Hi Folks...
For those who were asking... I flew the XS today with Ivan (a real
character, a great pilot and a no-BS designer) and had a ball. Despite
being a somewhat mis-rigged prototype, I really enjoyed the XS... the
biggest difference between it and the standard bird being the fact that
the ground handling has been idiot-proofed to an amazing degree. Yes,
it's fast, and that's nice... but the mild manners, good stability
profile (despite some mechanical friction in pitch), and and GREAT
handling make this a sweetie in anybody's book. I'm amazed that a bird
that can hit 200 mph and stall in the 40s can offer such nice handling
without undesirable compromise. For those sold on the Trike... I have to
tell you that the investment and confidence of a few hours of dual on
the mono-wheel will give you a versatile and speedy retractable gear
that I personally find to be delightful. Flare high, bounce it,
over-pitch the flare... it doesn't matter much... the new tail/tailwheel
allows for a lot more abuse and error than the old.
I'm working on the flight report as we speak, but suffice it to say that
I'm green with envy of all you XS builders. Even though the Extra 200
was an altogether VERY Pleasant surprise (thought it was going to be
wimpy with only 200 HP--it isn't), the XS is the best new plane I've
flown this year.
--
Jim Campbell, Publisher, US Aviator
Copyright 1998, All Rights Reserved
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