Cheetah Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) aircraft review, cockpit and controls, Cheetah light sport aircraft review and pilot report.
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Cheetah XLS light sport aircraft, cockpit and controls. |
| The cockpit area of the Cheetah XLS one of the beefiest in the industry. The pilot enclosure area features large diameter aluminum tubing, with a lot of triangulation for added strength. The cabin area is nearly 48 inches wide and there is plenty of headroom and legroom for taller pilots. For shorter pilots cushions are added to the seat to move the pilot forward. The Cheetah XLS features a dual throttle system which is located at the ends of the left and right arm rests. The arm rest fold up for ease of entry and exit. The strut attachment position is also located rear of the door so that the pilot does have to climb over or around it to get in. Another feature is that the door entrance area comes forward under the dash so that a pilot can swing his legs in without having to scrunch them up. The Cheetah XLS features a center stick, located between the seats, they also offer a Y stick arrangement for training. Having a center stick allows pilots to enter and leave the plane without having to move their legs around a stick. Pilots flying from the left seat have a very comfortable arm rest on the left and a center console in the middle to rest their arm on when flying. While the passenger has a comfortable arm rest and throttle for the right arm and shares the center console. You push the throttle forward to accelerate and rear ward to decrease power. The Cheetah XLS has cable operated, drum brakes on both wheels, which are activated together via a brake lever handle located on the joy stick. The brakes on the plane that I flew for this flight report I might have put on my Quicksilver MX back in the 80's. But they are not a system that I feel should have ever been installed on a plane as heavy, and as fast as the Cheetah XLS. The flap handle is located in the center of the roof between the two pilot seats. The Cheetah XLS uses 17 degrees for take off and 30 degrees for landing. Elevator trim is located in front of the center console. Ground handling is via a direct nosewheel steering, which allows the plane to be turned around in the length of it's wings. The plane has excellent visibility over the nose which was very unexpected with the style of front cowl that is used. The visibility side ways, back and down is also excellent, as is the view up through the skylight, which also allows you to view pretty well everything on the tail. The Skylight can be covered in seconds by simply pulling an optional sun shade back over the pilot's heads on sunny days. The Cheetah XLS has a 45 lbs storage compartment directly behind the seats, which is accessed from the side of the plane via a series of zippers. The pilot restraining system is also very beefy bringing two shoulder straps down to a lap belt. These lock very securely but are very easy to get free of in an emergency. The plane flown for this report was equipped with basic analogue engine gauges, as well as an airspeed, and altimeter. A variety of different engine and flight instruments can be installed right up to full glass panels. The fuel tank is located behind the seat, is easily viewed from either seat and has been marked so that a pilot can quickly see how much fuel is left in the tank. |
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