THE TANGO II

This ain't no light sport aircraft!

Let's face it. Real pilots want real airplanes. And the Tango II is just that. A blazing fast, 200+ Mph composite built aircraft. With top speeds up to 220 Mph, the Tango has little competition to keep up with. And with prices less expensive then most light sport aircraft, you'll get there in half the time for less money.

While the Tango certainly isn't light sport, it sure can handle like a light sport at low speeds! Stall speeds of 60 mph ensure safe landings for low time pilots. With takeoff distances as low as 450 ft, it's getting close to the envelope of STOL aircraft. Fixed gear ensures no langing gear mishaps, and affordable insurance, while still breaking the 200 mph magic barrier.

For pilots looking for an unmatched combination of speed, range and performance in a safe, sleek, roomy, and affordable, two place aircraft. This combination is one-of-a-kind in the industry and the benefit to you is outstanding value.

In our unique Builder's Center program you can build your airframe, ready for firewall forward and instrument panel as little as 30 days. This is not just hype, it has been done. Simplicity of construction is one of the hallmarks of the engineering behind the Tango concept. This is one reason why three Tango builders are now owners of the company. They believe in it!

Cruise speeds of up to 210 mph and a range up to 1,200 miles makes the Tango a productive and exciting aircraft to own. The stall speed of 60 mph and docile basic flight characteristics makes it a safe and attractive entry-level aircraft. Typical takeoffs between 450 to 600 ft. and initial climb over 3,000 feet per minute make it a blast to fly. The low parts count, fixed gear, builder's center option, and low drag design make the Tango Simply Fast. For hi-res images of the Tango II ... click here.

Pricing and Payment Schedule

Tango Airframe Kit
(Start date is defined as the day you are scheduled to start building your Tango in the Build Center)

Deposit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ $2,000

Payment I (90 days prior to start date)-------------------------------------------- $4,000

Payment II (30 days prior to start date)------------------------------------------- $23,750

Total-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------$29,750

*NOTE: Prices are subject to change without prior notice

Build Center Rates

Hangar Space ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ $150 per month

Utilities (use of Air, Tools, Electricity for work on aircraft)------------------------ $10 per day

Labor (builder s assistance)---------------------------------------------------------------$40 per hour

Tango Parts List

Tango Flight Report  

Pilot:                Carl "Mike" Schlick

Type A/C:   

Military:   PT-19 Stearman T-34, T-37, T-33, F-86H, F-100, F4-C  

Airline:       DC-9, B-727, L- 1011, DC- 10

General:     Aeronica, Piper (Pacer, Cherokee, Comanchee), Cessna (140, 150, 172, 210, 310)

General Turbine: Citation 500, Lear (23 & 24), Gulfstream II

Experimental: BD-4, BD-5, Mirage TC-2, DLF Tango  

Walking up to the Tango, the airplane stands fairly tall. The 180 HP I0-360 Lycoming swings a 76" constant speed Hartzel propeller. All the fuel is located in outboard wing panels, holding 20 usable gallons per side. The main gear is a fiberglass positive bow with 5.00 x 5 wheels and Cleveland brakes. The nose gear is a 4130 hardened, tapered rod with a Lamb nose wheel that is free to caster 25 degrees either side of center line, allowing the A/C to pivot on one main with a turn radius of 8 feet. Entry is from the top of the wing through a gull wing canopy with a fixed forward windshield. The seats are moveable 4130 weldments with 5 inch forward and back and 2 inch up and down.

The Tango has two standard sticks with rudder pedals and toe brakes, left and right sides. The center console has vernier push and pull throttle, prop and mixture control. There is no carb heat due to the engine being fuel injected. The trim wheel is mounted in the center tunnel along with the fuel selector and manual flap handle notched at 10 degrees, 20 degrees, and 35 degrees.

Taxiing the Tango is a real pleasure with very positive control through the differential toe brakes. The ride is very smooth and the rudder becomes effective at 20 MPH. The four long pipes give a hot rod rumble, letting you know you are in for an exciting flight.

The pilot has a choice of 0 degrees or 10 degrees flap for take off due to the light weight and 180-hp with constant speed prop. The acceleration is substantial. Measured takeoff roll with pilot and 40 gallons of fuel is 420 feet with no flaps, and 320 feet with 10 degrees of flap. The rudder is immediately effective upon brake release with takeoff power. The nose wheel can be lifted at 60 MPH, and takeoff soon after at 80 MPH, leaving the nose level until 100 MPH. then climbing at this speed with full power will achieve 2800 to 3000 feet per minute rate of climb with pilot, full fuel and no baggage. Climbing through 1000 feet and reducing power and prop to 25" square gives a climb of 1500 feet per minute. Climbing at 120 MPH gives better over-the-nose visibility. The Tango has good cooling at this speed.

During climb out using climbing turns, one notices the ease of maintaining pitch with the effective trim control wheel and light aileron forces at normal roll rates. Climbing to 8,500 feet takes six minutes, after level off at cruise power of 23" squared, the TAS is 208 MPH with a fuel bum of 8 gallons per hour. Stalls in the Tango are easily controlled power off or on. The stall break is accompanied by a very mild wing drop. No flap power off stall occurs at 78 MPH; 35 degrees of flaps produce a stall at 67 MPH. Power on stalls lower these speeds about 5 MPH.

