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| Located just East of Huntsville, Alabama Phone: 256-852-9781 |
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| From Magazine--- The Autopilot Magazine Lionheart -Publish Date: AL March/April 08 - Region: Alabama Lionheart A Work of Art By R. Blake Mathis Designed as a kit plane, the first prototype of Griffon Aerospace’s Lionheart flew in 1997. Since then, kits have been ordered, built and flown over the years. Unfortunately, the Lionheart is currently out of production; however, one currently resides just east of Huntsville, Alabama, at Moontown Airport (3M5). Strolling around Lionheart takes you back to the 1930s because you can see the Beech Staggerwing design reborn in its new sleek, narrow wing, composite, cantilever design. Inspired by the Beech Staggerwing from the 1930s, the Lionheart is a work of art as well as a fined-tuned composite carbon fiber machine. Chosen to power this modern version of the staggered biplane configuration is the venerable Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine. The R-985 was baselined for the design as a plentiful, reliable and low-cost horsepower/dollar power plant that ultimately inspired the overall Lionheart configuration. Besides being a smooth, composite aircraft, another recognizable difference between the Lionheart and the Staggerwing is that both of the Lionheart’s wings are cantilevered, requiring no struts or wires, which gives an overall classy, smooth look to this modern rebuild. Additionally, for improved performance, the Lionheart uses modern laminar flow airfoils. Lastly, through the use of modern composite materials, the Lionheart’s empty weight is close to the Staggerwing, but its payload capacity is over 1,000 pounds more than the original. Though the Piper Malibu was used as the design goal for cabin space, the Lionheart is much wider at the shoulders. With an empty weight of about 3,200 pounds, Lionheart was originally designed to accommodate six full-size, FAA 170-pound passengers. With initial structure testing with a gross weight of 4,200 pounds, the plane’s loaded limits were +6, -3 Gs. Gross weight was later increased to 5,200 pounds with load limits of +4.4,-2.2Gs (Utility Category). Dual control sticks make it easy for a pilot or co-pilot to command the aircraft. With fully retractable conventional (taildragger) landing gear that hide during flight for an overall clean look, along with the 450 horsepower radial engine, the cruise speed of 210 mph is easily accomplished for long flights. The Lionheart at 3M5 is often seen during the monthly breakfasts and at the annual fly-in in September. For more information, visit www.griffon-aerospace.com or visit www.MoontownAirport.com. |
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