30 SUN ’n FUN Today - www.sun-n-fun.org April 8, 2016 Klaus Savier: Going fast on less gas By BILL WALKER Would you be interested in a 250-hp air- craft capable of crossing the continent in just over eight hours at an average speed of 252 mph while using only 61 gallons of aviation fuel — about 40 miles per gallon in cruise? That’s what California aviator Klaus Savier did Monday in the Long-EZ he EXLOWDQGPRGL¿HGIRUERWKHFRQRP\DQG speed. Savier, who heads Light Speed Engi- neering, maker of the Plasma III aircraft ignition system, said his EZ, powered E\ D KLJKO\ PRGL¿HG /\FRPLQJ 2 engine, lifted off from his home base of Santa Paula early Monday and landed 8.7 hours later at an airpark not far from the grounds of SUN ’n FUN. Savier is noted for his ignition develop- ment as head of Light Speed, and as an accomplished racer. He holds three world records and has won a number of speed DQGHI¿FLHQF\UDFHVVLQFH His Long-EZ, parked in the homebuilt VHFWLRQLVKLVODWHVWÀ\LQJWHVWDLUFUDIWIRU VSHHGDQGHFRQRP\ZRUN+LV¿UVWKRPH- built aircraft, a VariEze, was named the Delaminator and the current one is the Determinator. “I have been working on the Determina- WRURQDQGRIIVLQFH´KHVDLGQRWLQJ WKH¿UVWÀLJKWZDVQRWXQWLO,WQRZ KDVDERXWKRXUVRQLW³2QWKLVODWHVW trip the aircraft was traveling at about 258 mph true airspeed. I had only about a 7 knot tailwind and my ground speed was SUREDEO\FORVHUWRWRPSK´ The aircraft has a 27-foot wing span, ZHLJKV SRXQGV HPSW\ DQG KDV D maximum climb rate between 2,500 and IHHW SHU PLQXWH GHSHQGLQJ RQ WKH propeller type. Savier arrived in Florida with approxi- PDWHO\ JDOORQV UHPDLQLQJ ³7KDW¶V enough remaining fuel to go on to the PLGGOHRIWKH%DKDPDV´KHVDLG The trip would have been quicker, he added, but he had to go around several restricted areas, including White Sands in New Mexico and an area of northern Flor- LGD³,FOLPEHGWRIHHWIRUDOLWWOH ELWDQGWKHQDIWHUWKDW´KHVDLG³,W was basically severe clear all the way. But that also meant that the wind conditions were unusual. I had only a little tail wind. ,XVHGR[\JHQWKHZKROHZD\´ 2YHUDOOIXHOFRQVXPSWLRQIRUWKH PLOHV ZDV JDOORQV RU DERXW PLOHV per gallon, including taxi and climb fuel consumption, Savier said. “But as I said, WKH¿JXUHGXULQJFUXLVHVKRZHGPLOHV SHUJDOORQ´KHDGGHG Savier’s Long-EZ is nothing like the standard Burt Rutan-designed homebuilt. “A lot of the structural components were UHSODFHGZLWKFDUERQ¿EHU´KHVDLG³7KH HOHYDWRUV DUH FDUERQ ¿EHU7KH FDQDUG LV P\ RZQ DLUIRLO 7KH ¿UHZDOO LV FDUERQ ¿EHU DQG WLWDQLXP $ ORW RI WKH LQWHULRU VWUXFWXUHV DUH FDUERQ ¿EHU 7KH ZKHHO SDQWVDUHP\RZQGHVLJQRXWRIFDUERQ¿- ber. I also made smaller, narrower wheels DQG D[OHV 7KHUH LV DOVR D FDUERQ ¿EHU 1$&$DLULQOHW´ 7KHHQJLQHLVDVKLJKO\PRGL¿HGDVWKH SODQH ³,W VWDUWHG RXW DV DQ 2 SDUDO- OHOYDOYHSRZHUSODQW´KHVDLG³,WKDVQR mags, just the Light Speed