![LibertyXL2N508XL01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/LibertyXL2N508XL01.jpg)
The Liberty XL2 is a two-seat, low-wing, general aviation aircraft manufactured from 2004–2011 by
Liberty Aerospace
Liberty Aerospace, Inc. was a Bahrainian-owned manufacturer of general aviation aircraft based in Melbourne, Florida, United States.
The company, started by British entrepreneur Anthony Tiarks, produced one model, the Liberty XL2, a two-seat ...
of
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...
. A derivative of the
Europa XS
Europa may refer to:
Places
* Europe
* Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace
* Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro
* Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development
* Europa Cliffs ...
kit plane
Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...
, it serves both as a touring aircraft for private flyers and as a
flight trainer.
Subsequently,
Discovery Aviation
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discovery ...
acquired the rights and in 2018 production of the aircraft (now named as the Discovery XL-2) resumed at the same Florida factory.
Design and development
Derived from the Europa XS kitplane and motor-glider, the XL-2 was
type certified
A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...
in 2004 under
FAR Part 23 for
VFR and
IFR
In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR).
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fly ...
flight.
[
]
Compared to the Europa XS, the fuselage is slightly wider and larger to accommodate bigger American pilots, and also taller with a bigger windscreen. The wing is metal instead of composite and the aircraft is equipped with a
Teledyne Continental Motors
Continental Aerospace Technologies is an aircraft engine manufacturer located at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was originally spun off from automobile engine manufacturer Continental Motors Company in 1929 and owne ...
FADEC
A full authority digital engine (or electronics) control (FADEC) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or "engine control unit" (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of ai ...
-controlled engine mounted on a metal space frame instead of the Europa's
Rotax 912
The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, late ...
engine mounted on the
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
. The landing gear is also of a different design.
The Liberty was designed by Ivan Shaw, who also created the Europa. The aircraft has a composite fuselage and aluminum wings. The engine is a fuel injected
FADEC
A full authority digital engine (or electronics) control (FADEC) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or "engine control unit" (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of ai ...
(Full Authority Digital Engine Control) equipped
Continental IOF-240–B driving an MT composite propeller.
[Hunt, Adam: ''Flying the Liberty XL2'', COPA Flight, January 2006, ]Canadian Owners and Pilots Association
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) (french: Association canadienne des pilotes et propriétaires d'aéronefs) is a federally registered not-for-profit association that provides information and advocacy services for Canadian pil ...
The landing gear is of
tricycle
A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle.
Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes, ...
configuration and all three sprung gear legs are made from
4130 chrome-molybdenum steel alloy. The nose wheel is free-castering. On early versions the nose wheel steering was by differential braking via two finger-controlled brake handles mounted on the centre console.
On later versions more conventional toe brakes were installed.
The wing features large fowler flaps pivoting on three scissor hinges per wing, with a maximum 30-degree deflection. The flaps are electrically powered and are controlled by a switch to the right of the radio stack. The flap indicator is a three-light system which shows when the flaps are at zero, twenty and thirty degrees. The flaps can be selected in between those settings but require visual confirmation of flap position. The wing is rectangular with a 7:1 aspect ratio, no taper and no
washout. Small
stall strips
A stall strip is a small component fixed to the leading edge of the wing of an airplane to modify its aerodynamic characteristics.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms'', third edition, page 487. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. The ...
are installed a few feet out from the root to aid stall performance. The airfoil is a unique design, which the XL2 shares with its predecessor the Europa. This is a
Don Dykins airfoil, designated as a "Dykins 12%", because the wing's maximum thickness is 12% of the chord. The airfoil is a semi-symmetrical, laminar-flow design. The stall warning system is a voice annunciator that says "stall, stall".
The fuel is housed in a single fuselage-mounted tank with filler on the left side. The tank holds 28 US gallons usable and is fed to the engine via a simple on-off fuel selector.
The tail features a rudder mounted with a piano hinge on the right side only. The elevator is a full flying stabilator and incorporates anti-servo tabs inboard on both sides to increase pitch stick forces. The controls are actuated by dual control sticks and conventional rudder pedals.
Cockpit access is via two "gull wing" doors. The seats are mounted in side-by-side configuration in a cockpit. The seats are fixed in place with ergonomic adjustment achieved with seat cushions of different thicknesses and adjustable rudder pedals.
Standard avionics include a
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquart ...
530 GPS-Comm, a 430 GPS-Comm and a GTX 327
transponder
In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend word, blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''.
In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a T ...
, along with an intercom system and audio control panel. Engine instruments are all contained within a
Vision MicroSystems VM-1000 panel.
Under the right side of the instrument panel is an ITT Cannon
D-subminiature
The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smallest connectors used on computer systems.
Description, n ...
plug providing
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 or Recommended Standard 232 is a standard originally introduced in 1960 for serial communication transmission of data. It formally defines signals connecting between a ''DTE'' (''data terminal equipment'') such a ...
serial communication, into which a computer can be plugged to download engine monitoring information. The software to run this is included on a CD-ROM that comes with the plane. This has been upgraded to an EDI card (engine Data Information). This card is a memory card much like in a digital camera, and records all engine data from 0 hours, until the 2000 hour TBO and can be read with a card reader to diagnose problems and observe flight characteristics in real time.
In July 2009 the company introduced a version of the XL2 equipped with a
Wilksch Airmotive turbocharged diesel power plant that burns
Jet-A
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial av ...
fuel aimed at the non-North American market. Liberty was to assist Wilksch in
certifying this engine.
In April 2011 the company announced that they had developed a
Rotax 912
The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, late ...
S powered version that runs on
auto fuel aimed at Asian markets, due to lack of 100 octane
avgas
Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, w ...
fuel outside North America. The engine will be available as a factory option and also as a retrofit under a
supplemental type certificate and saves in empty weight, due to the much lighter engine.
With the start of the
2008 global recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...
, sales of the XL2 slowed greatly. During 2011 the company shipped only two aircraft and none during the first two quarters of 2012. In late September 2012 the sale of 50 XL2s to the city of
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
was announced.
In October 2012 the Chinese order was increased to 200 aircraft, with components being shipped to Wuhan for final assembly.
Discovery Aviation
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discovery ...
purchased the rights to the design in 2014, putting it back into limited production with
avionics
Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...
upgrades in January 2018 under the name ''Discovery XL-2''. The company reported orders for three aircraft for a South Korean operator at that time. Discovery planned to increase production to full capacity by the end of 2018.
Specifications (Liberty XL2)
See also
References
External links
Liberty Aerospace
{{Liberty Aerospace aircraft
2000s United States civil utility aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 2001