Spirit in the Sky
If you have ever looked at a European sports car like a Porsche 911 or an Audi RS and thought, “if only it had wings for that price”, the new JMB VL3 Evolution might be the recreational aeroplane you are after.
The Evolution is every bit like a European sports with wings. From the handcrafted leather body-hugging seats to the startling performance, it is a sports car amongst recreational aircraft. In fact, it’s currently the fastest light aircraft under 600 kg MTOW.
The VL3 Evolution comes out of Chocen in the Czech Republic and is manufactured by JMB Aircraft using the latest composite technology that uses not only carbon layers for strength, but also Kevlar to reinforce for crash-worthiness whilst keeping the structure light. The whole fuselage alone weighs in just 36 kg, and a shell is rejected during manufacture if it’s found to be overweight.
JMB builds 45 of these aircraft per year. Currently the waiting list is close to one year … again, just like a European sports car!
The base engine for the Evolution is the 100-hp Rotax 912ULS. There are options of either the 115-hp Rotax 914 turbo, which gives an extra 16 knots at 9000 feet in cruise and the new Rotax 915 TSi engine, developing 141 hp. These are the engine options for speed demons, but no economy is sacrificed in the quest for speed. When settled down, the power required for an economical cruise is so low the engine is just sipping fuel.
Power is transmitted through an electric constant-speed Woodcomp propeller controlled via a small instrument on the panel and digital display of the RPM. There is also a three-bladed option
