I have just had the opportunity of examining Walter Binder's Europa at
Dunstable. Walter designs and sells add-on engine installations for gliders.
He built the Europa for his personal use, and because he could get a good
deal from Rotax. He is definitely not interested in making his mods
available in kit form; whether he would supply drawings etc. I do not know,
but his passenger says he has enough to do in his business already. The
group are in England for the rest of the week, but he is going up to the
factory on Tuesday to show it to Ivan. These are the mods I picked out -
goodness knows how many more there are.
1. Constant speed prop on Rotax 912.
2. Completely redesigned cowlings, incorporating two air intakes and the
radiator.
3. Carb cold air supply.
4. Cabin heat or fresh air, individually selectable to left and right seats
(four knobs).
5. Wing tips turn up to the vertical towards the trailing edge (2 or 3
inches max).
6. 20 litre extra fuel tank in each wing outboard section.
7. Electrically retracting outriggers. A single spring-steel strip leg
folding spanwise towards the wingtips, wheel and leg flush inside wing when
retracted.
8. Two stage (17/32 degrees) electrically operated flaps, independent of
undercarriage.
9. Electrically operated main wheel; one large screw jack but original
rubber block. Most of original tubework frame discarded, wheel forks redesigned.
10. All fuel caps are small diameter black plastic flush-fitting.
11. Flush fitting nav lights on wing tips and rudder.
12. Large flush strobe unit in top front of fin.
13. Long probe-type pitot on stbd wing tip.
14. Steerable tail wheel with integral glider tow hook mounted 18 to 24
inches further aft on a three leaf spring. (Yes, he tows gliders with it !).
15. Tailplane securing pins must be glider-type requiring an extractor tool,
because the holes are quite small diameter (0.5 inch ?).
16. Flap-to-fusalage gap completely faired-in when retracted. The ends of
the flaps have fusalage-shape extensions.
17. Centre console: Throttle, prop, and third lever (?) on a single pivot
where the manual gear-retract lever would normally be. Two wing tank slider
valves. Normal brake lever and electric trim switch. Undercarriage and flap
switches on the panel.
18. Main fuel tank vent on fin leading edge; wing tank vents on under
surface facing aft.
I think the decoupling of gear and flaps, with the added advantage of
separate take-off and landing positions, is the major achievement here, and
one I would definitely go for if I were a builder.
-- Colin Wray
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Colin Wray, Greenchurch Software Ltd, UK
Email: colin@greench.co.uk
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