DR107 ONE DESIGN

30 LIGHT AVIATION | AUGUST 2015 DECEMBER 2014 | LIGHT AVIATION 55

 DR107 ONE DESIGN

The DR107
One Design
A cApAble And AffordAble
monoplAne AerobAt
By Phil Burgess

erobatics as a sport is constantly This arms-race has seen a proliferation At the Advanced National Aerobatics

A evolving. As new aircraft types

become available with ever
increasing performance, the
rule book has had to develop
to include ever more demanding aerobatic
igures to challenge the pilots. Gone are the
days when you could compete at unlimited
of high performance monoplanes in recent
years, all utilising state-of-the-art construction
techniques in various ways. They all have
one thing in common though – they come
with an eye-watering price tag and huge
running costs, putting them out of reach to
the average pilot. However, as new designs
Championship this year there was an
impressive array of such machines
supporting this trend, with one notable
exception. Unlike its rivals, the aircraft that
won the National Championship title didn’t
have a six-cylinder engine, wasn’t built
in some sterile factory and didn’t require
level in a Stampe! Of course, it’s not just emerge, it becomes possible to buy the older a second mortgage to operate. It was a
unlimited level that has changed, there are ones second-hand with the result that we see homebuilt DR107 One Design!
ive levels of aerobatic competition in the them ilter down into the more junior levels of I’ve owned G-RIHN since 2009 and
UK and each has grown to include tougher the sport, often helped by pilots' belief that have campaigned her to great effect
igures to keep them demanding enough to they need to spend more in order to improve at intermediate and advanced level
be meaningful. their scores. competitions, amassing around 50 medals ›

G-IIID has a 180hp Lycoming

and is the only one of the trio
to use a ixed-pitch prop – a
compromise solution for
weight and C of G

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DR107 ONE DESIGN

The author's G-RIHN in which he

has had signiicant success against
more complex – and more expensive
– aerobatic monoplanes

