I have been investigating various LSA aircraft recently and was wondering what other SAFE members might like to recommend. So far I have flown the SportCruiser, Flight Design CT and Tecnam Sierra models. My impressions so far are that the Tecnam Sierra flies, displays the same basic styling and performs the closest to a production GA aircraft.
I plan to be at the AOPA Summit to demo a few of their aircraft. I understand many of the LSA manufactures are going to there.
Does anyone else have any more comments or thoughts on LSA recommendations?
We had an Evektor SportStar on our flight line for six months. The airplane flew great. On or near the ground, I was a test pilot. The following year, the design changed.
The airplane has a direct connect between rudder pedals and the nose wheel. A small foot movement gives big nose wheel deflection. On takeoff, students were all over the place, not helped by the torgue of an engine turning 6000 RPM.
On landing, the airplane is short coupled, so it needs a lot of rudder to compensate for crosswind. When the nose wheel touches ...
The ASME standards are not as well developed as FAR 23. Nor is there much design experience based on field repairs. The aircraft is built with pop rivets, each one carefully filled in with paint.
The aircraft eventually went to another school, where the max crosswind component allowed was 5 K. Overspeed flap deployments required that the wing be disassembled. On a C-150, the repair would have been new flap bearings.
All of the LSA manufacturers are competing inside the same design parameters, so they end up doing things the same way. They all want to be light. The result is a relatively fragile aircraft. On a features basis, they are very impressive compared to a Cub or a Champ, but compared on a dollars and safety basis are not that great a deal. LSAs are good for the pilot downsizing after a Private career, not so good for a new pilot.
Flame away!
Robert
Wished I had seen this earlier and could have met you aat AOPA. I hope you got a chance to look at the Paradise P1. It is an all metal airplane with very easy access and and many amenities are standard. It flies extremly close to all other GA high wings. I will be at Sebring, if you are planning on being there let me know.
