READERS PLEASE NOTE: Australian Flying was unable to test every aircraft for this guide. Aircraft performance figures are those claimed by the importer or manufacturer and as such are usually best-case numbers. Aircraft buyers should thoroughly evaluate each model themselves before making a purchase.
Paradise Aircraft P-1
The Paradise P-1 is one of several light sport aircraft new to Australia for 2010. Built in Sebring, Florida, the first Australian P-1s started construction in late 2009 with February 2010 delivery dates.
At first glance, this looks like a very conventional aeroplane: all metal, aluminium over welded steel frame, high-wing, tricycle undercart with a steerable nose wheel, twin yoke controls and standard six-clock instruments. The same description could be written of a C150. However, underneath the story is anything but run-of-the-mill. The powerplant is the 100hp Rotax, which drags the P-1 along at 100 knots cruise behind a three-blade prop. Fuel consumption is 18 lph from 150-litre tanks, so the range is out over the 800nm mark.
Entry to the cockpit is a breeze via large, forward-hinged doors and the wing strut is mounted aft of the doors so there is no obstruction to them being swung fully open. Inside the P-1 offers standard leather seats that look like they belong in a BMW, a console-mounted T-bar throttle, and plenty space behind for bags. If a seat is removed, there is even floor space for a six-foot person to lie down flat.
If you are over the standard instruments, Paradise Aircraft will fit a Dynon D-180 EFIS, a Lowrance 2000 GPS or Digiflight IIG autopilot. Other systems can be installed at the owner’s request. Standard dual controls and hydraulic brakes, docile stall characteristics and plenty of visibility mean the P-1 would score highly with anyone looking to acquire training aircraft.
Distributor: Leisure Sport Aircraft, www.lsaoz.com.
Remos GX
For an aircraft that started life in a Bavarian farmhouse, the Remos GX has come a very long way. Today it contains most aspects of current aircraft technology and is a serious contender in the LSA market. A high-wing aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage, the manufacturers boast that there is virtually no control input that the GX won’t forgive.
Advanced composites have been used in the construction, such as the carbon-fibre wing and Kevlar passenger cage, providing high levels of stiffness without paying a huge weight penalty. GRP has been used in the main gear and wheel fairings. The wings, which can fold up in five minutes, are fitted with electric slotted flaps, which account for the good short-field capabilities. No surprises up front; the engine is a geared Rotax 912ULS twirling a two-blade wooden prop. With that you get a cruise of 113 knots at 5200RPM and a rate of climb a touch over 1000fpm. With 84 litres in the tank, the GX is capable of staying airborne for over 6.5 hours, providing you back-off the Rotax to 4200RPM.
The doors are the swing-up variety supported by gas struts, and the hatch is one metre wide, which is plenty of access even for the larger pilots. You can also fly without the doors at a max cruise of 100 knots. The wing strut is mounted aft of the door, so that’s well out of the way. Inside you are greeted by two bucket seats and two individual control sticks. Standard fit instruments are the traditional dials plus either a Rotax FlyDAT engine monitoring systems or a Dynon D120 EMS. Other EFIS systems can be accommodated.
Distributor: Sport Aviation Imports (NZ), www.remos.com.
Tecnam P92 Eaglet and P2004 Bravo
Italian manufacturer Tecnam has been building light aircraft for over 60 years, so they are no stranger to the industry. The company offers several aircraft that can be registered LSA, but only three that have a 600kg MTOW: the P92 Eaglet (pictured above), P2004 Bravo and the P2002 Sierra.
The Eaglet and the Bravo are both high-winged, all metal aircraft with tricycle undercart. The fuselage structure is a monocoque design made from aluminium and chrome-moly steel, and the wings are traditional aluminium with a single spar and metal torsion box. The leading edge material is easily removed for servicing, and the wingtips are slightly up-turned to enhance the STOL performance. Both aircraft have roomy cockpits with dual curved control sticks that make swinging your legs in and out a lot easier. Electric pitch trim and push-to-talk are mounted in the handles. Twin throttles are included with one on the lower centre of the panel and the other on the pilot’s left side. This means the aircraft can be flown equally comfortably right-handed or left-handed.
