Game Bird Aircraft - It's not often these days that a new aircraft design has the potential to be a total game changer. But I would argue that German aircraft designer Philipp Steinbach has created just that, at least for pilots who want to challenge their stick-and-rudder skills or "keep on the green side" so to speak. Steinbach's new, versatile aerobatic aircraft, called the GB1 GameBird, is on track to receive EASA and FAA certification. It incorporates many innovative features that make it an efficient cross-country aircraft with aerobatic capabilities that have impressed the likes of freestyle world aerobatic champion Rob Holland.
I had the opportunity to fly with Holland from Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin during this year's EAA AirVenture to experience the edge of the Gamebird's flight envelope. I can tell you it has been one heck of a ride. We started with an aileron roll at 180 knots to get a feel for the airplane. At the end of the flight, we taxied the plane to zero airspeed and 230 knots airspeed and put it through some maneuvers I had never experienced before.
Game Bird Aircraft
Although Steinbach was not a trained engineer, he designed, built and tested a long list of aircraft during his career. For Gamebird, he teamed up with two young but very talented design engineers: Jing Dai and Robert Finney. Together they found a way to create an aircraft that can fly 1,000 nm, be used as a basic tail wheel trainer or meet the extreme needs of those who want to play in the aerobatic competition field up to the unlimited class. The design of the plane is simply brilliant. The Gamebird will be manufactured by a new company called Game Composites, which Steinbach co-founded with Stuart Walton, a young lawyer, businessman and pilot, grandson of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club founder Sam Walton.
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The Gamebird project began in the UK in 2013 and the team used computer-aided design (CAD) software to create the aircraft. "The first design was two men and an engine," says Steinbach. “Then we designed the plane around them. With compositions, you can do a lot.” The GB1 first flew on July 15 last year and made its public debut at the Flying Legends Airshow in England earlier this year.
The Gamebird was launched in the United States at AirVenture, where a steady stream of people explored the aircraft in front of the International Aerobatic Club building near the show center. I had the pleasure of watching Steinbach fly a beautiful aerobatic routine in front of a large AirVenture crowd. The performance included tricks I had never seen before, proving that, in addition to being a great designer, Steinbach is a talented aerobatic pilot who has seen great success in competition aerobatics.
One of the many design elements that make the Gamebird a great airplane is its fuel system. Three fuel tanks feed the aircraft. The aerobatic tank located in the nose section holds 25 gallons, enough for a solid hour of hardcore aerobatics. The tank can also be used for takeoff and landing. This eliminates the possibility of engine failure due to fuel transfer to the wingtip during a glide.
Each wing holds an additional 28 gallons for a total of 81 gallons of fuel if you want to travel a good distance across the country. International travel with the Gamebird is also easier than with traditional aerobatic aircraft. Steinbach said he and another man took the plane apart and loaded it onto an air freight pallet in 2.5 hours — a feat that would take days for many aerobatic planes. Despite their star power, each wing weighs only 80 pounds.
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For long cross-country flights, some people may want autopilot. Steinbach said this is not in the plans at this time due to weight, but the team is looking into the possibility of installing a wing leveler. Another advantage if you take the Gamebird on the road is that you don't need to put all your stuff in a small bag stuffed somewhere in the cabin. The Gamebird has a decently sized trunk, capable of carrying 30 pounds of gear behind the two tandem-configured seats.
The seats are firm and recline slightly, which makes for a comfortable ride. Adjustable air vents provide plenty of airflow in the glass cockpit. The steering pedals are adjustable from the rear seat with a system that requires no tools. Visibility from the cockpit is excellent, and on the ground, even from the back seat, it's easier to see over the nose than in many high-performance tail tractors. Only slight S-turns should be made while taxiing.
The rudder control surface is shortened from top to bottom, reducing adverse yaw. Unlike many aerobatic aircraft, the Gamebird can be flown without much rudder input. However, there is plenty of rudder authority for a challenging aerobatic routine.
With carbon fiber wings, pushrods, and a monocoque fuselage, the final design was light and strong with a curb weight of 1,290 pounds. The aircraft will be certified plus and minus 10 GS. Steinbach says the structural test prototype was battered in every way imaginable up to 19 GS without structural failure.
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When I first sat in the pilot's seat, I felt that the stick was too high - a function of me being a pilot who is not used to making the quick, sudden maneuvers necessary for hardcore aerobatic flight. I usually like to rest my hands on the armrest or feet, but even though I couldn't do that, the stick position felt right when I was flying. Of course, since the Gamebird is a brand new prototype, I couldn't fly from the back seat - which is designed for solo flight - so this wasn't a typical flight evaluation. But I didn't mind. After all, I was flying with one of the best aerobatic pilots in the world.
Unlike most high-performance aerobatic aircraft, the Gamebird's ailerons have no spades, which reduces drag and the number of parts for the aircraft. However, the aileron design enabled a roll rate higher than anything I had experienced before. Holland performed a roll that ended before I had time to say the roll. The trick even sent my headphones flying. And I was surprised to find that full deflection of ailerons is possible at any airspeed up to vne.
Steinbach says the successful design was achieved by experimenting with several factors, such as the thickness of the airfoil and the location of the hinge points on the ailerons, which run the entire span of the trailing edge of the wing. During a series of test flights, Steinbach established a linear graph, determining the roll rate at 1,874 times the airspeed in knots. This translates to a rolling speed of 400 degrees per second at 200 ki. Yes, you read that right. It will complete a roll in less than a second.
Another clever design element that adds to the versatility of the Gamebird is the ability to quickly change the center of gravity depending on the mission. Below the horizontal stabilizer is a chamber on each side of the empennage that can receive up to 25 pounds of ballast to move CG aft every second. The change in CG makes the aircraft more maneuverable but less stable to enable extreme aerodynamic maneuvers. The controls felt well balanced, but I could feel the stresses on the pitch. "Stability is the enemy of aerobatics," Holland remarked.
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There is a ballast chamber on each side of the empennage to allow quick CG changes. John Whittle
Noise is becoming a problem at airports around the world, and by nature, high-efficiency, high-horsepower engines make a lot of noise. To reduce the noise footprint of the GB1, the Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A engine will be limited to 2,600 rpm and 303 hp. The mating call of the Gamebird was also reduced by attaching a four-blade, wood-core/composite MT propeller prop to the engine. Steinbach's flight on AirVenture was remarkably quiet compared to other performers.
The aircraft has plenty of power, however, and tremendous vertical penetration capabilities. With a full aerobatic tank and Holland and I in the plane, we climbed straight from 2,300 feet to 4,600 feet before Holland pushed the GB1 into hammer. Holland also dropped Gamebird. GB1 complied without complaint.
Gamebird's slow features are simply unimaginable. Below 60 knots, I can still comfortably control the airplane in pitch and roll. The stall was a little choppy at about 55 knots, and with just a touch of power, I barely had to advance the stick to recover. Steinbach says symmetrical wing thickness combines strength with low weight while gracefully curved leading edges, which have a uniform radius from root to tip, allow for a smooth transition from stall to post-stall maneuvers. To show the final end of slow flight,
Aircraft G Igbi (2015 Game Composites Gbi Gamebird C/n 001) Photo By Florida Metal (photo Id: Ac1460043)
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