As per my posting about the Xenon, the Vredendal fly-in afforded me the opportunity to see the M24 in the flesh for the first time. Similarly to Johan, Vic also went out of his way to introduce us to his new gyro and share his thoughts and experiences of it. Although both the Xenon and the M24 were there standing side by side, I have tried not to get drawn into making comparisons - opting instead to leave that to prospective buyers who will no doubt each have their personal and unique set of needs and requirements with which to benchmark any necessary comparison. Instead I have simply attempted to express my own impressions of the individual gyro(s) as seen (and not flown!)
Being a Magni M16 owner I was excited to have an opportunity to take a closer look at the new M24 and I was not disappointed. Knowing first hand about Magni's absolute dedication to building safe and stable gyros, I was also aware that the long-awaited launch of the M24 Orion has been a culmination of several years of research and development into various two-seater and fully-enclosed prototypes which they tested over the years. With an enviable safety record to protect it was clear that Vittorio Magni would only introduce the final product once he was completely satisfied with the safety and performance upon which the Magni reputation has been built . And the resultant M24, is by all accounts, already living up to that reputation.
From the moment I first saw it, my eyes were drawn to it's sleek, aerodynamic tear-drop profile. It simply exudes an aura of performance! Like a formula 1 racing car there are no frills and the interior is positively spartan. Perhaps too much so for those who may seek a more plush interior. True to it's lineage though, the M24 is unquestionably a Magni through and through. Built upon the foundation of a tried and tested design and safety record spanning more than 30 years, Magni has retained the same rotor system, airframe construction method and continued choice of Rotax 914 for the M24. The horizontal stabilisor now has a slightly more dihedral wing shape to it, but beneath the sleek cabin and cowlings, very little appears to have significantly changed from the M16/M22 other than the modifications required to achieve the fully-enclosed side-by side seating configuration.
The slightly staggered side-by-side seating arrangement was far less notable than what I'd been led to expect in previous reports. The longer, more reclined seating definately looks more comfortable to that of it's M16/M22 predecessors - but to my eye still lacked the desireable level of cushioning. The familiar and well positioned controls and cyclic remain virtually unchanged, and whilst the positioning of the throttle and brake levers has also been retained, this now poses something of a minor hindrance when getting in and out the aircraft. And staying on this subject, (and unlike it's M16/M22 brethren), the overall shift in balance in the M24 now has it squatting on it's tail until you get into it. Yes, there are other gyros that are like this but I personally don't like a rocking-horse motion when getting into a gyro, nor having to put something under the tail so that it can stand the way it should when parked. Heck - even a little spring-loaded strut or something on the keel under the tail would have made all the difference.
Whilst Magni quickly recognised the need for additional packing space in a touring gyro - and addressed this with the introduction of the M22, they appear to have equally as quickly forgotten it with the M24. Antoine de Saint-Exupery may well have mused, "He who would travel happily must travel light", but I do feel that even he would have struggled with the absolute lack of packing space in the M24.
Those who have flown it are unanimous that it is every bit as stable as the M16, with very little difference in handling and performance. This offers great peace-of-mind as I've never been comfortable with the fact that when it comes to new (NTCA) aircraft - the new owners are, to all intent and purposes, the manfacturer's unwitting test-pilots! (When I originally decided to buy a Magni M16 my decision was greatly influenced by the fact that more than 400 test-dummy pilots before me were all still happily alive and flying their Magnis!). Thats said, despite the advantage that the M24 may enjoy in terms of Magni's reputation for safety, it still falls a little short in the pilot-comfort department. No cabin heating, non-adjustable (front) air vents, packing space or a park-brake.
But perhaps I'm being too critical about the lack of frills. First and foremost in importance is that of a safe and stable gyro. So if you're looking for peace-of-mind flying, the Magni M24 Orion will no doubt be right up there on your shopping list. If you're only concerned with comfort I'd recommend a leather Lay-Z-Boy armchair from Joshua Doore.
