popular flying july 05 - lambert aircraft

19POPULAR FLYING July 2005

The LambertM212 Mission

The LambertM212 Mission

James O’Delltakes a look atthe latest four

seat kit to gainPFA Approval

James O’Delltakes a look atthe latest four

seat kit to gainPFA Approval

Prototype features a 150hp Lycoming O-320driving an MT constant speed propeller.Fibreglass work and fits are to a high standard.Nose leg has a low maintenance, internal damper.

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POPULAR FLYING July 200520

After a somewhat slow start, thePFA four seat category has recentlyreceived a significant boost to its

fortunes, with no less than two, all newcomposite designs being cleared by PFAEngineering in the past nine months.

ST Aviation’s Jabiru J400 (PF January 05)stole a march on the opposition when itwas approved in late 2004 and has nowsold 25 examples, six of which are flying.Like its two seat siblings, the J400 followsthe trend of a very compact airframepowered by an engine of modest poweroutput, and delivers a competent 2 + 2machine for a very competitive price.

The new challenger though is a differentmachine altogether, and will appeal to amarket for whom the diminutive J400does not necessarily fill the bill. TheLambert Mission M212 conforms to ‘oldschool’ light aircraft convention, it is a fullsize four seat machine, an imposing aircraftthat does not look out of place on an apronfull of Cirrus SR20s and Diamond DA40s.With its 150hp Lycoming and tricycleundercarriage, the low time PPL will findtransition to type very straightforward,with not a hint that this new aeroplane isanything but a highly professional, factorybuilt competitor to what he has flown inthe past. Compared to the Jabiru, it is adifferent horse for a different course.

Lambert Aircraft Engineering is based atWevelgem airfield in Belgium, and consistsprincipally of brothers Filip and StevenLambert, the former an aeronauticalengineer, and the latter a mechanicaltechnician. Together they have producedthe prototype G- XFLY, and the necessarytooling and jigs to put the aircraft into ‘kit’production. But we are jumping ahead ofthe story, which really begins when Filip’sambitions to become a commercial pilotwere dashed by a worldwide downturn indemand following the first Gulf War in 1991.

Having learned to fly on outdatedaircraft, Filip decided that if he couldn’t bea commercial pilot, then he would embarkon a career in aeronautical engineering anddo something about what he saw as theparlous state of light aircraft design. Heenrolled as a student at CranfieldUniversity in 1992, and from the start wasworking on his ideal light aircraft design,the M212 - M for what it was to him, amission to design a new aircraft, 2 because it was to be a two seat aircraft,and 12 because it would be powered by a 120hp engine. From the start Filipenvisaged a series of aircraft developed

from the initial two seater, through 2 + 2to a full four seater, but his initial idea wasto build a two seat machine that would becertifiable through the PFA. It wasfortuitous that while at Cranfield, Filip metfellow student John Tempest, with whomhe would work closely in the years ahead.

By chance, the Royal AeronauticalSociety launched a design competition in1993, so Filip entered his alreadycompleted design concept, and won! Thisactually presented him with a problem - hewould now have to progress the designthrough to completion, something none of

the other entrants ever did.It speaks volumes for Filip’s and Steven’s

commitment and tenacity when youconsider that for the next twelve years theyworked towards building the prototypewithout any public funding. They both didpart time work, Filip some teaching, andSteven some garage work, to make endsmeet, and their father helped fundmaterials and components for the aircraft.They were very fortunate to find a localengineering company who let them havefree space in its factory because they wereintrigued by the concept of designing a

Man with a mission, designer, Filip Lambert, offersscale to the M212, which is a full size four seater.

Popular Flying July 05 8/6/05 1:38 pm 0


new light aircraft. They even let Steven usetheir lathes and milling machines out ofwork hours so that he could fabricate parts.

From the outset, PFA Engineering wereinvolved in approval of design issues, asystem that meant that no blind alleyswere followed, and hence no hard foundmoney wasted. Once PFA Engineeringwere able to process four seaters, andwith the 450kg category spawning amultitude of lightweight, high performancetwo seat machines, the decision was takento build the Mission as a full four seater.

Construction is of all composite, withglass/poly foam sandwich skins being usedextensively. Carbon fibre is used in highstress areas such as wing spar caps.

Stepping up onto the quite high wing-walk is aided by a fuselage mounted step,but the absence of a hand hold can makeit rather awkward for the less agile.Handles will be available with productionkits for those wishing to install them. Theforward hinging canopy allows excellententry into the spacious cabin, which is afull 44 inches wide at the front seats, and49 inches high. The cockpit has a spacious,airy feel about it, and with air vents to frontand rear passengers, it should be possible

to keep its environment comfortablethroughout the year. Individual front seats,trimmed in grey leather in the prototype,are adjustable fore and aft, and forbackrest rake, and also hinge forward foraccess to the rear, where ample leg roomis provided. A baggage compartment willbe situated behind the rear seats onproduction kits, but in the prototype a 120Lfuel tank takes the space. Twin wet wingtanks of 140L each will feature onproduction models, removing all fuel from

the cabin and giving even the 180hppowered models an endurance of overseven hours at 75% power.

