Plenty to tell you!

Welcome to the third issue of our newsletter ? and there?s lots to tell you since our last issue.
There?s more information on the SilverWing website. Have a look at www.silverwing.com.au

We can tell you about:
- A22 Foxbat sales success
- LSA Certification in the USA for the SportStar
- why an all-metal aircraft?
- VUT100 Cobra
- 90% LSA kit version of the SportStar

A22 Foxbat Sales top 22!

Since our first customer Foxbat was delivered in July last year, the orders have been flying in ? helped by a superb static display at Avalon and a series of test/demo flights at Natfly.
In among all of this was a flight test article by Paul Phelan (see March issue of ?Australian Flying?) which, as well as describing the Foxbat?s flying characteristics perfectly, concluded: ?This is a plane you won?t want to walk away from?. Good one, Paul!
Popular colours so far have been yellow, and white, although a blue one is now on order. One Foxbat is already in use with a flying school, with another one on order.
If you haven?t flown in a Foxbat ? try it as soon as you can ? you won?t be disappointed!

SportStar is the first LSA certified in USA

In June this year, the SportStar (in fact 2 of them) became the very first aircraft to be type-certified as Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) under the new USA regulations.

These regulations allow a maximum take-off weight of 600 kilos and as soon as Australia enacts similar regs, the SportStar will be listed!

This means you'll have the choice of registering your SportStar either as a Recreatyiona aircraft - fully type accepted for recreational licence training - or as a VH- registered LSA. The aircraft are identical - you'll have the choice which way you want to register.

Evektor has recently announced they have completed over 550 SportStars/Eurostars and are now the Czerch Republic's biggest manufacturer of aircraft.

Evektor VUT100 Cobra close to initial certification

The big news from Evektor (maker of the SportStar-Eurostar recreational aircraft) is the development of the VUT100 Cobra 4-seat luxury aircraft.

The prototype first flew in November last year and has now amassed over 150 hours of flight testing on its way to a full FAA IFR flight certificate.

Evektor believes the market has been waiting for a new advanced all metal, superior comfort, high performance aircraft equipped with state of the art avionics for years. Customers at Aero Friedrichshafen [Airshow in April] confirmed that metal airplanes are preferred by a large segment of the market for their durability, ease of maintenance and predictability. (See article - Why all-metal? in this newsletter).

The VUT100 Cobra is equipped with a full ?glass? cockpit and autopilot. Fitted with the Lycoming IO-580-B engine rated at 315hp, cruise is a respectable 170kts giving a range of over 1,000 nautical miles.

First customer deliveries are expected in mid-2006.

To reserve a production slot (the first 15 are already reserved) contact us at SilverWing.

Why all-metal?

The SportStar was designed with particular care and regard for the pilot?s needs. Besides the performance and excellent flight characteristics, significant importance was paid to safety, superior cabin comfort, high aircraft durability, long service life and low operation and maintenance costs. An all-metal structure meets the best in all these requirements. Modern duralumin alloys are the most-used material in aviation today and are well-known for outstanding strength and fatigue characteristics, structural stability, durability and low maintenance costs together with a very long service life.

The advantages of an all-metal airframe bring value for pilots especially in the following areas of aircraft operation:

High durability and proven long service life

The all-metal anodised aluminium airframe provides high durability and a guaranteed long service life. In the SportStar, not only is the entire airframe etch-primer corrosion proofed, but every joint is mastic bonded as well as riveted and all hollow rivets are mastic filled before painting.

Thanks to material stability, metal structures are durable and resistant to the external environment and, unlike composite structures, are not susceptible to structural changes caused by UV radiation, high temperatures and other weather effects. Owning an all-metal aircraft protects your investment for the future as a long service life helps to keep its price high on the used aircraft market.

The SportStar has a 12,000 flying hours service life.

High safety for crew

Most aircraft accidents occur during two critical phases of flight: immediately after take-off or during landing manoeuvres, when the best parachute system cannot protect the crew of the aircraft. With respect to this, Evektor-Aerotechnik, the SportStar manufacturer, has paid the highest attention to the construction of the cockpit and the result is a structure which can absorb crash energy and protect the cockpit.

An all metal airframe has better crash characteristics, thanks to energy absorption by gradual breaking of the metal structure, whereas composite materials can break or fragment dangerously. Further, the mastic bonding of SportStar joints helps prevent crash ?unzipping? which can occur with non-bonded metal airframes.

Easy and inexpensive maintenance

Repair of damage on all metal aircraft is much less expensive than composite aircraft thanks to the simple replacement of damaged parts. Thanks to extended application of metal structures in aviation, qualified service centres with very fast, quality and inexpensive services are widely available.

Possibility of outdoor long-term parking

Durability and resistance to outdoor weather conditions of the metal structure enables long-term outdoor parking of the SportStar without danger of structural damage due to solar radiation or adverse weather conditions. This is very attractive especially in the areas with sunny and hot weather climates, where considerable hangaring costs can be saved.

90% LSA kit version of SportStar

The new LSA regulations (when they arrive in Australia in the near future) will allow a relaxation of the previous 51% rule, where the amateur builder is required to complete at least 51% of the work needed to build their aircraft.

To meet this change, Evektor have announced the release of the 90% kit version of the SportStar - just add engine, propeller, instruments and paint. The airframe is complete - including all riveting, mastic bonding and etch-primer corrosion proofing.

At a special introductory price of Australian $79,950 inc GST and shipping for the airframe you can't go wrong - you'll make a saving close to $20,000 on the price of a similar specification factory built aircraft.

For more information, contact SilverWing.