Simon, My Mono XS with 914 and fully VP Woodcomp prop came out at 833
lbs. Very full, capable panel. Speed kit. I chose to put 3lbs on the
stern post to give optimum C of G position so finished as 836lbs. How
did I achieve that?
1.Think light right from the start & have an expert show you how to do
perfect lay ups, which are relatively dry - use peel ply on all lay ups
which further reduces the amount of surface resin which adds nothing to
the strength.
2. have a largely electronic panel with an EMS rather than rows of steam
dials and solid state gyros rather than a vacuum system. Use wire
thicknesses as per manual, not a bit thicker for luck
3. an Odyssey gas recombinant battery on firewall above passenger feet.
Lighter than conventional battery, fantastic starting ability, no need
for much in the way of battery box
4. Avoid one of those heavy built in leather seating fits. Cushions much
lighter and flexible for differing pilot sizes.
5. A gel coat paint system sprayed by an expert and rubbed down with wet
and dry to a perfect finish. Avoids the multiple undercoats and UV
protection coats and multiple top coats generally used for other paint
systems and very durable. It is after all what competition gliders have
been using for ever!
6. Think about all fittings, especially metal ones. Do I need this? Does
it need to be so big? For instance you can (& I did) cut down all bolts
so that they were just in safety. I did not see the need for extra
batteries, extra anything in the electric sphere beyond the manual
recommendations.
The 914 is heavier than the 912 or 912S so more or less makes up for
the extra weight of the extra wheels on a trigear, so 850 is certainly
doable with a trigear. Best of luck, David Joyce, GXSDJ
On 2018-04-14 01:27, Robert Borger wrote:
>
> Simon,
>
> Keep working!
>
> 853 lbs is certainly doable with the mono wheel if you build light, build per
the plans (no mods) and use the lightest engine/prop combination. It is more
difficult with the tri gear as all that steel landing gear crap is heavy.
>
> My tri has a 913 lbs empty weight. My C/G ranges from 58.44 to 61.97 depending
on loading state. It is difficult to load out of C/G range.
>
> My Europa has the ROTAX 914 with Airmaster C/S prop. The panel has the small
GRT Sport EFIS with the GRT EIS 4000 engine monitor, Microair radio and
transponder
and Garmin GPS Map 496. In addition I have 2 1/4" standby turn coordinator,
airspeed, altimeter and vertical speed.
>
> My guess is that the weight will change a bit when I finish installing the
> ADS-B
2020 equipment as I have to go back to the big instrument panel to make room
for some extra boxes. When the 2020 thing is finally installed I will have
a new panel without the standby stuff and the Microair transponder. But there
will be a new TRIG transponder and 2020 approved GPS. I hope to have that
installed
and working later this year.
>
> The most challenging part of the work is to keep building. Finishing the job
is the hardest part. Don't quit. Do something every day. I really don't remember
anything that was difficult. Well, maybe getting the peel ply out of the flap
root & tip ends was frustrating but not difficult. I have met and talked to
lots of builders who just could not keep building and quit. Don't be that
person.
>
> Blue skies & tailwinds,
> Bob Borger
> Europa XS Tri, Rotax 914, Airmaster C/S Prop (100 hrs).
> Little Toot Sport Biplane, Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-320 EXP, Hercules Prop.
> 3705 Lynchburg Dr.
> Corinth, TX 76208-5331
> Cel: 817-992-1117
> rlborger@mac.com
>
> On Apr 13, 2018, at 3:03 PM, flyingeuropa <s.radzanowski@web.de> wrote:
>
>
> Hello again,
>
> after going in some more detail I'm still wondering if I could make the
> published
empty weight of 387kg/853lbs as mentioned on the website.
> Would you do me a favour and post the empty weights and CG of your trigear
> maybe with a short summary of the main components ( engine, prop, avionic).
>
> I saw the "a plane is born" movie by Mark Evans. What a cool guy, everthing
> looked
so doable. From your builders point of view, what is the most
difficult/challenging
work? The flight controls are now already done as far as I understood.
>
> Thanks again for your help!
>
> Simon
Links:
------
[1] http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Europa-List
[2] http://forums.matronics.com
[3] http://wiki.matronics.com
[4] http://www.matronics.com/contribution
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