AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2017 - 70

THE FRONT COCKPIT

is surprisingly roomy.
The instrument panel is
dominated by a 10-inch
Dynon SkyView PFD/
MFD with a graphical
engine monitor. A mirror
allows the occupants to
see each other's faces,
and a single Becker radio
provides communications. The red handle
deploys the emergency
airframe parachute
system.

models aren't rigged this way, and I'd much
prefer lighter and more linear aileron forces
in nontrainer models. Pitch forces are light
but linear, and they're just about ideal.
Steep turns, lazy eights, and chandelles
are precise and thoroughly enjoyable with
the expansive view.
The electrically actuated flaps have
three positions, and slowing the Shark
down to flap speed requires planning. The
airplane is so aerodynamically clean that
Baron says a slight climb may be necessary on downwind to slow down enough
to deploy them.
We make an overhead approach at the
nontowered Warrenton-Fauquier Airport
in Virginia and decelerate to 70 KIAS on
70 | AOPA PILOT September 2017

downwind, then lower the landing gear
and flaps. Once fully down, the flaps
supply ample drag, and holding the recommended 60-knot approach speed at a
descent rate of 500 fpm requires slightly
more than idle power.
The elevator has enough authority to
hold the nosewheel off the ground well
after the mains have touched down, and
doing so provides aerodynamic braking.
We touch down at about 55 KIAS and roll
about 500 feet with light braking during
rollout with no wind.
HAPPIEST TIMES

When Baron retired from Navy flying in
2016, he set out to find an airplane that

could re-create the feeling of flying a
Beech T-34 Mentor, the fixed-wing aircraft he flew during training. "Some of
my happiest times in the Navy were flying
solo in the T-34," he said. "I wanted to find
something like that without the expense of
operating a warbird."
He happened to be in Italy during his
last Navy assignment, and it was there he
came upon the Shark-an airplane that
gives him the same sort of joy.
The Shark is a revelation because it
shows that vast improvements in speed
and efficiency are available at the light
end of the general aviation market. The
Shark and its Euro brethren squeeze more
out of 100 horsepower than I would have
thought possible-and even more performance is sure to become available with
bigger engines, such as the only slightly
heavier 135-horsepower Rotax 915 iS
engine that first flew in April 2017.
It's unfortunate that U.S. LSA rules
include the arbitrary 120-knot top speed
and prohibitions against performanceenhancing variable-pitch props and
retractable gear. The FAA has stubbornly
resisted any changes to the existing rules.
But if the new Part 23 opens the door to
sleek, fuel-efficient, category-defying aircraft like the Shark, it can't happen soon
enough. U.S. pilots appreciate speed
and efficiency as much as Europeans-
and airplanes like the Shark could make
American skies feel like the speed-limitfree autobahn.
AOPA
EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2017
