Glasair Merlin Development Blog update

[c162pilot]

Received and email from the Glasair factory last week about their updated Blog entry about the Merlin S-LSA development. I thought I would pass on the link for those who may be interested.

https://glasair.wordpress.com/2014/12/1 ... wing-test/

[Nomore767]

The test phase at Glasair appears to be considerably behind schedule. They had previously said that a production plane would be flying this past summer with initial deliveries by late 2014.

Glasair are apparently not attending the 2015 Sebring Expo in January, which is really odd considering they are entering the LSA market.

Earlier they had indicated a flying airplane will be at Sun n Fun next April.

[drseti]

A word of advice regarding any aircraft "in development": don't buy until you see the whites of their wings!

[c162pilot]

In this industry the term 'delay' is relative. If they are 6 months late then that is almost like being on time! I know the design has changed since the wing now has struts to remove the spar carry through in the cabin. My Liberty XL2 (which I never took delivery of) was 5 years late and my Skycatcher (which I also never took delivery of) was 3 years late. You can say I learned from my mistakes as I did not put a deposit down on the Merlin. I view it as a contender to replace my DA40 in a year or two.

[MrMorden]

I'm not impressed... 113kt and 570lb load, no new ground here and late to the party.

[Wm.Ince]

I'm not impressed... 113kt and 570lb load, no new ground here and late to the party.

My thoughts exactly.

[Nomore767]

My current take on the Merlin is that it looks like a Skycatcher but with the 'fixes' that Cessna wouldn't, or couldn't, make.

The dimensions and fuel quantity are similar but with the great use of composite materials the empty weight is a much more realistic 790lbs. Not as low as it might be considering the weight handicap of the Skycatcher to it's success. A saving of what 70lbs?
Instead of the Continetal 0-200D it has the Rotax Sport engine, which adds some weight and improves the fuel burn.
Standard the plane has push button start, single Skyview Touch, much better interior, the same 'stoke', and a two-blade prop.
Thats for $150k, very close to original Cessna price. For an extra $10k you can add a second screen, a BRS and autopilot.

Glasair have indicated it's similarity to the Skycatcher and that might indicate that there is still a market for that type of high-wing LSA design. Having flown the Skycatcher, and liked it, I'd be interested in seeing it.

However, as Paul said, it's still in development and is running late. Not unusual for an airplane but suprising that their mock-up isn't going to Sebring, as it did at Oshkosh. It's the Light Sport Expo dude!
They're taking deposits but I would hesitate.

[c162pilot]

By my reckoning the Merlin will be the only US manufactured high wing composite S-LSA aircraft. I realize that it will compete primarily with the Flight Design CTLS and Tecnam P2008 in this category however I think it will be good for competition to have a US manufactured alternative to choose from. Despite their kit plane heritage, and unlike Vans, Glasair is not releasing an E-LSA version first but going straight for a S-LSA. I previously visited the Glasair factory in Arlington Washington and was given a tour by their CEO Nigel Mott, I was impressed with what I saw in terms of the manufacturing quality for the kit parts for the Sportsman and also the initial molds for the Merlin. The only non-US component is the Rotax Engine and as such the planes total pricing should be less susceptible to currency fluctuations of the Dollar to the Euro. I would assume that the supply chain for spare parts will also be shorter perhaps resulting in faster (and maybe lower cost) maintenance.

As I said in my previous post I am not holding my breath but I do wish these guys well and hope they get their plane to market shortly.

[drseti]

unlike Vans, Glasair is not releasing an E-LSA version first but going straight for a S-LSA.

Actually, nobody can do an ELSA first, and that's actually not what Van's did. An ELSA has to be based upon (and identical to) an ASTM-approved SLSA design. So, Van's built two SLSA RV-12s, after which they went into production on the ELSA kit. Only later did they set up the deal with Synergy to have SLSAs mass-produced, but there was (and had to be) an SLSA approval first.

That means that Glassair can easily release a kit, ELSA version of the Merlin, once it receives SLSA approval. Then they are free to sell SLSAs if the market warrants, or just kits if it doesn't.

[Merlinspop]

I'm not impressed... 113kt and 570lb load, no new ground here and late to the party.

Well, unless some revolutionary new materials are invented, I don't see any "new ground" being broken any time soon. Materials are known. Aerodynamics and loads are understood. I doubt anyone will suddenly invent a better/lighter rib or spar or a better way to join sheets of aluminum or glue together composites. So, any new LSA is going to be a variation of one or more of the handful of themes already out there. Speeds and loads will all be within shouting distance of similar designs.

Something truly new will require a DARPA sized budget and come with a DARPA sized price tag.

[MrMorden]

Instead of the Continetal 0-200D it has the Rotax Sport engine, which adds some weight and improves the fuel burn.

