Europa 363 - Builders Diary
Last update - January 5, 2008
About this WEB page
This WEB site is a copy of my construction diary for my Europa XS project being built by Paul & Jenny McAllister . The concept of this site was inspired by Tony Krzyzewski, Europa builder number 272. This aircraft is being built under the specifications laid down by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia. The building regulations specified by this governing body are very rigid, unlike the experimental category in the United States.
About the builder
I am a software development project manager in my 40’s with General Electric. I have long had a passion for all things flying. I was first inspired to build an aircraft when I saw an article describing the BD5. I spent some time flying sail planes in my early 20’s, but did not get the opportunity to learn powered flying until 1998. I currently fly a Piper Comanche in which my wife and I have had the opportunity to fly extensively in the United States
Like Tony Krzyzewski, I decided to put my construction diary on the net to share my experiences with other builders. I hope you find it interesting and useful.
Why the Europa XS.
Prospective builders are faced with a huge variety of choices, with many of
the designers advertising extravagant claims about their performance. My requirements
were for a two seat aircraft that was capable of doing cross-country trips of
600 to 700 nautical miles in a day. My second requirement was an aircraft that
was safe, I didn't want to be considered part of the designers test program
when I spun my aircraft for the first time. My third requirement was to have a
design with an associated "family" of builders. Lastly, I had to be
able to build the darn thing on my workshop. I had a double garage, but it was
at the top of a steep driveway, access was an issue.
This set of requirements narrowed the field down significantly, and removed my first choice, an RV6 from the list. The rest is history, the Europa was ordered in September of 1997, along with 3 other customers in Australia.
I was fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of the Europa XS product, even though my decision to purchase a Europa had already been made. The Europa XS offered some refinements in the interior, an increase in baggage area, an increase in MTOW, a decrease in weight, some refinements in the aerodynamics, but best of all, the wing was now delivered pre molded. This single factor promised to reduce the build time by 300 hours !!
Performance & Specifications ?
Well there is an expression, lies, damn lies and then there are aircraft performance claims". For an unbiased report take a look at the CAFE Report of Europa's flying qualities on the EAA WEB Site at http://members.eaa.org/home/flight_reports/ (you need to be a member). This particular Europa was a classic powered by an 80 HP 912.
The early Europa's we fitted out with the 80 HP 912, but the upgraded 100 HP 912S is proving to be a popular choice. I have chosen the 914 Turbo as my flying is mostly cross country and I am looking for higher performance at altitude. The average Europa with a 914 Turbo like mine seem to weigh in at around 850 lbs. Outside of Europe the factory has advised that the Europa can be placarded to a MAW of 1450 lbs. This gives a useful load after fuel of over 480 lbs. This equates to 2 passengers and 100 lbs of baggage, more than enough for cruising.
Cruise speeds are reported to be in the range of 130 to 140 knots with climbs coming in at about 1250' feet a minute, however the engine will maintain cruise power all the way up to 18,000 feet so cruise at this altitude comes in at 170 plus knots! The take off and landing roles are about 600 feet, and with a constant speed propeller the take off role is even shorter. Most people are reporting economy cruise of around 5 gallons an hour which translate to about 3~3.5 hours to the tank being empty.
Significant Events
When life seems to be just going along fine, expect the unexpected !!. In November, I was offered an assignment in the United States for a year or two. Suddenly what I have been planning on doing on weekends for the next three or four years had changed.
Update, May 1999 . I don’t know if we are feeling settled or just lazy, but when my employer offered a permanent position here in the US we decided to accept it. I suspect that this means my Europa will probably be completed here in the US. No doubt that will pose some interesting problems when I want to return to Australia, however I will worry about it when the time comes.
Update July 1999 . It was with mixed feelings that we sold our house in Australia. It seems to sever some links and create some new ones. We found a house here that we liked and moved in at the end of July. This will put a big hole in my building program, but hopefully it will be the last move for the Europa.
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