AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014 - 47

Another important change came from the tail during the initial takeoff roll, and
his staff. Hart's administrative assistant, rotating at 35 mph (stall speed is 32 mph),
Dale Manning, spends eight hours a day then climbing at 60 mph. Coming back,
keeping office matters in line, and asked you'll want 60 mph on downwind (flaps
Hart for a bungee seat made of bun- can be deployed as fast as 80 mph), then
gee cords. Hart thought it was such a fly final at 50 to 55 mph-slower if you are
good idea that he built one for the Super trying to make a precise, short landing.
Legend. The seat has a leather cover over Hart approached at 40 to 45 mph while
the cords; the combination is both com- doing landings for our photos.
fortable and cool, since air can easily
The factory has a grass runway availcirculate around the bungee cords. The able at the Sulphur Springs Municipal
Airport. I hadn't landed a tailwheel
back seat is a sling seat.
airplane in a year or
Since the goal was
a Light Sport aircraft
two, and followed my
BIGGEST UPPER
that would compete
usual practice of look> It does indeed climb just like the
well with Super Cubs
ing down the runway
real Piper Super Cub.
found in Alaska, Hart
to judge the height
above the runway. I
went there to see how
BIGGEST DOWNER
leveled off high and
pilots modify them.
> Heel brakes, but those can be
replaced with toe brakes.
had a high sink rate
One of the most imporfrom three feet on
tant features he found
is now on the Super
down, with the touchLegend-a greenhouse skylight over down softened by steel springs in the
both the front and back seats. Another is landing gear and the large 26-inch tires.
a cargo tube extending through the bag- It passed as a normal landing. I had forgage compartment into the tail for fishing gotten the most helpful tip for landing a
Cub-look out the door to see how close
rods or rifles.
you are to the grass.
FLYING THE SUPER LEGEND
With the economic downturn,
Steerable tailwheels normally ease the American Legend is producing fewer
taxiing workload, but I found it diffi- than two aircraft a month, but was up to
cult at first. I learned on my third taxi seven a month when the economy tanked.
that the rudder pedals required an
aggressive push, and then the aircraft A HIGH-TECH CUB
is perfectly controllable. Before I left, Avionics options include the 10-inch
new springs were under consideration Dynon SkyView glass cockpit for $22,900
to make the tailwheel steering easier and or the Garmin GX3 glass cockpit for
more responsive. Because I occasionally $24,900. Both include synthetic vision
found myself headed in the wrong direc- with datalink capability for a few thoution, I needed the brakes, and American sand more. Most of the five ordered so
Legend has faithfully reproduced the heel far have steam-gauge instruments with
brakes from the original Piper Cub that a Garmin aera 796 ($1,600).
are located on the carbon fiber floor, sepYou can even order a $7,900 TruTrak
arate from the rudder pedals.
Digiflight II two-axis autopilot, and sit
Personally I would opt for American back to watch weather and traffic on
Legend's $1,200 toe brakes that operate, your glass cockpit screens. My favorite
as on most aircraft, by pushing the tops option is the AeroLEDs landing lights
of the rudder pedals. Having said that, with pulse ($3,950) that "wig-wag" first
toe brakes-if accidentally pushed while one light, then the other on the opposteering the tailwheel on the ground-can site wing. You'll look like a Gulfstream
result in tipping the aircraft on its nose.
on final.
Takeoff is accomplished by selecting
The aircraft easily converts to a seaone notch (20 degrees) of flaps, raising plane with either Legend 1500 straight

TAIL SURFACES are
larger than a standard
Legend (top far left).
Both upper doors can
be opened in flight
while the lower halves
are usually raised and
latched (top left). New
since our last visit is a
factory that can easily
ramp up production as
needed (left).
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 47

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2014

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