Team Tango Updates

April 2008:

Congratulations to our latest fliers, Dave Bareiss and Art Duval. Both are in flight testing and also doing body work to get ready for painting. Dave’s has a FADEC equipped IOF-360, Aerocomposite prop, and EFIS 1200. Art has a standard IO-360, Hartzel prop, and EFIS 1200. Yes, there will be a race.

We are currently developing a composite plenum chamber in our shop. After some refinement it will be installed on Denny Funnemark’s Tango for flight testing. We hope to get even better cooling, reduced drag, easier installation, and greater durability with this design. It has a low profile to allow it to fit other airplanes besides the Tango.

Once again we will be attending Sun & Fun in Lakeland, FL, Come visit us at booth N-008, next to the flight line. Planes will be available for demo flights. If you want easier access, swing by the shop in Williston and see us.

October 2007:

We will be attending three fly ins in October. The first will be the AOPA Expo in Hartford, CT beginning Thursday, October 4th. After that we will have an airplane or two flying to SERFI in Evergreen, AL (GZH) October 12-14 followed by the AirJam in Deland, FL (DED) October 27-28. If you would like to set up a demo flight, call Denny Funnemark at 678-480-9370.

September 2007:

We continue to build experience with the EFIS 1200 and now offer it as the standard panel option for the Tango 2 and the Foxtrot 4. Denny Funnemark has accumulated over 140 hours flying with his EFIS 1200 on trips to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Massachussetts, and numerous shorter trips. It has proven to be simple to use and very reliable. We have succesfully tested the wing leveler function of the auto pilot and will begin testing the altitude hold in the near future. We expect that we will be able to offer this simple two axis auto pilot for an extra $500. The autopilot brain is in the AHRS, so simple servos are the only additional equipment needed.

Check the Options page of the Website for information and larger pictures of the EFIS 1200.

March 2007:

Test

Denny Funnemark completed the initial installation of the first EFIS 1200 and has begun flying with it. Initial impression is WOW. Size does matter. So does brightness. The pictures were taken in broad daylight with the sun behind the airplane, shining on the screens. If you can, enlarge them to 12 inch diagonal to get the actual screen size. The right screen views shown are with the True Map software from www.aviationsafety.com. You may also add MountainScope software from www.pcavionics.com. More features are coming and we will include a more complete description as we progress.

December 2006:

Merry Christmas from Team Tango. We are proud to announce the introduction of the brand new EFIS 1200 glass panel as standard equipment available exclusively on the Tango 2 and Foxtrot 4. This new system includes dual 12 inch screens which are 44% bigger than the more common 10 inch screens, yet they have a footprint including the bezel that is about the same at 8 ½ x 11 inches. The display includes the two screens, redundant processors, a built in GPS, and a total solid state magnetometer, air data system, and Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS). The displays have numerous options including typical EFIS type pitch/roll ladder, digital and analog airspeed indicator and altimeter, slaved HSI, moving map, XM weather overlays, approach plates, terrain mapping, and obstacle alerts. An engine monitor customized to individual engine requirements is also included in the package. There are no buttons on the screens to control the displays. Instead you use a trackball, joystick or hat switch to move a pointer, much like a mouse on a PC.

The components are rugged industrial quality, designed for and used in heavy equipment, marine applications and medical instruments, as well as aviation applications. The software is written by pilots for pilots. For those long cross country flights you can make in a Tango or Foxtrot, you can also plug in a DVD player to let your passenger watch in flight movies.

We currently have three Tangos and one Foxtrot under construction in our Florida build center. The builders had not committed to a particular type of panel until they looked the EFIS 1200. One look and they all decided to go with it. Denny Funnemark decided to keep up with the crowd and is retrofitting N99GE in January. We will be posting pictures and more information on our OPTIONS page in the near future. You may view partial screen pictures by going to www.pcavionics.com and www.aviationsafety.com. We are currently offering the EFIS 1200 for $8,500.

