US-Brazillian manufacturer Texas Aircraft is developing a new aeroplane designed to meet legislation that expands the definition of light sport aircraft.
The Texas Stallion is an all-metal four-seater built by Inpaer in Brazil that is fitted with a 200-hp Lycoming IO-360 engine and has an MTOW of 1300 kg. It is expected to cruise around 145 KTAS.
Texas Aircraft has benefitted from the Brazilian Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC), which anticipated the FAA's new Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) and has already published the home-grown ruleset RBAC01.
"With the publication of the regulation for the new light sport aircraft category, Texas/Inpaer registered the Stallion with the Brazilian authorities for its acceptance within the rules for Light Sport Aircraft," Texas Aircraft said. "The construction of the first prototype has already begun.
"Research and development flights are part of the project validation phase and data collection for the production of the required documentation for a special light sport aircraft in compliance with the ASTM standard.
"The Texas Group's expectation is that the Stallion will be classified as a Light Sport Aircraft in Brazil in mid-2024. After the publication of the MOSAIC rule, the certification process will also be started with the American authorities."
Under US laws, the FAA must finalise the MOSAIC legislation within 16 months of the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) or drop the regulations completely. The NPRM was published on 24 July, which means the new rules will become effective in the USA in 2025.
The Brazilian legislation permits a stall speed of up to 61 KIAS, whereas MOSAIC is expected to have a maximum clean stall of 54 KCAS.
Texas Aircraft says the Stallion will stall clean at 58 KIAS, which means the company with need to reconcile the difference by either seeking an exemption to operate in the USA in the light sport category, or have it certified to FAR 23.