April 2008 Feature Story:
Dancing with a Star

Story by Jim Lee

We climbed, heading west into the sun toward the only possible active clouds within sight. Sure enough, a couple of black vultures flashed their white wingtips as they rose in light lift, tipping us off to the location of a thermal. I brought the power to idle, slowed to 50 knots and turned the key to the “off” position. The prop wind milled and feathered to a stop. We banked right to join the vultures, slowing even more to 40 knots, and the four of us, the two vultures, my passenger and me, climbed in the weak lift together. As the sun got lower, we glided back toward our field to the east. JC wondered if we would make it without using the engine, and I was fairly sure we would. Fifteen minutes later we entered a downwind leg at 800 feet, made small adjustments with the spoilers, and then touched down; the only sound was the rumble of the wheels in the grass. Sunset lit the clouds orange, only a few birds remained in the darkening sky. The Lambada had just given us an unforgettable experience.

The S-LSA Lambada is a one-of-a-kind aircraft. It is a touring light sport plane, capable of long cross-country flights at 105 knots cruise speed, as well as a true soaring glider whose 700-pound empty weight and 15-meter wingspan gives it the ability to climb well, even in weak lift. Two sets of wingtips come standard, allowing the owner to fly with a 42-foot span with a 27/1 glide ratio or a 49-foot span with a 30/1 glide ratio. Incredibly, this super efficient 700-pound craft can carry just over 600 pounds! That means you can fill it up (26 gallons) and still put 450 pounds in the cockpit. The baggage compartment can hold 100 pounds, and the optional extended baggage tube has room for seven-foot items like fishing gear, tent, skis, or golf clubs. Burning three and a half gallons an hour, you might leave on a multi-day safari and not have to worry about the next gas stop.

Although the Rotax 912 (80hp) provides ample power, most buyers choose the 912S (100hp). These reliable and proven four-stroke, four-cylinder, liquid-cooled engines propel the aerodynamically slick Lambada with ease, providing an unmatched fuel economy. The engine can be shut down immediately after a climb to 3000 feet without shock-cooling the engine. Either 100LL or auto gas can be burned in these engines. The Lambada flown for this article had the 80-horsepower 912.

The cockpit is 42 inches wide, similar to a Cessna 172. The fixed seats are upright, and the rudder pedals are not adjustable; pilots shorter than 5'4" will have to use extra cushions, while 6'3" is about the maximum pilot height. Round gauges on the panel are standard, as well as a boom mike and external speaker behind the seats. The canopy seals are excellent, so the engine-off noise level is on par with the best sailplanes. The smooth running Rotax allows normal conversation up to an economy cruise setting of 4200rpm (85kts). At higher power settings, headsets are preferred. A sliding window on each side also incorporates a flip out vent for good airflow, and the cabin heat works very well. A wheel brake lever on the left control stick controls hydraulic disc brakes on the main wheels. Taxiing is accomplished by using the rudder pedals to control the steerable tailwheel. There is no differential braking, so the Lambada has a fairly wide turning radius. Visibility is good over the nose during taxiing; S-turns are not necessary. Take-offs and landings are normally done from the three-point stance, giving good directional control in crosswinds during ground roll. Top surface spoilers are operated by a long handle between the seats and are not speed limited. Fully open, they reduce the glide angle to about eight to one, so different approach angles can be flown with precision by changing the spoiler setting on the approach with the power set to idle (or engine off). Alternatively, the approach can be flown by deploying the spoilers, and changing the power setting to get the desired angle like you would in an airplane equipped with flaps.

The wings detach from the fuselage by pulling a main-spar pin and two aft pins, disconnecting the fuel lines, and unplugging the fuel sensors. All of the controls have automatic hook-ups. Each wing weighs 80 pounds, with the root section weighing 45 pounds, and the outboard section weighing 35 pounds. There is a nifty wing cradle system which nests the wings alongside the fuselage for hangar, garage, or trailer storage. The folded dimensions are six feet wide by five feet tall by 24 feet long, and the disassembly can be accomplished in 20 minutes after a little experience. Removing only the wingtips (just a few seconds for each tip) results in a wingspan of 40.5 feet, which most hangars can accommodate. Ground handling in the light Lambada is easy; moving the rudder allows it to be steered around corners, and by lifting the tail (about 40 pounds)
it can be spun around on its axis.

A Magnum Ballistic Parachute System is standard equipment. The certified strength of the parachute is double that of the Lambada’s maximum gross weight. In the event of sudden pilot illness, midair collision, or a bird strike affecting the pilot, a long pull of the activation handle on the panel deploys the parachute and brings the aircraft and occupants slowly to the ground.

