Two-Place Homebuilt Pocket Rocket

Ah, the joys of summer. The flying is easy, the grass strips are soft, Oshkosh is happening and the year's newest aircraft are seeing their first light of day.

Hence, the new M1 from High Performance Aircraft. It's a two-place rocket ship, with a top speed of 265 mph. The Quick Build Kit is supposed to cut construction time to approximately 1000 man-hours. It comes with a completed fuselage, wings and Finish Kit. If you want to build a little more on your own, you can opt for the Pop Rivet Kit. HPA estimates it'll take 1600 man-hours to complete. Or, if you're really into building your airplane from the ground up, you can receive the Unassembled Kit, which takes approximately 2250 hours to construct.

HPA will introduce the M1 at EAA's Airventure 2003, which starts next week.

How Does The M1 Stack Up In Terms Of Performance?

M1 SpeedCruiser Specifications

• T op Speed:                          265 mph 426 km/h 230 kts
• Cruise Speed @ 75% Power: 240 mph 386 km/h 210 kts
• Stall Speed:                         50 mph 80 km/h 43,5 kts
• Range @ 55% Power:           1265 mi 2035 km 1100 nm
• Rate of Climb @ Sea Level:  3500 fpm 17 m/s
• Take Off Run Distance:        300 ft 100 m
• Ground Roll Distance:          700 ft 220 m
• Power Range:                     150 – 330+ hp 110 – 242+ kW
• Fuel Capacity:                    60 US gals 227 ltrs
• Empty Weight:                   1300 lbs 590 kg
• Gross Weight:                    2100 lbs 953 kg
• Length:                              21 ft 6,40 m
• Span:                                26.9 ft 8,20 m
• Wing Area:                         110 sq ft 10,25 m2
• No. of Seats:                      2
• Cockpit Width (inside):        45'' 1,14 m
• Engine:                              Lycoming IO-540 (parallel valve type)
• Landing Gear:                     Taildragger or Tricycle
• Construction Materials:        Metal structure and surface with various metal fairings

FMI: www.international-hpa.com