TALESPINNERS - February, 2001

Note: This month I have been, as I will be again in the future, an imposition to one of my friends and asked that he write an article for our newsletter. For his willingness to contribute to our EAA Chapter 174 newsletter I offer my sincere thanks to my friend Chuck Heftman for writing the following article about the Atlantica kit plane - Tim Fry.

First Look: The ATLANTICA Kit Plane Project
By Charles S. Heftman

For some, going to Florida for holidays means the excitement of Christmas and the promise of a new year. For me, it meant the chance to see my future homebuilt airplane kit project in its development stages…the Atlantica.

I have been following the development of the Atlantica for the past year via the web site (www.wingco.com).  Now was my chance to see it in person and sit in the fuselage mock-up. The Atlantica is a five-place tail-less pusher design that resembles the B-2 bomber in shape. It is not a flying wing, but a blended-wing-body. It takes the 20 year-old designs of the EZ and Velocity a step further, removing the canard and integrating fuselage into the wing. It is designed to use a proven Czechoslovakian engine, the 235hp inverted straight 6 cylinder LOM (www.moravia.com).

The Atlantica is the brainchild of Alan Shaw, owner and operator of the Wing Company (WingCo) in Melbourne, FL. Having 16 years of composites experience under his belt, Mr. Shaw became the “man in the back room” during the early development of the original Velocity Aircraft. After three years he left Velocity and started the Wing Company, specializing in the construction of custom wings for Velocity and E-Z aircraft. In 2000 he ceased production of all wings to devote full time to his own airplane designs.

Alan met me at his shop, hanger 13 at the Melbourne International Airport (MLB). He shares the hanger with Malcolm who runs a Velocity assembly company called Hanger 18 (don’t ask me why it’s not “13”). Walking into the office I was greeted by several drawings and two scale models of the Atlantica, one with a prop, one with a jet. Moving into the hanger and walking past four of Malcolm’s Velocities in various stages of construction, I find what I came to see, the cabin mock-up of the Atlantica.

Alan opens the single cabin door on the left side. The pilot seat is slid far forward and I climb in behind it, sitting in on the three- place bench seat that is big enough for a Lexus. I then move up between the front seats and, because the left seat is not yet secured, slide into the right one. The view directly to the front is outstanding, though the thick corner posts and angle of the side windows may limit visibility.

The side windows are 18” wide and 15.5” tall, however the oblique angle of the fuselage wall makes them appear smaller. These are things that will be addressed as more kits come out of the molds and builders custom fit their airplanes to themselves. Larger windows may be installed, but at the cost of pressurization capability, additional weight and less crash-worthiness.

There will be plenty of panel space for an EFIS and Sierra Flight Systems is eager to design the panel. Cabin height is 40” in the center but the slope of the walls is such that the front-seaters will recline like an F-16 pilot. Side-sticks and a single vernier power control will add to the “future fighter” feel. After twenty minutes I climb out reversing how I entered: between the two front seats and into the back, then out the door from behind the left front seat. Alan shows me around the rest of the shop.

The Atlantica kit is essentially seven pieces of composite material. Consequently, there are seven molds in the shop: top and bottom fuselage; top and bottom engine cowling; right and left wing; nose cone. For the builder, all of the work on the fuselage, systems, and interior can be completed in the space of a one-car garage.

The wings are the last pieces of the puzzle for the builder to buy and may be bolted on two weeks or so before the first flight. The wings come out of the molds complete with a cavity that is the fuel tank. Insert the fuel foam (prevents explosions and eliminates the need for baffles), seal the opening at the wing root and you will have just built a wing with an integrated fuel tank. Sounds simple, sounds safe.

In fact safety is the paramount concern with Alan. The Atlantica will be the most crash-worthy kit ever built. It has two roll bars integrated into the 1-inch thick composite cabin shell, foam filled fuel tanks, and a rocket powered all-plane parachute (ala’ Cirrus). For the unfortunate who will land it gear up the Atlantica is a mid-wing design with a prop that may not touch the ground, depending on the builder’s choice of propeller.

Behind the fuselage mock-up, on a pallet, still wrapped in a thick plastic bag that has been sealed with a caulking gun is the engine: a sky-blue supercharged 235hp LOM inverted straight six. The engine has been in production in Czechoslovakia since the 1950’s, but it’s far from the same engine. The design has been refined over time and, unlike the Lycomosarus, is simple to maintain and inherently smooth.

After the mock-up is complete, engine installed, retractable gear fitted, etc., Alan will begin work on Atlantica No. 1. He hopes to fly within six months and have the flight test program completed by the end of 2001. This gives me plenty of time to convince my wife of the absolute necessity of this airplane project. My car can stay in the driveway; she can park her car next to the Atlantica.

Charles S. Heftman is an Air Traffic Control Specialist assigned to the FAA Great Lakes Region Air Traffic Division. Currently piloting an easily identifiable VW Passat, he holds a Commercial Pilot Certificate with an Instrument Rating.

Copyright © 2001 by Charles S. Heftman.  All rights reserved.