FLIGHT REPORT - GLENN GORDON

Aircraft Kit Manufacturer: Timber Tiger Aircraft 

Model: ST-L (Prototype) 

Serial Number: 22  

Engine: Rotax 912 ULS, 100 h.p. 

Propeller: Performance Propellers, Wood, pitched for climb 

Configuration: Prototype with standard wing. 

Pilot Experience: Glenn Gordon, Commercial Airplane Single and Multiengine Land, Instrument Airplane, Glider.  Approx 1700 hrs / 700 tailwheel, Approximately 40 hrs in type. 

Cutting right to the chase, the ST-L is an absolute joy to fly!  Its beautiful aesthetic is only surpassed by the wonderful handling and performance of this definitive art deco design. The exquisite styling and flying characteristics combine to make this airplane the dream of the modern grass-roots aviator! 

Starting with the walk-around, the first thing one notices is the overall ramp presence of this aircraft. With the top of the cowling towering at 6'-5",  the phrases "scaled replica" or "sport pilot" are the last thing that come to mind. Added details such as precisely scaled rivet lines and some beautifully distressed leather adorning the seats and cockpit coamings, leave the admirer forgetting any notion that they're looking at a kit built, scaled-down replica of the legendary Ryan ST aircraft. The aft pilot seating in the tandem cockpits along with the long nose of the airplane create a lot of distance between you and the propeller. The forward view is limited to about the same as the back seat on most biplanes that I've flown. The fact that the cowling is so narrow actually provides some added angle to the forward view. 

Step up on the wing and slide yourself down into the cockpit and you'll quickly notice that it's cozy. If you've ever sat in an original Ryan ST then you would find it incredibly spacious thanks to the greatly improved ergonomics of both cockpits on the Timber Tiger design. At just shy of 6 ft, I'm very comfortable in the airplane and have spent several long cross-country days inside of it. Taller pilots will find themselves comfortable as well due to the ability of the builder to mount the rudder pedals anywhere along the lower longerons. 

Startup and taxi are uneventful. The steerable tailwheel provides precise control during taxi and snapping the tailwheel out of the detent makes maneuvering in tight spaces a breeze. Forget the heel/cable operated drum brakes of the original Ryan design. The Timber Tiger ST-L features modern Matco disc brakes which provide predictable and controlled brake response.

Lining the airplane up on the runway for takeoff is easy when you let the long nose of this pretty bird guide the way. Ease in the power and you feel that the rudder steering is immediately effective and authoritative, however requires only minimum input to keep the plane pointed straight down the runway. The tail then can be raised almost immediately and you quickly become aware how much this airplane is yearning to climb towards the heavens. I like to gracefully allow the plane to break free from the runway at when it's ready (around 55 KIAS) rather than a distinct takeoff rotation; pilot's prerogative.  I'll note here that my initial flights in this plane were at Boulder, Colorado; solo and with full fuel I was still showing 800 fpm climb at 8000' MSL! A little right rudder and a climb-out at 60 knots will quickly show you that the 100 horsepower Rotax up front provides more than enough power for this airframe.   

Level the plane off, throttle back to 5200 on the tach, and I was comfortably cruising at 92 KIAS with the engine sipping 5 GPM.  Time to feel out the airplane.  Some Dutch rolls quickly gave me a feel for the relationship between the ailerons and the rudder, as well as providing me the opportunity to feel out any adverse yaw tendencies.  The ST-L features aileron push-pull tubes rather than the cables found on the original. This serves to ensure that ALL the control forces are light, crisp, and in harmony with each other. Through slow-flight, Dutch rolls, and turns (30°,45°,60° bank angle), I quickly appreciated the thought that went into the (re)design of the ST-L's wing. They responded and felt very similar to a Decathlon (slightly lighter control forces) and didn't require any fancy footwork to keep coordinated. Thanks to the washout added to the ST-L's wing design, the ailerons remain effective right up to the stall break. Stalls were straight-ahead, gentle, and very predictable without any tendency to drop a wing. Holding the stick back and practicing a falling leaf is as easy as on any plane I have flown.  A release of back pressure immediately gets the wing flying again.  

Coming back into the pattern at 1000'AGL with a power reduction to idle will generally leave you high on final. This airplane has a light wing loading and will glide a long way. Those gear leg fairings however do produce a lot of drag during a side slip, and any excess altitude is easy to shed on final. The aircraft's long nose helps you out with runway alignment during landing. I practiced both three-point and wheel landings on both pavement and sod runways. I finally settled on wheel landings for pavement and high crosswinds, and three-point landings for sod. Flying through Nebraska, I landed the plane in winds gusting to 35 knots with a maximum crosswind component of about 12 knots. The ST-L handles these conditions just fine with good responsiveness and proper crosswind technique. It should be noted that on a wheel landing, the tail takes a long time to come down due to the light wing loading.  During this time, the ailerons are still very effective and full aileron deflection for crosswind control will lift a wing back into the air. Supposedly this is just like the original Ryan ST handles. Don't try to rush the tail to the ground or you'll quickly find yourself back in the air with no reserve lift. As fine a reputation as the original Ryan ST has, it still had its quirks caused by the inherently unstable leading-link landing gear. Luckily Timber Tiger did away with this design without compromising the gear's outward appearance.  The gear leg fairings now hide a new landing gear design which always tracks straight and true. 

Some final items about the Timber Tiger ST-L prototype I flew versus the kits which were based upon it. Several improvements were made to the design based upon learnings from the prototype.  These changes have been cut into every ST-L kit produced by Timber Tiger. The major improvements include: 

1. Wing fuel tanks in place of the original style nose tank: 

• Increased fuel capacity 

• Removes fuel from cockpit 

• More baggage room 

• More passenger room 

• Easier to fuel 

• Lower CG 

• CG Shifts forward with fuel burn 

2. Lowered seats and increased windscreen height for a more scale appearance: 

• Accommodates taller pilots 

• More vertical space for cushions or parachute 

• More scale appearance 

• Ability to sit lower into the airplane if desired