The Aircraft

The Silence SA180/SA1100 Twister is an easy to fly single seat tail dragger combining the looks of the Supermarine Spitfire with advanced modern composite construction and the very latest in aerodynamic design. The aircraft has superb handling qualities and a very low weight making for a very efficient and economical aircraft with a whisper quite engine. The Silence Twister utilizes honeycomb  in its glass/Carbon sandwich construction rather than dense foam core as in many other composite aircraft. Though a more expensive production method, the honeycomb core keeps the Twister both very light and tough. The shape of the Twister gives superb aerodynamic performance. The elliptical wing planform means the aircraft produces plenty of lift while minimizing induced drag. The laminar flow aerofoil section was wind tunnel tested for very low drag without compromising the handling.

Technical Specifications

Silence SA1100 Twister  G-TWST and G-RIOT

During a visit to Friedrichshafen in 2003 Peter Wells first saw the SA180 (later christened the Twister). This little aircraft had all the good points of the RF4; classic appearance, good performance on a very small engine and lovely handling, all in a modern composite airframe – very much a modern day equivalent.

After a single flight, Pete knew that this was a worthy replacement for the much loved RF4, and an early prototype kit was ordered. G-TWST was built at Zulu Glasstek’s workshop over the course of a 2004 with its maiden flight early 2005. Certification was rather delayed due to early teething problems and the complex paper trail involved with converting what had been an ultralight (ULM) in Germany to ‘Group A’ aircraft certification in the UK. This was achieved in late 2005. The following year with lots of engine tweeks and a propeller change, aerobatic certification was also achieved

In 2009, Peter Wells completed his second Twister, G-RIOT, fitted with the new UL260i engine. The new engine has fully electronic ignition and multi point fuel injection (FADEC) systems as standard. Over Winter 2009/2010, G-TWST will be rebuilt to the same standard as G-RIOT in preparation for the duo display.