Tandem Seating And A Bubble Canopy Is Refreshing Change

By Chris Batcheller

Walking up to the MySky booth at Oshkosh, the first thing that ran through my head is that someone shrunk a modern military trainer. Closer in, I noticed the tandem seating perched under a large bubble canopy. Clearly this is NOT like the other high wing, side by side LSA’s on the mall. The only thing that was missing were training stripes and the squadron insignia on the tail.

Greeting me at the airplane is Dieter Canje and Ret. USN Capt. Peter S. Pierpont. Dieter has a soft European accent and is the CEO and President of MySky Aircraft, Inc. Peter Pierpont is the Chief Operating Officer and perhaps the fuel for the quasi-military feel to the airplane. Both greeted me with smiles and firm hand shake as they proceeded to proudly introduce me to the MySky ONE that is on display.

In 2004 Dieter Canje decided that he wanted to offer an LSA that was not the status quo, initially wanting to bring a European aircraft to market in the United States. He quickly realized that the airplanes in Europe were designed with a maximum weight of 475 Kg. With the new LSA rules in the states, you could design an airplane that would have a maximum weight nearly 250 lbs heavier. With an additional 250 lbs, Dieter recognized that the airplane could be optimized.

He contacted several engineers and picked Martin Hollmann to design the craft. The design started in the spring of 2005 and the initial drawings were delivered in July of 2005. A year later the initial design was complete.

Dieter selected some simple design requirements for the MSONE. He felt that a great number of LSA’s were nothing more than heavy ultralights and they didn’t fully take advantage of the weight limit that the LSA rules allowed. The airplane must first have looks. It must be a visually appealing airplane. Second the airplane must feel like a real airplane. He thought that too many LSA’s felt like an ultralight. Third, it must fly well. No one would want to purchase a poor flying airplane. Last it must sound like an airplane, and not like an ultralight.

So what did Martin Hollmann come up with? A two place airplane with tandem seating, a low wing and a conventional tail. The airplane has a bubble canopy, giving it the feel of a personal fighter. The cockpit has 5 point harnesses and a beefy roll bar between the seats. Under the hood is a Jabiru 3300 Engine with 120 horses and the ability to burn unleaded Mogas.

Enter Ret. USN Capt. Peter S. Pierpont, for now let’s just call him Captain. After retiring from the Navy, Peter was a production test pilot for Aviat and later served as a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He also started and successfully ran Eagle Works, a program that allowed the university to collaborate with industry. The university offered contract engineering to industry, allowing several projects to be developed at low cost to the industry while offering the students a great opportunity to learn. Some projects that Eagle Works contributed were the first flight of the SMA Diesel Engine to Oshkosh and the initial flights of the Minstral Rotary Engines on a Piper Arrow. Unfortunately under new leadership, the university decided to discontinue funding for Eagle Works, and the program was shut down.

Captain met Dieter during the production of the first airframe. Dieter was having a hard time managing the program while commuting large distances. With the Captains expertise in managing development programs, the adventure began. Peter supervised the completion of the first airplane. After many long nights and 10 hours of engine ground run, the first prototype successfully flew on the 10th of June, 2009. Currently the prototype has 70 hours of flight time.

The prototype airplane has a composite airframe and the wing have been tested to 10 G’s. The current prototype is heavier than the weight target, but Peter is confident that the next airframes will be lighter. The company only wants to produce the airplane if it is confident that it can produce 100 airplanes per year. Peter noted that the next step is to produce an additional 4 airplanes for pre-production evaluation and testing. Once the design is frozen, full production can begin.

The airplane will be offered in a standard and a advanced version with upgraded avionics. The company is developing a single and dual axis autopilot that will offer heading, altitude, vertical speed and altitude presets. Other options include a night flight package and AmSafe Airbag Seatbelts. The standard airplane is expected to sell for $117,500.

FMI: www.mysky.aero