ScaleWings presents sw51 Mustang Quick-Build Kit at Aero 2018

Hans Schwoeller and his motivated team succeeded in April 2017 in securing the financing contracts for their own production. Since the 600 kg / 1,323 lb. ultralight class was not yet feasible at this time, the already prepared project "sw51 Experimental" was tackled immediately. Since no airfield was available in the vicinity of its headquarter in Strassnotwalchen, ScaleWings decided to set-up production in Krosno, in southeast of Poland. In June 2017 ScaleWings founded its production company ScaleWings AeroPro and rented a hangar with 3.000msquared / 32,292 ftsquared near the local airfield where it started to manufacture tools, test components and parts for the prototype of the experimental version. The production of the first serial parts will still start in March 2018. ScaleWings has its headquarter in Strasswalchen (County of Salzburg, Austria) where development and sales are located.

From Strasswalchen ScaleWings is directly servicing the German speaking markets Austria, Germany and Switzerland. France is serviced through Aerolight SAS (aerolight.fr) in Bourg-en-Bresse, 80 km north of Lyon. Scalewings is currently looking for sales partners to service the rest of Europe and overseas territories.

sw51 Experimental In May 2017, a renowned EASA-certified German aerospace engineering company with decades of experience was hired to support ScaleWings in the development of the amateur-build version "sw51 Experimental". The goal was to develop the experimental version following EASA CS 23. This required the experimental version of the sw51 Mustang to be developed from scratch.

"Why CS-23 ? We will not go into a certification procedure with the sw51, because costs and time requirements are difficult to estimate. Still, we decided that we want to offer our clients maximum safety. This is why we made this big step to design the Mustang largely compliant with CS 23",emphasizes development manager Hans Schwoeller.

The development targets for the experimental sw51 Mustang were a Vne of 600 kph / 324 kts, max. take-off weight of 1.200 kg / 2,645 lbs, and a max. installable engine power of 600 hp. The experimental sw51 is a completely new development which was realized within the record time of only nine months. "Not one screw remained the same, but the unique true to the original 3D surface as well as the size of the sw51 remained unchanged.", says Hans Schwoeller.

The sw51 experimental is offered in three engine variants. The intial version is equipped with the ULPower UL390iS with 145 hp at 2,800 rpm. For high performance requirements ScaleWings offers complete firewall forward engine kits based on the proven Chevrolet LS engines. These fit nicely into the engine compartment of the sw51.

A very experienced engine company converts these LS engines into aircraft engines, including the PSRU, with an emphasis on safety and longevity. The naturally aspirated version delivers 300 hp, the supercharged engine delivers 600 hp. This supercharger version is equipped with a power regulator, enabling the pilot to select the max. performance in flight (between 300 hp and 600 hp. ScaleWings has also built a computer controlled test rig which allows loads of up to 22 metric tons for static and dynamic load testing.

Design of the Experimental Kit Minimising building time was one of the design goals for the sw51 experimental kit. This has been achieved with newly developed production strategies that reduce the factory production time and the building time for the amateur builder considerably. An average builder should not invest more than 500 hours. The key factor is the kit containing all parts, equipment/systems with all necessary hardware to build the aircraft. No need to search and shop for parts, thus economizing builder's time further. The kit modules contain all components including screws, wiring and all mounting hardware. The firewall forward modules contain not only the engine and engine mount but also all necessary components such as hoses and all wiring. All this should ensure a short building time enabling the amateur aircraft builder to realise their sw51 Mustang during a winter season. LEGO for big boys is the leitmotif for the design of the sw51 Mustang.

Airworthiness Certification The sw51 experimental project was implemented with the assistance of the Austrian CAA Austro Control will also issue the airworthiness certificate for the experimental prototype. Hans Schwoeller praises the cooperation: "We appreciate the extensive and fruitful exchange of experience with both lead contacts, Andreas Winkler and Florian Glatzl which support us with their extensive experience. I would not have expected that to this extent. I am very grateful for their involvement", compliments Hans Schwoeller.

World Premiere ScaleWings participation at this year's Aero will be the platform to present the experimental version of the sw51 Mustang to the professional audience and allow enthusiasts and expert pilots to sit in experience the warbird feeling in this unique aircraft.

sw51 Ultralight "We anticipated for the maximum take-off weight for ultralight aircraft to be raised in the European Union, because a half-hearted 472,5 kg / 1,041 lb version was out of question for us.", says Hans Schwoeller. With the 600 kg / 1,323 lb for ultralights finally becoming reality in 2018, ScaleWings will implement the ultralight Mustang immediately upon definition of the relevant building regulations. The new sw51 ultralight Mustang will be derived from the largely CS 23 compliant experimental version as downsizing can be implemented quickly. The 600 kg / 1,323 lb ultralight sw51 Mustang is scheduled to go into production in autumn 2018.

About ScaleWings ScaleWings launched the development of the sw51 ultralight Mustang in early 2011. The first flight of the prototype took place on September 2014. ScaleWings then reorganized its business model and has won investors for the development of the experimental version and the set-up of production. ScaleWings is now a group of five companies with its headquarter located in Strasswalchen (Salzburg - Austria) und the production site in Krosno (Subcarpathia Province - Poland).

Please direct any queries directly to:

Toni Eiser Business Development Scalewings Group Gewerbegebiet Sued 4 5204 Strasswalchen / Austria Tel. +43 664 140 2575 e-mail: toni.eiser@scalewings.com