Engineering dual plasma capacitor discharge igni- tion. The ignition system gives a lot more power, a lot better leaning and much bet- ter starting. This engine has a special time sequential high pressure fuel injection system. To be able to take advantage of WKH EHQH¿WV RI WKH IXHO LQMHFWLRQ ZH GH- signed an entirely new intake system that ,EXLOWRXWRIFDUERQ¿EHUWXEHV´ ³7KHRLOVXPSLVFDUERQ¿EHU´KHFRQ- WLQXHG³:HUHGXFHGWKHZHLJKWIURP SRXQGVWRXQGHUSRXQGVDQGWKHVXPSLV VWLOODELWODUJHUDERXWTXDUWVWRWDO:H also designed and built a new accessory FDVHWRLPSURYHWKHRLOÀRZWKURXJKWKH engine. That allows a much smaller oil FRROHU´ Savier, who said he had no formal in- struction in either electronics or engi- neering, taught himself by trial and error over a number of years after coming to WKH 86 LQ IURP *HUPDQ\ ³, ZDV always the guy who took everything apart DQG VRPHWLPHV SXW LW EDFN WRJHWKHU´ KH said. He has marketed his Plasma III igni- WLRQV\VWHPVIRUQHDUO\\HDUVDQGKDV more than 8,000 customers worldwide. “The Carbon Cub from Cubcrafters has WKLV LJQLWLRQ´ KH VDLG ³,W SURYLGHV WKHLU SODQHV ZLWK UHOLDELOLW\ HI¿FLHQF\ D OLWWOH more power and very low maintenance. $OVRIRU¿YH\HDUVQRZDOO&DEULKHOLFRS- WHUVKDYHKDGRXUSODVPD&',´ Savier said SUN n’ FUN and other aviation gatherings give him an opportu- nity to talk directly with his customers. “I FRQWLQXRXVO\UXQLQWRWKHPKHUH´KHVDLG Savier, who earned his private pilot’s OLFHQVHLQDQGQRZKDVDERXW hours in his logbook, said “My focus has DOZD\V EHHQ RQ HI¿FLHQW FURVVFRXQWU\ travel. The racing has been a side effect. Inherently, if it’s low drag, it is also fast. I never built a purpose racer. I compete against a lot of people that bring their air- SODQHWRWKHUDFHRQDWUDLOHU,DOZD\VÀ\ my airplane fully loaded to Mitchell S.D., and then race it at full throttle for 400 PLOHV , QHYHU À\ D KDQG JUHQDGH PRWRU WKDWÀLHVIRUDZKLOHDQGWKHQEORZVXS´ “I work to demonstrate what is possible LQDYLDWLRQ´KHVDLG³,KRSHWKHDGYDQFHV I have shown in speed and economy will FDXVHWKHÀ\LQJSXEOLFWRSXWSUHVVXUHRQ the big manufacturers and move them to XVHPRUHPRGHUQWHFKQRORJ\´ +HQRWHGKLV¿UPKDVKDGDJRRG\HDU VRIDU³:KHQ,VD\¿UP,PHDQWKDWEDVL- cally we are a two person operation, me DQG -HQQ\ 7DFNDEXU\´ KH QRWHG ³:H PDQXIDFWXUHDQGPDUNHWWKH3ODVPD&',´ +HVDLGKLV¿UPLVVRPHWLPHVFRQIXVHG with Lightspeed headsets from Light- speed Aviation. “Light Speed Engineering FDPHIURPPH´KHVDLG³,KDYHEHHQGR- ing business as Light Speed Engineering VLQFH´ ³, FRXOG DGG RQH ODVW WKLQJ´ 6DYLHU VDLG³:KHQ,DPÀ\LQJFURVVFRXQWU\DW 17,500 feet I am always fascinated that we can have this technology to move at these incredible speeds and the freedom to do so. Because not many countries have this NLQGRIIUHHGRP´ For more information, go to Light- SpeedEngineering.com.
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