The cockpit is wider

started out as a happy customer," Derekrecalls of his father's early relationshipwith Stoddard-Hamilton. Along the way,Matthius also had a chance to fly anoth­er of the company's products, the GlaS­tar, and remembers thinking that thekitplane's "flying characteristics wereabsolutely superb for an initial pilot."While the Glasairs were low-slung, com­posite speed demons, the GlaStar was ahigh-wing utility airplane with a float kitoptional. The opportunity arose to pur­chase the rights to build a certificatedversion of the GlaStar from ArlingtonAircraft Development, creators of thedesign, back in 1998, and the Stinnesesleaped at the chance. Stoddard-Hamil­ton, which declared bankruptcy lastyear, recently sold the kitplane rights tothe GlaStar, Glasair III, and GlasairSuper II designs to Thomas Wathen.

The parent company to OMF Aircraftis the Stinnes Group, a consortium oftransportation companies employingmore than 1,000 people in northeasternGermany. Yes, it's a family company­one that's been a going concern since1720. The company was initially invest­ed in the railroad business.

"It starts with an airplane," Matthiussays of their decision to branch into avi­ation. He founded OMF Aircraft in 1998with Derek and a team of engineers des­tined to secure certification for their

production version of the GlaStar.Christened the Symphony-"because

it sounds good in any language,"

AOPA PILCH' 84· OCTOBER 2001

The cockpit is wider

than a Cessna 152's,

as comfortable as

that of a Tomahaw k.

according to Derek-the airplane flewthe fast track to an FAA blessing. Thejourney to certification took 16 months,with the first flight of the prototype air­craft taking place in October 1999 andthe delivery of the type certificate thispast April. "You say a few months-itseems like a few years," Matthius com­mented at the ceremony celebratingthe certification, which was presentedat the Sun 'n Fun EAAFly-ln. The Sym­phony was certified under EuropeanJARs prior to its FAAcertification, whichhelped pave the way.

A truly new airplaneThough taking an established designthrough the certification process differsfrom starting at square one, the pro­duction airplane is decidedly not thesame as the original. Derek points outthat nearly everything on the airplanewas strengthened or made redundantto meet FAR Part 23 specifications.Under the guise of making certificationeasier OMF decided simply to overbuild

the airplane. As a result, very few of theparts are common to both the produc­tion Symphony and the GlaStar kit.

While you might think this wouldresult in a heavier aircraft overall, one

major change was made that proved ahuge weight savings and kept the Sym­phony close to the GlaStar's perfor­mance numbers. The original light­weight load-carrying fiberglass fuselageis augmented with a tougher internal,metal-tube cage. The wings and controlsurfaces are constructed from alu­minum (same as on the GlaStar). Thecompany was initially faced with havingto beef up the original fiberglass struc­ture considerably to withstand Part 23tests, but instead the lighter shell-and­cage combination saves weight for otherairplane modifications. "There weretwo aileron hinges, but specs call forthree," for example, says Derek. It'sworth noting that these three hinges arebeefy ones, and two adequately did thejob before. And the fortification didn'tstop there. The landing gear waschanged to a spring-steel leaf design towithstand the drop test and the repeti­tive, less-than-stellar landings a trainingairplane is destined to endure. The num­ber of ribs within the wings was doubledto make fatigue tests easier to pass. Theidea: an airplane that's made to last.

More heritageOver cinnamon French toast one morn­

ing, we talked to Tim Johnson, a former

!

tJt~~ ~

impressed with how familiar the Sym­phony felt, even though it looks sub­stantially different from other produc­tion high-wing airplanes. There are sev­eral reasons for this high comfort level.

The thick, high wing provides lots oflift and great slow-flight handling char­acteristics. Stall fences and large,boomerang-shaped vortex generators­two on each wing-make the Sym­phony particularly responsive whenapproaching a stall.

