HERE - Gobosh Aviation

GO GOBOSH!
The latest version of the Polish Aero AT-3 is a real stunner –
Geoff Jones evaluates the new Gobosh G.700S
HAT A name! Why call an
aircraft Gobosh? It is quite
straight forward, actually.
It is an abbreviation of Go Big or Stay
Home. With the Gobosh G.700S
parked in your hangar, I can assure
you that this is the last place you’ll
want to be.
It is such a pleasant, friendly, good
looking and efficient two-seater that
you will want to be flying it away from
home as much as possible.
Designed to meet the American S-
W
18 World Airnews, July 2008.
LSA (light sport aircraft) criteria, it is
a low-wing monoplane, with side-byside seating and a fixed tricycle undercarriage. As with most of the LSA contenders, the Gobosh G.700S has the
100 hp Rotax 912S engine which gives
an economy cruise speed of at least
120 knots.
Construction is also all-metal for
rugged durability, so it will suit well as
both a personal touring aircraft or as
a trainer.
I first “met” the Gobosh G.700S’
predecessor ten years ago at a bucolic,
run-down, former Polish Air Force
base near Warsaw, Poland. The aircraft has its roots firmly in the postglasnost economy of Eastern Europe.
Designed by Tomasz Antoniewski, it is
a development of his university project, a single-seater, the AT-1.
The 2008 Gobosh G.700S is built in
Poland at the company’s new factory at
Mielec, near Rzeszow, in southern
Poland, but is a huge leap forward
from that basic prototype, and the first
Aero AT-3. Ten years of investment and development have bought the design to certification
under European Union standards as a VLA
(very light aircraft), an equivalent of FAR Part
23, and series production with over 40 now
built and sold. The only draw-back is that in
Europe JAR-VLA does not permit the Gobosh
G.700S to be flown in IMC.
Most significant improvement, although
not immediately obvious, is the redesign of
the wing, with a greater span (increased by
300 mm to 8,33 metres), an improved wing
section (the leading edge shape has been
altered), winglets fitted with strobes as standard and wing root fillets. More obvious is the
cockpit area improvements, particularly the
panel and the standard of finish/upholstery.
The manufacturer would have you believe
that the Gobosh G.700S’s designation as a
LSA is, in fact, an acronym for Luxury Sport
Aircraft, for, as you climb on to the wing and
settle in to the cockpit of the Gobosh, there is
no other way to describe it.
The aircraft can operate successfully and
safely from hard runways, dirt strips and from
grass, although I would draw the line with
long grass. The neatly spatted tricycle, spring
steel undercarriage would soon clog with mud
or long grass, but operating as I was from the
1 000-metre grass strip at Lakeland South, in
Florida, there were no issues.
The pre-flight walk-around enables all airframe areas to be inspected easily, although if
you want to inspect the engine thoroughly you
will need a screwdriver and an assistant to
help you remove the top half of the carbon and
Kevlar cowling.
It is fuelled (mogas is fine) from a filler at
the back of the cowling and just in front of the
canopy. If you want to go deeper there are
seven, spring catch-loaded access panels to
inspect the aileron and elevator push rods.
The one piece tinted canopy hinges forward
and is supported in the open position by two
gas struts. It is released by a lockable handle
on the top of the canopy. You climb on to the
wings on strengthened, black wing walks and
cannot step on the split flaps because they are
integrated beneath the trailing edge of the
wing. Hand holds are available to permit the
less agile to pull themselves up and in, but
compared to many low wing types, the
Gobosh G.700S sits very low on the ground so
it is not a big issue.
With a 1,61-metre-wide cockpit there is
plenty of room for big people – you slide
yourself down to the seating position with one
leg each side of the stick but you must not
grab the canopy. The seat back angles can be
adjusted, but if you are small you have to use
cushions to adjust the seating position.
PANEL AND COCKPIT
Gobosh has really worked hard on a functional and practical panel. After customer surveys
– and the manufacturer always makes you
complete a questionnaire after a test flight,
scoring different design aspects out of ten – it
was decided to fit six standard analogue
instruments, which the company calls its “six
pack”, on the left of the panel.
Also standard are a GPS and radio boxes, fitted on the right along with a row of switches and
circuit breakers. In the centre is the throttle (a
second throttle lever is on the left of the panel),
fuel knobs, carburettor heat, starter/magneto
switch and then right between the seats a large
and robust mechanical flap lever (two stages
15° and 45°).
Behind this are the jacks for the head-sets
and trim lever. Across the top of the panel are
four directional air vents, a pleasant necessity
under the canopy on a hot Florida day. Toe
brakes are attached to the rudder pedals and
the nose wheel is castoring.
A sizeable luggage shelf is located behind
the seat under which is a lockable compartment for those valuable items you want to
store; normal baggage allowance is 30 kg
depending on other weight and balance
aspects.
AIRBORNE
I had flown the European AT-3 production
example and could not wait to compare my
experiences with those of the new Gobosh
G.700S. With two on board the nose is slightly high, but the firm toe brakes enables good
ground manoeuvring.