The instrument panel itself is quite large, leaving plenty of room for standard clocks and any additions later on. A new modular design makes it very easy for instrument packages like EFIS to be installed. Underneath, both high-wings have spring steel main gear that will take a bit of punishment and a trailing-link, steerable nose wheel that is damped by rubber shock absorbers. Toe brakes are standard on the P92 with an option for a hand-operated brake, and the reverse for the P2004. Both aircraft are fitted with 100hp Rotax engines under convenient two-part opening cowls that make the pre-flight inspection much easier.
It is in the wing that the two aircraft differ most. The P92 Eaglet has a larger, 129 sq ft wing with struts attached aft of the door. The electric slotted flaps drop down to 38° for improved vision over the nose and a stall speed of 37 knots. The effect of this wing is seen in the take-off to 50 feet figure of 250 metres, but a lower cruise TAS of 112 knots.
On the other hand, the P2004 Bravo (pictured above) is fitted with a cantilevered, tapered, laminar flow wing of only 118 sq ft in area. It has the same stall performance as the P92, but will take longer to get to the 50-foot height: approximately 310 metres. The trade-off is a cruise TAS of 116 knots.
Choosing between these two will be somewhat of a dilemma, and may come down to what your own preferences are. The Eaglet is built for STOL, the Bravo is built for speed. Although the P2004 Bravo is still available, it will be phased-out and replaced by the new high-wing P2008, the first of which is expected in the country later this year.
Distributor: Tecnam Australia, www.tecnam.com.au.
Tecnam P2002 Sierra
Tecnam’s low-wing LSA is constructed of the same chrome-moly and aluminium monocoque as the high-winged pair. Again, the wing is conventional aluminium with a single spar and metal torsion box. Design is laminar-flow similar to the P2004, but is closer in wing area to the P92. Undercart is the same design as the high-wings. Entry to the cockpit is via a forward-sliding canopy, which is very generous with the amount of window space offering nearly 360 vision. The canopy contains enough hard stuff to provide full roll-over protection in case of mishap.
Inside, the cockpit is pure Tecnam with plush seats, map pockets that shame many GA manufacturers and curved control sticks that make it easier to step into and out of the plane. Dual throttles are installed in the Sierra also, but with the centre throttle a quadrant-style and the left throttle a push-pull. Braking is hand-operated via a lever located forward between the seats, but toe brakes can be specified as an option.
The instrument panel is also modular and can be set-up with the standard six-gauge flight instruments or an EFIS package. With the same engine out front and a similar wing design, it is not surprising that the P2002’s performance is close to the P2004: cruise of 116 KTAS, stall of 38 knots and a take-off run of 310 metres. The pleasing lines of the P2002 Sierra and familiar cockpit style are likely to be very tempting to GA pilots who prefer their wing under the cockpit rather than above.
Distributor: Tecnam Australia, www.tecnam.com.au.
TL Ultralights TL2000 Sting Carbon
Out of the Czech Republic come two very capable and sleek LSAs: the TL2000 Sting Carbon and the TL3000 Sirius. Both are manufactured using the latest material and engine technology, intended to eek the greatest possible performance from the design. The TL2000 is a low-wing, tricycle aircraft with a bubble canopy that enables vision at just about every point of the compass. It looks fast, and its 75 per cent cruise speed of 125 knots is among the faster aircraft in this guide. That performance is courtesy of a slippery design, 100hp Rotax engine and an optional in-flight adjustable propeller.
At cruise power, the Rotax will drink about 19 litres per hour, and the range with depend on which size fuel tank you choose; 69, 80, 120 or 150 litre tanks are all options. Naturally, if you elect to fit the turbo Rotax 914, the TL2000 will get a little thirstier. As the name gives-away, the Sting Carbon is made of 95 per cent carbon fibre. The wings are carbon/epoxy sandwich construction fastened with epoxy adhesives. Wing and fuselage skins are vacuum-bagged and oven-cured.
The forward-swept and tapered wings support winglets and mechanical flaps, which aids greatly in short-field operations: 75-metre take-off roll and 100-metre landing roll. The undercart is of durable construction and the nose-wheel is steerable. Hydraulic brakes fitted to the mains are toe-operated.
A large tilt-up canopy supported by gas struts makes no question of cabin access, and the 1.24-metre-wide cockpit is one of the larger in the LSA category. Inside are two high-backed seats divided by a console that houses the flap lever and engine controls. Individual joysticks provide the flight command. Your TL 2000 instrument panel can consist of the standard dials or an ATECH AV3000 EFIS and EMS, or the comparable Dynon system.
