Fresh from a 4,000-nautical-mile shakedown cross-country flight, Brazil’s brand-new Wega is attracting a lot of attention at the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo in Lakeland, Fla. The Wega is an all-composite, experimental-category airplane built in the Santa Catarina district in Brazil. Inspired by the Falco series of piston singles created by the design legend Stelio Frati, the Wega uses a single-piece wood spar reinforced by a carbon fiber outer layer. Its cabin and exterior dimensions are larger than the Falcos. Even so, to look at the Wega is to summon up a single word: slippery.
Powered by a Superior XP360 engine of 180-horsepower and an MT three-blade composite propeller, the two-seat, retractable-gear Wega turns in max cruise speeds of 190 knots on a fuel burn of just 8 gph. Maximum endurance is listed as 6.5 hours. A Dynon Skyview avionics suite consisting of a PFD and an MFD is standard.
Two Wegas made the 24-hour trip to Sun ’n Fun from Brazil, and these demonstration models are now up for sale at a price of $250,000 apiece. According to company representatives, two orders have been placed. For the rest of us, we’ll have to wait a year before the factory can make up the first kits, which will sell for $200,000. Construction time is estimated at 2,000 hours. Visit the website for more information.
