| The FK9 is quite easy to preflight. The craft uses push pull tubes for aileron, flaps and elevator control. All of the control linkage connections are visible and easily accessible. The rudder is operated by cables again with easy access for inspection. Engine oil can be checked via a inspection port conveniently located on the right hand side of the engine cowl. For a more thorough preflight the top cowl can be removed in about 5 minutes, with a standard blade screw driver, by unhooking 12 retaining screws. This gives you access to the throttle linkages, radiator cap, spark plugs, and the CDI ignition components. The FK9 comes standard with wheel fairings, but the brake mechanism is visible for inspection. The composite spring main landing gear and push pull tube operated nosewheel with it's unique rubber donut suspension system are also easy to access and visible. Preflight should take the average pilot about 15 minutes, a little more if you have to remove and reinstall the top cowl. Taxiing We then did an engine run up, with and ignition,brake and control system check. After about 4 minutes the engine was at operating temperature and we taxied out to the runway. Steering via the nosewheel was very positive, with very light pressure. Throttle response during taxiing was smooth and responsive, with no hesitation. After checking for traffic we taxied out onto the runway. The wind was blowing at about 25 mph, 90 degrees to the runway, on a hot muggy mid Florida day. Not ideal conditions for an enjoyable cross country flight, but ideal for checking the capabilities of a plane and it's pilot. Take Off We deployed two notches of flap, and gently but forcefully applied full throttle. The FK9 Mark IV jumped to life like a rabbit being chased by a fox. Within 75 feet it had two, 190 lbs. pilots, with full fuel on board airborne, and had accelerated to 65 mph. which appeared to be the ideal climb speed and angle for the plane with flaps deployed. At about 300 feet we released the flaps and the plane set into a comfortable climb of just under 1,000 feet per minute at 80 mph. or roughly 125 kilometers per hour.
(Since I am just a dumb old ultralight pilot who is use to mph, it was very confusing trying to convert from kilometers or knots which is what the airspeed indicator was set up for, back into mph. Future craft imported into the U.S. will be available with knots and mile per hour indicators.) Flying. After about 5 minutes of flying it was getting a little warm in the cabin. One reason was that the plane has great visibility, which means lots of glass. This was cured by opening the fresh air vents located on the doors. Looking at the engine gauges everything was well within the normal range, no signs of overheating, or running too cold. Oil pressure and temperature were good, and the fuel gauge was not bouncing all over the place. Cruise at 5,000 rpm was indicating 180 kph or roughly 110 mph. After about 10 minutes of flying I began to notice that in straight and level flight my short little body was having a problem seeing comfortably over the dash. I mentioned this to Jackie and he said that newer versions of the plane will have a different angle of incidence between the fuselage and wing which will eliminate this problem and give better visibility. Tony also confirmed this in a later conversation. As mentioned this flight report was being done during a mid Florida day, with thermal activity at it's worst. Amazingly the FK9 Mark IV handled the turbulence very comfortably, and at one point during the flight we caught a thermal going up and were able to gain some 1,000 feet before loosing it. Control system pressure on the stick, and rudders while flying is non existent. In flight response to control input is instantaneous with no signs of adverse yaw. Setting the plane up for cruise via the throttle and then trimming it allows the pilot to relax and enjoy the ride and scenery. At trimmed cruise pushing the stick forward and releasing it results in the plane coming back to cruise attitude and speed. The same for pulling back and releasing. Leveling the plane out at 1500 feet power was reduced slowly back to an idle, at the same time back pressure was applied to the stick. With the stick back as far as it could go, and the engine at an idle the plane refused to stall. It would get a little mushy and you had to work the pedals to keep it straight but the nose staid put and didn't drop. Reducing power and pulling back on the stick quickly from just above an idle resulted in the plane dropping it's nose, but it recovered by itself in about 50 feet, when the stick pressure was released. While flying back to South Lakeland I decided to see what the FK9 would do with a little more throttle. Increasing the rpm from 4800 to 5500 rpm the airspeed indicator quickly climbed to over 225 kilometers per hour which converts to around 140 mph. Landing Taking off into a 90 degree gusty 25 mph crosswind is one thing, but to land in one is a totally different story. On take off you are accelerating through the turbulence, while a gust might drive you a little sideways it is not likely to cause you to stall, since you have full power on and are accelerating. We entered the circuit at about 1,000 feet on the downwind leg doing 130 kph or roughly 80 mph. The windsock indicated the wind was still gusting and blowing across the runway. On final we slowed the plane down to 65 mph - 110 kph and deployed two notches of flap. The attitude of the plane changed from a slight nose down to about nose level, and from about 800 feet out from the runway and 700 feet up we started down. I had expected to glide easily to the runway, but the flaps were very effective and I had to apply power to make the runway. When landing you are slowing down and gusty conditions tend to bounce you up and down. Loosing 15 to 25 mph at 55 mph when you stall at 40 can be very disconcerting. To help battle this I generally drop the nose at about 75 feet to pick up a little more airspeed to compensate for the gusts and crosswinds. The problem with this in a plane that is so aerodynamic is that when you get into ground effect, especially with flaps the plane tends to float! Which means that you have to fight the crosswind longer than you expect. The FK9 had no problem with the landing conditions, and the pilot's found that even at 56 his reflexes were still working. Being a brute for punishment I then conned Jackie into doing a couple of touch and goes, and then one final landing. This time we set up for a lot higher approach and used only 1 notch of flap. All this did was make an even longer landing. As soon as we got into ground effect, even with just a little extra speed the plane still floated along. I held it off until the mains touched and then used the stick to keep the nose up until it gently touched the ground at around 30 mph 50 kph. With one hand on the stick I then applied the brakes which were very effective slowing us down from 30 to a stop in about 50 feet. Then we did a fast taxi down the taxiway with the stick back about an inch the nose wheel rose into the air. Even in the crosswind we had full control using only the rudder. Back at the staging area we brought the engine back to an idle let in cool down for 3 or 4 minutes and then shut it off. I then removed my headset, removed my seat belt, unfastened the door latch and clipped the door into it's holding bracket. Exiting the craft was even easier than entering. I just leaned back, swung my legs out and stepped onto the ground. The FK9 that I flew was the first unit imported into the U.S. Another is scheduled for delivery in June. The unit I flew was the tri-cycle gear version. The plane is also available in a tail dragger. The tail dragger version is used extensively in Europe for towing gliders up to 300 kilo's in weight. Tony expects to have one in the U.S. sometime early next year. The FK9 Mark IV can also be fitted with floats, amphib floats, and snow skis. Other optional equipment includes, a 10 minute folding wing option, a heater, several instrument packages including the Dynon digital instrument system. A leather comfort package, which provides extra padding, storage pockets, and a bit more attention to detail, tinted glass, and a BRS parachute system. | 
