First flight of Jet Arcus

Bob Carlton (www.desertaerospace.com) made the first flight of the Jet powered Schempp-Hirth Arcus (N887DT) today from Moriarty Airport (0E0) in New Mexico. Launch conditions at 0938 MDT were 3-5 kt. N winds. Field elevation is 6,200 ft. MSL. Density Altitude was 7,800 ft. Bob flew solo, as per the Operating Limitations specified by the FAA for Phase 1 flight tests.

Initial climb was from Takeoff (6,200 ft. MSL) to 10,000 ft. MSL at an average speed of 95 kts. TAS. Time from liftoff to 10,000 ft. MSL was 6 minutes, 10 seconds, for an average climb rate of a bit over 6 kts.

Bob flew for just under an hour, shutting down the engine in flight, retracting it into the fuselage and then extending it again for restart. After some cruise performance checks at various speeds, he again shut the engine down and stowed it for landing as a conventional glider.

All initial flight parameters were met, so now it is on to the next four hours of Phase 1 flight to gather more performance data, explore the flight envelope (including maneuvers) and gain familiarity with the systems before turning it over to the customer.

(This glider was on display at the 2016 SSA Convention in Greenville, SC)