Velocity XL
INTRODUCTION Flying can be a very relaxing activity,
but there are small details that allow you to take this experience to the next level,
such as, for example, flying through the skies onboard a unique aircraft. This is precisely
what is offered by the aircraft marketed in kit form to be assembled by aviation lovers
who want to venture into this type of project. Assembled kit aircraft offer the possibility of
almost unlimited customization of all aspects of the plane, so there will be hardly two of
them that are exactly the same. This makes the construction experience much funnier,
since each user can add his or her personal, unique, and differentiating touch. Now, if you add
to this the possibility of building the aircraft with the largest cabin of all the kit airplanes,
with a capacity of 4 seats, and which is also very fast, it is undoubtedly something that any
user will enjoy a lot. EXTERIOR/DESIGN
The Velocity XL is an extra-large version of the Velocity SE, both produced by the American
company Velocity Inc, which specializes in the manufacture of kit aircraft, making it ideal
for all those aviation enthusiasts who have the time and patience to devote to a project of such
magnitude. The Velocity XL definitely stands out, when you see it, you will notice that it
is different from the rest of the aircraft we are used to. This is a single-engine aircraft
that was built using composite materials, but despite being designed to be built in-house,
it offers impressive performance. The Velocity XL's unique fuselage was designed with canard
airfoils instead of a traditional wing, this advantageous design feature allows it to have more
resistance to stalls and spins and to counteract them in a more efficient and safe way. As its name
indicates, it is a large aircraft, especially considering the category in which it competes,
with dimensions of 20 feet long, 7 feet, 9 inches high, and a wingspan of 31 feet. For its design,
modern technologies were used for the aerodynamic surface modeling to obtain clean cockpit lines
and non-complex systems, resulting in a neat aircraft with a high degree of efficiency,
performance, and simplicity alike. One thing to note is that the XL is available with both
fixed landing gear and retractable landing gear. Another hallmark of this aircraft
is the V-type shape of its chassis, which gives it a more premium feel. Huh. I really
like that. INTERIOR
This bird has a comfortable and spacious cabin with dimensions of 43.5 inches high,
94 inches long, and 47.5 inches wide, and is capable of accommodating between
3 and 4 passengers plus a pilot, but the standard version has 4 seats in total. It
is noteworthy that it has one of the largest cabins of all four-seat kit aircraft. However,
if you need room for one more person, there is a five-seat version with a three-seat bench
in the rear instead of the traditional pair of separate seats. The lighting inside the cabin is
adjustable and has backlit panels to ensure cabin visibility at all times. Similarly, the brightness
of the display and instrument lighting system automatically adapts to lighting conditions,
and the same happens with the air conditioning, always ensuring a comfortable temperature for the
crew. On the large front panel, you can find everything related to the aircraft's avionics
need is easily at his fingertips. ENGINE
Since this is a kit aircraft to be built at home, it is much more versatile when it comes
to installing attachments, including the engine. The company offers the
possibility of installing four different engine configurations, each with its own specifications,
so that the customer can choose the one that best suits his needs. Among the engines recommended by
the manufacturer, the most powerful is the Continental IO-550, producing up to 310 hp,
followed by the Lycoming IO-540, which is able to generate between 260 and 300 hp, then the
Franklin 6A-350-C1, with a power of between 205 and 235 hp, and finally the Lycoming IO-360,
which is the least powerful among the recommended engines, with a power between 145 and 210 hp. It
also incorporates Catto three-bladed fixed pitch propellers, ideal for experimental aircraft,
which are located at the rear of the aircraft, along with the engine, so that noise, turbulence
produced by the propellers, heat, and engine gases do not interfere with the flight experience of the
crew members. Despite this, builders are free to design their own propulsion facilities and can use
a variety of other engines of similar power. The only limitations pointed out by the company would
be space and speed, exceeding 220 knots could affect the structure of the aircraft and put
the crew's lives at risk. PERFORMANCE
The Velocity XL has an impressive range for an aircraft of its class, considering that it is a
pre-engineered aircraft, whose kit is intended to be assembled by people who are not professionals.
It is really hard to imagine that once finished, it would have such an incredible performance. From
the factory, it comes with a fuel capacity of 70 gallons, evenly distributed in 2 tanks of 35
gallons each, although there is the possibility of increasing the capacity up to a maximum of 92
gallons. This single engine bird is probably the fastest, most efficient, and safest kit aircraft
you can buy. Designed for cross-country flying, the Velocity XL goes far beyond what most other
companies' aircraft construction kits offer. It has a climb rate that goes from 1300 to
1900 feet per minute, with a total range of up to 1200 nautical miles. It can fly at over 200
knots of airspeed; however, as mentioned before, it’s not recommended to fly at 220 kts and above.