Another change will be an increase in allup weight to 2500lbs (1130kg), the limitingfactor on the prototype, which is rated at2095 lbs (950 kg) take off and 1984lbs (900 kg) landing weight, being the maingear legs. At 2500lbs the aircraft will havea useful load of 430kg (950lbs). The new,stronger Cessna type gear has alreadybeen designed and approved. The nose leg

The leather seats and inertia reelbelts of the prototype are indicativeof the high kit trim levels available.

Options from conventional basic VFRto full glass panels are available.

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Popular Flying July 05 8/6/05 1:38 pm Page 21


contains an internal hydraulic damper unit,similar to that used successfully by Grobfor many years. It is virtually maintenancefree and inexpensive to replace.

Wingspan is 32ft 2in (9.8m) giving anarea of 129 sq.ft (12.00 sq.m). Massbalanced ailerons are controlled by push-pull rods, and slotted flaps, which can beset at anything from 0 to 40 degreesdown, are electrically operated. The allflying stabiliser with anti-balance trim tab,and the rudder are cable operated

A three blade, electrically operatedconstant speed MT propeller is fitted to theO-320, along with a full Gomolzig silencingsystem. To further aid noise reduction, thepropeller restricts the engine to 2500rpm,which derates it to 140hp, rather than the150 or 160hp that is typically available witha standard installation. However, this set updoes make the aircraft very user friendly,and able to comply with the strict Germannoise limits. For those with less of a socialconscience, a standard C172M exhaust willfit under the cowl.

The 180hp Lycoming O-360 is anobvious alternative engine, and will be oneof the firewall forward options. So too willthe 135hp Thielert Diesel, though to be fair,it hasn’t exactly proved itself to be atrouble free installation as yet. I askedabout the Wilksch, and Filip commentedthat once the four cylinder 160hp unit is upand running, and known to be a reliableunit, he will consider it.

G-XFLY has a comprehensive VFR panel,with conventional instruments. Though the

main wiring loom forms part of the airframekit, customers can specify whatever theywish as far as panel technology goes, and a production prototype which iscurrently under construction, will feature a glass cockpit. Whatever the builderdecides, access to the rear of theinstrument panel is provided by a largeremovable panel in the coaming, a veryuseful maintenance feature.

G-XFLY has featured at a number of PFARallies over the past ten years, andmembers will have seen it last year in acomplete but unflown condition. It flew forthe first time just a few days after the Rally,in the hands of Cranfield University testpilot, Roger Bailey. Test flying has now beencompleted save for spin testing, which will

takeplaceonce asecond aircraft isflying. This is because some less thanaesthetic changes need to be made to ‘LYto accommodate a spin recovery parachute,and to make the canopy jettison able. It isalso the reason that the prototype does notcurrently feature the planned inflatablecanopy seal, which will increase cabincomfort and almost certainly add a fewknots to the cruise speed (the currentinstallation leaks, thus causing drag).

As the weather at Turweston was veryblustery when I met Filip to discuss theMission, I was unable to take a testflight. In any case I am notest pilot, so Ihave selectedstatistics and afew remarksfrom Roger’smany flightscarried out duringan extensive testschedule.

Initial testsshowed that theall flying stabiliserlacked feel andwas over-balanced.The production

cure will be to movethe pivot lineforward a little, butthe problem wassolved on ’LY byincreasing the chord of theanti-balance tab.

Performance tests undertaken at thecurrent maximum all up weight of 900kgyielded a sea level conditions speed of

The M212 taxis in at Friedrichshafen.The highseating position allows an excellent view fromthe cockpit, but does not compromise headroom.

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105kts at 75% power. It is anticipated thatwith wheel spats and canopy seal fitted,this will rise to around 115kts. Since theflight testing, Filip has flown the aircraftfrom Belgium to the Friedrichshafen andthe air data computer showed a IAS of104kts, which equates to a TAS of 110 ktsat 60% power at FL 055.

With the 180hp O-360 installed, a 75%cruise of 135knots at 8000ft is envisaged.

The following is Roger’s assessment oftake-off and climb performance, stalling

speeds, and landing performance:

The aircraft was lined up on thethreshold of runway 22 at Cranfield.

The pressure altitude was minus110 ft, temperature 4 degrees C,

and the surface wind waswesterly at less than 5

knots. Full power (28“ MAP/2350 RPM)was set before brake release. The takeoffrun was normal and the aircraft was rotatedfor takeoff at 60 KIAS. The aircraft lifted offat 65 KIAS as it passed the IFR touchdownmarkers on the runway. After flight thetake-off roll was determined to be 325metres. The screen height of 50 ft (15 m)was achieved just before intersection “C”at an estimated 550 m from brake release.The speed at this point was 70 KIAS.

The climb test was started from 500 ftpressure altitude and a speed of 75 KIASwas used with full throttle set. The aircraftwas climbed for 3.5 minutes at which pointthe cloud base was reached and the testabandoned. The pressure altitude at thispoint was 2900 ft. The time from 500 ft to1500 ft was 1min 25secs – (705 ft/min). Theaverage pressure rate of climb over the 3.5minutes was 685 ft/min. The enginebehaviour was satisfactory and it showedno tendency to overheat. It was possible totrim stick free at the climb speed.

