As my aircraft is currently grounded, I have been looking into other flying opportunities and recently decided to get a TMG rating – more out of curiosity than for any particular purpose. The closest place to do that was at LKKL Kladno, and the aircraft in question was a L-13SE Vivat:
It’s a motor conversion of the venerable L-13 Blanik, but the difference is very substantial – in particular, mid-wing instead of high-wing and side-by-side seating instead of tandem. It doesn’t go in the same sentence with ‘performance’ but offers a tremendous training value with the features you won’t find on a typical SEP trainer: 17 m wingspan, tailwheel + retractable single main gear (think U-2), cowl flap (and the engine that’s easy to toast if you forget it), interceptors, and barely sufficient engine power to get off the ground in hot summer weather (65 hp takeoff power for a MTOW of 705 kg). It has a Vy of about 100 km/h (54 kts), and deviating as little as 5 km/h either way does already affect the climb rate quite a bit, so it teaches you to be precise. The same goes for keeping the ball in the centre.
Add to that an excellent visibility from the cockpit, the usual gliding fun with updrafts, and the fuel consumption of 15.5 L/h in maximum-range cruise or 11.5 L/h in economy cruise, and you get a nifty little machine. In this club, full members can rent it for €50 an hour.
The exam was a non-event. Got the TMG in my license today.
Cool 
How does the Mikron engine run? It has always intrigued me.
@Silvaire, it’s neither the best nor the worst of aircraft engines. It is fully supported by Parmatechnik and is available in three variants with different compression ratio and different power (65 to 80 hp). It is still in production using a mix of new and used parts (for example, crankcases seem to be all reused). Definitely does not like high CHT, which leads to stuck rings. The one I flew initially had an unstable idle, which was traced to worn throttle control. One thing I wasn’t used to was an instant stoppage when you turn the ignition off (no windmilling), but it’s more of a prop + airframe thing than an engine one. The prop reliably stopped in a horizontal position every time.
Thanks for that info, I think one of these UL Bückers would be a fun way to utilize a Mikron engine. Perhaps not with the same performance as when fitted with an engine with almost three times the power, as is done with the originals now, but still an enjoyable plane.