Visibility is good. Part of the cagestructure runs across the windshield,making for a vaguely Piper Cub-like allu­sion during turns-which may take somegetting used to if a Cub's not in yourrepertoire. However, the side windowsare cut low and the windshield curves

over the top of the cockpit, giving theoccupants a sense of space. Additionally,windows in the cabin's ceiling providevisibility in turns, felling a common high­wing demon. The cockpit is wider than aCessna 152's, as comfortable as that of aTomahawk, and fairly roomy for a two­place airplane. Leather-detailed seatsadd a degree of comfort and style notmatched by many aircraft in this class.

The Symphony has a stick, and it's lowand natural when grasped in the pilot'sleft hand, while the throttle is mounted inthe center of the panel and manipulatedwith the right hand. Control forces arefairly well-balanced. During the first flight,We found the ailerons a little heavier than

the elevator, which seemed odd, but per­haps a few more hours on the airplaneworked out some stiffness. We felt that the

controls were much more evenly matchedduring the second flight (which was ourphoto mission-a formation flight forwhich aircraft controllability is critical).

Familiarity also lies in the fact thatspeeds feel "right" for those of us wholearned to fly in the most popular single­engine high-wings, the Cessna 152 and172. Plenty of power for the Symphony'sgross weight means good climb rates andreasonable indicated airspeeds in cruise:115 knots indicated during our testflights. According to the company, cruis­ing at 8,000 feet with 75-percent powerresults in a healthy 130 knots true. OMFhas positioned the Symphony for the fly­ing-club market, where pilots can learn inthe aircraft and then use it as a practicalmeans to build time and kill time flyingcross-country. At book cruise speeds, the·,Symphony won't elicit many '1\re we thereyet?" thoughts from pilot or passenger.

Steering on the ground is accom­plished by differential braking; the free-

The roomy cockpit,with low side win­dows and a curved

windshield, givesoccupants a senseof space (above).Two vortex genera­tors on each wingmake the Symphonyparticularly respon­sive when approach­ing a stall (left).

0-320 gave the best balance of powerand mechanical reliability to the air­plane. OMF also settled on a fixed-pitchcomposite propeller for simplicity. MTPropeller, the German manufacturer,also supplies them to the experimentaland aerobatic markets, as well as hold­ing STCs for several production aircraft.

Strangely familiarPilot conducted two test flights, twomonths apart, and both times we were

demo and test pilot for Stoddard-Hamil­ton who is now working with the Sym­phony, about the airplane's heritage as aGlaStar. The original GlaStar, accordingto Johnson, was designed to be put onfloats, so its high-lift wing coupled withmore power explains why the Sympho­ny is such a capable land airplane. OMFchose to go with the Lycoming 0-320engine, at 160 horsepower, rather thanthe 0-360 (180 hp) or the Continental10-240B (125 hp), because it felt that the

AOPA PILOT' 85·OCTOBER 2001

i Links to additional information aboutOMF aircraft may be found on AOPA

Online (www.aopa.org/pilot/links.shtml).

castering nosewheel has stops so that itwon't turn completely around. Wheelfairings add to the Symphony's cheery,let's-go-fly looks. Some things are inunusual places, such as the fuel gauge,which is found above the right-handdoor. Overall, though, the transition fromCessnas is simple.

Going slowFor the training market at which theSymphony is aimed, slow-flight charac­teristics are paramount. This is an air­craft likely to be used for instruction,because of its attractive price and docilehandling, and it is an aircraft that doesnot bite. Stall speed is a relatively low 46knots with flaps down, but the big newsis how well the airplane handles down inthis regime. The ailerons remain effectiveuntil the bottom drops out, and still theSymphony feels like it's flying: Maneu­vering back and forth during the stallusing the ailerons feels strange, but it'smanageable. According to factory pilots,a burst of power just as the stall occurredwas required for spin entry during flighttesting. The stall warning horn beeps ahealthy 14 knots above stall speed, creat­ing plenty of time to correct a bad situa­tion. This wide margin is a little unset­tling on landing to pilots accustomed tothe more standard 5- to 10-knot warn­

ing-you still have quite a bit of stick leftbefore the sink begins.

