or Bugatti. There’s also an unobtrusive but rugged roll cage structure built into the sliding canopy and windscreen surrounds.
Externally Texan enjoys a sculptured carbon fibre shape that looks graceful and sleek, tapering nicely at the rear fuselage as most composite aeroplanes do. The laminar flow wing is of rectangular planform and constant section except for the rounded wingtips, which are slightly upturned at the trailing edge as a drag-reduction measure. A medium dihedral provides lateral stability and good wingtip clearance, and the wing structure comprises carbon fibre resin and honeycomb sheets, bonded to conventional spars of the same material, with an integrated 50 litre fibreglass fuel tank in each wing root. A custom made fairing blends the wing/fuselage union with elegant streamlining, and the wingtips have sufficient flex to resist minor brushes with other hardware, but can be replaced in five minutes if damaged. The ailerons and Fowler type flaps are also composite, and all flight control surfaces are push-rod and ball joint operated for positive response and low maintenance.
The “stabilator,” also composite, is of the one piece all-flying variety, and is set just behind the full-span rudder to provide clearance between elevator and rudder. It is frontally hinged to the mass-balanced elevator 
through an oscillating support that is rigidly connected to the tail boom of the monocoque fuselage. Additional directional stability is provided by a small caudal fin that incorporates a hardened bump skid at its lowest point. The rudder pedals also steer the nosewheel.
The upper engine cowling has a small inspection flap for quick and easy oil level check, and the whole upper cowl, attached by cam-lock fasteners, is easily removable. Attention to detail and the logical, practical placement of items such as battery, water tank and water and oil radiators, makes the engine area easy to work on.
Power comes from a 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS, four-cylinder, four-stroke engine, along with reduction geared propeller with mixed air/water cooling system. The standard Texan comes with a very efficient wood-composite Tonini GT two-blade prop, but this one has the three-blade Pipistrel composite model, which makes for very smooth running indeed.
The fuselage is integrally constructed of carbon fibre with resin and honeycomb sheets, stiffened by five bulkheads for extra strength and rigidity. The front zone of the fuselage is delimited by a stainless steel firewall also with a sound-dampening fibre layer. The engine mounts and oleo nose gear strut are both attached to the firewall. Main landing gear is tubular spring steel attached to the fuselage near the wing roots and canted outwards to provide a wide ?? m track and softer touchdowns.
Like every low-wing two-seater I’ve ever flown (and the Comanches, Mooneys and Bonanzas for that matter), cabin entry is a matter of getting yourself onto the non-slip wing walkway and then stepping down into the cabin. Twin steps are attached to the lower fuselage on either side just ahead of the leading edge. Awareness of the convenient handgrips, along with the no-grab areas, is part of your brief education and you quickly get used to it.
The cabin is covered by a Plexiglas sliding canopy, which also acts as a thermoformed windshield to allow excellent external vision. A redesign of both canopy and cowl has enhanced aerodynamic performance. The two seats are of composite matrix structure, fastened to the fuselage frame along with the safety seat belts. Seats are separately adjustable and upholstered in a soft fabric material, or can be optionally upgraded to Alcantara® material in your purchase spec.
Although added soundproofing is also optionally available, you’ll find the Texan remarkably quiet in flight, probably making it an unnecessary luxury because of the sound-dampening and vibration-absorbing carbon fibre structure which makes conversation between pilots easy even without headsets.
A very positive safety enhancement is that two independent fuel situation indicators are provided. An analogue dial indicates over the range from low to full, and there are also low level warning lights that illuminate at a minimum safe level. A fuel burn of 18.5 lt/hr gives a total endurance of six hours if you cruise at 75% power, translating to 4.4h cruise (500nm) with a sensible 45 minute reserve. Fuel is delivered by the standard Rotax mechanical pump, but for added safety an electric auxiliary pump comes as standard in the Texan and is operated by the pilot according to the checklist during engine starting, take-offs, and in the approach/landing phase.
The fuel caps are the push and latch type commonly found on motorcycles, but with a breather angled in the direction of airflow so that the air flowing into the tank through the breather slightly pressurises it, further assisting with fuel flow should either pump fail.
