The Liberty XL-2 has apparently received it's long awaited and oft-delayed TC. Liberty announced, late Thursday, that the FAA has been granted a FAR Part 23 TC for the two-place, single-engine Liberty XL2. The company claims that the Liberty XL2 is the first piston-powered aircraft to be certified with a true Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system.

This milestone comes after lengthy delays and unfulfilled promises as a once-promising aircraft program has encountered a number of problems and difficulties... not the least of which were hefty price increases over the original concept, customer dissatisfaction, a number of incidents involving demo aircraft (mostly simple "fender-benders"), and conflicting stories put forth by a company that has wasted a lot of its early credibility.

ANN has received numerous complaints from depositors and former business associates alleging a lack of communication and honesty/consistency on the part of the company, and a continuing dissatisfaction with a spiraling pricing scheme that has seen the once $85K airframe turned into a base price of nearly $140K. The aircraft's saving grace was its cute design, good performance specs and some good buzz from those who had flown it or its experimental fore-father, the Europa.

Still; worrisome reports like the loss of a left door on a demo flight and the demo flyer's insistence that the aircraft was barely able to make it back to the airport (from 5-10 miles away depending on various reports) on full power remain sticking points in the minds of a number of buyers and/or potential buyers. The company, via Sales and Marketing Manager Michael Fabianac, note that changes have been made to the aircraft since then and that opening the door inflight is "physically impossible." Fabianac also noted that the report that ANN received was that of a "low-time and excitable" pilot, but did admit that Liberty has not done any actual testing of the aircraft without the doors.

Liberty says that the XL2 is the first all-new, two-place aircraft to be fully certified in the United States of America in the past 30 years and incorporates an impressive array of state-of-the-art design features and equipment. Perhaps no feature is more anticipated by the flying community than the XL2’s pioneering use of the PowerLink™ FADEC electronic engine management program. PowerLink FADEC, developed by Teledyne Continental Motors and Aerosance, uses a sophisticated array of sensors to constantly monitor and refine the operation of the aircraft’s Teledyne Continental IOF 240 powerplant. The system removes the need for a mixture control in the cockpit and nets a 15-20% improvement in fuel economy over a standard IO 240. PowerLink FADEC also reduces pilot workload and engine performance is optimized automatically to suit flight conditions.

“We’ve flown the Teledyne Continental PowerLink™ system for more than 1,200 hours in our aircraft fleet during the XL2’s development,” says a Liberty spokesman. “The system works well and nets the aircraft a fuel burn of only 5.5 gallons an hour. That’s better than 27 miles to the gallon in automotive terms and all while cruising at 132 knots or 150 miles per hour.”

Driven by the FADEC-controlled Teledyne Continental IOF 240, the XL2 uses its 125 horsepower to cruise at 132 knots. With a maximum gross weight of 1,653 lbs and a useful load of almost 600 pounds, the XL2 can comfortably carry two people and baggage more than 500 miles (plus 30 minute reserves) between fuel stops.

With the Type Certificate in hand, Liberty plans to begin delivering XL2s in the next few months. An aircraft with “all electric” gyros sells for $139,500.

FMI: www.libertyaircraft.com