VL3 Aircraft – The Story Behind the Development of the World’s Fastest Side-by-Side Ultralight Aircraft:

Aveko created and manufactured the VL3 Evolution, the world’s fastest side-by-side ultralight (UL) aircraft. JMB Aircraft, the VL3 Evolution’s official reseller in Germany, is now the aircraft’s new production firm.

In April 2016, JMB Aircraft displayed the VL3 Evolution in Friedrichshafen. In the same year, the business planned to perform a VL3 demo tour around Germany.

The aircraft is available with the fixed or retractable landing gear. It is delivered as a fully assembled, ready-to-fly aircraft. In January 2016, the CAA of Portugal granted ultralight clearance to the aircraft.

Design and features of the VL3 Evolution:

The VL3 Evolution was designed by Vanessa Air and featured a completely composite airframe. Individual sections of the aircraft can be detached from the fuselage and divided into halves of the wing and tail surfaces, including stabilisers, to make transportation easier.

The wing’s aerodynamic design provides good fall characteristics. Two gasoline tanks are installed on the wing, and the lid is built of glass and carbon sandwiches.

The main landing gear is made up of laminated springs that are fitted with 14in x 4in tired wheels. The bowed leg has a steel wheel that is 12in x 4 inches in size and is suspended with a rubber silent block. A switch on the dashboard controls the landing gear.

At the extremities of the wings and keel, the aircraft has a variety of locations, anti-collision, and lantern lights. Except for the keel, the tail surfaces of the hull can be fully removed. The aircraft is equipped with a Galaxy rescue system that may be deployed behind the anti-fire wall.

The aircraft had an external length of 6.24 meters, a height of 2.05 meters, and a wingspan of 8.44 meters. The wingspan is 9.77 meters.

Cabin, cockpit and avionics:

In the aircraft’s cabin, two pilots sit side by side in side-by-side chairs. The cabin is built of a composite of carbon and aramid fibres, which ensures the crew’s safety in the event of an emergency landing.

Four-point safety belts are installed in the cabin’s two firm seats. Fabric upholstery can be found in the cabin’s interior. A ventilation and heating system, a baggage box behind the pilot seats, and holders for headphones and audio outputs are all available in the cabin.

The aircraft’s cockpit is hidden behind the anti-firewall that separates the engine compartment and the trunk. It has a foldable glass canopy with a locking latch that is simply locked with a key from the outside.

The aircraft’s right side has an elevator trim that is controlled mechanically by a wire. Steel ropes control the aircraft’s rudder, whereas carbon rods control the elevator.

The elevator trim control is positioned in the centre console under the dashboard, while the engine throttle is located on the aircraft. It also comes with a foot control that includes braking cylinders. The co-pilot seat is also equipped with a brake mechanism. The parking brake control for the aircraft is positioned beneath the centre panel and is operated manually from the pilot’s seat.

Safety:

In partnership with the Czech Aerospace Institute, the VL3 has been certified and tested. Ultimate loads of up to +15Gs and -8Gs were successfully tested on the VL3.

Until 450 km/h TAS, the VL3 is flutter-free. The VNE is restricted to a top speed of 340 km/h IAS. The IAS VNO is 280 km/h.

The VL3 can be equipped with a TCAS to boost your safety (Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance). If there are other aircraft in the area, your EFIS and headset will receive a visual and auditory alarm.

In the event of an emergency landing, an ELT (emergency locator transmitter) may be installed to allow SAR services to swiftly locate you.

Autopilot is standard on most VL3 aircraft. If you lose control of your aircraft due to accidentally entering a cloud, you can use the levelling mechanism to automatically level it out.

AOA is an acronym for “All of the Above.” If you reach the critical angle of attack before stalling, the Angle of Attack indicator will give you a warning.

The VL3 is equipped with stall strips at the fuselage’s leading edge to increase the aircraft’s controllability when it enters a stall.

All control lines are made with approved aviation fasteners, and the VL3 is laminated with certified resin. All of the electrical components (cables, antenna, radio, transponder, and so on) are made of aviation-approved materials.

The VL3 is already in use in the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, France, Norway, Portugal, Poland, the Baltic States, South Africa, the United States of America, Italy, Slovakia, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Engine and performance of the ultralight aircraft:

The aircraft can be equipped with a Rotax 912 UL version engine with 80 horsepower or a Rotax 912ULS engine with 100 horsepower, or an IS engine with 100 horsepower. The Rotax 912 engine has a four-cylinder, four-stroke, and antipodal cylinder configuration, as well as a central camshaft and OHV wiring. Fixed pitch propellers can be used to propel it.

An electric starter, an AC generator, and a mechanical fuel pump are all included in the engine. The aircraft can consume up to 18 litres of gasoline every hour, and its fuel tanks hold between 90 and 120 litres.

The aircraft has a cruising speed of 210 to 270 kilometres per hour, a never-exceed speed of 305 kilometres per hour, a stalling speed of 55 kilometres per hour, and an approach speed of 80 kilometres per hour. It can go at a top speed of 290 km/h in horizontal flight and climb at a rate of 6 meters per second.

Conclusion:

That’s it. I hope you liked this article about one of the most modern aircraft, VL3. If you have any experience with this aircraft, feel free to share it in the comments below, and I would be happy to read and come back to you.

Thank you for reading this article, and I’ll come back to you soon with another new and interesting post.

See you soon!