and many trophies. I even won the Queen’s all the aircraft would be the same, therefore but perhaps most importantly, also eminently
Cup Air Race Challenge Trophy in 2011, lying removing any advantage a pilot might have affordable. A standard colour scheme was also
a timed aerobatic sequence against faster by being able to spend more money on his agreed to offer the pilots a degree of anonymity
and more powerful machines. Sure, there’s a machine. In order to make the concept appeal in the interests of making the judges work a
measure of pilot skill involved (that’s what the to a wider range of pilots, a relatively low-cost little harder for their lunches. The three aircraft
game is all about), but the key to my success but high-performance aeroplane was needed, in this article each have a variation on this
has, without doubt, been this incredibly and Dan Rihn stepped forward to draw up a scheme as in the UK we had the additional
capable yet affordable aeroplane. Thank machine that would meet this speciication. limitation that the area directly above the
you Dan Rihn for bringing the One Design Coupling his expertise as a Northrop main-spar could only be painted white. This
into the world! Grumman design engineer to his considerable was to allay fears that localised solar heating
Back in the early 1990s there was much experience in building and modifying aerobatic of the glue joints might weaken the structure if
discussion in the USA and the International aircraft, Dan expertly crafted the prototype, painted a dark colour.
Aerobatics Club regarding the direction that which irst lew in 1993. A large number of
the sport was heading, and a strategy was experienced aerobatic pilots were allowed WEIGHTY ISSUES
developed to try and make it accessible to to ly it and after incorporating a few minor Many builders opted for larger engines and
a wider community of pilots. Of key concern changes, the drawings were made available for constant speed propellers which, whilst adding
was the ever-increasing cost of competitive homebuilders. The original concept speciied some performance, also increased the overall
aeroplanes and the dwindling numbers of a stock Lycoming O-320 engine driving a weight, complexity and operating costs of
competitors. The concept of a new class of ixed-pitch propeller, and in this coniguration the machine. The extra weight is all forward
competition was drawn up with the aim that the aircraft is very light and well balanced, of the centre of gravity, therefore it becomes
necessary to operate in the forward end of
the envelope, which is less than ideal for the
G-RIHN PHIl BuRGess aerobatic purist in pursuit of such things as
perfect spin entries, lick-rolls and dynamic
freestyle handling.
The majority of the build took place in Canada, the new colour scheme and sponsors’ logos All aeroplanes are born of compromise
and with about 90% done and 90% still to were applied. All of this was achieved with just and sacriicing an ideal centre of gravity for
do the airframe was imported to the UK and hours to spare, meeting the deadline of the increased vertical penetration and acceleration
completed by James Brown. After around 50 irst intermediate contest of 2010 – which he from slow light are the main beneits for itting
lying hours, the original engine and ixed- promptly won! larger engines and constant speed props.
pitch prop were replaced with a brand new This aircraft has an analogue instrument it What is perhaps somewhat more debatable
Lycoming/Titan ECI AEIO-320 and MTV-11C with separate engine gauges used for ease of is whether the average pilot could put these
prop, a lightweight starter and alternator, maintenance. As with most serious aerobatic beneits to any tangible advantage during a
Sky-dynamics cross-over exhaust and Airlow aircraft, the sequence card holder dominates competition light and whether it is worth the
Performance fuel injection system delivering the panel, which also doubles as a mount for extra cost.
around 160hp. This results in a climb rate of an easily-upgradable tablet PC running GPS I have been very fortunate to have lown the
2,150fpm at max all up weight. nav software. USB charging is incorporated three examples pictured here, each of which
Phil purchased the machine at the end of into the electrical system as is a stereo audio has a different engine and prop combination.
2009 and began stripping it to prepare for feed to spice up the transit lying to comps The red aeroplane has a 180hp engine driving
the coming aerobatics season. New cowlings and displays. G-RIHN also has an awesome a ixed-pitch prop; the green machine (my
and various fairings and fuselage panels smoke system for extra visual impact at personal mount) has 160hp and a constant-
were built to reduce weight and drag, and displays. speed prop; and the blue example has 200hp
and a constant-speed prop. We were also able

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 DR107 ONE DESIGN

Neil Bigrigg's G-CVII is

the most powerful of the trio
with a high-spec'd 200hp
Superior XP IO-360 and a
constant-speed propeller

