Making Music

For about 15 years, the choices for a new two-seat, fun-to-fly training airplane were pretty limited. From the time that the last new Piper Tomahawks and Beech Skippers rolled off the line in 1982 until 1995, when Diamond Aircraft introduced its Katana, no manufacturers were producing two-place trainers. But the market was begging for another option.

Enter the Symphony. When Matthius and Derek Stinnes, a father-and-son team from Canada, decided to branch out into aviation, they looked no further than the GlaStar. Matthius had had a chance to fly the GlaStar (and its high-performance kin, the Glasair), a high-wing, two-seat kit-built airplane, and he recalled that its "flying characteristics were absolutely superb for an initial pilot."

The opportunity arose in 1998 to purchase the GlaStar from Arlington Aircraft Development, which created the design, and the Stinneses took the chance. They bought the rights to create a production version of the design, with the Stinnes Group, parent company of OMF Aircraft, paying on an installment plan for those rights.

Christened as the Symphony because the name "sounds good in any language," according to Derek, it is a solid airplane. The model flew the fast track through certification, and it recently was approved for night and instrument flight rules (IFR) operations.

Though taking an established design through the certification process differs from starting at square one, the production airplane is decidedly not the same as the original. Derek points out that nearly everything on the airplane was strengthened or made redundant to meet FAR Part 23 specifications. OMF decided simply to overbuild the airplane. As a result, very few parts are common to both the production Symphony and the GlaStar kit, according to the Stinneses.

In addition, elements of the design needed further refinement to make the airplane IFR-worthy. Lightning tests were completed to determine that the airframe provided adequate protection for its occupants, and enhancements were made to the electrical system, including the addition of pitot heat to keep ice from clogging the pitot tube during flight in clouds and precipitation. A second Garmin GNS 430 (a GPS receiver with a color moving-map display and a built-in com radio) adds redundancy to the IFR cockpit. The 430 also has VOR and ILS capability, so you won't be stuck with just one form of navigation.

Normally all the new equipment and the bolstered airframe would result in a heavier aircraft. But one major change provided a huge weight savings and kept the Symphony close to the GlaStar's performance numbers: The original load-carrying fiberglass fuselage was replaced with an internal, metal-tube cage covered by a fiberglass shell, with wings and control surfaces constructed from aluminum. The result is a beefy airframe that surpassed Europe's JAR 23 regulations (comparable to Federal Aviation Regulations Part 23 in the United States, the regulations that govern aircraft certification and testing) in both forward 26-G and vertical 19-G crash tests.

In fact, in July 2002, OMF also secured a 10-percent gross weight increase for the Symphony. The Symphony's maximum gross weight went from 1,960 pounds to 2,150 pounds, which bumped the useful load from 635 pounds to 700 pounds. The increase achieves OMF's goal of offering a truly capable two-seat airplane - one that can carry two large adults, full fuel, and baggage in a roomy cabin with decent range (roughly 400 nm, according to our calculations). And the cargo area is generous: Straps tie down bags, and a large baggage door provides easy access. With two 170-pound people filling the seats, 360 pounds is left for fuel and bags. Filling the tanks with just over 30 gallons of fuel and flying with your 250-pound linebacker buddy (possible in the Symphony's wide cabin) still leaves room for about 100 pounds of cargo.

Michael Crowell, executive director of Mission Aviation Training Academy (MATA) in Arlington, Washington, finds the Symphony well-suited for primary training. At press time, MATA has had a Symphony on its line for about 10 months, during which time the airplane has accumulated more than 600 hours. "We've been very pleased," says Crowell. "A lot has to do with ergonomics. It's a very comfortable and easy airplane to teach in." For teaching, the layout of the cockpit is ideal. "Without the yoke in the way, you can see what the airspeed is." MATA trains pilots for missionary work, where conditions often demand that they use short-field and soft-field techniques to get into backcountry airstrips. "With the 160-hp engine there's plenty of power to go into short strips without endangering life and limb. And the Lycoming [O-320] is a good choice for a flight school," since it stands up well to students who perhaps aren't too smooth on the engine controls yet, adds Crowell.

We conducted several test flights in both the VFR and IFR versions of the Symphony, and both times we were impressed by how familiar the airplane felt - very similar to other high-wing aircraft like the Cessna 152 or 172.

There are several reasons for this high comfort level. The thick, high wing provides lots of lift and great slow-flight handling characteristics. Stall fences and large, boomerang-shaped vortex generators - two on each wing - make the Symphony particularly responsive when approaching a stall.

For the training market at which the Symphony is aimed, slow-flight characteristics are paramount. This is an aircraft likely to be used for instruction because of its attractive price and docile handling, and it is an aircraft that does not bite. Stall speed is a relatively low 46 knots with flaps down, but the big news is how well the airplane handles in this regime. The ailerons remain effective at slow speeds, and still the Symphony feels like it's flying: Maneuvering left and right during the stall using the ailerons feels strange, but it's possible. According to factory pilots, a burst of power just as the stall occurred was required for spin entry during flight testing - while the airplane isn't spin-proof, it takes some doing to get it into one.

Visibility is good. Part of the cage structure runs across the windshield, but you can easily see around it - it even makes for a handy reference in learning steep turns. The side windows are cut low and the windshield curves over the top of the cockpit, giving the occupants a sense of space. Additionally, windows in the cabin's ceiling provide additional visibility in turns, felling a common high-wing demon and helping you to keep tabs on the other traffic in a busy pattern or practice area.

The cockpit is wider than a Cessna 152's, as comfortable as that of a Tomahawk, and fairly roomy for a two-place airplane. Leather seats make the cabin seem less like that of a trainer and more like a cross-country machine.

