For some pilots, flying is simply a way of getting from one place to another, to expedite business or personal pursuits. To them, the original joy of flying has been reduced to nothing more than a mundane drill, no more exciting than doing the daily commute to work. I feel sorry for them. But there is another breed of pilots out there, who are infectious in their passion of flight, and can't wait to get back into the azure-blue skies above. You know the type, and can discern the difference between the two. Most of us have flown with a CFI, who was just building time towards the perceived utopia of an airline career, and simply taught the mechanics of flight. But some of us have been fortunate enough to find an instructor that had a serious passion for his craft, which inspired us to really dig into the art & skill of flying, and never lose that initial `rush' and joy of the pure essence of flight.

I met such a man yesterday.

J.D. Stewart from UltraFun AirSports, LLC of Norfolk, Nebraska graciously invited me to come over and test fly his brand-spanking new Titan Tornado SS, which is prototype aircraft #1 of that series, manufactured by Titan Aircraft Company of Austinburg, Ohio.  J.D. did R&D work on this model, assisted by Titan's Technical Director Guy Truex.

J.D. is proud of his new "baby", and has every right to be.  His Tornado SS with an 80hp Rotax 912UL and a 26.5 foot wingspan is a sight to behold, with a bold paint scheme and sleek, sexy design. My first impression was simply "Wow!" J.D. went through a thorough pre-flight with me, while answering my numerous questions regarding the aircrafts systems. Fit, finish, and attention to detail were evident throughout the pre-flight inspection. Then, it was time to go fly!

J.D.'s Titan Tornado SS model is a work of art. A poor man's fighter plane disguised as a Light Sport Aircraft. Everything is exactly where it needs to be, and the control placement is intuitive, minimizing in-flight distractions, and better cockpit management. The throttle is right at your left hand, and the stick was equipped with multi function buttons that activated electric flaps, EIS display, and communications. For the front seat Titan driver, the rudder pedals were adjustable via a hand crank assembly, similar to those on a Blanik L-13 sailplane. Nice touch! The back seat was roomy, comfortable, and offers great visibility. I strapped into the front seat, and immediately noticed the well thought ergonomics of the cockpit. I knew then that I was in one hot aircraft. After a few minutes of getting familiar with the layout of the controls, we started her up, and J.D. discussed the V-speeds with me. We taxied down the ramp, and did a complete run-up. Everything was perfect, and good to go.

Even with gusty crosswinds of 15mph, the takeoff was a breeze, although if you blink, you'll miss it. The Titan accelerated like a rocket, and we were airborne in 250 feet. Establishing airspeed of 66mph, the Tornado held a steady 1,000fpm rate of climb, putting us well over pattern altitude by the time we reached the end of the runway. At that time, J.D. commented that he could see a big smile on my face, and he was right! Leveling off at 3,500 feet MSL, it was time to explore the Tornado's flight regime. At 4800rpm, a cruise of 110mph was indicated in straight and level flight.  Slight right rudder pressure was required to center the ball, simply because J.D. hasn't had the time to install a rudder trim tab. At 4900rpm, cruise was 115mph, which is very respectable. I then pushed the stick forward, and released pressure. The resulting oscillation indicated positive dynamic stability, and damped out quickly. Before I continue, I should mention the visibility from the front seat. Truly, utterly amazing!

Standard turns were completely normal, and devoid of any surprises. You do need to pay some attention to coordination, and use the rudder, but it is very docile, and doesn't wander around. The best way that I can describe the turns in the Tornado SS is that you think, and it does it, similar to hover practice in a Robinson R22 helicopter. The roll rate is incredible, even with the longer wing, aided by aileron spades. What a way to fly! It felt like the Tornado was an extension of myself, and that's what I really like to see in an aircraft.  Following the turn series, I proceeded to explore the Titan's flight characteristics in slow flight. Stalls were straight forward, with no surprises. A power off no flap stall occurred at 44mph IAS, with no tendency to drop a wing. With full flap extension, stall was at 35mph IAS. Full power stalls were difficult to accomplish, except at an extreme nose high pitch. The Tornado is so aerodynamically clean that it wants to continue to climb. When it did stall, the break was a bit more brisk, but recovery was immediate, with only a 50-foot loss in altitude.

After that, we headed over to J.D.'s ranch, and proceeded to do some low-level work. I'll make this short and sweet. Solid as a rock, with none of the typical ballooning you get from low-level wind asymmetries in an ultralight. The Tornado cuts right through the bumps like a regular general aviation plane.  We proceeded back to the airport, and did some touch and goes, followed by three full stop landings. Approach is flown at 70pms IAS, and then 60mph over the fence. The Titan Tornado SS is a hot little airplane, so you need to use some finesse to land her smoothly.  Control authority is excellent, as I deliberately held her rock-solid on one of the mains for 200 feet before bringing the rest of the gear down to the tarmac.  We came to a full stop, and J.D. and myself changed our seating arrangement, and I flew from the back seat. For a tandem, this is an instructor's dream machine. Visibility is excellent, and I have no squawks or qualms at all about flying from that position. After a couple of landings, I wanted back in the front. It was time to take this baby out and play!  Climbing out to 4,500 feet MSL, I proceeded to explore both ends of the flight envelope. Over the years, I've had the chance to test fly a variety of aircraft, and have done more than my fair share of aerobatics. What I can tell you first-hand is that the Titan Tornado SS is one heck of a performer. This aircraft is truly a `poor man's fighter'. Honestly, I haven't had so much fun with an airplane in 20 years! J.D. was my willing `lab rabbit', and I put him through a variety of maneuvers which resulted in a constant din of "Yee Haw" over the intercom system. I established a `box', and demonstrated to him how precisely the Tornado could perform, and do my bidding.  The Tornado responds instantly to your control inputs, and you can pull G's in a heartbeat. At one point, I even showed J.D. how it remained flyable at an IAS of 22mph through a slow energy management maneuver. At no time did any nasty surprise raise its ugly head. What a great design.

Sadly, I had to return to the airport, before the sun set in the western skies over Nebraska. I didn't want to come down.  The bottom line is that J.D. and the boys at Titan have come up with an incredible performer in the Titan Tornado SS. She's fast, a fantastic performer, and in my opinion would make an excellent cross country machine.

I want one. Like… ohh… yesterday!

I will have one. It's simply a matter of time.

Matt

Bio: 

Started flying in 1978, and have flown ultralights, gliders, standard GA planes, and have some rotary wing time. Did flight test work on T-41B's with Robertson STOL kits (a Cessna 172 on steroids) which were shipping to the Civil Air Patrol. Did training for NOE (nap of the earth) flying. Flew acro a lot, loved a Citabria Super-D! (learning to fly taildraggers, gliders and acro taught me a LOT. And I'm still learning something new every time I fly.) For my fun flying, I love high performance sailplanes.