Hobbies And Interests
Dimensions
When assembled, the Pulsar XP stretched a length of 20 feet and had a height of 5 feet, 11 inches. Its mid-mounted wings had a wing span of 25 feet with a total wing area of 80 square feet. Without any fuel, this plane weighed 630 pounds and had a gross weight of 1,200 pounds. These planes had a 28-gallon fuel tank.
Engines
The original Pulsar XP kits called for a Rotax 912 engine. This four-stroke, horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine had a 3.13-inch bore, 2.40-inch stroke and an overall displacement of 73.91 cubic inches. It had a compression ratio of 9.0-to-1 and generated 80 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. The Rotax 912 weighed 123.3 pounds. Rotax also built a 100 horsepower version of this engine called the Rotax 912S that fit inside the Pulsar XP.
Operators have also installed a Jabiru 2200. This four-stroke, four-cylinder engine generated 85 horsepower at 3,300 rpm and weighed 132 pounds. It had an overall displacement of 134 cubic inches with a 3.83-inch bore and a 2.91-inch stroke. This engine had a compression ratio of 8.0-to-1.
Flight
The Pulsar XP required 800 feet of airfield for both take-off and landing. Once airborne, these planes climbed at a rate of 1,500 feet-per-minute and reached its service ceiling at 15,000 feet. A Pulsar XP cruised at 150 mph and hit a maximum speed of 160 mph. These planes stalled at 49 mph and had a maximum range of 900 miles.
A Pulsar XP equipped with the Rotax 912 engine consumed fuel at a rate of 4.3 gallons per hour. The Jabiru 2200 engine reduced this fuel consumption to 4.0 gallons per hour.
Operation
Each Pulsar XP kit took 900 hours to assemble. The Pulsar XP sat a pilot and one passenger. Its tricycle-type landing gear offered two options for assembly, using either a nose wheel or tail wheel configuration. These planes carried a maximum load of 500 pounds with the Rotax 912 or 550 pounds with the Jabiru 2200. The Rotax 912 engine needed an overhaul after 1,500 hours of flight.