Tests to determine the stall speed weremade with the flaps retracted and withthe flaps fully extended. With the flapsretracted the aircraft was trimmed at 80KIAS with the power at idle. As speed wasreduced the control response in all threeaxes was normal. There was no noticeablestall warning. As the stall was reached,moderate buffet occurred just before thenose-drop/g-break. The stall speed was 55KIAS. There was no wing drop unless thestick was held fully back, in which case

KIAS and the throttle was closed over thethreshold at approximately 20 ft. The flareto touchdown was easy to judge and thede-rotation and roll-out was easy. Thelanding roll was estimated by reference to runway markings. The ground roll was 250 m and the landing distance from 50 ft (15m) was estimated to be600m. Two more take-offs and landingswere made on this sortie, takeoff ground roll in both cases was 312 m;landing ground rolls were 240 m and 250 m respectively.

(Ed’s note. The numbers for take-offand landing are those recommendedfor use when planning a flight from ashort field. With practised short fieldtechniques, it is possible to makeappreciable improvements in both takeoff and landing performance.)

A range of tests has shown longitudinal,lateral and directional stability as being inaccordance with JAR-VLA requirements,the aircraft flying straight with the slipball centred with feet off the rudder

the left wing dropped approximately 30degrees. Recovery was immediate onmoving the stick forward and nounintuitive control movements werenecessary for recovery.

With the flaps down the approach to thestall was similar and the stall occurred at52 KIAS. (Ed’s. note. Corrected airspeedshave subsequently been established as3 - 4 kts lower).

A landing approach was made at 70

The aircraft features an all flying stabilatorwhich gives it a good cg range, particularlyimportant in a four seat aircraft.

The fuselage step greatly aids access to the wing-walk. The less energetic would also find a grab handle useful. Note also Cessna style gear legs, which will be uprated inproduction aircraft.

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pedals. Likewise, it flies wings level, andstraight and level, stick free. Roll rate isaround 50 degrees/sec. at cruise speed,and remains very acceptable even atapproach speeds.

All in all then the Mission M212 looksand behaves like a solid, traditional fourseat aeroplane, to which it owes more in itsexecution than it does to current trends inkitplane design. It is modern in appearance,offering high levels of sophistication andcomfort, and it gives one the feeling of itbeing solid and dependable, somethingthose of us more traditionalist mindedtypes fail to garner from some of the ratherpetite, minimalist designs of today. It is tothat traditional market which I think theMission will have the greatest appeal.

In order to ensure high quality builds,Mission M212 customers will spend aroundfour weeks, typically in two sessions, at theWevelgem facility assembling their wings,fuselage and empennage using factory jigsand benefiting from staff supervision. Nowet lay-ups are involved in this process.They will then leave with a completedairframe which requires only assembly andfitting out. This is Option 1 and costs €60K(£41K) excl. VAT.

Next comes the firewall forwardpackage, and as an example, an O-320

with constant speed prop, and Gomolzigexhaust costs €33,500 (£23K), or withfixed prop and C172M exhaust €25,500(£17,500). The Thielert diesel package withc/s prop comes out at €39K (£20,500). Forthose who wish to source their ownengines and accessories, individual itemsare available separately, and shouldcustomers decide they would like theassistance of factory staff to installation offirewall forward packages, then that canbe arranged.

As mentioned earlier, the range ofoptions for instrumentation and avionics isextensive and will be tailored tocustomers’ needs. Anything from a singleinstrument to a complete system,including factory assembly, is possible.

Finally comes trim and painting. Twofactory trim packages are available at€4,500 (£3K), but again individual tastescan be catered for. The factory can alsopaint the aircraft if required.

A customer wishing to build an all newmachine to the level of the factorydemonstrator can expect to spend around€110K (£75K).

With the design now finalised andapproved, plans are to commence kitproduction and produce the first batch often airframes. First customer factory

build sessions will be programmed tostart in October of this year.

The M212 will be exhibited at Flying ForFun in July, and will be flown in theSaturday afternoon ’Fly-by’ sequence, aswell as being available for potentialcustomer flights in the early evenings.

Lambert Aircraft will also be showing anall new, factory built design, the M106,with which it will be entering themicrolight market. Of conventional, fabriccovered steel tube, alloy wingconstruction, and featuring a new, fourstroke four cylinder engine, this machine isa radical departure from the M212. It doeshowever, take the company back to itsinitial plan to produce a range of aircraft tocater for a broader market. The two seatmicrolight will possibly be developed laterinto a Group A aircraft.

The Lambert Mission M212 has had arelatively long gestation but it is a credit toFilip and Steven’s hard work and personalsacrifice to see the job through tocompletion. It is a worthy addition to thefour seat kit marketplace and I wish themwell for the future.

Check out Lambert Aircraft’s web siteat www.lambert-aircraft.com. Tel: 0032431626. See them on Stand 135 at Flying For Fun. ■

The large forward hinging canopy allows good cockpit access. An inflatable seal will add to passenger comfort on production kits.

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popular flying july 05 - lambert aircraft

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