to carry out some rudimentary performance

comparisons in light to try and settle this G-CVII NeIl BIGRIGG
debate. To gauge vertical penetration, we
lew line abreast at the max level speed of the
slowest aircraft. We then all pulled smoothly to "Keep the weight down and the performance £62,000 (but who’s counting…), performance
the vertical and applied full power and waited up" was our mission goal for this award- surpassed all expectations with horsepower
to see who would go the highest before doing winning aircraft build, says Neil. G-CVII pushing 200 and achieving a full-power,
a stall turn and recovering. Interestingly, the red (107 in roman numerals) was designed fully-ine climb rate of 2,500fpm at max all
and green aircraft went up to about the same around a Superior XPIO-360 engine with up weight. It was obvious from the very
height, with minor differences probably being lightweight oil sump, starter and alternator, irst light that we had an aeroplane more
attributable to having slightly different weights dual E-mag electronic ignition, a balanced than capable of what it was built for, which
at the time. The blue aircraft went up further, as four-into-one exhaust system and an Airlow ultimately was to replace our beloved Pitts
you might expect, and probably topped out a Performance fuel system. A huge MTV- S2A and to take us on to win advanced
hundred feet or so higher. 15 constant speed propeller is used and aerobatic competitions.
With constant speed props, the blue and all parameters are monitored by a Dynon At 55% power, the straight-and-level cruise
green aircraft can accelerate quicker from low FlightDEK D-180. of 2,100rpm and 21in of manifold pressure
speed, which is useful when iendish sequence We obsessively tried to keep the weight gives 144kt, with a fuel consumption of just
designers put a high start speed igure after a off the airframe with the incorporation of 26.5lph, compared to a straight-and-level
low exit speed one. With a ixed-pitch prop, it simple control systems and extensive use of aerobatic full power setting of 2,500rpm and
takes more time and distance to achieve this carbon ibre in all of the fairings to smooth the 25in of manifold pressure which gives 157kt
without descending, which can compromise airlow and help make her fast. A good deal and a fuel consumption of 60lph.
positioning when lying for a panel of judges. of future prooing was also incorporated into Now with almost 100 hours under her
It’s also easy to over-speed the ixed-pitch the build by the itment of a Trig TT21 mode wings, she never fails to put a silly grin on
prop in a dive so your throttle hand is S transponder and a Becker AR6201 with our faces, either with her sheer aerobatic
constantly on the move throughout an aerobatic 8.33kHz channel spacing. performance, including an unbelievable
sequence. Every time you move the throttle, Built over a six year period by Neil Bigrigg, vertical penetration, or just as a time machine
an additional rudder input is required and all of Mark Davies and Ian Tunstall at a cost of for going cross country.
these extra inputs reduce the available brain
power for planning the perfect execution of the
next igure. miles, then spent eight minutes displaying at of a ixed windscreen may be a hindrance
While this was hardly a scientiic test, the full power followed by another 100 mile return should you feel the sudden urge to try a spot
irrefutable evidence is that the 160hp green transit before landing with a 25lt reserve on of parachuting. Again, builders have to
machine used less fuel to carry out this mission, board. Many other types are limited in this choose between performance and utility.
which I take as a clear victory for my aeroplane regard as aerobatics aren’t permitted with fuel The fuselage and tail surfaces are built from
– sorry guys! As it doesn’t have a fuel low in their wing tanks and their small acro tanks welded steel tubes and incorporate stainless
gauge, it is dificult to give accurate igures dictate that they must land soon after a display. steel bracing wires. Spruce stringers, an
but I reckon that I use about 40lt per hour lat Other differences between the three aluminium turtle-deck and fabric covering
out for aerobatics and somewhat less than 30lt examples featured here are a little more subtle. complete the rear fuselage, with aluminium
per hour in a 130kt, 2,250rpm, 22.5in manifold Builders have the option of itting a one-piece, panels covering the fuselage from the seat-
pressure cruise. The fuel system is contained side-hinged canopy, which may be a little less back to the irewall. Two-piece carbon/glass
in the forward fuselage and has a 50lt tank that draggy than the sliding canopy detailed on ibre cowls envelop the engine and feature
gravity feeds a 30lt ‘acro’ tank. This provides the plans. The side-hinged canopies would a variety of inlet conigurations to suit the
a good measure of utility – I recently lew 100 be damaged if opened in light and the lack particular engine installation. ›

