Remos simplifies controls

The company made many changes to this new generation of Remos, the most obvious right up front: a new, more “aggressive” cowling design that accommodates the Rotax 912 iS and an enhanced cooling system with a larger air scoop that Majunke said was probably more robust than any pilot would need outside of the hottest climates. Flying to and around EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with temperatures in the 90s, “the cooling system was quite bored,” Majunke reported during a July 25 press conference.

“No other airplane in the world has such a system to control your engine,” Majunke said, adding that the closest comparison is found in jets with FADEC power controls. The starting procedure: Turn the ignition key one click to activate power for avionics, another click to activate the starter, “then you push the button and you taxi to the active.”

Runup also has been automated, requiring the pilot only to monitor the instruments as the system cycles through the standard checks.

“This is what we call engine management on an automotive level,” Majunke said. “This is something that brings real fun to aviation.”

It also brings a measure of safety, he noted, that the controls have been so streamlined and simplified. There is, for one thing, no fuel shutoff valve, the misuse of which has been known to lead to grief.

“We are very, very proud,” Majunke said. “We even simplified the throttle and brakes.”

A single lever now controls both.

The GXiS lists at $187,258 with a panel built with 7-inch SkyView screens, and $197,161 with 10-inch screens; a long list of available options and add-ons can push the price above $250,000.

Remos had all but disappeared from the U.S. market in terms of new sales in recent years, and the company hopes to spark a revival with the GXiS update.