Questions & Answers

What were the first aircraft to fly with the UL260i?

Mission M106

The first aircraft to be fitted with the UL260i was the Mission M106 (a high wing tube and fabric 2-seater) which is based at the airport in Kortrijk - Wevelgem in Belgium (Location).  We thought this basic high wing aircraft trainer was an appropriate first choice because this meant that our engine was installed into an aircraft with a flight envelop common to many 2 seat recreational aircraft. It would be very easy to choose a low drag, high performance aircraft and claim spectacular figures for the UL260i but we made the choice to perform the flight test program in a simple and safe aircraft of rugged construction and one which will undoubtedly make a good first time trainer. A relatively low airspeed during climb is more demanding on the cooling installation which will help us choose the best configuration. Most pilots will realise that the UL260i's power and torque characteristics will give most modern day aircraft very good performance. As of November 2007, +250 hours of essentially trouble free flight had been logged.

Fly Synthesis Storch

The second aircraft to fly (summer 2006) was the Italian Fly Synthesis Storch. The lead aircraft's tests provided us with the feedback to practically guarantee a trouble free Storch engine installation. The Storch is normally powered by the Jabiru 2200 and since the UL260i is 72mm (2.8 in) wider, the engine cowling need to be widened. This was relatively easily achieved by cutting both top and bottom cowl in the vertical axis through the middle and then adding a wedge shaped section which tapered from 80 mm in the front to nothing where the cowling means the firewall.

The owner/pilot (Belgian Fly Synthesis distributor) is very enthusiastic about the performance gain to his aircraft using the same DUC ground adjustable 3 bladed 1.55m (61in)  prop. In fact he reported that he needed to carefully choose the right propeller pitch because the UL260i's torque allowed him to exceed the Storch's 215 km/hr (116 kt) Vne in level flight at less than maximum power! A performance comparison using different engines on the Storch will be published at a later date.

We are proud to say that we have strongly growing list of aircraft whose owners/manufacturers are choosing the ULPower UL260i. These "Pioneers" are listed on the "Installations" section of our website especially dedicated to these valuable partners.