First SportStar SLs land in Australia

The first two of the new model SportStar SLs have landed in Australia - in Perth and Brisbane. Congratulations to Rob Darrington and Hans Wenziker in WA on taking delivery of their silver and blue SL, courtesy of Cloud Dancer Sport Aircraft. The second aircraft will be Evektor Australia's demonstrator (see picture left, taken at the SAAA fly-in Cowra in October)- kept at Tyabb, VIC, for a while. The next two SLs are due into Adelaide in early November, due for a training role at Adelaide Biplanes, who already use three older SportStars. There are three more SLs on order, for delivery in Adelaide, Perth and NSW. When these are delivered we will top 50 SportStars in Australia.

SportStar prices held

We're all aware of the big change in exchange rates over the last few months - apart from the almost vertical fall in the Australian dollar against the US dollar, the rate against the Euro has fallen too. Thankfully, we were able to take some early action to mitigate the rate change and, with help from the SportStar factory, we are able to hold SportStar prices close to their July 2008 prices.

So, if you are thinking about buying one of these superbly built training/touring aircraft - NOW is the time to place your order. Prices are fixed and guaranteed once the order is confirmed with the factory, effectively insuring you against exchange rate falls in the Australian dollar. Can't be bad!

Adelaide Biplanes SportStars complete 50,000 landings

One of the major operators of SportStars in Australia is Adelaide Biplanes, based at Aldinga Airfield about an hour's drive south of Adelaide. The company leases three customer-owned SportStars, the first of which arrived at Aldinga in mid 2005. Since then the three aircraft have totalled over 8,000 hours of flying training and rental and completed over 50,000 incident free landings.

This flying school is easily the world's most experienced SportStar operation, outranking even USA schools in flying hours on the aircraft. In addition to the SportStars (they are in the process of updating the fleet with three new model 'SL' SportStars) there are a couple of Cubcrafters Sport Cubs, used for tail wheel and basic training, as well as a Decathlon (aerobatics), Cessna 172s, and a magnificent Waco Biplane (pictured, left), which is used for joy flights over the local beach/bayside.

From experience I know that Martin and Gaylene Smith, who run the school/club, and their team supply a great cup of coffee and superb sandwiches - not to mention excellent flying training!

'Pacific Wings' SportStar write-up - 'a stellar performer'

The June issue of Pacific Wings Magazine included a flight test article on the SportStar Plus - courtesy of our New Zealand distributor, Colin Marshall at aeroflight Aviation (Tel +64 3312 5402, Mobile +64 2741 25402).

Apart from a fantastic selection of in-flight photos, and the article strap line 'Stellar performer' the reviewer, Rob Neil seems to have really liked the plane. Here are a few tasters. The full article can be obtained from Pacific Wings Magazine in New Zealand - +64 3314 7416.

"...far better built and finished than any GA aircraft I ever flew..."

(the cabin is so big that) "a SportStar's occupants could almost set up a table tennis table between them"

"The SportStar's flight manual is an extremely well laid out and comprehensive volume of around 150 pages. It includes all the usual performance charts one would expect to find in a certified GA aircraft, and it abounds with diagrams and simply-worded explanations of every system and feature of the aircraft."

"The SportStar's exterior finish is exceptional. Its aluminium skin is smooth, dimple free and beautifully painted. While its various fittings and features are (necessarily) smaller in scale than typical certified GA two-seaters, they are all obviously well-engineered and finished with nice features such as the lovely little Iockable flush filler caps."

"the SportStar features a bay behind the engine and in front of the instrument panel that allows easy access to the instruments and avionics without requiring engineers to resort to painful inverted contortions inside the aircraft cabin in order to access them."

"While "size" is a consideration with many microlights - "will I fit?" - it is definitely not an issue in the SportStar, in which - with the adjustable rudder pedals at their fully aft position - Colin actually requires a small cushion behind him for comfort. I am almost six feet tall and was perfectly comfortable with the rudder pedals in this same fully-aft position."

"From the beginning of the takeoff roll, the pleasant and direct feel of the aircraft's pushrod operated controls (elevators and ailerons are pushrod operated; rudder is cable), which have no slack or free play, are immediately apparent."

"The aircraft's safe and predictable handling became most evident when we practised some stalls and it proved reluctant to drop a wing at all - even when provoked. It can be held in the stall (as I did deliberately) and will quietly just buffet and shake slightly as it descends straight ahead, while a wing drop is nothing more than a slight bank."

"I had only two complaints about the SportStar - one minor and one serious. The minor complaint was the way the shoulder straps of the four-point harness tended to slide off my shoulders in flight. Perhaps I'm too 'round-shouldered' and should become more of a man, or perhaps I hadn't adjusted them properly. The serious complaint was that my time in the SportStar had come to an end."

"The Evektor SportStar is a beautifully built and attractive aeroplane. It flies delightfully, is spacious and comfortable, costs very little to operate and needs minimal qualifications or medical approval to fly. What more can be said?"