Open-Cockpit 2-seater ust when you felt as though Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) was the only segment of aviation getting any press, along comes a flying machine that harks back to the early days of ultralighting but with a distinctive fuselage construction and composite wings. Just when it seemed like every new LSA had to be enclosed, four-stroke-powered, fast, and have leather seats, along comes a new open-cockpit, mile-a-minute airplane that can easily carry two people on the power of a 50-hp Rotax 503. The leather is on your flight jacket. The Lil' Breezy B can weigh 350 pounds empty, fly at 60 mph, and sell for $12,500 (for all parts plus engine/prop but not your assembly labor). In my experience that sounds like an ultralight. Born in the new millennium, the Lil' Breezy B is a modern ultralight. Before we go fly, let's examine the machine and talk to its developer, Jack Harper. Life is a Breeze; Breezy is a Life Jack first worked on a Part 103 254-pound ultralight vehicle but was motivated to make a 2-seater because a lot of his customers needed instruction. The "B" model is the 2-seat version of the earlier design. For those who prefer not to fly the Lil' Breezy as a 2-seater, you remove the rear seat rudder pedal box off the fuselage, and remove the rear seat and controls. Now you have some baggage area and single-seat performance. The Lil' Breezy makes use of a truss system not common in light planes. While many aircraft designs have used stressed skin most ultralights have relied on gusseted aluminum or welded steel with Dacron or dope-and-fabric wings. The last ultralight I recall using a triangular truss fuselage was Steve Grossruck's Kasperwing II and it was anything but conventional. Many light aircraft make good use of triangulation. Trikes and ubiquitous Quicksilver MX models are good examples among many. But Jack Harper's Lil' Breezy B is a virtual study in triangles. The first Lil' Breezy - effectively the "A" model though Jack didn't call it that - started out as welded steel. Later, he went to the newer stressed skin triangular truss construction, which is composed of aluminum angle on the upper sections of the aft fuselage (and elsewhere), square aluminum tube on the lower or ventral side, and laser-cut sheet metal webs. Aluminum angles are also used as stringers (see rivet lines on fuselage). The only components contained inside the triangular boom structure are the push rods for the elevator. A direction reverser is located just aft of the tower structure to translate the stick movements to the correct action at the elevator. The front portion of the fuselage structure houses the throttles, which connect between the two seats. However, Jack may move the throttle to the control panel up front as that's where pilots seem to prefer it. Some don't care for reaching under your left knee to operate the throttle, though I didn't find this a challenge. Contrary to the fuselage transformation the Lil' Breezy B's wing construction did not change. "The wing is made from fiberglass and epoxy resin over a solid foam core incorporating aluminum stringers. Each part of the wing is vacuum molded at the factory and assembled in an alignment fixture. The wing is covered with polyester heat shrink fabric and then painted," explained Jack. The leading ledge uses a solid core foam leading edge with aluminum caps top and bottom. "Simply put, it is a composite wing structure with fabric covering," he summarized. Each wing half weighs 40 pounds completed, 80 pounds total. The Lil' Breezy B's main gear is solid wood core with fiberglass over it. It is a single piece structure weighing only ten pounds (without wheels and tires). The wood core is composed of three layers of bidirectional grain with ten layers of unidirectional on the lower side to absorb the landing loads. The simplicity of the Lil' Breezy B is deceptive when compared to the amount of work needed to make it so. Once conceived, the design went through a number of subtle refinements. It has a larger nose pod now, and many small details changed. For example, by angling inward the rear seat rudder pedals, an exiting front seat occupant no longer tears his pants leg on the edge of the rudder pedal. Without the engine and its component parts prop the Lil' Breezy B's airframe weighs about 275 pounds. The engine and related gear add about 100 pounds to our test aircraft, making an empty weight of approximately 375 pounds. The recommended powerplant is a dual carb Rotax 503 with a pull starter. A Rotax 582 model is available with a single-piece radiator then located behind the "tower" structure. The tower structure is the stressed skin construction aft of the rear seat. It provides airframe rigidity that eliminates the need for wing bracing wires (as, for example, a Drifter uses). You can also have electric starting with the 582 engine, Jack says. His