Standard electric flaps, operated by a spring-return toggle switch, are operable from zero to 45 degrees, with a flap angle indicator indicating current status. Apart from a circuit breaker the maximum and minimum extension is protected by limit switches in case the flap switch is inadvertently operated. VFE (max flap speed) is 80 KIAS, which I’ll need to keep in mind after takeoff if the acceleration is what I’m expecting.
Inside the roomy cockpit there’s ample space for whatever you care to install, including room for a full six-dial conventional scan flight instrument array for training. Engine instruments are canted towards the left seat pilot to eliminate distracting neck-craning and parallax error; and a centre panel offers enough blank space left over for your own choice of avionics. There’s even room for a GPS-linked colour moving map. Texan’s designers have cleverly sectioned the instrument panel into three easily removable units, allowing simple access for additional instruments or their replacement.
The sports-car seating offers ample foot and headroom, good forward vision, and easy reach of all hand and foot controls. The twin conventional control sticks are a clear improvement on the single Y stick provided in so many ultralights, especially if the aircraft is to be used for training. The single throttle control on the centre console, is easily reached from either seat, and there’s generous lateral space between occupants, that promises long-distance comfort and room to stretch a little.
The seat adjustment allows my 188 cm to fit in with room to spare, and seat adjustment rails are sloped, meaning that shorter pilots not only slide the seat forward, but upward, so two pilots of differing heights share the same forward view. This is particularly attractive for flying schools, where observations and horizons are often compared. Extend your feet below the rudder pedals and you’ll find the footrests, a thoughtful convenience for non-flying passengers and pilots alike.
All three wheels are streamlined by composite fairings. Main wheel braking is toe-pedal operated, the nosewheel is castoring, and steering is easy through differential braking. On soft grass you can stop the inside wheel to tighten a turn, but on other surface you’ll save a lot of wear & tear by keeping all wheels moving.
There’s a locking handbrake lever for parking and preflight run-ups, which holds back a determined aircraft even at 3,500 rpm. The elevator trim lever is just behind the brake lever, but our aircraft also had an (optional) electric trim mounted on the control stick, which on any aircraft is a major convenience that makes for smoother los speed handling and where available should be on your spec sheet.
Standard instrumentation is: airspeed indicator, turn coordinator, altimeter, VSI, magnetic compass, RPM indicator, flap position indicator, fuel level indicator, low fuel level warning lamps, generator warning lamp, oil pressure, oil temperature, fuel pressure, cylinder head temp, hour-meter, and exhaust gas temp.
A recessed luggage compartment, limited to 12 kg, is directly behind the seats and easily reached over my shoulder.
Also standard is an easy-to-buckle four point harness. The UV tinted canopy is easy to reach and pull forward, and you can choose either to lock the canopy fully at this point or to “semi-lock” it, an option that leaves it slightly ajar for better ventilation unril you’re ready for takeoff. As a safety device, a limit switch activates a warning lamp as soon as the master key is on, alerting you that the canopy is not in the locked position, and remains on until it’s locked.
The Rotax starts easily and is soon humming cheerfully. Taxying is a smooth ride Braking is smooth and easy, making the steering light and positive, and visibility all-round is superior. The oleo nose gear adds to the smooth ride.
With just me and full tanks we’re about 100 kg south of MTOW, meaning two average-weight people could bring quite a reasonable amount of overnight baggage without having too much air in the tanks. Let’s go!
The rudder becomes effective almost immediately the throttle is opened, and at around 35 kt the very effective elevator control from the all-flying tailplane helps ease the nose up. I’m off the ground and in a very positive climb seemingly inside the advertised 150 metres, and at this reduced weight I’m climbing at somewhere over 1,000 fpm after flap retraction . Controls are light, well-harmonised and super-responsive. Trim forces are modest and easily neutralised with the stick-mounted electric trim switch, and the roll rate, even at our 55 kt initial climb speed, is quite remarkable. There’s no waffling in turbulence and the snappy controls make light work of maintaining a stable climb, and I lower the nose to accelerate to 80 KIAS which still produces well a climb rate of over 600 FPM.
