The X-Air Review
 …an affordable, easy to build and easy to fly Fun-Machine with a lot of bang-for-the buck!
Flight Review By M. Mayerhofer
Over the past 5 years I have clocked up several hundred hours ferrying a variety of different X-Air’s around Australia including 160 odd hours in my own aircraft. Powered by the trusty Rotax 582 and 618’s and the 80 hp Jabiru engine they have performed almost faultlessly flying all over the country in the varying conditions that Australia can produce.
My story goes back to about 6 years ago when I was looking for an affordable, safe and easy to fly 2-seater Ultralight; I had to work within a very limited budget so my new aircraft had to be someone’s second hand pride and joy or a new kit running with a second hand engine.
After looking at countless second hand, or as common up to about 8th – hand machines and a couple of new machines which were financially beyond my budget, I placed a couple of calls to nag Michael Coates of X-Air Australia with all sorts of questions about the aircraft he had just started to import from overseas. Some cash was scrambled between family and friends and we were off on the long drive from Brisbane to Mudgee in NSW, where X-Air
Australia was based before re-locating to Queensland’s Gold Coast about 4 years ago.
Having never seen one in the flesh, except for a demo video and a few pretty brochures a fair bit of time was spent with a very patient Michael Coates to crawl all over his demonstrator aircraft, finally he let me have a go at the almost new aircraft around the picturesque Mudgee area.
There was not much opportunity to fully explore the potential handling characteristics of this very neat design, but after a mere 30 minutes of play in the aircraft I was convinced that the X-Air was the right choice, it suited the flying I wanted to do and since there was a kit in stock in the colors we wanted a deal was struck on the spot and the 2 crates were strapped onto the trailer which was brought along – ‘just in case’.
Building the X-Air
 First impression when opening up the kit is…. WOW - everything is bubble-wrapped to perfection to avoid any transport damage; we also found the wrapping to be very handy to avoid scratching the tubing when handling the parts during the assembly process. Once the parts are unwrapped I was really surprised to find that there were no messy bags of hardware floating around as common in many kits commercially available, almost every bolt is in the pre-drilled hole it belongs to along with the correct washers, spacers and where applicable nuts just finger tightened.
The assembly process is extremely straight forward; by simply following a detailed and illustrated step-by-step assembly manual, they now also have a 3 hour assembly DVD which is supplied free with each aircraft. Windscreen and fuselage pod assembly is also very simple, with all the parts pre-cut and mostly pre-drilled with exception of the bolt holes to attach the 2-piece wind shield to the pod.
A little bit of planning and detailed work is required during the assembly of the 2-piece composite instrument panel which is also pre-cut and pre-painted (gel-coated). I found that fitting the desired instrumentation and associated wiring loom before fitting the panel and console into the aircraft was much easier than doing it in the plane.
The sporty looking and comfortable (as many hours of long cross country flights have proven) composite seats have their upholstery pre-fitted and are ready to be bolted onto the strong, pre-drilled and pre-cut plywood floor which comes up very neat when covered with marine carpet.
To finish the fuselage and empennage assembly only took about 3 days with the many assistants I had dropping by to check out the new plane, with the fuselage formers being pre-formed and ready to be riveted onto their allocated brackets and all covering being completely pre-sewn and ready for assembly the plane almost grows before your eyes. Tail feathers for example are simply bolted together inside the beautifully finished skins, which ensure a tight fit of the Dacron covering fabric on every aircraft I have seen.
I decided to fit the more powerful Rotax 618 to the X-Air airframe which I had purchased in “due-for-an-overhaul” condition out of the back of a Drifter which was re-converted to a 582 after having done about 350 hours including a long over water flight to Tasmania by a Boonah flight instructor.
The engine was completely overhauled to 0-hour condition, incl. new radiators, hoses, and a new gearbox and with all the work completed it still came in at under half the price of a new 618; it was a real bargain and helped keep the project under budget.