business, Harper Aircraft, does not sell engines. For this service, the company associates with Lockwood Aircraft Supply in Sebring, Florida. However, the way the muffler is mounted above the exhaust port requires Harper Aircraft to supply special aluminum parts. Muffler clamps and the vibration isolation parts are obtained from Lockwood. Do You Know Jack? "I have been flying all my life. I soloed at the age of 14 in a J-3 Cub," Jack remembered. Later he graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Technology. Jack is an A&P mechanic and he's an instrument-rated pilot holding a Commercial Multi-Engine FAA certificate. He's logged more than 4,500 hours of flight time. Jack had a builder's background before he started to manufacture the Lil' Breezy kits. Back in the 1970s he and his father built a Bede BD-5. Since that project, Jack has built a Hatz Biplane and a Skybolt Biplane plus a Wittman Tailwind and an RV-8. Not content simply to build kits, he also restored a J-3 Cub, an Aeronca Champ and a Starduster Too Biplane. All that work generated a desire to design an airplane from scratch. He first designed on paper, with drawings of shapes that interested him. "A few years ago I decided to bring some of my drawings to life. I built the first Lil' Breezy model and started improving on it after many hours of flying my prototypes," Jack reported. The first planes were single-seaters and used a rear-mounted engine. Later, he went to a front engine and then back to what he calls "the superior rear-mounted engine." With the success of a Part 103 ultralight why create a 2-seater? Jack said, "My first planes were true ultralights, but with the passing of the FAA Sport Pilot and Light-Sport Aircraft rule, it opened up a whole new set of possibilities for me, as well as my customers." The modern Lil' Breezy is the "B" model with two seats, convertible to a single-seater (with great performance) if desired. Let's have a closer look. As I walked up to examine the Lil' Breezy, I noticed a bungee cord which Jack was using to provide an aft return to the joystick. Fortunately, this is only a temporary measure. Current production kits going out use an aerodynamic balance arm out on the tips of the elevator and the bungee cord is no longer needed. To adjust for trim speeds in a more general way, Jack pointed out the four positions on the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer, which can accommodate different weights of pilots. The minimum weight of a front-seated pilot when flying solo is 150 pounds. However, if you have a 250-pound pilot up front (and no rear seat occupant), that pilot will need to drop the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer down by one hole. The Lil' Breezy B's pull starter is located just above the aft seat, where a primer pull knob is also mounted. When using the pull starter, Jack advises everyone to position himself or herself to the front of the wing strut. The pull handle can easily be reached while in front of the strut. A small remote choke lever made of angle aluminum is located above the word "Experimental" on the aircraft's right side. Protected Open Cockpit The 2005 Lil' Breezy B has a new nose cone that is much larger. The former one was also further out front "Drifter-style," said Jack and you couldn't reach the instruments. The rudder pedals were barely inside the old pod where now the pedals are well recessed. With the new pod, all knobs and switches are in close range and the larger pod with its windscreen will keep the breeze off the Lil' Breezy pilot ("except for his knees," says Jack). The rear seat will be windier, of course. You solo from the front seat only. A minimum pilot weight considers the airplane with next to no fuel, a Rotax 503 and 2-blade composite prop, and a few instruments. The pilot can weigh no less than 150 pounds in this case. When positioning the aircraft before starting, you shouldn't push or pull the Lil' Breezy B by its tail surfaces. For even tighter maneuvering, pick up the tail by hand with the tailwheel from behind the rudder. Push or pull the aircraft with the tailwheel or the wing struts at their attaching ends (never from the middle). "A simple tail- wheel tow bar is very useful," Jack advised. Once you've fired up the Rotax you'll find ground maneuverability is excellent; the Lil' Breezy B's rudder pedals work conventionally. To apply the brakes, you move your foot up on the pedal and rock your toes forward. Differential braking enhances steering though I found a very responsive tailwheel didn't need much help. To use the brake you do have to rock your feet well up on the rudder pedals. If you were able to stop with more power, Jack says you could put the Lil' Breezy on its nose. Indeed, I discovered (not the hard way) that the brakes were a little stronger than expected. Jack has called them "slowing," not stopping brakes. He was