In clear smooth air I explore the Texan’s handling characteristics, starting with slow flight, and stepping down 20 KIAS at a time, right down to 40 (with some flap.) Trim forces are modest with airspeed changes and easily neutralised with the electric trim. What results is easy, positive handling right down through the airspeed range from the 135 kt Vne to the stall at a super-low 37 KIAS. Stalls in all configurations except full power, full flap and a steep nose angle are un-alarming, and recovery simply a matter of relaxing back pressure and re-applying power. These features are valuable in the process of building confidence and competence in a trainee pilot.
Even in the extremely steep-turn (60°) stall, a mild wing drop is easily picked up with rudder as the nose falls away, and the aircraft flies out of the stall immediately. The most height I lost in any of these manoeuvres was about 80’.
At 75% power, 700’ and 120 kt cruise speed, the Texan handles like a dream, achieving a roll from 60 left to 60 right in about three seconds. Steep turns, wing-overs and all other permissible manoeuvres are a pleasure to fly in this nippy aeroplane, which I believe will make a brilliant trainer for its control responses alone. Once trimmed in a straight and level cruise, flight is pleasantly stable in roll and pitch, stick responses in turbulence are quick with only light touches, and cabin noise is so unobtrusive that headphone-free conversation would be easy. The seating comfort and cockpit space give you the feeling that even nearing the Texan’s six hour endurance you’d still be comfortable.
With a 37 kt stall, the customary 1.3 x stall speed formula suggests an approach speed of 48 KIAS, which sounds a bit scary for a GA pilot, so I try a couple of simulated approaches with landing flap and enough power set to achieve a 500 fpm descent rate. Visibility remains good as the full flap configuration brings the nose down to a comfortable angle with little trim change, and controllability is still excellent. A fake flare at 4,000’, and at about 35KIAS the aircraft sinks gently onto where the runway surface would have been if hadn’t still been at 3,000’.
Because the Texan’s so drag-resistant you need to be a little ahead of it to get the speed back below the top of the flap speed range, which simply means slowing down earlier so you arrive on final approach at the right speed and height. GA pilots will have more trouble with this, than those who have been flying small, fast aeroplanes for longer – but the benefits of low drag outweigh the negatives and the issue is here to stay so get used to it. I believe there’s a chance here for somebody to design a simple speed brake system that can be built into any of these modern composite aeroplanes as an after-market enhancement. Let’s make it electrically activated and operated by a simple ON/OFF switch.
Controllability on approach and in the flare produced three flattering landings even in a light but gusting crosswind, emphasising the value of Texan’s visibility and control response during the approach and landing. It’s easy, using the sideslip touchdown, to keep the aircraft tracking the imaginary centreline and to lower all three wheels to the surface in the desired sequence.
The newer Texan remains a delight to fly. It still gives the lasting impression of being a very professionally designed and built aeroplane, and it will be popular with pilot owners, instructors, and passengers alike, whether they’re touring or training.
It does good crosswind landings too!
Performance (standard conditions)
Power plant…………………………… Rotax 912 ULS, 100 hp
Max speed (Vne)……………………. 135 kt
Cruise (75%)…………………………. 114 KIAS
Stall (landing config)………………… 37 KIAS
Max takeoff weight………………….. 600 kg
Empty weight………………………… 320 kg
Useful load……………………………. 280 kg
Takeoff run……………………………. 120m
Landing roll……………………………. 140m
Max rate of climb……………………. 984 fpm
Glide ratio…………………………….. 13:1
“G” limit………………………………… +3.8/-1.9
Fuel capacity…………………………. 100 lit
Fuel consumption @ 75% pwr……. 18.5 lit/h
Length…………………………………. 6.99 m
Height………………………………….. 2.61 m
Wingspan……………………………… 8.6 m
Wing chord……………………………. 1.4 m
Wing area…………………………….. 11.8 sq m
Wing loading…………………………. 50.84 kg/sqm