With the engine installed and a new Aerofibre 68inch 3-bladed Brolga prop fitted final assembly was to be done at Barry Hempel’s Hanger at Archerfield
Airport with final inspection to be “supervised” by Ian Aviation.
With the relevant paper work completed, the engine run-in, a green light from the RAA and a freshly issued RAA licence which was a quick conversion from a VH-commercial and an overseas Ultralight licence the X-Air was readied for it’s maiden flight.
Following some final engine and control surface (right deflections) checks, the aircraft was cleared for take-off and 1500 ft orbit over the field enjoying the luxury of Archerfield’s main runway.
A strong but steady 30 knot wind which was a bit of a concern for me proved to be no problem for this light but amazingly stable machine. Following some basic stall testing, several touch-and-go circuits were completed and before I knew it the first couple of hours in our new pride and joy were already on the clock.
Unfortunately there was no hanger space available for my assembled aircraft at Archerfield and as I didn’t want to leave my new pride and joy outside or take the wings off each day I got RAA approval to fly the X-Air to nearby Caboolture Aerodrome to complete the 25 hours flight test period.
Flying the X-Air
 When initially inspecting the X-Air in Mudgee I was somewhat concerned about the relatively flexible mounted empennage, however my concerns quickly disappeared with the next 160 trouble free hours being flown in just over 7 months. Against my initial concerns there was no sign whatsoever of material fatigue. Also, it seems that this configuration plays a strong part in the X-Air’s very soft riding characteristics, especially in rough, turbulent conditions, where the tail and also the flexible outer half of the wing takes most of the shocks in rough conditions.
One of the first things to notice during taxiing even on rougher grass surfaces is the suspension of the landing gear; with its large shock absorbers there is virtually no bumping or rattling noticeable, the aircraft almost glides across the ground.
Opening up the throttle the drum brakes prove to be efficient up to approx. 6000 RPM (with the 3:1 geared 618) and I understand the later models actually have larger brakes again, further increasing the efficiency. Initial acceleration when the brakes are released is brisk, even with 2 average people and 58 litres of fuel. At MTOW of 490 kgs, a safe rotation at approx. 45-50 knots is achieved after approx. 50-60 meters, with ROC settling at just under 900 fpm. Rate of climb with the 618, one POB and full fuel showed in excess of 1100 fpm at a climb speed of 45-48 knots.
After transition into straight level flight, and power reduced to 5400 RPM, a genuine indicated airspeed of 65 knots is maintained at this power setting, which the GPS proved to be correct. I have found over the last few years ferrying a lot of X-Air’s around Australia that the difference between the 618 and the 582 powered versions in cruise is almost negligible. I think the X-Air is quite sensitive when it comes to changes in propeller pitch, especially with the commonly used Brolga Props, a different set of pitch blocks can easily add those few more knots in cruise performance if required at the expense of some climb performance.
There are also a few Jabiru powered X-Air’s in the country which I have flown and besides a minor saving in fuel consumption I can see no real benefit in the much more expensive engine costing more than twice the price of the 582 Rotax.
Some people may argue the 2-strokes reliability, however a well maintained, modern 2-stroke is by no means as unreliable as their reputation used to be and the difference in fuel consumption is also not really an issue since almost all of the small 4-strokes, such as Jabiru, 912 etc., will burn around 20 litres/hour in cruise configuration when fitted to an aircraft like the X-Air.
Control response of the X-Air is excellent, with direct response and light stick forces in all 3 axis the X-Air sports a roll rate from 45 to 45 degrees of less than 3.5 seconds. There is a noticeable adverse yaw tendency if you turn with just the aileron but this however is easily encountered with the use of its highly effective rudder, the X-Air loves using the rudder.
