In The Air: Lofty Legends
August 4, 2003
Built primarily of E glass and carbon fiber composites, the Legend’s airframe is designed for powerful engines and high speeds. The kit comes in a “fast build” form designed to reduce the build time by 600 hours and features many prefabricated components. Gray estimates it requires about 7,000 man-hours of labor to complete the project from start to first flight.
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The fast, aerobatic Legend soars above Southern California. (Click image to enlarge)
One look at the Legend reveals that it is a craft designed to turn fuel into speed. Its long nose houses a 724-hp Czech-manufactured Walter turbine engine, driving a very large prop from an Eastern European commuter airliner. This combination of smooth, powerful turboprop engine and sleek airframe endows the Legend with incredible performance. Turbine engines are wonderful things, having few moving parts, all rotating and producing vibration-free power. The Walter has been produced for years in the Czech Republic, and commuter airliners of Eastern Europe commonly fit the solid and reliable engine to their ubiquitous turboprops. Starting the Walter is a bit different from starting the usual aircraft piston engine. Engaging the starter produces the familiar turbine whine. Once the rpm level reaches the correct percentage, fuel is introduced. As the prop spins up, the sound inside the cockpit does not change, nor is there any vibration. The first indications that the engine has started come from the instruments that show increasing temperature and rpm, the characteristic turbine whine, and the intoxicating smell of burning jet fuel. Here, the term “turbine smooth” really means something.
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