Lambada two seat taildragger motorglider.

Taildragger Aircraft Magazine - Not all light sport aircraft (LSA) are made alike. You probably knew that already, but consider the Lambada. This sleek composite 2-seat shoulder wing is part airplane, part glider and it has the interchangeable wing tips to prove it.

For a soaring enthusiast like myself, flying the Lambada gratified a desire I've had for years, since I first saw the Urban Air design at a German airshow. On January 9, 2008, I went aloft in a Lambada with Josef Bostik - a former U.S. National Champion hang glider pilot turned airline captain - at Wallaby Ranch, an iconic hang glider park in Central Florida where hang gliders are towed aloft behind specially built ultralights.

The particular Lambada I flew bore N-number N109UA. Bostik indicated that 108 other Lambada aircraft are flying around the world, though the one I flew is the first '08 model to pass ASTM standard certification.

Gorgeous Wings
I stood at the wing tip and marveled at the complex wing with its multiple dihedral angles and compound dual taper. And all that is before you change the wing tips to the two standard equipment variations. The Lambada comes standard with one extra set of wing tips: tip extensions to increase soaring power, or standard tips that bump cruise speed a few knots. You can order an optional set of snazzy tips called "Shark" winglets, which extend upward about a foot and a half. "They don't do much," Bostik says, "but they look great."

During my evaluation, we went to a sailplane airpark where one sailplane pilot thought the gel coat finish of the Lambada is more like other sailplanes and much superior to work he's seen on composite power planes. Attention to detail like gaps and general smoothness is an obsession of sailplane pilots and designers, so getting high points for finish quality from one of these pilots is significant.

TIP CHANGE - Every Lambada comes with three wing tip "treatments." You get the wing extension, plus a short wing tip, and a sexy winglet just for looks 

Removal of the wing extension involves a small T-handle that screws into a small, recessed stainless-bushed opening that allows the handle to pull a small pin, freeing the spar stub from its mate. With your hand around the wing extension - chord is small near the wingtip - you gently wiggle the stub out of the female opening. Finally, you remount one of two smaller wing tips. The shorter standard wing will add about 5 knots (5.75 mph) to cruise, Bostik says.

The cockpit looks smaller than it feels when you enter. A step built into the fuselage helps you up; you then stand on the seat or floor before working your legs forward. At close to 42 inches wide, the Lambada isn't as roomy as some LSA power planes, but it's still a couple of inches wider than a Cessna 172. All but the biggest occupants will fit easily.
The Lambada's canopy must be closed securely for flight; it cannot remain open because it swings aft and acts like a large air scoop and too much air blast could damage the hinges. Once closed, latches on either side of the cockpit do their job. To check security, you don't push on the plastic. Push on the canopy frame instead. A latch on each side felt solid and was backed up with another at the center rear that felt equally robust. Occupants will enjoy canopy vents on either side that provide airflow while taxiing.
The cockpit layout is fairly conventional with two notable exceptions. First, a lever that looks like a flap handle is actually the air brake handle. With such lift-killing devices and the ability to fly slowly on approach, flaps aren't needed. Secondly, just forward of the air brake handle is a prop control, which allows you to feather the prop (that is, orient the blades for the least drag). A hand brake on the left joystick is hydraulically powered.
Up to 120 pounds of luggage can be placed aft of the seats and you can also specify a special tube to accommodate snow skis or other long items that can reach back into the tail fuselage within weight and balance considerations, of course.

SIMPLE & NOT - This Lambada didn't carry a glass screen EFIS, but had unique qualities like that prop lever on the central console. I found the seat belts a bit tricky to operate until I learned little tricks with the buckles. This is common in airplanes where seat belt design differs widely.
I eventually needed to exit the Lambada to stretch my legs. Inside, not much room is available for such exercise. For most pilots this probably wouldn't present a problem.

Trim is between the left-seat pilot's legs near the base of the joystick. Flying from the right seat, I found no need to use the trim. so it wasn't a problem that the trim wasn't more accessible. (I often fly in the right seat to make sure the check-out pilot is entirely comfortable and because I'm quite happy in the right seat after thousands of hours of instruction given from this position.)

The Lambada I flew was simply equipped with steam gauge instruments. It didn't have a variometer, a common soaring instrument showing lift and sink. Urban Air USA has sold other Lambada aircraft equipped with Becker radios, Garmin 496 GPS, and a Grand Rapids Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS).

Length: 6.6 m (21 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 13 m (42 ft 8 in) standard, 15 m (49.2 ft) with optional wing tips
Height: 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 12.16 m2 (130.9 sq ft)
Empty weight: 285 kg (628 lb)
Gross weight: 472.5 kg (1,042 lb)
Fuel capacity: 100 litres (22 imp gal; 26 US gal) in two 50 litres (11 imp gal; 13 US gal) tanks
Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912ULS four cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine, 75 kW (101 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed composite, fully feathering

Performance
Cruising speed: 150 km/h (93 mph; 81 kn)
Stall speed: 64 km/h (40 mph; 35 kn)
Never exceed speed: 200 km/h (124 mph; 108 kn)
Maximum glide ratio: 26:1 with 13 m wings, 30:1 with 15 m wings
Rate of climb: 7 m/s (1,400 ft/min)
Rate of sink: 1.1 m/s (220 ft/min)
Wing loading: 38.9 kg/m2 (8.0 lb/sq ft)

Rotax 912 with electric starting, Magnum ballistic parachute, basic panel instruments, tapered laminar wing, flaps, air brakes, hinged canopy (cannot be opened in flight), hydraulic brakes, adjustable seats, pitch trim, dual controls, cabin heating, 4-point seat belts, ventilation, baggage area.

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Ultralight Aircraft Magazine - Welcome to the Ultralight Aircraft News our goal is to cover as many aircraft expositions that host aircraft described as ultralight aircraft, light sport aircraft, experimental light sport aircraft, amateur built aircraft, ELSA or homebuilt aircraft that fit into the definition of ultralight aircraft in Canada or light sport aircraft, or experimental amateurbuilt light sport aircraft in the United States. 

These include three axis control aircraft, weight shift control aircraft, more commonly known as trikes, powered parachutes, helicopters, gyrocopters and powered para-gliders that meet the light sport or ultralight aircraft definition.

Airshows and aircraft expositions that we cover include, the Deland Sport Aviation Showcase, U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, Deland Sport Aviation Showcase, E.A.A.'s Sun N Fun, E.A.A.'s Airventure, the Midwest LSA Show, Copperstate, UPAC Convention and Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany. We try to regularly attend regional shows like the Arlington Fly-In, and Rocky Mountain Fly-In. 

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