probably trying to prevent problems. The rear seat rudder pedals do not work the brakes. I did notice a nose-over quality on takeoff where the elevator authority might allow you to push too far. For pilots just getting used to his design, Jack says you can merely leave the controls neutralized and let the Lil' Breezy B fly itself off all three wheels. Quick Launch That takeoff roll won't last long, even dual. And the Lil' Breezy B comes back to terra firma in a relaxed manner as well. Landing speed can be as slow as 35 mph if the plane has a lighter load. I preferred to approach a good bit faster but with training, the design will accommodate very short rollouts. Should you bounce the landing a little as I did once, you'll experience the main gear's flexibility. It is made from a fiberglass-wrapped wood laminate in a single piece spring-type design. Harper Aircraft's Pilots Operating Handbook (downloadable from their Website at HarperAircraft.com) recommends you climb at 40 mph or greater. When flown by a light pilot like Jack, the Lil' Breezy B can leave the ground in as little as 100 feet, though I took longer given my lack of intimacy with the design. At 700 pounds of load, takeoff is reported to require 150 feet. Best climb angle (Vx) comes at 50 mph and best rate of climb (Vy) is done at 60 mph. The Lil' Breezy B's landing approach is typical ultralight, therefore the familiar ultralight mantra of "Fifty is nifty" works well for speed advice. Visibility is glorious from the front seat. I did not fly from the rear. Once aloft and climbing I performed my usual control experimentation via some mild Dutch roll exercises.Ailerons and elevators are controlled using push/pull tubes. These are connected with rod-end bearings making for generally smooth operation. Bell cranks pivot on polyethylene blocks and therefore require little or no service. The rudder is controlled using flexible cables inside of nylon tubing held in place with plastic fair lead blocks. Throttle and brakes are controlled with cables inside of a flexible housing. As Jack changed the elevator to a mass balanced arrangement, eliminating the bungee cord, he says the feel of the pitch control became much lighter than on the tested aircraft. Jack advised me to assume a heavier feel to the joystick but I didn't observe much force was needed to keep the control where I wanted. The new arrangement, therefore, must be quite light in feel. The rear control stick is shorter than the front for a very good reason. When you have the stick full forward and off to one side or the other, it comes close to contacting the aileron push rods leading up to the control mixer. The short stick prevents this but it will bring slightly higher stick forces. I found the Lil' Breezy B is not particularly quick rolling but is a little quick in pitch. Pilots accustomed to controls with greater feedback will need some familiarization. I also found the stick range a little limiting, especially to the right. I flew with my right hand on the stick and a pull motion is somewhat harder than a pushing motion. In addition, my leg interfered somewhat yet my ability to move my leg out of the stick's way, while still operating the rudder pedal, was somewhat limited by the flange on the larger nose cowl. Steep turns at 45º of bank went very well, but in the right-hand steep turns I performed I continuously had to high side the stick. Jack felt this was because of the prop's P-factor. I did not have to maintain much additional power to hold altitude in these steep turns. Fifty Horses is Plenty Your left hand is used for the throttle under your left knee. Some pilots don't care for that, Jack reported, so he plans to put the throttle on the instrument panel where General Aviation pilots are used to finding it. I didn't mind the under-knee location and I found the 503's 50 horsepower to be plenty, even for 2-place operations. When I flew solo, I was able to back off full power shortly after liftoff. When flying the aircraft solo with the Rotax 503, you should see about 1,000 fpm of climb. Dual operations with the same engine produce about 600 fpm of climb. Sink rate is about 500 fpm though the installation of a non-sensitive altimeter made this somewhat difficult to measure accurately. Wing loading is about six pounds per square foot, which helps the Lil' Breezy B blast through bumps with less effect on the plane. Yet on a light, somewhat convective day and while flying solo, I was able to hold altitude at barely over 4,000 rpm, a fairly low setting for the Rotax 503. Cruise speeds range from 40 to 60 mph though you can lower the bottom figure with practice or push a little faster so long as you remain less than Never Exceed speed (Vne) of 90 mph. The center wing fuel tank capacity is 10 gallons, which will provide about two hours of active-throttle operation or perhaps three hours of cruise at a lazier