PILOT REPORT EVEKTOR HARMONY Sweet Harmonizin’ ne of the very first LSA I flew “In the Harmony’s cockpit, taller pilots have RAISING THE BAR ON A HISTORY OF QUALITY, was the Evektor SportStar, an more leg room,” said Tarola. “The fuselage all-metal, low-wing monoplane is four inches longer now, which moved the PERFORMANCE, HANDLING AND COMFORT SPECIFICATIONS with a cute bubbly profile and firewall and panel forward. There’s more room Price as flown (Dynon SkyView): a stable, confidence-inspiring, under the redesigned panel, too.” The panel TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE approx. $168,000 long-distance-comfortable, easy- has gotten a cosmetic makeover, as well. to-fly flight personality. I’ve also always liked how the bellied-out Base price: approx. $125,000 In the years since, I’ve had the pleasure to side canopy adds to the roomy feeling and Wingspan (ft.): 30.3 fly another 30 or so LSA, so my perspective enhances side visibility. And though I’m 5'11", Cabin width (in.): 46.5 is broadening. Even so, it was as clear back there’s still a good four to five inches over - Fuel capacity (gals): 31.7 then as it is now what well-constructed, solid- head, with an extra Oregon Aero cushion Engine: Rotax 912 ULS flying airplanes Evektor, the 40-year Czech avi - underneath. The canopy has a double latch ation company, produces. now, for added security and cabin airflow on Output (hp): 100 Harmony, the latest model in the company’s the ground. Max Takeoff Weight (lbs.): 1320 ASTM-approved S-LSA flagships, is the next “The steering system and nosewheel,” Empty Weight (lbs.): 683 evolution of its SportStar forebears. As such, Tarola continued, “are completely redesigned. Useful Load (lbs.) 637 it represents—from the company that, lest we It’s less ‘nervous.’” Yet even though steering forget, was the first to ASTM-certify an S-LSA is less touchy, the turning radius is smaller PERFORMANCE in America—another step forward in top-line, than more recent SportStar editions. Sensi - rugged, stable flyers. tivity also is ground adjustable. I particularly Takeoff roll (ft.): 620 liked the new rudder/toe brake-pedal assem - Rate of climb (fpm): 1020 A Matter Of Pedigree bly. The toe plates are GA-familiar, and bring Landing roll (ft). 590 Evektor’s designers and engineers refuse to immediate confidence during taxiing and brak - Service ceiling (ft.): 15,500 rest on their feathery laurels. By laurels, I mean ing: It’s as pleasurable and effective as any the more than 1,000 light aircraft they’ve deliv - tricycle LSA I’ve driven around. Max cruise (kts.): 120 ered to 40 countries. Pedals adjust to three positions, but can Cruise (kts.): 110 Evektor encourages customer and dealer also be hard mounted in one of three loca - Vne (kts.): 146 feedback, and puts it to good use. The result in tions for quite a range of fit. The pilot and Vs (kts.): 45 Harmony is better all-around performance and copilot pedals also have more room between. handling, more rugged gear and more cockpit Vso (kts.): 40 room, and lots of other tweaks to the overall Where It All Comes Together quality the line has enjoyed since inception. In music, harmony is most fully appreciated Source: The all-metal construction incorporates in full-audio fidelity. Likewise, the Harmony Evektor Aircraft: www.evektoraircraft.com bonded as well as traditionally riveted parts. aircraft is best enjoyed in its home environ - AB Flight: www.abflight.com Nonstructural composite parts add to the sen - ment, the sky, so let’s go! suous, playful lines—and bring weight sav - Taxiing is a breeze. Takeoff tracking down ings, too. the runway and liftoff are effortless. Handling Art Tarola, owner and operator of Evektor of the airplane in flight is smooth and response dealer AB Flight, loves the training chops of immediate, thanks to pushrod controls for the Harmony, as well. He ought to know: He pitch and roll. And the redesigned, tapered has given more than 2,500 hours of flight wing (wider span, same wing area) and instruction in SportStar variations alone, and increased aileron length contribute to a notice - has seen firsthand how well the aircraft endures ably faster turn rate. In less than three sec - the slings and arrows student airplanes are onds, we saw 45 degrees to 45 degrees. heir to. I found roll pressures somewhat firmer After our lovely demo, motoring around than, say, a Remos GX, but hardly objection - through balmy morning air above the lush able—Cessna and Piper pilots will feel right prefall greenery near Hudson, N.Y., we talked at home. Control feel is solid and proportional, about the new stuff. and the airplane carves turns with little rud - planeandpilotmag.com MARCH 2012 47 Another factor is how quiet the airplane is PILOT REPORT EVEKTOR HARMONY in flight. That’s no doubt due, in part, to the tight construction and mastic-sealed riveting of structural components, as