Distributor: X-Air Australia, www.mcp.com.au.
TL Ultralight’s TL3000 Sirius
Although not quite as fast as its high-speed sister, the TL3000 Sirius makes up for that in comfort and handling. A classic-looking high-wing aircraft with tricycle undercart, the Sirius is built from the similar composite materials to the Sting Carbon. With comfort in the fore, the designers gave the Sirius a very generous cabin and spoilt pilots with contoured seats and padded twin control yokes. Panel options are the same as those for the Sting Carbon, but there is also plenty of blank space in the centre for customising with add-ons like an EKP-IV.
At 1.16 metres across the shoulders there is plenty of space for a couple of big occupants. Gull-wing doors and struts attached aft of the opening take the squeeze out of entry and exit. The baggage compartment is a vast 415 litres and will cope with 43kg of cargo. The 116-knot cruise is healthy for a high-wing and is achieved with a Rotax 912ULS up front. With 130 litres of fuel on board and a consumption around 17-18 lph, the Sirius will cover over 800nm at cruise before you need to find a bowser.
With handling described as “easily manoeuvrable” across the entire speed range and no tendency to spin, the TL3000 might make a good training option - if you were prepared to pamper your students.
Distributor: X-Air Australia, www.mcp.com.au.
Zenair STOL CH 750
Zenith’s STOL CH 750 may just be the most awkward-looking aircraft in the LSA category, but its performance in short take-off and landing is pure class. Anything that will unstick in only 30 metres is a contender for STOL world champion. Based on the successful CH 701 design, the CH 750 is also a high-wing, tricycle undercart aeroplane that has a flat-topped fuselage leading to a high tail fin, somewhat reminiscent of the GA8 Airvan.
Of all-metal construction, the Zenith shows all the signs of having been designed for off-airport and rough-strip operations. Never-ending visibility, leading-edge slats, high-lift wing, flaperons and brutish landing gear make life easier when your runway is a paddock. A standard-fit Continental O-200 100hp engine gives the CH 750 its 87 knot cruise speed, which is to be expected from a slab-sided aircraft. However, the rate of climb is stated at 1000 feet per minute; just what you need for clearing a stand of gum trees or an inconvenient hill. Rotax 912ULS and Jabiru 3300 engines have been fitted to kit aircraft.
Swing-up doors and struts attached aft make for easy access to the cabin and the windows are wrap-around with very narrow pillars for greater vision. The main control is via a central Y-stick and the throttle is mounted on the instrument panel. 90 litres of fuel stored in two tanks means a CH 750 with an O-200 installed has a range of about 350nm. It is not the greatest endurance around, but it will mean five hours in the air. And who wants to haul lots of fuel into and out of a dry river bed anyway?
Distributor: Zenair Australasia, www.zenithair.com.
Zlin Savage Cub
Unashamedly based on the iconic Piper Cub, the Savage Cub demonstrates a lot of the qualities that made the Piper such a success. Any variations from the original are generally improvements that mark the Savage Cub as an aeroplane in its own right, not just a replica. However, purists will not be disappointed, as this rag-wing taildragger has been described as having “impeccable manners” and “classic handling characteristics”.
The fuselage structure is chrome-moly steel rather than mild steel and is covered with the traditional Stits fabric. Wings, struts and cross members are all anodized aluminium and each one houses a 34-litre fuel tank. With an 80hp Rotax up the front, that equates to a range of 390nm at 65 per cent power. Cruise speed at 75 per cent power will return 90 knots, so clearly this aircraft is not going to win any races, but that is not what it was built to do anyway. For some operations in Australia, such a mountain flying, importers are recommending you specify the 100hp engine to get the best out of your cub.
The undercart is, of course, tail-wheel with hydraulic toe brakes on the mains. At the back, the rudder is connected to the tail wheel to make taxiing easier, and the wheel also has a locking mechanism that can be released to allow it to swivel. Up front, the main gear is damped by a bungee system that includes retraining cables so the undercart can’t be over-extended. The instrument panel is fairly Spartan, but it’s all a part of the tradition of stick-and-rudder flying that the Savage Cub perpetuates.
Distributor: X-Air Australia, www.mcp.com.au or Golden Plains Flying School, Victoria.