August 2006:

In April, Andy Gamache successfully completed flight testing of his 90 gallon wet wing Tango 2. Following that he headed west and is now sporting a new interior from Oregon Aero. He logged his first really long cross country flight on his return trip from Scappoose, Oregon to Florida. He stopped in Little Rock, Arkansas because of a line of thunderstorms after flying a little over eight hours and using 65 gallons of gas. He still had 25 gallons on board, meaning under the same conditions he could have made the LAX to JAX flight with reserve fuel remaining.

April 2006:

Andy Gamache continues flight testing of the latest Tango 2, the 90 gallon wet wing CROSS-THE- COUNTRY airplane. Aside from some minor glitches with the outside air temperature probe and a couple other sensors, flight testing continues to go well. He has greatly expanded the envelope by taking his plane up to 284 KIAS in about a 15 degree dive, well beyond the previous Vne of 200 KIAS. He reports the plane is steady as a rock. Upcoming flight will include testing at a gross weight of 2,200 pounds.

The Foxtrot is in full production. We will then begin building up an inventory of kit parts to reduce the lead time for new kit builders.

We would like to thank everyone who came by our booth at Sun & Fun this year. We had a lot of interest in both airplanes. Please keep in touch and contact us to set up a visit and demo ride.

March 2006:

In November we began flight testing the first Tango with a full wet wing. The first flight was uneventful, as were all the following flights. Total fuel capacity came in at 90 gallons total. The Tango will cruise at 175-180 KTAS at a density altitude of 12,000 feet while burning 7.5 gallons per hour at about 62% power when equipped with an IOF-360 (FADEC) and a constant speed prop. Quick math gives an eleven hour duration with an hour reserve. This is enough to fly LAX to JAX without a tail wind. The owner will be making that flight later this year after he gets a VERY comfortable interior installed. His work schedule gets in the way of a faster flight test program.

Denny Funnemark is closing in on the 1,000 hour milestone in his Tango, N99GE, with 971 hours as of March 5th , 2006. He has the most hours on the Tango, the Aerosance Powerlink FADEC system, and the Superior XP-360.

We are prepping for the Sun & Fun air show in Lakeland, FL, April 4-10. We will be in booth N-008. Come by for a visit.

September 2005:

We began test flying the first Tango 2 with an IO-320 and a fixed pitch prop. The builder chose a basic VFR airplane with dual electronic ignition. Other than the normal rudder trim tab, the airplane flew straight with no other adjustments required. So far flight testing has been delightfully uneventful. We do not have enough flight time to publish any numbers yet, but 75% power looks like it will give between 150-155 KIAS.

Denny Funnemark is flight testing the low cost autopilot. The wing level function works well, but the altitude hold needs some software adjustments to limit pitch rates. In reality, when the wing leveler is on, the altitude hold isn't really needed because of the inherent pitch stability.

Our first CROSS-THE-COUNTRY Tango 2 with the full wet wing should fly in late October. The builder spends most of his time flying overseas, so his progress is slow. We are also anticipating the arrival of the first Delta Hawk diesel engine in November or December.

July 2005:

We are busy preparing for AirVenture 2005. The big news is that this year we will be bringing the second Foxtrot 4 for display and demonstration flights. The Foxtrot will be parked in the home built parking area to make it available for demos. Our display booth is # 432 in the kit manufacturer's display area. Come by and visit us for directions and see what's new.

This year we will be demonstrating our new low cost two axis autopilot from PC Flight Systems and a new 10.4 inch EFIS from Pro-Tech. The auto pilot will list for $995 and the EFIS will list for $9,995.

After we return from AirVenture we will begin final airframe assembly on the first Tango to be equipped with the new Delta Hawk diesel. The builder ordered his engine early in the program and expects to have it shipped to our build center in August. Because this is a new and different installation, we wiil make no forecasts on when it will be ready.

See you at the show.

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