Sport Pilot Talk

I have noticed that the Evektor Sportstar has not increased its number of registrations in the USA in a long time now. I also note that 18 Sportstars have crashed in the last 2.5 years out of a registered fleet of 93. Is there a connection? Is there a US representative now?

While a little slower than some SLA's, I have flown the Sportstar quite a bit and thought it was a nice airplane.

I've never flown a Sportstar but always thought they were a nice-looking aircraft. Might be a bit slower than some others, but certainly faster than my Ercoupe. But, maybe, not as stable - if those crash numbers are right. That's a large percentage of the fleet.

There are two currently for sale on Barnstormers. $80K and $88K.

When I used to take flying lessons, I was flying in the Sportstar. Now the old flight school closed down and I have no more LSA to train in. I may get back to training sooner or later or someday.

The Sportstar is a very sensitive airplane especially when taxiing on the ground. It's very easy to over control when steering the plane on the ground and also very prone to gusty winds and turbulence. The handling in the air is okay and the controls are light.

My guess on the Sportstar lack of increase here (at least until recently) is going to be the slightly lower MTOW than the standard LSA's. I trained and still share a hanger with a SportStar here in CO. I have to admit that I do miss flying it at times as it was really easy to fly, easy to land and felt very roomy inside.

I did notice just recently that Evektor has redesigned the SportStar so it can be a full 1320lbs for the take off weight as opposed to the 1280 (or was it 1240? - they say the memory is the first to go). That was the main reason why I didn't want to get one once I got my license.

If the trainer I learned in had the full weight capacity I would've considered getting a used one of those rather than the StingSport share I purchased.

Of course now that the new ones are out....hmmm....

I have about 9 hours in a Sportstar. I found the ground handling to be very sensitive. The wing is a bit closer to the ground than some other low wing aircraft. Some say that is what has led to many accidents during crosswind landings. I have no statistics to back that up, just rumors.

Besides the vortex generators to make the 1320 gross weight they came out with several mods. They needed to get the stall speed with LSA limits at the higher MTOW. They also had a fix to prevent accidentally stepping on the wrong rudder pedal (pilot/copilot).

It flies as well as any other LSA. Very stable in the air and well rigged, does not require heavy application of rudder in turns. Fun to fly and great visibility. I suppose it just got a bad reputation.

Keep in mind that the early popularity of the Sportstar may be related to the fact that is was the very first LSA to receive US certification under ATSM standards.

I've been operating a SportStar as a primary trainer for just under a year now, with about 250 hours on it. My students love this plane; it's very responsive in the air (though, as others have noted, has a lower cruise speed than other LSAs; I see 105 Kts at 75% power). It's light on the controls, which means if you have a death grip on the stick, you will over-control it. My students learn quickly to use just very light fingertip pressure.

As for ground handling, yes, the nosewheel steering is extremely sensitive. I teach applying rudder pressure, not motion, when taxiing. Several of the accidents cited have been taxi accidents from letting the plane get into an oscillation on the ground. It's easy to prevent, but will happen if you try to taxi the SportStar as you would a Cessna. There is a mod to make the nosewheel steering less sensitive, but it increases your turning radius significantly; I don't recommend it.

The wing is low enough to make it easy to scrape a wingtip if landing in a slip. I teach crabbing on final, and kicking out the crab during the flare. The accidents in dual instruction have involved CFIs with low time in type. I got a 5 hour checkout in the plane when I bought it, and then flew it myself for quite a few hours before I felt I knew it well enough to instruct in it. I then gave my adjunct flight instructor a 5 hour checkout, and he flew it solo another 5 or 10 hours before taking on students. As with any new plane, the flight instructor needs to learn its quirks before giving dual in it.

You have to really respect the 10 kt crosswind limit. People get into trouble when they exceed it (as some of the NTSB reports will indicate). There are some tricks to landing the SportStar in a considerable crosswind; I've used them up to 20 kts straight across the runway. But, these are techniques for highly experienced pilots. Students should be taught that if the crosswind exceeds 10 kts, they must land on a different runway, or go somewhere else and wait for the winds to die down.

The rudder pedal barrier mod is a good idea, because it's easy for someone's feet to overlap onto an adjacent pedal. Some planes (including mine) require replacing the pilot's right and copilot's left rudder pedals with a different design. I have the parts, but haven't installed them yet.

The gross weight increase is simple. Structurally, the SportStar can handle 1400 lbs. The 1268 lb limit is driven by stall speed, which increases with weight (and for an S-LSA must be below 45 kts clean). Figure on 8 to 10 hours of labor to install the vortex generators (assuming you've never done it before), 15 minutes to drill out the data plate rivets and install the new data plate, and then two hours to complete all the required paperwork. The VGs lower the stall speed enough that at 1320# it increases to just below 45 knots. The extra 52 pounds of useful load makes the SportStar competitive with anything else in the S-LSA fleet.

The gross wt increase also requires replacing the nose tire with the optional larger size, unless that's already been done. So add a tire, a tube, and an hour of labor for the tire change when figuring out the costs.

The reason sales have stagnated? My opinion is that Evektor USA in Florida has not been promoting or supporting their product. I know that parts ordering was a problem for quite a while (though the folks at the factory in CZ are quite responsive). The new SportStar Max model has the VGs, rudder pedal mods, a much nicer interior, and quite a few other desirable upgrades -- but I know of only two in the US at this time. I believe it takes an aggressive distributor to make something like an LSA successful -- you can't just sit waiting for customers to come to you (and you certainly can't be slow in returning phone calls!) I hope the marketing arm can get its act together, because the SportStar is a great primary trainer, economical to operate, easy to maintain, and fun to fly.

I trained in a Sportstar and yesterday had a chance to fly in what I think might be called a Sportstar Max. It has a 914 and a constant speed prop (legal here in Canada). It is one hell of a plane. I'd liken the build finish to what one gets with a BMW or Mercedes. Everything fits. It is solid. And it flies beautifully. It is WAY more airplane than the plane in which I trained. It's also heavier and full fuel with two big guys might exceed GW. For anybody wishing a plane for moving cross country, this thing'll cruise at 105/110 knots with modest fuel burn and great stability.

I've flown the majority of my hours (75 total) in 2 different sportstars, one with vortex generators and one without. I love them both. Just flew today for 1.4 and managed about 95-105kts @5200 with climb rates of 1000fpm or better. What's not to like? Feels like your sitting on a magic carpet the visibility is so good.