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DR107 ONE DESIGN

(Above) The panel of G-CVII features Dynon FlightDEK-D180

'glass', Trig Mode-S and a Becker 8.33 radio

(Left) David Kean's G-IIID uses a relatively basic Grand Rapids

Technologies EIS 4000 for engine monitoring as part of a
simple, budget panel

There are several different styles of wing which are much lighter resulting in lower mass when pulling positive g. This keeps stick forces
root and undercarriage fairings in use which balance weights being required, resulting roughly symmetrical when pushing and pulling,
have been incorporated into the design to lower inertia in the control circuit. and well matched to the aileron stick forces.
counter reports of buffeting when pulling high Standard features for serious aerobatic In light the controls are very light in pitch
g. Although much has been written on this machines are the aileron spades. These small and roll while only the smallest movements
subject in the USA, I haven’t experienced this devices protrude forward of the aileron hinge of the stick are required to guide the aircraft
phenomenon in any of these three machines. line to provide an aerodynamic assistance around the circuit or to transit from A to B. Pitch
I often wonder if this is a problem of piloting to lighten the stick forces. By adding various stability is affected a great deal by the centre of
technique rather than a genuine issue and I’d shims and altering their size and position, the gravity, and when loaded with overnight bags
be keen to see some hard evidence, perhaps spades are adjusted to trim the aeroplane in and other junk in the turtle-deck, the aircraft
from wind tunnel testing, as to which is the best roll and alter the stick force gradient over the becomes even lighter to the touch. Care must
type of fairing. range of delection. Competition pilots spend be taken as only the smallest control inputs are
The wing features a tapering, solid spruce or many hours perfecting this set-up, tailoring needed and can produce a rapid pitch change
Douglas ir main spar, ply ribs and ply skins, the handling to their own preference. My own at any airspeed.
with optional glass ibre moulded tips. The set-up produces a genuine roll rate of 360°
wing is inished in lightweight glass cloth per second at VA and although some claim to LEAP IN PERFORMANCE
which can support a durable paint inish. have achieved 420° per second, I ind that to Handling reports in magazines are often very
The ailerons are push rod actuated with all achieve such a roll rate, some control centring, subjective and depend a great deal on the
hinges and bearing points assembled with break-out force and general feel has to be relative experiences of the writer and reader
adjustable rod end bearings and ball races. sacriiced. I’m more concerned with accuracy if phrases like ‘light controls’ are to have
This results in a very strong and reliable control for competition lying and having the aircraft any meaning. To try and put it into context,
system which has a minimum of backlash and offer as much assistance as possible to free up imagine lying the average club trainer and
friction. The ailerons themselves are built up my limited brain power. then stepping into something like a two-seat
from spruce and ply and are fabric covered. The elevators have a similar aerodynamic Pitts. This is pretty much how I progressed into
They are mass balanced and as a result assistance in the form of servo/trim tabs. The aerobatics a few years ago and I’ll never forget
are surprisingly heavy for their size. Some rigging geometry is designed to give much the highly responsive controls, the excess of
examples have opted for aluminium ailerons more assistance when pushing negative g than power and the overwhelming sense of freedom
poling this rocket ship around the sky. A similar
magnitude leap in performance awaits those
who venture further and try a single-seat Pitts,
G-IIID DaVID KeaN but the jump from any Pitts to a One Design is
of an entirely different scale. It reacts so quickly
to control inputs and can change direction so
G-IIID had several owners whilst being The engine is a 180hp Lycoming with an abruptly that it corners like it’s in a cartoon.
constructed, including me, before being Ellison throttle body and a ixed-pitch MT Even in a Pitts there is a barely perceptible
expertly inished by Vernon Millard in 2005. propeller. It cruises at 125kt at 2,250rpm and delay when moving the stick as the airframe
I have had the fortune to own the aircraft for 25lph,while 2,500rpm will produce 140kt but lexes a bit and the lying wires begrudgingly
almost 10 years and I think that speaks for fuel low rises to 38lph. The only analogue take up the slack under g. Not so in the One
itself. I ind the performance is signiicantly instruments are airspeed and altimeter. All Design; if it wasn’t for the feeling of the g force
better than the Pitts S1S that I used to own, engine parameters are monitored by a through the seat, you might believe you were in
with roll rate and visibility from the cockpit Grand Rapids EIS4000. A digital g meter a low budget computer game.
being obvious improvements. records the evidence. Having said that, the One Design is not
dificult to ly, you must just be aware of the

