Markus Ruesch


Country

Switzerland


Aircraft

Votec 351


Base

Birrfeld Airport


The Aircraft

MSW Votec 351

The MSW Votec 322 is a Swiss two-seat low-wing monoplane based on the Rihn DR-107 One Design and designed for amateur construction by MSW Aviation of Wohlen.

The MSW 322 was designed by Max Vogelsang and derived from the Rihn DR-107 One Design which MSW Aviation had bought. The first prototype, registered HB-YJY first flew on 6 April 2001. The Votec 322 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a steel-tube fuselage, wooden wings with a carbon fibre fuselage skin, and a conventional landing gear with a steerable tailwheel. The aircraft is powered by a 330 hp (246 kW) Lycoming AEIO-540 flat-six piston engine driving a three-bladed tractor propeller. Later a four-bladed propeller was installed to reduce noise. The cockpit has room for two in tandem with a one-piece side-hinged canopy.

In 2006 the eighth Votec 322 was converted into the first and, as of October 2011, the only Votec 351, a single-seater. This flew for the first time on 23 September 2006. It has the same external dimensions as the Votec 322 but is 50 kg (110 lb) lighter when empty and has the more powerful 261 kW (350 hp) Lycoming AEIO-580 flat-six engine. One consequence is an improvement in the rate of climb of about 0.3%.

The Votec 452T, another Votec 322 variant, first flew on 4 June 2010. It is similar to its predecessor in span and weight but has a 336 kW (451 hp) Rolls-Royce M250-B17D turboprop engine and is 700 mm (27+1⁄2 in) longer. The prototype remains the only example in October 2011


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