The Symphony has a stick, and it's low and natural when grasped in the pilot's left hand, while the throttle is mounted in the center of the panel and manipulated with the right hand. The stick can rub on the seat if the first notch in the seat tracks is used. Control forces are fairly well-balanced. During the first flight, I found the ailerons a little heavier than the elevator, which seemed odd, but perhaps a few more hours on the airplane worked some stiffness out. The controls seemed much more evenly matched during the second flight. Subsequent flights in the IFR version again revealed a solid yet even control feel.

Crowell agrees, noting that the Symphony combines the "lightness in control feel of a 152 with the stability of a 182. The hefty stick makes fine-tuning easier."

Familiarity also lies in the fact that speeds feel good for those of us learning to fly. Plenty of power for the Symphony's gross weight means good climb rates and reasonable indicated airspeeds in cruise. We saw an indicated airspeed of 116 kt indicated airspeed (KIAS) in cruise flight at 4,000 feet, approximating 75-percent power on the Vision Microsystems digital engine display. Pulling back to 65-percent power, a cruise power setting giving you greater endurance, we still saw 112 KIAS, equal to 120 kt true airspeed (KTAS). According to the company, cruising at 8,000 feet with 75-percent power results in a healthy 128 KTAS. Crowell says that MATA's Symphony regularly sees 125 KTAS on student cross-country flights. OMF has positioned the Symphony for the flying-club market, where pilots can learn in the aircraft and then use it as a practical means to build time flying cross-country. At these cruise speeds, the Symphony won't elicit many "Are we there yet?" thoughts from pilot and passenger.

Landing is accomplished a little faster than in some training aircraft. The Symphony has a higher stall speed (48 KIAS) in the landing configuration than the Cessna 172 (33 KIAS) and Tomahawk (44 KIAS). A higher stall speed requires a slightly higher landing speed that might be more of a challenge when learning to land well - things just happen a little bit faster. However, this is offset by the relative ease of the landing and touchdown itself (very like that of a 172).

Every once in a while, a landing turns into a boo-boo. On some light trainers, a tail tiedown ring keeps student tailstrikes from damaging any structural part of the empennage - up to a point. On the Symphony, a composite piece enclosing the tailcone has no such protection, and one might think that a tail-low landing could cause a major issue. However, Crowell has found that this is not the case. A recent landing incident in the MATA Symphony resulted in a tailstrike. "Because it's nonstructural composite material, it was a simple fiberglass fix," says Crowell.

Steering on the ground is accomplished by differential braking - the nosewheel isn't connected to the rudder pedals, so you must tap on the brakes in the direction of the turn when taxiing slowly. The free-castering nosewheel has stops so it won't turn completely around. Wheel fairings add to the Symphony's cheery, let's-go-fly looks.

The day-VFR-equipped Symphony can be yours for $120,000, and the IFR version is $140,000. A competitive financing package puts monthly payments just over $1,000, which means this airplane is well within reach of flight schools and clubs - and even the individual owner. The Symphony is built in Germany, fully test-flown and certified, and shipped in a crate with the wings off to a facility in Hagerstown, Maryland. There it is assembled by the folks at Hagerstown Air Services (HAS) and test-flown again, and it receives its FAA airworthiness certificate.

Tracey Potter, owner of HAS, likes putting the Symphonies back together after they're shipped over from Germany. "It's just incredible how it's built. I used to be a welder, and it's beautiful the way they put the welds together," says Potter. "Reparability is going to be one of its strong points. It's going to be very easy to maintain." The lead time between placing an order and receiving an aircraft is about two months.

One caveat to keep in mind: The left and right fuel lines join ahead of the connection that brings the fuel to the engine. This allows the fuel to crossfeed between the two tanks to a certain degree. If the airplane is parked on a sloped surface with the left wing low, quite a bit of fuel can port overboard, as the left tank refills from the right tank.

The Symphony's story has hit one sour note. Recently, New Glasair, current owner of the original kit-built design, filed a lawsuit against OMF Aircraft, claiming that the company had defaulted on payments. OMF countersued, stating that the original rights it had purchased in good faith were for a design purportedly ready for certification - and it wasn't. Derek Stinnes, now managing partner of OMF, contends that substantial changes had to be made in order to bring the Symphony through German and U.S. certification - so substantial that OMF withheld payment from New Glasair, seeking to renegotiate the contract.

New Glasair sought a preliminary injunction that would prevent further sales of the Symphony. As of press time, a federal judge in Seattle (near New Glasair's Arlington, Washington, base) denied the motion for the injunction, allowing OMF's sales to continue for the present time. Lawyers for both sides are reviewing the details of the financial dispute over the design in preparation for the trial, set for June 2003. Says Mikael Via, president of New Glasair, "We are thrilled that the judge set the case for an early trial date. This means that this case will have a prompt resolution which will provide certainty to all prospective purchasers as well as the general aviation market."

OMF is proceeding with plans to test a German-built Thielert diesel engine in the Symphony later this year, and the company just received a $5 million investment to continue growing its product line. "Now that the development of the Symphony has settled down, we're looking forward to being able to expand the range of our products," says Derek. "We're not here with just one airplane for a little while; we're a business that's being grown," adds Bill Sprague, sales and marketing director for OMF Aircraft.

With a solid training and cross-country machine already in its fold, OMF has a decent shot at making good on this mission - and making for some happy student pilots along the way.

Julie K. Boatman is a contributing editor of AOPA Flight Training magazine. She is a commercial pilot and CFII who holds single- and multiengine land and glider ratings.