The price of entryThe day-VFR­equipped Sym­phony can be yoursfor $120,000-and

this is a fully certified production model.In contrast, completed kitbuilt GlaStarson the market range widely in price,depending on the accessories and engineinstalled and the amount of time invested

in the project. An informal survey thatPilot conducted in July found severalfrom $79,995 to $115,000. The Symphonyis built in Germany and shipped with thewings off to the distributor, Aircraft Man­ufacturing and Development (AMD) inEastman, Georgia. Delivery lead time iscurrently three months.

The standard-and pretty basic­avionics package includes a HoneywellBendix/King KX 125 nav/com, a Ben­dix/King KT 76A transponder, and a PSEngineering PM 1000 II intercom. AVision Microsystems VM 1000 enginemanagement system replaces run-of­the-mill engine gauges, and wheel fair­ings are also part of the basic package.Two interior upgrades-primarily to theseats-are also available. After that, you'reon your own as far as adding more to thepanel, but there's ample space to do so.

Though the airplane seats but twopeople, the cargo area is generous. Strapstie down bags and a large baggage doorprovides easy access. With two 170­pound people filling the seats, 285pounds is left for fuel and bags. Filling thejust-over-30-gallon tanks leaves room forabout 100 pounds of cargo.

For an airplane conducive to training­and weekend field trips, the Symphonywillhave no problems finding a home. Ja1A

E-mail the author

at [email protected]

SPECSHEET

OMF SymphonyBase price: $120,000Price as tested: $120,000

SpecificationsPowerplant Lycoming 0-320

D2A @ 160 hpRecommended TBO 2,000 hr

Propeller MT composite. 2-bladeLength 22 ft 84 inHeight 9 ft 25 inWingspan 35 ftWing area 128.4 sq ftWing loading 18.66 Ib/sq ftPower loading 14.73 Ib/hpSeats 2

Cabin length .48 inCabin width 43.3 inCabin height .44.8 inEmpty weight 1.325 IbMaximum gross weight 1.960 IbUseful load 635 Ib

Payload w/full fuei 453 IbFuel capacity. std 32.5 gal

(30.2 gal usable)195 Ib (180.9 Ib usable)

Oil capacity 8 qtBaggage capacity 165 Ib (53.1 cu ft)Exterior noise 69 decibels

PerformanceTakeoff distance. ground roll 918 ftTakeoff distance over 50-ft obstacle ..1.148 ftMaximum demonstrated crosswind

component 20 ktRate of climb. sea level. as tested ..880 fpmMaximum level speed. sea level 162 ktMaximum level speed. ft 162 ktCruise speed/ endurance w/45-min rsv.

std fuel (fuel consumption)@ 75% power, best economy. 8,000 ft...................... 131 kt/3.5 hr (7.0 gph)

Service ceiling 16.500 ftLanding distance over 50-ft obstacle ..1,476 ftLanding distance. ground roll 754 ft

Limiting andRecommended AirspeedsVx (best angle of climb) 70 KIASVy (best rate of climb) 80 KIASVA (design maneuvering) 105 KIASVFE (max flap extended) 90 KIASVNO (max structural cruising) 110 KIASVNE (never exceed) 162 KIASVR (rotation) 70 KIASVS1 (stall, clean) 55 KIASVso (stall. in landing configuration) .

46 KIAS

For more information, contact OMF Aircraft.Flughafenstrass. 0-17039 Trollenhagen.Germany; telephone 866/663-1600 in theUnited States or (011-49) 395/425-6010internationally; fax (011-49) 395/425­6020; or visit the Web site (www.omf-aircraft.com).

All specifications are based on manufactur­er's calculations. All performance figuresare based on standard day. standard atmos­phere. sea level. gross weight conditionsunless otherwise noted.

I~.

AOPA PILOT' 86· OCTOBER 2001