Dream Sheet

Build the plane you want - not what others want you to build

As the project is likely to take several years and avionics develop at an amazing rate no doubt this page will see many amendments.

Item	Proposal

Engine	Superior XP-IO360 180 HP (gone bust) so Lycoming IO360 180 HP?
Injection to eliminate carb icing problems & for aerobatics Originally I thought about a diesel but they are still in development with no firewall forward kits available. Jet A1 tax is going up and with the relatively low annual hours (about 100) there is not a big saving - maybe in 10 years or so diesel will probably be the way ahead as Gasoline gets more scarce and expensive. 180 HP because the cost over the 160 HP is very small - boy is she going to move! Decision: Aero Sport Power IO-360 (180HP) Fixed Pitch with Raven Inverted Oil

Prop	Make to be decided but fixed pitch (FP)
I will probably pay to have the engine modified to be upgradeable to Constant Speed (CS) at a later date but a CS prop is about £3K more than a FP! I spent years doing aerobatics in a Chipmunk (FP) and entered UK Standard Class Aerobatic competitions in a CAP10B, which was powered by a Lycoming AEIO360 with a Hoffman 2 blade FP composite prop, so I don't see this as a problem and it is recommended by Vans (Manual Page 2-2). I feel that if a grass strip needs me to have a CS prop when I've got 180 horses under the cowling I shouldn't be operating out of that strip! Here are some figures that helped me make this decision. Decision: Catto 3 blade FP - Need to keep the basic c of g as far aft as possible to help with c of g management. It's also smooth and quieter for the long x-xountry flights. It's very light and suitable for aerobatics.

Avionics	Dream panel page
It will definitely be glass cockpit (all my final professional flying was on this and I'm sold on it). Yes I know its a VFR aircraft but, if one day I fail to use my superior skill to avoid a situation that requires the use of that skill, the safe option may well be to go up through cloud and get away from the ground and also on those pea soup days when its still legally VFR but with no horizon ie for SAFETY. Decision: MGL Voyager EFIS, Trig T21 Transponder, Funkwerk ATR 833 Com and PowerFlarm Collision Avoidance

Electrics	I am watching the Vertical Power products with great interest.
The wiring will be simpler and there appears to be a bit of flexibility. The only fear I have is what if the main controller is U/S? The aircraft is grounded. That said how often will the whole box fail? The jury is still out as it's very early days with this product - that said how many people have an EFIS in their new homebuilt compared to steam gauges? This is a similar thing only with the electrical system. We have seen fuel injection and electrical systems in cars develop as electronics become more reliable - now it is the turn of light aircraft to see these same developments. Decision: Fuses/Breakers. The VP-50 does not have sufficient power pins and the VP-100 is too expensive. I am also concerned about future support if the company were to go out of business.