well as liberal applications of attractive fabric to the interior, behind-seat storage compartment and aft deck. Landing as you might expect is also nom - inal. After our thunderstorm-dodging, 11-hour Oshkosh-to-Pennsylvania flight, in which we diverted to two different airports waiting for weather ahead to improve, we arrived over Allentown, Pa., in the black of night. Tarola donned his CFI cap (it’s never off for long) to talk me through the landing, which was sur - prisingly nominal, given we were both worn out from the challenging trip. Speaking of landings, visibility with the low wing is super while turning pattern legs. The push-button vernier throttle makes precise power control a snap, ably abetted by the robust, three-position flap handle (15 degrees, 30 degrees and 50 degrees) just under an adjustable armrest at center station. Visibility remained excellent throughout rotation, landing flare was easy to feel, and control in all three axes was positive right down to wheel touch. Keeping A Tight Ship There’s so much more to praise, but alas my page space runneth over. Some personal faves: Interior fit and finish is first class. Roomy seat-back pockets, a tray/cupholder in easy reach in front of each seat and side pockets on the doors are thoughtful and handy accessories. A cigarette-lighter-style DC soc- ket powers portable gear, and cabin air cool - ing is augmented with eyeball vents right where you want them at the lower corners of Ballistic Parachute Systems der required. Pitch forces balance nicely with the windscreen. roll feel, which makes cruising around the sky The GA-style popout circuit breaker pan - Thirty-one years ago, an enterprising hang-glider very...harmonious! els are right where you like them, too: directly pilot named Boris Popov created Ballistic Recov- The elevator and rudder also are upsized, in front of the pilot. The entire panel layout is extending better control authority into the stall ery Systems (BRS) based on a simple concept: a thoughtful, tidy and well engineered. Every - The Evektor Harmony is powered by a 100 hp Rotax regime. “That also increases crosswind capa - parachute system that explosively deploys and thing is reachable and mounted logically. 912 ULS engine and reaches a max cruise of 120 knots. bility,” said Tarola. “I’ve landed in well over safely lowers to the ground, at very low altitudes, not Harmony, like the Max, is available fully Its all-metal fuselage features a bubble canopy that’s 20 knots direct crosswind with no trouble.” only the pilot, but the entire aircraft and all IFR equipped, with optional FAA certified instru - bellied out on the sides for extra visibility. For any LSA, that’s no mean feat. its occupants! My host talked me through slow-flight and Initially, BRS ‘chutes were used with hang gliders stall demonstrations. Right at stall, we essen - and ultralights. I installed one on my Kitfox in 1987 and tially hung the plane on its prop, and could was glad to have it. To date, Cirrus (as standard still drive around with plenty of control author - www.zaon.aero equipment!) and three Cessna aircraft have installed ity. The Harmony earns its name, never drop - ZAON PCAS system | them (C-172, C-182 and Skycatcher S-LSA). ping a wing or giving nasty surprises. Both Competitors such as Second Chantz, Galaxy Rescue Systems and Stratos 07 popped up in the departure (power on) and approach (power Ever had a near-miss in the air? It’s scary...and can happen so eas - off) stalls were truly nominal. ments in place of the TL elektronic Integra interim. Deployment methods evolved to include rockets. Second Chantz’s rocket is powered by ily, even when you’ve got your eyeballs outside the cage. Zaon Flight Stall is simply a nonevent: Ease the stick EFIS and EMS paneled version I flew. highly compressed nitrogen gas, eliminating the hazard of an explosive charge. Systems makes two models that employ its trademarked, fourth- Since those early days, BRS and others evolved technologies that almost instantaneously pull forward and/or add a touch of power, and Evektor manifests a, “Have it your way,” you’re flying again. It’s such a forgiving, sta - generation technology to give those eyes in the back of your head instrumentation philosophy. Art Tarola says the parachute out of its canister, extending the still-shrouded ‘chute to the limit of its heavy-duty ble, comfortable airplane to fly. even more acuity than your regular ones. PCAS stands for Portable every Harmony panel can be completely con - bridle line(s), then the chute opens in timed stages, slowly enough (still in fractions of a second) to Leveling off, we cruised up to about 115 Collision Avoidance System, and it works just like more expensive, panel- figured to customer specifications, whether prevent blowing out the ‘chute from the sudden shock of taking on the full load of a moving airplane knots at 5,300 rpm.