pace. The Lil' Breezy B is a tough little bird, rated for +6/-3 Gs at 550 pounds. However, given its 350-pound empty weight (when simply equipped) and assuming a full load of fuel (60 pounds), pilots over 140 pounds will have less margin. Jack tried to keep the design a genuine ultralight, watching weight gain carefully. In an effort to save weight, the test Lil' Breezy B had shoulder belts only. But as customers prefer 4-point security - especially in an open cockpit aircraft like this one - those restraints are now standard. I found 2-place stalls came at 42 mph with power reduced to idle thrust. Stall solo is about 38 mph. All stalls were identified not by a nose break through but by a wallowing of the wings. They walked back and forth in an easily identified fashion. Adverse yaw was very modest in either direction. When adding power to an engine mounted up high relative to the center of mass, the Lil' Breezy noses over significantly as you'd expect. When checking longitudinal stability with the power at cruise, a reduction in power without stick movement produced a nose over and recovery in just two oscillations of decreasing amplitude. The Lil' Breezy B leveled out to normal rather quickly. Feel a Fresh Breezy Headed Your Way? Jack said he has sold about 20 Breezy kits and a dozen of them are flying. The first flight of the prototype was in April 2002. Build time is 150-200 hours, but that includes putting the Dacron on and painting. The wings come fully assembled by the factory but customers add the covering and finish. The rest of the kit is mainly a selection of laser-cut aluminum angle and sheet metal parts that you then assemble in the form seen in the photos. Customers wishing to view the construction manual can go to the Harper Aircraft Website where the manuals can be downloaded. Fast-build kits and ready-to-fly aircraft are available. Jack said, "We will build the Lil' Breezy B as ready-to-fly without paperwork until the ultralight 2-seat trainer exemption expires. At some point before that and soon, we will deliver the kit as an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft (ELSA). Later, we may deliver it as a ready-to-fly Special Light Sport Aircraft (SLSA) once we obtain production approval." He reports that none of the B models can be built light enough to meet Part 103's 254-pound requirement. The kit comes complete with all the sheet parts cut out and ready to assemble. Rivet holes are located and punched. Welded parts such as the landing gear and control sticks come finished and ready to paint. Wings come mostly assembled needing only installation of the wing tip bow and trailing edge unit. All hardware is included along with the covering supplies for the wing and tail surfaces. You will need to buy the paint of your choice locally. The basic airframe kit, in single-seat form and without the nose fairing, less engine, prop, and instruments sells for $7,795, said Jack. A full airframe kit with the second seat and nose pod is $8,545. Jack added, "The engine, prop, and instruments are sold separately. I drop-ship them to the customer from Lockwood Aviation Supply." As we flew the Lil' Breezy, Jack said the total price would be about $12,500 including engine, instruments as mounted, and paint finish work. The wings can be removed in 10 minutes per wing, 20 minutes total, and placed in a trailer for easy transportation and storage. Jack advises it is best to have someone with you to hold up one end of the wing during removal. Or, he says, "I use a wing tip stand made from a 2x2 in place of the extra person, allowing me to remove the wing when alone." You can start with a fuselage kit for $3,500 and add the wing kit ($3,500) and tail kit ($795) when ready. The new large nose fairing is optional at $500 and if you want the second seat and rudder pedals, add $250.The average cost to ship in the U.S. is $400. All costs are effective in early 2005. While some flying enthusiasts are excited by the carbon fiber or all-metal Light-Sport Aircraft, many of us can better afford a plane like the Lil' Breezy B. At the price of a very inexpensive new car, this plane represents a real bargain in a LSA world. Fortunately, the price of fun flying doesn't have to be high and Jack Harper's Lil' Breezy B proves this quite effectively. Dan Johnson has been flying for more than 30 years, logging nearly 5,000 hours in many types of aircraft from hang gliders and paragliders to ultralights, sailplanes and twin-engine general aviation aircraft. Dan is an FAA-rated commercial pilot and CFI whose focus these days is on ultralights and light-sport aircraft. He has flown and photographed more than 250 different models in a writing career spanning more than 25 years. Dan is the 1999 recipient of the USUA Moody Award, and the 2001 recipient of the "Spirit of Flight" Award sponsored by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP).