By Kristy Gilligan 

To someone brought up to fly in a strictly aluminium saturated GA environment, a trike could initially seem a little ‘alternative’. But unleash that adventurous spirit you’ve been hiding away and take a look at the Airborne XT-912 Tundra.

The Tundra can open up a world of exciting recreational flying along with endless possibilities for cross country travel and travel into tight landing spots and none of this need be done without a little extra comfort. But don’t just believe the hype. Take a look at the specs and be impressed.

The XT-912 is the most popular microlight trike that Airborne Australia has on the market. It’s a flexible package which can be matched with a selection of wings and engines to suit the owner. The Tundra can be matched up with a variety of wings including the Merlin, Cruze and Streak-3, all designed to suit specific operations. This review will consider the sleek, fast Streak-3 wing. To better suit this wing, the XT-912 trike base has been improved with a wider tracking wheel base of 1.91 metres. There is also an option to fit dual rear disk brakes for improved stopping power.

Powered by the Rotax 912 80HP engine, the XT-912 has more than enough power for normal and towing flight with exceptional stopping power. With carby heating and electric start, there is no wrestling a difficult engine on a cold morning. The Rotax engine sits neatly at the rear of the trike body under a small moulded top cover and the sound of 80hp pushing away is left far behind you, keeping things comfortably quiet in flight.

It is easy to see a trike from a distance and sneer at the simple construction and most trike owners would forgive your ignorance since they are such a nice lot. But if you take the time to look a little closer, you’ll be astonished by the acute attention to detail delivered by the XT-912. The plush padded seating all stitched to the highest standards and ergonomically designed to fit your body tightly makes the interior space look more like a sports car than a trike. And the Tundra is highly spec’d all the way down to the instruments. Fitted with a state of the art digital Skydat GX2, your trike can give you full engine and flight management with fuel flow and accumulated fuel usage in one, easy to read glass panel. Try finding that in most GA aircraft! The Tundra also comes with a faired cockpit and the option of a tall windscreen for an even smoother ride.

The XT-912 Tundra is the ultimate cross-country microlight that can give you the best of all worlds, low or high speeds and an amazing array of landing options. The 70 litre fuel tank is sufficient to get you over 700 kilometres, making it most likely you’ll be exhausted before the fuel is.

This little workhorse is suitable for stock mustering, inspecting fences and waterholes and a model favored by many farmers. The reason it is so much better than some light aircraft is the amazing visibility and the ability to fly at incredibly slow speeds, even sufficient to yell down to the guy on the tractor as you fly by. Putting her back on the ground is a cinch and you don’t need to be a weight lifter to push and pull the bar. The undercarriage has rear shock absorbers and big eight inch tires on six inch rims. With a stall speed of 35 knots and MTOW the landing speed is so slow you can probably land in your backyard if the wind is on your side and you’re really good friends with your neighbours and the local authorities. Well maybe not a good idea but you get my drift.

 

SPECS
Seats: 2
Engine: 80hp Rotax Bombardier 912UL2
Wing: Streak 3
Wing Span: 9.97m
Width to wheel spats: 1.91m
Trike Length: 2.7m
MTOW: 450kg
Criuse at MTOW: 65kts
Stall at MTOW: 35kts
Vne: 85kts
Range: 702km