I'm not sure what you are saying here...the O-200D is something like 75lb heavier than a 912ULS, and the 912iS Sport is about 25-30lb heavier than a 912ULS -- so the O-200D is around 45lb heavier than the 912iS Sport. If you are saying that the 912iS Sport adds weight over the O-200D, that would be incorrect. If you meant the 912iS adds weight over the 912ULS, that is true.

[MrMorden]

I'm not impressed... 113kt and 570lb load, no new ground here and late to the party.

Well, unless some revolutionary new materials are invented, I don't see any "new ground" being broken any time soon. Materials are known. Aerodynamics and loads are understood. I doubt anyone will suddenly invent a better/lighter rib or spar or a better way to join sheets of aluminum or glue together composites. So, any new LSA is going to be a variation of one or more of the handful of themes already out there. Speeds and loads will all be within shouting distance of similar designs.

Something truly new will require a DARPA sized budget and come with a DARPA sized price tag.

Intelligent design and use of materials makes a lot of difference. The CTSW is both faster than a Skycatcher and has significantly more useful load. This is spite of both manufacturers having access to the same "known" materials, aerodynamics, and construction methods.

As a manufacturer entering a market segment literally a decade late, Glasair has to bring something compelling to the market in their airplane, or they are just not going to sell a lot of airplanes. If you have $150k+ to spend, and you can buy an aircraft from a market leader with proven history with better performance, or a new untested design with specs that are worse in some regards, what decision makes the most sense?

I love Glasair as a company, and I hope they succeed with this airplane. But the deck is stacked significantly against them. If they showed up with a 113 knot airplane with 600lb+ useful load, or one with 550lb load but true 120+ knot cruise speeds, I would be more optimistic. In the current case they have mediocre specs in all categories compared to existing models that have many years head start in the market.

[MrMorden]

By my reckoning the Merlin will be the only US manufactured high wing composite S-LSA aircraft. I realize that it will compete primarily with the Flight Design CTLS and Tecnam P2008 in this category however I think it will be good for competition to have a US manufactured alternative to choose from. Despite their kit plane heritage, and unlike Vans, Glasair is not releasing an E-LSA version first but going straight for a S-LSA. I previously visited the Glasair factory in Arlington Washington and was given a tour by their CEO Nigel Mott, I was impressed with what I saw in terms of the manufacturing quality for the kit parts for the Sportsman and also the initial molds for the Merlin. The only non-US component is the Rotax Engine and as such the planes total pricing should be less susceptible to currency fluctuations of the Dollar to the Euro. I would assume that the supply chain for spare parts will also be shorter perhaps resulting in faster (and maybe lower cost) maintenance.

As I said in my previous post I am not holding my breath but I do wish these guys well and hope they get their plane to market shortly.

I agree with all of this. I don't know how much the "made in USA" feature will help in these days of globalized markets, but I do hope they do well.

[Nomore767]

"If you meant the 912iS adds weight over the 912ULS, that is true."

Andy that is what I meant, probably didn't say it well.

Point being that IF Glasair are marketing the plane as "Skycatcher +" i.e.. 'fixed' some of the negative Cessna issues then one was getting the empty weight down and hence improve the useful load. Down from say 863 lbs ( I flew a C162 at this weight) to 790 is an improvement, but why not increase that using the 912ULS?
The improved fuel burn on a 24 gal tank doesn't provide a 'great' return, for me, over the higher weight and increased price of the engine. Offering an engine option might be better but Glasair are offering one version and only one option, the second screen, BRS, autopilot package.

[Jack Tyler]

We sometimes forget, when chewing over the details of a new a/c model, to look at its manufacturer. Jilin Hangxing - yet another Chinese conglomerate wanting to buy its way into China's GA infrastructure and manufacturing potential - claimed in mid-2012 that Glasair's '2 week to taxi' program was a key factor in their purchase of Glasair. So one wonders how that plays into the very apparent slip in the Merlin's introduction. After all, it was shortly after Glasiar's sale that the diesel powered Sportsman became a development priority, the Sportsman model being their key TWTT model. And with new owners, it would be reasonable to expect that all product development plans would be initially reviewed as part of the biz plan review. And perhaps the Merlin was not eventually intended for the TWTT option with the buyer wanting to consider doing so. And on top of these possible factors, there was the (late 2013?) Cessna announcement about the Skycatcher, which could have motivated Jilin Hangxing to revisit the assumptions on which the Merlin product was based.

From what I've seen of the Glasair product line, and also based on high praise from a friend who's done two TWTT Sportsman projects, Glasair makes a very good a/c. Changes in the Chinese economy (of which there have been many), the financing actually provided vs. originally promised, the new factory leadership (as the old CEO quit), the predictable concerns of new owners and movements in the marketplace can all impact a new product's development cycle, yet none of them necessarily impeach the quality of the end product. I too wish them well...even with my fingers crossed.