SportStar at the Australian International Airshow

As usual, Evektor Australia will have SportStars in the static exhibition area at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon Airport from 9-16 March 2009.

Last Avalon, we won the 'Best Single Aircraft Type' display award, with 3 different SportStars - our Australian demonstrator, and one each from Air Warrnambool (RA-Aus regstered) and Royal Victorian Aero Club (VH-registered) - see photo.

From Tuesday until Friday lunchtime are the trade visitor days, usually relatively quiet on Tuesday and Wednesday and then with attendances building, much busier on Thursday & Friday. The public days from Friday afternoon through to Sunday evening are very popular, with literally tens of thousands of visitors attending.

Last show, the weather was 'typically Melbourne' (I am told) with temperatures and wind increasing through to 38 Celsius and 'severe wind warnings' on the Friday afternoon. Then in the space of a couple of hours, the temperature plummeted to around 22 celsius and it started raining - so I cannot advise the right clothing except 'plenty of layers' and good comfortable walking shoes to get you round the many hectares of displays.

This year we will have 2 SportStar SLs on display. A full Night VFR, VH-registered aircraft with variable prop, autopilot and digital instrument panel is coming over from Perth. Next to this will be a good example of an RA-Aus SportStar SL from Adelaide Biplanes at Aldinga in SA. SportStar owners are welcome to visit the airshow as our guests - we have a limited number of trade day entrance tickets available. And, as last time, we are planning some attractive special offers for the duration of the show. We will also be showing our new DVD on the SportStar SL - produced for us by Mike Rudd, Corporate Media Group.

Please contact me if you are interested in coming.

Sales of SportStar SL going well

Since the first revised version of the SportStar - the SL - arrived in Australia in October, sales have been going well, with 9 confirmed orders and 6 delivered already. This brings the total number sold in Australia to 46. By a slim majority, most of these are on the VH-register with the remainder RA-Aus registered.

The highest flying time SportStars in the world are in action at Adelaide Biplanes, Aldinga Airfield, where the 3 aircraft combined have flown well over 8,000 hours and made more than 50,000 incident-free landings over the last 42 months. However, I expect these figures to slow down considerably now they have taken delivery of 3 new SportStar SLs - which have become the front-line trainers.

Other flying schools in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland also have high utilisation rates on their SportStars, confirming the robust and high build quality of these aircraft.

So, whether you are looking for a new training and hire aircraft for your school/club or are a discerning private buyer, the SportStar is not only built to last - it has one of the biggest, best ventilated cabins in its class, it has excellent flying characteristics ('...it does just what you tell it to, no more, no less...' - quoted from an experienced CFI) and has a 7+ hour duration with reserves. Couple these with proper toe-brakes with steerable nose wheel, centre push/pull throttle, a fantastic view out (essential for those crowded circuits) and you have one superb aircraft!

Business opportunity - SportStar

The SportStar has gained an enviable reputation in Australia (and worldwide) as one of the highest quality, robust and superb to fly light sport/recreational aircraft.

Since the first SportStar was delivered in mid-2004, we have sold close to 50 units in Australia and New Zealand - many to flying schools, others to discerning private buyers.

We are ready now to build on this success and further expand sales in Australia.

If you are looking for a superb business opportunity, which combines your passion for flying with an outstanding high quality product, please contact me, Peter Harlow, on 0413 900 892.

Full training, marketing support and back-up will be given.

SportStar 'MAX' available in USA

A new version of the SportStar - the 'Max' - is now available in USA. This aircraft uses vortex generators to get the 'clean' stall speed well under the USA Light Sport speed limits at 600 kgs MTOW. I understand FAA in the States is re-examining a number of stall speeds quoted by some manufacturers, who currently claim a stall speed under 45 knots 'clean' even with a 'speed wing' - the SportStar has a relatively high lift wing.

However we will continue to sell the SportStar SL in Australia, at a MTOW of 600 kgs. Why not the 'Max'?

It's not easy, but I'll try to keep this simple.

Both the SL and the Max are certified in the LSA (Light Sport Aircraft) category and the airframes are identical. The LSA regulations stipulate a Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) for land planes is 600 kgs or lower if specified by the manufacturer.

However, LSA certification requirements are different between USA and Australia in a number of ways - in particular the maximum stall speed requirement at MTOW. In USA the stall speed maximum is 42 knots 'clean' (ie no flap) at MTOW. In Australia the limit is 45 knots in landing configuration (ie with up to full flap).

The SportStar airframe is plenty strong enough to cope with 600 kgs MTOW. However, at 600 kgs, the stall speed 'clean' is around 42 knots - which the factory deemed too close to the USA limit. As a result, they have specified the USA SportStar MTOW at 575 kgs to ensure the stall speed easily falls below the USA requirements. Recently, there has been a drive at Evektor to get the 'clean' stall speed down below 42 knots so that they can quote the headline 600 kgs MTOW. They decided the easiest way to do this in the States was to offer an optional wing vortex generator kit - and SportStars to which it is fitted are designated 'SportStar SL Max' in the USA in recognition of their higher 600 kgs limit.

However, in Australia the SportStar stalls with flap well below the 45 knots limit, even at 600 kgs MTOW. Therefore, all SportStar SLs can be registered in Australia at 600 kgs MTOW without the need for the vortex generators (which not only reduce the stall speed but also reduce the maximum speed). So we sell the SportStar SL straight as it is.

Hope that's clear!