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 N&B ENGINEERING

Doing what the One Design does best,

bringing competitiveness and affordability
to the Unlimited Aerobatic category

control inputs you are about to make. There can brake really hard without risk of nosing
are no twitchy aeroplanes, just twitchy pilots! “It’s a bit like over. This gives a lot of conidence when
Thinking in terms of stick position rather than taxying, but it’s best to keep sharp turns down
stick force is required and this is especially cornering in a car and to a low speed as the risk of a ground loop
useful when lying close to the stall. Imagine is ever present. The view from the cockpit is
we are pulling out from a vertical dive; as the instantly developing better than in a Pitts, there is very little airframe
stick force doesn’t build rapidly as speed out there to get in the way of your sight lines
increases and you apply more g, it’s very easy
to keep pulling harder and harder expecting
serious understeer and the wing tips seem impossibly close.
The adjustable seat back accommodates
the pressure in the palm of your hand to keep
increasing. But once you realise that the
when you hit a patch a variety of pilot shapes with your legs over
the top of the main spar and feet raised up
aeroplane stalls with the same stick position high. Unlike a Pitts, full aileron control can still
regardless of speed, it’s easy to avoid making of black ice” be achieved even if you’ve got generously
this mistake. Although it’s happy to ly with proportioned thighs like mine and the cockpit
an impossibly high angle of attack, the drag is proportioned to easily accommodate pilots
increases exponentially as we approach the of six foot two and over. The instrument panel
stall and it’s therefore not an eficient use of is fairly small, limiting the amount of redundant
energy to corner in this manner when we only result in a stall, at which point there is so much gauges that can be itted, which helps keep
have a limited amount of height or horsepower control authority left that full back stick and things simple and light.
to replace it with. some balancing work with the feet can pitch The One Design is often compared to other
When the high speed stall does occur, all the the aircraft all the way round in a kind of micro- aerobatic types as people try and work out
controls remain effective in their normal sense loop before diving to recover. where it its into the grand scheme of things.
and the only indication is a very light airframe Approaching to land, 80kt is about the In my estimation, and in overall terms when
buffet followed by a sudden divergence from minimum speed, as any slower and a tailwheel comparing performance against cost, they are
your previous light path. It’s a bit like cornering irst arrival is likely. A gentle sideslip works well top of the pile of the four-cylinder aerobatic
in a car and instantly developing serious on inal, although it is necessary to add 10kt as aircraft that are available in the UK. There are
understeer when you hit a patch of black ice. the ASI will over read in the sideslip. The main a good many others in this group that cost
If lying out of balance the aircraft will drop a undercarriage legs are a one piece aluminium more to own and operate, but at best only
wing, although with the proper footwork this spring unit which give a ground angle that is offer similar overall performance, such as the
can be avoided. The 1g stall occurs at about much more nose-down than the stall angle. For Pitts S1, Laser, Extra 230 and Edge 360. For
55kt in upright level light, resulting in a high this reason, you are deinitely still lying even this reason, the One Design certainly offers
rate of descent rather than a pronounced nose- when all three wheels are on the ground, so the best ‘bang for buck’. In other countries,
drop. To recover, a large forward stick pitch pulling back on the stick at touchdown will load One Designs are even competing successfully
input is needed to re-attach the airlow to the the tail-spring and launch you right back into at unlimited level at the hands of some very
wing. Trying to regain the pitch attitude from the air again. Slight forward stick is needed on talented pilots. We will have to wait and see
prior to the stall before the airlow re-attaches touchdown to avoid skipping and bouncing whether there will ever be a contest purely
will result in a further stall and more height loss, down the runway. Small control inputs are for aircraft of this type, as they are still a fairly
despite the ASI winding up through 90kt. It’s essential after landing as even at 65kt, with full rare beast despite over 600 sets of plans
quite obvious when the airlow re-attaches as it aileron the One Design will roll faster than a being sold worldwide. Even with this aspect of
will be accompanied by a small bump through Pitts S2A at 165kt! the design philosophy yet to be realised, the
the airframe, as normal service is restored. Taxying is easy, with a gentle weave to clear One Design has now earned its place in the
If attempting a stall in the climb at full power, the blind spot ahead of the nose. There’s plenty aerobatic food chain in its own right, and it’s
bringing the nose ever higher will eventually of weight on the tailwheel so at low speed you deinitely here to stay. ■

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