The Tango has a roll rate of 140 degrees per second at 160 MPH and full stick deflection requires 20 lb. of force. Flying lazy 8's and steep turns in the Tango are a real pleasure. The aileron and stabilizer forces are nicely balanced. The Tango has good stability in pitch and yaw, with neutral stability in roll. During decent the pilot should plan ahead because the Tango builds speed easily and 220 MPH IAS should be maximum speed, while observing 180 MPH for maximum maneuvering. Entering the pattern, 120 MPH should be observed before extending flaps and 100 MPH for full flaps, then 90 to 95 MPH for final approach with 85 MPH over the fence and touchdown at 75 MPH. Minimum landing roll from touchdown to full stop can be made in 850 feet using maximum breaking with flaps and stick full aft.

The Tango flies about as easily as a Piper Cherokee 180 but with everything happening a little faster and with slightly lighter control inputs. The initial acceleration on takeoff roll will probably be the biggest surprise for most pilots, but what a nice surprise.

It is a wonderful plane, and even with two 190 pound occupants and full fuel with 60 pounds of baggage, it is a breeze. See you at the next fly in!

Mike Schlick

Tango Flight Report  

Pilot:       Denny Funnemark

Experience:       5,000 hours; solo 1968

Type A/C:

Military:        3,000 hrs F-4, F-5, F-15

Civilian:       2,000 hrs. Saab -340, C-172, Luscombe, Tango 2, Foxtrot 4

Seven Hundred Hours in my Tango 2. How Does it Fly?

Vital statistics: N99GE is serial number T-015, built in the original build center in Gainesville, FL. The engine is a 180 hp Superior XP-360 equipped with an Aerosance Powerlink FADEC system (Full AuthorityDigital Electronic Control) and an Aerocomposites 74 inch two blade propeller. I built the airplane to use on business trips, IFR if necessary, so I have a gps/comm, backup radio and King KNS-80 RNAV in the center panel for redundancy.

I did all of the initial taxi tests and susequent test flights. Test flights were pretty much uneventful as have been the hours since then. I have had one flight delay due to a chafed wire (my fault) on a sensor for the FADEC. I repaired that and haven't had a maintenace cancellation since. I switched to a larger oil cooler, added a simple rudder trim system, and added two small Facet fuel pumps to boost fuel from the wing tanks to the mechanical fuel pump on warm days and higher altitudes. Routine maintenance is about all I have had to do since then.

So how does it fly? Pretty much the way Mike Schlick's flight report descibes it. I routinely operate from a grass strip and take off with one notch of flaps. On takeoff on a standard 59 degree F day, solo, I don't see 3,000 fpm, but more like 2,500 fpm. I rarely fly light weight, though. A more typical profile is takeoff on a cross country with full fuel, me (200 Lbs), and about 50 pounds of stuff, and climb to 11,500 or 12,500 unless headwinds dictate a lower altitude. Brake release to 10,000 feet takes about ten minutes. When you are above 10,000 feet you are above most of the weather most of the time and you have more options in case you have a problem. Also, you are above most other recip airplanes and below the turbines. The sky is yours--go GPS direct. Good climb performance is the advantage of extra horsepower.

The FADEC system measures the density altitude and controls the mixture and ignition from switch on to switch off. During the climb I normally leave the throttle and prop control firewalled until level off and acceleration to cruise speed. Mixture control? Forget it. This is like flying a turboprop, but with better fuel economy. At level off at 11,500 or 12,500 I just pull the rpm back until the FADEC goes into low power cruise which gives slightly better fuel economy. This normally works out to about 20 inches mp, 2,300 rpm, and 61% power, according to my engine analyzer. The airspeed settles down to around 142 kias/175 ktas, depending on the temperature. Under these conditions I consistently burn an average of 7.5 pgh on flights of 2 to 4.5 hours, including ground time, climb, cruise, and descent. I figure on 750 nautical miles as a comfortable range for a day VFR flight, burning about 35 of the 40 gallon total. After flying with the FADEC system, the occasional flight in airplanes with conventional fuel injection and mixture control is a step backwards in time.

To me, the Tango handles about like a T-38 or an F-5E, which most pilots who have flown them think is just right. It is basically neutral in roll stability and pretty much stays at whatever bank angle you set. Differential ailerons eliminate adverse yaw and the need for rudder at moderate roll rates. This increases spin resistance while manuevering in the traffic pattern. During cruise a one ounce nudge on the stick gives a roll rate of 2 degrees/sec until you nudge it again to stop. Good for minor heading corrections. More aggressive maneuvering takes a little rudder and a little more effort but always feels smooth and balanced. Pitch forces are similar, but the airplane is very stable. Again, during straight and level cruise flight it takes about one ounce of pressure to make a small pitch change for altitude control. Rolling into a two g turn requires one pound of back pressure without retrimming. Damping is execellent as if the airplane had an expensive stability augmentation system installed. An aft or forward stick pulse dampens out in one half cycle with zero overshoot. This is nice in turbulence. You still feel the bumps, but the aircraft attitude remains stable.

The Tango uses a manual trim wheel to move the very effective anti-servo tab. It is sensitive, requiring only about 1/8th of an inch travel for small pitch adjustments. Most pilots get used to it quickly and like the light touch. After level off and acceleration to cruise speed, you can trim the airplane to maintain hands off level flight within less than fifty feet more or less indefinitely. The airplane is stable enough to fly hard IFR without an auto pilot, but don't expect to just sit back and ride. Do your flight planning on the ground.

The Tango also excels in day VFR fun flying. The light control forces and stable, predictable handling characteristics make lazy eights, chandelles and the occasional loop and roll a lot of fun. The relatively high wing wing loading makes for a smoother ride when you are cruising in bumpy air at 150-160 kias, or wide open throttle and 180kts, practicing for going around the pylons at Reno. In summary, I love the way my Tango flies. I would not change a thing.

Denny Funnemark

Back to main page 

teamtango@teamtango.com

Thanks for visiting with us!
©Copyright 2003 Team Tango.
All rights reserved.