AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2022 - 52

The European ultralight category
is similar to our light sport
aircraft rules-with some key
differences. European designs
are allowed to have retractable
landing gear, constant-speed
propellers, and there's no speed
limit. As a result, European
manufacturers are producing
sleek, efficient, versatile
airplanes like this VL3 that
offer impressive speed, range,
advanced technology, and low
operating costs.
THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN FLYING THE VL3
IS A FAULTY SHORT-TERM MEMORY.
Even though you strapped into the
diminutive, two-seat airplane only
moments ago, for example, you would do
well to forget about the airplane's small
size when you handle the controls because
its inherent stability and broad cockpit
make it feel big.
Although you witnessed the Lilliputian
dimensions of VL3's turbocharged Rotax
engine during the preflight inspection, a
glance at the manifold pressure gauge during
climbout shows it's pulling a whopping
40 inches and 5,500 engine rpm-numbers
that defy its toy-like proportions.
On final approach at 60 knots, draggy as
a sea anchor with landing gear down, flaps
fully deployed, propeller at high pitch, forget
all about the fact that moments ago, in
descent, you were traveling more than
three times that speed in a clean configuration
with a miniscule drag profile that
seemed to preclude slowing down.
" It takes some time to adjust your
thinking to the reality of what this airplane
is, and what it can do, " said Kyle
Schluter, the East Coast dealer for JMB
Aircraft, which produces VL3s in the
Czech Republic. " We're not used to seeing
small airplanes that are this capable and
have such a wide range of performance. "
The VL3 is at the forefront of an entire
class of modern European airplanes that
combine exceptional speed, range, and
flight efficiency (see " Briefing: European
Invasion, " p. 30). Their superpower is an
52
AOPA PILOT / January 2022
elegant combination of light and strong
composite materials-as well as retractable
landing gear and constant-speed propellers
that U.S. light sport aircraft rules specifically
prohibit.
European regulators place strict limits
on aircraft weight at 600 kilograms (1,320
pounds) for Europe's " ultralight " category,
and the FAA uses the same weight limit.
But just like some stretches of the German
autobahn, there's no speed limit, and
JMB-along with rivals Terragon Aircraft,
Shark Aero, and others-compete fiercely
for every knot.
JMB Aircraft claims its Rotax 915-powered
VL3 is the quickest with a top cruise
of 199 KTAS at 18,000 feet.
VL3s are offered in several different airframe/engine
packages: a fixed-gear, light
sport trainer with a 100-horsepower, normally
aspirated Rotax 912; a retractable,
non-LSA version with a 115-horsepower,
turbocharged Rotax 914; and a retractable
model with increased gross weight and a
142-horsepower turbocharged Rotax 915.
New aircraft prices range from $205,000
for a trainer with basic analog avionics to
$330,000 for a 915-powered version with
dual Garmin G3X primary flight display/
multifunction displays and an IFR-capable
GPS navigator.
Factory built VL3s can be licensed in
the United States under the experimental/
exhibition category or special light sport
(S-LSA) rules. The experimental/exhibition
category typically requires that an
airframe and powerplant mechanic perform
yearly condition inspections, and
owners must notify their local FAA office
of trips outside their region, as well as
naming the aviation events where they
intend to exhibit their aircraft.
Many warbirds are registered in
the experimental/exhibition category.
Local FAA offices often grant unlimited
training flights within an area of a
few hundred miles, but the category isn't
intended to allow unlimited personal air
travel. New rules being considered by the
FAA under the Modernization of Special
Airworthiness Certificates (MOSAIC)
framework could provide greater flexibility
and category to this and other
categories in the future.
FIRST FLIGHT
Two things stand out about the VL3 at
first meeting: small stature, and exquisite
fit and finish. It's a tiny gem.
Carbon fiber surfaces are mirror
smooth with compound curves that
would be impossible to make with such
precision from other materials. Bright
paint glistens under a clearcoat finish.
The interior details are perfect. Czech
aerospace workers have long been known
for their metalworking skills, and that
old-world craftsmanship seems to have
been transferred to modern carbon fiber.
The design itself appears thoughtful
and refined, and it emphasizes lightness.
The steerable nosewheel, for example,
has a small but powerful LED landing
light built into the strut. LED position
and nav lights are faired into the wing
tips and tail.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2022