Its empty weight is 1700 pounds, with a payload of 1,100 pounds. Its take-off run is 1300 feet,
while the landing run is 1500 feet. And in case you were wondering, its service ceiling reaches
25,000 feet. Sounds really good to me! AVIONICS AND SYSTEMS
For the base construction of the Velocity XL, it is recommended to install, for the avionics
section, the Garmin G3X Touch. for navigation, a single Garmin GTN 750 touch screen, and a Garmin
GFC-500 for autopilot control. The three-axis autopilot can be controlled by the GFC-500
or through the G3X touchscreen, just like the transponder and audio controls, giving the pilot
more than one option to utilize. The dual units of the G3X Touch are configured with an automatic
reversion mode in case either unit fails. The door pressurization system, when activated,
inflates a rubber that seals the cabin and keeps it pressurized in order to be able to fly at high
altitudes without problems for the crew members. VARIANTS
As I mentioned before, this aircraft has the XL-FG variant, with fixed landing gear,
with a capacity of up to 4 occupants and a gross weight of 2700 pounds. The XL-FG-5,
is the same as the previous one but with an extra capacity for up to 5 occupants, which adds 200
additional pounds to the gross weight. We also have the XL-RG and XL-RG-5, whose only difference
with the previous ones is the use of retractable landing gear, since in terms of capacities and
gross weight they are the exact same. Then we have the Velocity SE, which represents a smaller and
less powerful variant than the Velocity XL, and it was the base model for the creation of the latter.
The climb rate of this aircraft is 1200 feet per minute, with a range of 1000 nautical miles and
a top speed of 187 knots. In addition, we have the company's flagship and most advanced model,
which used the Velocity XL as inspiration for its design, the Velocity V-Twin, which can be
conceived as a more advanced and faster variant than the XL, a composite construction aircraft
with a twin-engine pusher configuration and the characteristic canard in its structure.
The V-Twin has a climb rate of 2,000 feet per minute, a range of 1,400 nautical miles, and can
fly between 190 and 200 knots during a cruise. A fact that you may not know and that is quite
curious is that in the Rocket Racing League, which was active between 2005 and 2014,
Velocity XL structures with standard fixed landing gear were used to build rocket boosters. As you
might expect, the entire structure was highly modified to be able to propel an Armadillo
Aerospace powered rocket with ethanol fuel and liquid oxygen. Pretty interesting, huh?!
MARKET Now let's move on to what we all want to know:
pricing. The basic cost of the Velocity XL Kit reaches $64,000. To fully build it and have it
100% functional, the cost rises to approximately 300,000 dollars, although depending on what each
customer decides to install, the price can rise much higher. Something important to keep in mind
if you plan to purchase this aircraft is that the estimated time for its assembly is between 1,500
and 2,000 hours, but at Velocity Inc., they offer the possibility of selling a pre-assembled kit
that guarantees to leave you with only 800 hours remaining to complete the construction process,
but of course, this means an additional cost. However, if construction and assembly are not
your thing, you can order your Velocity XL fully assembled from the factory and ready to fly;
in this case, the cost is around 400,000 dollars. One of the direct rivals of the Velocity XL is the
Lancair Evolution, an aircraft with outstanding performance.
the best performing four-seater aircraft you can buy. It has a range of up to 1800 nautical miles,
which is very impressive, and is powered by a Lycoming YTEO-540-iE2 engine that allows it
to reach a cruising speed of 230 knots, with a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. That said,
despite the fact that the Lancair Evolution is faster and has a longer range than the Velocity
XL, in terms of price, the Velocity XL is the clear winner. The choice is up to you!
The price of the Lancair Evolution construction kit is 410,000 dollars, much more than what it
would cost to acquire a Velocity XL ready to fly; but this is not all, because when adding the cost
of the engine, avionics, and paint, having a Lancair Evolution ready for takeoff would end
up costing approximately 895,000 dollars. It is mind-blowing to think that for the price of a
Lancair Evolution, we can buy almost three Velocity XLs, and even more striking is to
know that the difference in speed, range, and overall performance is very small. What do you
think about this? PROS
Considering the information mentioned before, it is undeniable that the Velocity XL is an
engineering prodigy for offering such a performance in an aircraft that can be
built as a kit. Nevertheless, the aircraft incorporates relevant design features,
the most notorious of which is stall and spin resistance. In the event that the
pilot flies too slowly, the canard wing exerts an upward force at the front of the aircraft,
increasing the total lift available while rotating the aircraft. The canard,
if its angle of attack is properly set, can also reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic full-power
takeoff stall by stalling before the main wing stalls, lowering the nose of the aircraft.
That said, we can unanimously say that the Velocity is a true competitor in the skies
compared to small turboprop business jets that operate at 5 to 10 times the cost.
CONS Now, if we focus
on the negative sides, the first thing that jumps out is that this is not an aircraft for everyone,
because even though the company offers the possibility of delivering the aircraft fully
assembled, it is essential that each user is always aware of the maintenance and needs of
their aircraft to keep it in optimal conditions. It can even represent a real challenge to fly it,
mainly due to the distances required for takeoff and landing compared to conventional aircraft. It
also lacks flaps due to the canard wing design. Despite these secondary things, the Velocity XL
definitely offers a quite complete and fun experience. In fact, it is an aircraft that,
once you get used to it, provides incredible performances, stability, safety, and, of course,
unforgettable flights. CONCLUSION
It is evident how amazing this aircraft is, emerging as the fastest single-engine piston
aircraft on the market, even surpassing by far what some conventional and much
more expensive certified aircraft can offer. Of course, it is not a perfect aircraft by any
means, but considering what you are going to pay to get it, it gives you a lot for what it costs.
With this bird, you will have guaranteed hours of fun flying through the skies,
either with your family, friends, or alone. Today, over a thousand owners have assembled
the plane of their dreams. What is the reward? One of the best overall performing piston aircraft on
the market, capable of meeting the expectations of the most demanding pilots, at a very cheap price.