We took the Lambada out for a demo flight during the Florida Aviation Expo in Punta Gorda, Florida. Gina, a licensed glider pilot, hadn’t flown for over eight years, and had never flown a powered aircraft. With three hours of fuel and two pilots on board, the ground roll on take-off was 300 feet. Climbing at 1200 fpm from the sea level airport at 60 knots put us at pattern altitude before we had turned downwind. Cruise power gave us a 1000-fpm climb rate, and we climbed out of the top of the Class D airspace before we reached its edge. We leveled and accelerated to 100 knots. Cumulus clouds were just a couple of miles ahead, so we shut down the engine and feathered the prop to glide to the first cloud. Gina was hesitant to take the controls after her long layoff from flying, but quickly got comfortable. She rolled left into the smooth lift, and we climbed at 500 fpm to the cloud base. Conditions were good, and we were able to dolphin-fly under a cloudstreet (A “cloudstreet” is a row of thermals marked by cumulus clouds. When gliders fly from thermal to thermal by following the clouds, they “fly the cloudstreet”, staying aloft for miles. Dolphin flying is a technique of pulling up in lift and pushing the nose over for speed in the sink.) We made short work of the 20-mile long cloudstreet, turned around and retraced our path back to the airport without having to circle. The temporary tower was closed when we got back, and there were several other powered aircraft in the pattern. Not wanting to disrupt the traffic flow, we kept our speed at 80 knots until short final, deployed out full spoilers, landed on the first 400 feet of runway and turned onto the taxiway. We almost coasted to our tie-down, but had to restart the engine to taxi around the last corner. To say Gina was pretty happy with the flight would be an understatement.

Like many light sport planes, the Lambada is built in the Czech Republic. Unlike other light sport companies, American importer Josef Bostik has a Czech heritage and is a Northwest Airlines captain, which allows him to visit the Urban Air factory often and maintain a good working relationship without the problems of language difficulties or social misunderstandings. Bostik has worked closely with Urban Air to modify this extremely popular European aircraft into a light sport configuration for the American market. Urban Air recently moved into a new facility and will ramp up production from four aircraft a month, to 75 aircraft per year.

Urban Air USA is located in Florida, at the Melbourne International Airport (MLB). It’s a convenient location to receive the overseas shipping containers, each containing two Lambadas. Operating out of the busy Class D is no problem in the Lambada, and it is fun to call the tower for approach instructions with the engine off because it sounds like you are having a face-to-face talk with the controller. Sebastian Communications, LLC provides custom instrument installations often causing new owners to lose sleep trying to decide just how far to go with the panel.

The Lambada is the only side-by-side light sport glider in the U.S. with an S-LSA certification. It can be flown by private power-rated pilots or sport pilots with a proficiency check. A glider-rated pilot with a self-launch endorsement can fly the Lambada with an aircraft check out. A glider rated pilot is not bound by the 10,000' sport pilot limitation, and can ascend to 18,000'. Also, glider pilots self certify their fitness to fly, and can fly the Lambada even if their medical certificate has been denied or revoked. A transponder is not required equipment in the Lambada, even inside the Mode C veil around Class B airspace. (Ed. Note: As always, check with appropriate counsel regarding FAA regulations.)

The Lambada has the most docile stall characteristics. With the power at idle or engine shut down, the stick is brought back against the stop. Initial mild buffet progresses into the shake and rattle of a full stall. Using rudder and aileron, the Lambada can be turned in one direction and then another in the fully stalled condition. There is no tendency to drop a wing. After one such demonstration, an experienced power pilot and prospective light sport buyer said, “I thought for sure you were going to spin it!” Moving the stick forward an inch or two produces the stall recovery. Departure stalls require a 60-degree nose-up attitude to reach the stall. The nose angle is so steep with full power that a pilot would have to be en route to Mars to accidentally stall on take-off. Now for the kicker: Due to the high power to weight ratio, the Lambada can take off with its spoilers fully open, and climb at 600 fpm! Not that you would want to do that, but if one were to forget about the open spoilers on take-off, it probably would not be the deadly mistake that it might be in other aircraft. At 13 years of age, my daughter Rachel is learning to fly. When she turns 14, she will be legal to fly solo in the Lambada. As her instructor/father, I would prefer to see her solo in the Lambada rather than any other aircraft I have flown during the past 38 years.

On a recent trip from Melbourne, Florida, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and back, the Lambada demonstrated its dual potential for both fun and economy. Flying at 75% power on the 3400-nm flight, the Lambada achieved 39 mpg. The average groundspeed westbound was 87 knots, while the eastbound trip averaged 116 knots. While in Albuquerque, local soaring expert Mark Mocho motored to a wave behind the Sandia Mountains at 9000' msl, shut down the engine, and soared to 15,000' msl. His two-hour flight probably used less than a gallon of gas. After he landed, the only way to get rid of the silly grin on his face was to give him a cold bottle of good Czech beer.