2-Stroke Shadow. Shall I...?

[AlphaSierra]

Hi all,

I'm looking about for my first aircraft to tour about cheaply in. I want to keep the financial outlay (and therefore the risks) low and have my eyes on either a Shadow or an X-Air. Viewed a Shadow 503 today and it brought about a few questions:

2-strokes... I've never operated one but it occurred to me that when buying fuel at airfields in the past, there's never been a mention of 4-star. If I buy a 2-stroke, will the fuel issue cause me a planning heart-ache every time I want to venture away from home? (which is exactly what I want to do)

Shadows... The wing covering on the one I saw today did not feel as expected. They made a timpani-like sound when contacted, and the lower skin was fairly moveable. Is this normal? Also is there a risk of rot inside? How much would a re-cover cost and how often should the covering be replaced? I can't find anything useful on the internet about these things.

Cheers in advance!

A

[aviate1138]

If you are interested in a Shadow and need any questions answered you can think of, then call the Shadow Flight Centre, Old Sarum and speak to Fiona Luckhurst. She and Raymond Proost looked after my Shadows and helped me build my CFM Star Streak [Rotax 912].

01722410567

Shadows have an exceptional safety record and David Cook [designer] won awards for its design. Like all designs it is a compromise but as an example, there was a near miss in Wales between a Tornado and a Shadow. The Tornado passed so close the reheat melted part of the wing D box structure, the boom flexed so much that the prop blades hit the airframe and shattered the tips. The Shadow pilot elected to fly home to his farm, some 25 miles away, rather than land amongst rocks. The Shadow made it and was rebuilt. The MOD examined the over stressed Shadow and were simply amazed at the punishment it had sustained.
You can fly a Shadow knowing it is a combination of all that is good in using wood and aluminium and steel and Fibrelam and modern bonding agents.

BTW the fabric can be tested using a Bettsometer fabric degredation tester.

Personally I'd go for the Shadow but then I never owned an X-Air :)

[chevvron]

Alternatively ask Phil James at Cloudbase Aviation Redhill, who has experience of the Shadow mentioned above.
I've flown many hours with Rotax 503s with no problems provided they're correctly serviced; this was in Cyclone AX3s and Shadows. You might consider the Shadow with the water cooled '582 as an alternative as in some installations, cooling can be a problem with the aircooled versions eg blocking of fins can lead to lack of flow to the rear cylinder.

[The Flying Pram]

The problem you might encounter with running a 2 stroke on 100LL is lead fouling of the spark plugs. There is still a lot of lead in "Low Lead" 100LL, and it would be worth frequently checking them. Most microlight pilots are used to carrying extra fuel in a jerry can which can often be sufficient for round trips. Failing that you are going to need a can any way to mix your fuel & oil before putting it in the tank. A couple of bottles of oil can be carried with the correct amount (400 ml) to mix with a 20 litre can. The Rotax 582 is usually fitted with oil injection which saves mixing fuel/oil. This is all going to be tricky/impossible if you are flying with a passenger, but the rear seat is invariably used for such purposes if flying solo. If you plan to land at the smaller airfields and private strips you will often find help available to get fuel from a nearby garage. This is where PPR is such a good idea.

[S-Works]

Just make sure you can get a passenger in the back seat. I am 6ft and 13st and could not get in the back seat to do a licence revalidation for an owner recently. We had to borrow another aircraft.

[rans6andrew]

I can't advise on the Shadow issues, I have never owner one, but I can advise on 503 issues. I run a Rans S6 with a 503 and tour all over the place. The engine is happier when running on Mogas (so is my wallet!) but 100LL is not a problem in the short term. Carry a spare set of spark plugs and a spanner so that you can change the plugs when starting gets difficult due to a build up of lead on the electrodes. I usually carry a 10 litre can for oil/fuel mixing (empty most of the time), 2 stroke oil in plastic bottles (I took 6 ltr of oil when we went to Blois this summer), a measuring jug and a good filter funnel. At airfields I buy fuel in 10 ltr lots and mix the oil in the can before pouring into the aircraft tank. When flying from my home base I fill the tanks with unleaded from Asda and, if flying one up, may carry 2 of the 10ltr cans full with unleaded if the days flight time is expected to be over 2.5 hours.

Hope this helps.

Andrew

[Genghis the Engineer]

Hi all,

I'm looking about for my first aircraft to tour about cheaply in. I want to keep the financial outlay (and therefore the risks) low and have my eyes on either a Shadow or an X-Air. Viewed a Shadow 503 today and it brought about a few questions:

2-strokes... I've never operated one but it occurred to me that when buying fuel at airfields in the past, there's never been a mention of 4-star. If I buy a 2-stroke, will the fuel issue cause me a planning heart-ache every time I want to venture away from home? (which is exactly what I want to do)

Shadows... The wing covering on the one I saw today did not feel as expected. They made a timpani-like sound when contacted, and the lower skin was fairly moveable. Is this normal? Also is there a risk of rot inside? How much would a re-cover cost and how often should the covering be replaced? I can't find anything useful on the internet about these things.

