Aircraft Design Holy Grail...& Arion's Lightning

Aircraft Design Holy Grail…& Arion’s Lightning

bydanjohnson

Thursday, May 03, 2007 at 11:51 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Arion's Lightning aircraft is designed for Sport Pilots, incorporating ideas from other aircraft, and offers a compelling blend of performance and handling.
It achieves an exceptional maximum-to-minimum speed ratio (e.g., >200 mph to ~40 mph), significantly surpassing the rare 4:1 "holy grail" benchmark for affordable aircraft.
Pilots reported the Lightning provides quick and stable handling, short takeoffs, easy landings, and mild stalls, cementing its reputation as a "handsome performer."

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Arion’s **Lightning** borrows from Esquale, RVs, Dynamic, Lancair, and Toxo; such idea-sharing is a tradition in aircraft design. With a gross weight limitation, no wheels pants, vortex generators *(or a coming extended wing)* and the right prop, Lightning can be built and flown by a Sport Pilot. Arion has no current plans for a SLSA. Pictured are (L-R) Pete Krotje and Nick Otterback. *Also…info on Jabiru USA.*

A standard measuring stick for aircraft design is the ratio of minimum speed to maximum speed. Powerful jets like the Blue Angels’ F/A-18 (along with a government credit card to fuel them) can perform in airshows from 120 mph to 700 mph, almost a 6:1 ratio. But for airplanes you and I can afford, a ratio greater than 3:1 is good with 4:1 being the holy grail. In my experience, a 4:1 ratio is rare; a LSA that stalls at 40 knots and tops out at 120 knots represents only 3:1. *** Recently I flew the Arion Aircraft Lightning. Yielding a fine experience with quick yet stable handling, short takeoffs and easy landings plus mild stalls, Lightning also proved a handsome performer. Nick Otterback reports flying Lightning to better than 200 mph and I held around 40 mph in slow flight. Even assuming instrument error at slow speeds, that’s still well beyond the 4:1 ratio. Check Lightning performance specs.