Stall characteristics are completely without any vices and the aircraft can in my opinion be classed as quite stall resistant. Reducing power to a fast idle of approx. 3000 RPM, the first sign of a departing airflow does not try to get your attention with a pronounced stick shaker until below 26 knots. By the time the nose actually gently drops there is no reliable reading on the ASI left to determine an accurate stall speed but my guess with the GPS is its well under 25 knots. At MTOW, or ferry weight, most X-Air’s stall around the 26-28 knots IAS and there are also no nasty characteristics noticeable in any configuration. Even with stick fully back, the aircraft does not fully stall and as soon as the nose lowers there is enough airspeed for the X-Air to un-stall itself and it just keeps flying. I guess this is one reason why the X-Air is such a popular choice with new pilots as their first plane.
The X-Air is not really demanding when it comes to approach speeds and an IAS around 35 knots in calm conditions up to 55-60 knots has been successfully tested. In my experience I find with 2 POB approaching at just under 50 knots seems to be most comfortable with absolutely no tendency to “balloon”. With only one POB 42-45 knots seem to be right on the mark, the X-Air is probably the most controllable and stable plane I have ever flown on approach and flare, I have managed to safely and with full control land the X-Air with up to 30 knots of true cross wind and although I don’t want to push it I would guess it could take more.
Except for one recent episode where a quick landing into a wet paddock was a wise decision after the engine sounded a bit odd right after take off I must say I never had a bad landing or a bouncer in any of the X-Air’s I have flown and I can safely say that if you really bounce it on the deck for whatever reason or actually really feel a “hard” landing you probably have nothing to worry about more than your mates who have seen the stuffed up landing. The X-Air’s landing gear is exceptional and there is no other way of putting it. It will not bounce and will take a tremendous shock even during a bad landing before anything brakes or bends.
It would be a bit too much to call the X-Air a serious cross-country machine with its modest 65 knot cruise, but for what this plane has been designed to do it is certainly the leader in its category, there are plenty of mega-bucks speed demons available if you need to regularly fly huge distances. However having said all this I have flown hundreds of cross-country hours in the X-Air, in all sorts of versions – with wheel spats, enclosed with the optional cabin doors or open, 2-stroke and 4-stroke powered, standard and optional long range tanks, alone or with company during long flights, and there is virtually no place it couldn’t get to, even as a bar bones standard version, it is a pure pleasure to fly and still gets you from Brisbane to Narromine in less than a day, and Brisbane to Melbourne can be also done in two days and you even get to enjoy the scenery on the trip.
As for costs and building skills, I built my first X-Air several years ago before GST and I managed to get my plane airborne with the second hand 618 for just over $20,000. Today even with GST and fluctuating exchange rates I see from the X-Air web site it will cost around $17,000 for the complete airframe kit; on top of this you need to purchase an engine, instruments and propeller and any other goodies like GPS and radio etc..
 The X-Air is still a highly attractive aircraft for anyone who is looking for an aircraft that is easy and fun to fly, economical to operate and maintain, does not require an extra mortgage for the initial purchase and also gets you to places when you want it to. The aircraft undergoes continual development and there have been quite a few changes from the original aircraft I purchased 5 years ago, the latest ones I have flown have larger brakes, a wider entry to the cockpit, luggage racks and a few subtle changes which make the plane the complete package.
If you are concerned about building it yourself you shouldn’t be…. Anyone who is capable of simply putting nuts on bolts can assemble the X-Air aircraft from the kit. For other things like wiring, instruments and engine issues X-Air
Australia has a phone in Builder’s Assistance Service under the supervision of an experienced person. Additionally after the aircraft is completed it can also be test-flown and delivered to almost any location within Australia by the people at X-Air. They have also just finished a DVD and video on building the plane which takes you step by step through the process from start to finish.
Am I glad I brought an X-Air ?? I sure am, I would have another one in a heartbeat if time allowed, for now I seem to have built up a reputation for flying them all over Australia and each time the phone rings I always think… where to now…. It’s all good fun in a fun aircraft.
By M. Mayerhofer
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