I am more used to a stick and found the
seating and stick position comfortable as I
applied one notch of flap then full power and,
as suggested, put in some right rudder to keep
straight.
There was a slight shimmy from the nose-
World Airnews, July 2008. 19
wheel on the takeoff
roll, but then with
slight backward pressure on the stick, at
47 knots indicated we
were flying after a
ground run of about
150 metres. The
speed built quickly to
60 knots for the initial climb phase.
The view over the
nose was a little
obstructed but posed
no problem as I flexed
the rudder pedals and
we moved slightly
from side to side. Sea
level climb rate is
quoted as 850 fpm but
when I retracted the
flaps at 800 feet above
ground level the climb rate went up to 1 000
fpm.
Perhaps a small trim tab is required or some
slight adjustment, but I noticed that a slight
amount of right rudder was required most of
the time.
The cruise speed was indeed in excess of
120 knots but I throttled back to an economy
cruise at 110 knots and 5 000 rpm. The Gobosh
G.700S handled really well, more like a PA-28
than some LSAs I have flown.
The stick controls felt firm and positive and
those niggles about the view forward while
taxiing were forgotten because the view from
the aircraft is almost unparalleled.
The ride was comfortable, even in the hot
Florida air, and there is bags of room between
the top of your head and the canopy so that if
you do hit some turbulence you will not bang
your head.
Handling, as expected, is more responsive
and steep turns above 30° of bank are easy and
decisive. We went in to one at 80° and with
plenty of power and the Gobosh G.700S felt
more like an aerobatic mount than a LSA.
It is also difficult to stall this aircraft either
clean or with flaps, a ‘mush’ at 44 knots and
36 knots respectively with no wing drop or
other nasty characteristics.
APPROACH AND LANDING
Best approach speed is 70 knots slowing to 65
knots with the application of the first notch of
flaps. View forward is excellent and the main
discipline is slowing down.
Pull the flap lever for 45° flap and the drag
just rockets and the pitch alters substantially.
It is best to do this on short finals at the latest
as to an unsuspecting pilot (or passenger) they
could wonder what on earth is happening!
20 World Airnews, July 2008.
SPECIFICATIONS
GOBOSH G.700S
(as fitted with the Rotax 100 hp engine)
Dimensions and weights
Wingspan:
Length:
Height:
Wing area:
Cabin width:
Prop diameter:
Empty weight:
Max. gross weight:
Useable fuel:
Useful load:
8,33 m
6,25 m
6,7 m
11,79 m2
1,04 m
1,725 m
372 kg
599 kg
70 litres
227 kg
Performance
T/O distance:
Landing distance:
T/O over 17 m obstacle:
Landing over 17 obstacle:
Climb rate @ S/L:
Service ceiling:
Maximum range:
Fuel flow:
Max cruise speed:
Stall speed (clean):
Stall speed (full flaps):
Best climb speed:
Normal operating speed:
Never exceed speed:
116 m
200 m
442 m
430 m
850 fpm
13 200 ft
400 nm
14,4 l/hr
116 kt
44 kt
36 kt
58 kt
112 kt
133 kt
Manufacturer: Gobosh Aviation, P.O. Box 1164,
Moline, IL 612266, USA. Tel : +1 877-463 5957
www.gobosh.aero
For enquiries to the European manufacturer,
Aero Ltd, Tomek Antoniewski, tomek.a@at-3.com
or Andrzej Wach Andrzej.Wach@bonair.com.pl
Final
approach
speed is down to 55
knots and slowing
aiming for 45 knots at
the flare. You should
have no problem to
do a “greaser” even
with some cross
wind.
Keep the nose
wheel off the ground
until the speed has
reduced and then at
25 knots you can tap
the toe brakes if you
want to stop quickly.
If not, in still air you
should be able to land
and stop in about 245
metres.
The
Gobosh
G.700S is everything
I remembered its earlier ‘brothers’ to be – a
good, solid and dependable aircraft with
excellent in-flight characteristics. I do like
that firm feeling from the control stick.
Time to get the cheque book out? Current
price in the US is US$129 990 with an airframe warranty of two years or 400 hours.
It was interesting to listen to other pilots
after flying the Gobosh G.700S demonstrator
and as they completed their post-flight questionnaires.
One pilot said that when flying he had to
work the controls all the time – in the Gobosh
it was a much more relaxing and demanding
flight. Another said that the Gobosh was easier to fly and more responsive, and an EV-97
pilot said the Gobosh got in to the air much
quicker and on the same engine was faster
than his aircraft.
There were also compliments for the sales
team who were described as “polite and
knowledgeable” – their pedigree comes from
many years in the light aircraft business,
including most recently with Symphony
Aircraft.
How Aero and Gobosh will “attack” the
South African market is yet to be determined.
They ship two aircraft per standard container
to Moline, Illinois, USA, where they are
assembled for the US market. There is no reason why the same could not apply to South
Africa.
Considering what you get for your dollar,
the Gobosh G.700S is really good value and I
predict that this and the Aero AT-3 will soon
be extremely popular and well known light
aircraft.
The all-composite Gobosh G.800XP, another two-seater, made its debut at the recent Sun
‘n Fun in Florida – but that’s another story.