Cheers in advance!

A

I've a fair number of hours in both, with both 2 and 4-stroke engines.

Both are good aeroplanes, although whilst the X'Air could be kept tied down with covers, I'd want a hangar for a shadow.

2-stroke engines need a bit more maintenance, may occasionally leave you in a field (no big deal for a microlight pilot) and are noisier. On the other hand they're cheap, easy to look after, and pretty reliable these days.

Both 2 and 4 stroke Rotax engines prefer unleaded MOGAS to leaded anything, so you won't have fuel problems. Very few airfields have MOGAS pumps - you'll need to buy a couple of jerry-cans like the rest of us and fill them at the local petrol station.

Shadows have conventional-ish fabric covered wings. You can recover them yourself in a few weekends for a few hundred, maybe a thousand pounds. X'Airs have (microlight) conventional sails, you could replace the whole lot for a couple of thousand pounds and fit them in half a day with the aid of a friend.

Shadows are attractive looking and lovely aeroplanes to fly, but not awfully passenger friendly. X'Airs are slow and ugly, but wonderful to fly, and excellent for passengers once they've managed to clamber in through the rather narrow door (a bit better on later models).

If buying an X'air 2-stroke, don't go for the 503 (too underpowered on that aeroplane, although fine on the Shadow), a 582 with a C or E type gearbox (3:1 or greater gear reduction) would be my choice on an X'Air.

As said above, Fiona and Raymond at Old Sarum are THE Shadow experts. pretty much any BMAA 3-axis inspector can go over an X'Air for you, they're very standard technology aeroplanes. Before buying any microlight I'd pay a BMAA inspector who knows the type (but preferably not the person trying to sell the aeroplane) to go over it with you.

G

[AlphaSierra]

Thanks for all the replies. Running a 503 all sounds very manageable and obviously not as limiting as I thought. Does anyone have anything bad to say about the Shadow (aside from the tight rear compartment!)? Any weaknesses to look out for when buying?

[pembroke]

Agree with all above, did 800hrs on Shadows and I think it is a fantastic machine. Few points: check maintenance record carefully. Has it crashed and been cobbled together using substantial parts of another aircraft but retaining the original registration? Was it kit or factory built? Who has been responsible for the engine maintenance? Re the 2 stroke "oiling", the throttle demand system works well. Does the engine have a starter or is it pull start. Has the u/c mod been carried out and by whom?
The wing is derigged easily but needs two, or you may find a wing fold version which is a solo effort. Wings and tail off, it fits easily into a trailer.
Flying the Shadow is wonderful, especially in the front seat, in a "supine" posn, a la F16! (my hrs were in the back with an ASI and the back of the students head for company)

[chevvron]

If you're used to other microlight types, you'll find aileron control VERY heavy. Try to get one with an electric starter rather than the 'lawnmower' type (they're OK if you're dual but a pig to start solo, especially if it 'stalls' whilst you're taxying). Make sure it's got the undercarriage and rudder mods.

[aviate1138]

Best to check with Old Sarum SFC as they are up to date with all Shadow situations.

afaik the Shadow has very few AD's [good sign] The undercarriage needed replacing [but plenty of Shadows around the world are still using the earlier version]. A panic stricken takeover of CFM by persons unsuited to the task, caused a problem with a tailplane spigot [only one break and that caused by utter stupidity by the instructor/owner]

My only advice would be to tie down the Shadow by the nose leg [above the pivoting wheel, which is held/attached by a stainless steel multistrand wire]. Then the tailplane skid will be
off the ground and not be subject to side forces from gusts of wind.

The 503 is one of Rotax's best engines. Mine was serviced at SFC and never missed a beat. Unleaded mogas suited mine much more than 100LL btw.

If you do decide to buy a Shadow, talk to Fiona at SFC and if she advises this or that, do it! You will not regret it! Apart from being a superb pilot she is a Serious Engineer! And she is also an Instructors Instructor.
Ask her how her Maine Coon cat Pushka is and you will be 'in'. :)

Finally, there isn't a lot of room in the back. No lardies!

I am a lardie and yet in all the years I owned Shadows and a Star Streak I never had a main undercarriage problem or a nosewheel one either. And I landed in farmers harvested fields, operated from a number of farm strips etc.

Anyway whatever you buy - have fun!

[chevvron]

Only problem I've encountered is the castoring nosewheel; pivots easily during pre-flight but sometimes when you're in the cockpit, your weight causes the castoring swivel to bind thus making it difficult to steer on the ground when taxying on tarmac (OK on takeoff as you soon get rudder authority). I've had one or two unplanned grass 'excursions' when taxying.