Brazilian light aviation has always stood out for being represented by traditional brands. Manufacturers such as Cessna, Piper, Neiva, Embraer, among others, populated our airfields and airports for decades on end, with their homologated planes and, naturally, less accessible to a good portion of people interested in owning their own aircraft for tourism or business.
For a few years now, other players have emerged in order to bring other less expensive proposals to serve this public that seeks a faster, safer, simpler and less bureaucratic means of transport to operate, and that fits in the budget.
With this audience in mind, several aviation companies have set their sights on the Aircraft Light Sports (ALE) segment, which is the same LSA (Light Sport Aircraft) and has been gradually receiving measures to facilitate and encourage its operations.
And it was in this context that Montaer Aeronaves bet its chips by launching the MC01, the first LSA certified aircraft in the country, which has, among other attributes, a maximum take-off weight of less than 600kg, a maximum speed of 120kt and no more than two seats.
Within this category, certification processes are simplified, lowering certification costs and, consequently, the price.
Also watch the review at video:
https://youtu.be/tILj9fZ9VjQ
MONTAER MC01 FUSELAGE
The structure of the aircraft (cigarette) is basically built in molybdenum steel tube and truss, coated with mostly aluminum and fiber s, in order to provide the necessary lightness to keep within the requirements of the LSA's.
Measuring 6,40m in length, 8,30m in wingspan and 2,35m in height (at the tip of the tail), the Montaer turns out to be a very small machine on the outside, being ideal for accommodating it in more crowded hangars and, in some cases, reducing the hangarage value.
ERGONOMICS AND FINISHING
With a width of 1,10m, the cabin accommodates a pilot and enger with satisfactory space, without the traditional “shoulder to shoulder” that occur in other competing machines. In addition, it has a central console where it houses, in addition to two cup holders, the flap activation button, power lever and fuel selector, in that order. This console also allows a clear separation in the cabin, avoiding the traditional "fight" of knees, common in small planes. The seats have a distance adjustment rail that allows the pilot and enger greater comfort for the legs, and which has another interesting possibility of reclining both seats at 180°, practically transforming them into a bed.
In this regard, the aircraft from Bahia has the controls and actuators at hand, not requiring great contortions to access any button or device – and this even includes when you need to access any notepad or objects that may be on the instrument , even with the buckled belt. The only downside is the autopilot engagement/disengagement button: small and poorly located, the button is at the bottom, to the left of the light switch. In cruise flight position, the piece is hidden by the stick, lacking a slight contortion to look where it is. Such a button could be moved to the stick, where it would be much easier and more intuitive to remove the PA in case of an emergency or a bird strike, for example.
POWER ENGINE
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When seeing the plane up close, the propeller that equips the MC01 caught my attention. At first, I assumed that those thin blades generated little traction compared to the other light aircraft I flew so far, as the others were equipped with Sensenich, McCauley or Hartzell bulges. Slight mistake: the three 68'' carbon fiber blades from the manufacturer Warp Drive surprised, generating good traction and low noise. Obviously, this strength is achieved through the 4-stroke engine model 912 from the very traditional Austrian BRP Rotax. Water-cooled, this engine develops up to 100hp rotating at high 5500 RPM in continuous regime.
In cruise flight conditions, at 6000' and 75% power, the compact engine consumes an average of 18,5 l/h, which generates a range of up to 1440km (average) – obviously considering the tanked plane (140l of Avgás or Podium gasoline).
For illustrative purposes, disregarding winds, meteorological deviations, etc., this range allows the single-engine aircraft to take off from Brasília and access virtually all Brazilian states, thanks to its seven-hour flight autonomy.
DASHBOARD
Montaer offers two options for its aircraft: a more basic one, with analogue instruments sufficient for visual flight and equipment such as a Garmin 660 GPS, GTR200 VHF, GTX 327 transponder, and a more complete one, with items such as a Dynon Skyview PFD/MFD, AP74 autopilot, Aera 796 GPS, GTR200 radio and GTX327 transponder.
This suite surprised me from the first , because the visualization of the PFD is very similar to the Garmin or Proline21 line, which I am more used to. A pilot who comes from more modern s for this one or analogue ones for a glass cockpit like this one on the Montaer, will have a very fluid and fast transition, as the engine instruments with layout with needles and PFD with excellent readability, will make the flight even more comfortable, informative and safe.
THE MONTAER MC01 IN FLIGHT
My with Montaer took place in the courtyard of Escola Looping, in Atibaia – SP, which is one of the manufacturer’s representatives in São Paulo. We were very well received by the head of the school, Cmte Paraíba and his team, who described the plane and all the doubts we had regarding the certifications and qualifications required to fly an LSA. I was happy to learn that in order to fly an LSA (like the Montaer), the PP qualification is valid, according to the IS (Supplementary Instructions) issued by Anac.
The flight took place on the second day after the production of the material for our channel, due to the entry of strong winds from the southeast sector of the field. The next day, I had the pleasure of being accompanied by instructor De Paula, known as JP, who had been my student at the time as an instructor at an aero club.
To wake up the Rotax engine, the procedure is very similar to other planes that require starting with a fuel pump. An interesting fact of this engine model is the “dry” activation and cut, with a slight jerk, a characteristic that is noted by the absence of a reduction box. The plane's taxi is simple and precise, thanks to its trike that can be controlled on the ground. It took me a while to get used to the height of the pedals, which don't rest on the floor, but nothing like a little practice to get used to.
Plane lined up on 20 SDTB and I was surprised by the very low speed of the VR: 55kt and the little machine was already taking to the skies, having consumed less than 290m. I had a small correction by De Paula in the initial climb due to my lack of habit with the ideal pitch, as my unconscious wanted to accelerate the plane, while the ideal was to climb with approx. 60kt in that atmospheric condition.
We head towards the W sector to perform some maneuvers. Even with slightly turbulent air, the plane remained on hand, rising undaunted until leveling off at 4500'. We did some coordination, attitude changes and turns, where I could see that, even though it didn't have large ailerons (common on trainer planes) the Montaer proved its maneuverability in order to change heading easily, without large stick amplitudes.
Satisfied with the maneuvers, we returned to the circuit, in order to avoid the wind from the day before catching us in flight. Due to the wind and turbulence, I asked the instructor to land the aircraft, where I could follow the easy operation at the time of the final approach. With a VRef of 80kt, the plane came steady, compensating for the prevailing wind in the right bow quadrant. In less than 300m the small plane was already on the controlled ground - well below the 398m constant in the POH (Pilot Operating Handbook) of the manufacturer.
More information:
www.montaer.com.br
loopingaviaçao.com.br
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Micael Rocha was a flight instructor for four years, is a checker at aeroclubs and CIACs, has flown C525, C525B and C208B Caravan in air taxis and has been flying Cirrus SR22 since 2013.
@aeroereview
