Sport Pilot Talk

We all know one of the biggest challenges to renting an LSA is finding one. I'd pretty much given up and decided to roll the dice on a medical, and dropped in on the airport at Martinsburg to see what their current rental fleet was like. Low and behold, the have a CTSW on the line for $120/hr (wet, of course). They said nobody ever rents it because "it's too squirrelly in anything but dead calm wind." MRB is only a quick half hour drive for me. I'm pretty excited about this new development.

I know Andy and CT fly this model. Any tips? Reading the generic Aircraft Operating Instructions downloaded from Flight Design's website.

Merlinspop wrote:We all know one of the biggest challenges to renting an LSA is finding one. I'd pretty much given up and decided to roll the dice on a medical, and dropped in on the airport at Martinsburg to see what their current rental fleet was like. Low and behold, the have a CTSW on the line for $120/hr (wet, of course). They said nobody ever rents it because "it's too squirrelly in anything but dead calm wind." MRB is only a quick half hour drive for me. I'm pretty excited about this new development.

I know Andy and CT fly this model. Any tips? Reading the generic Aircraft Operating Instructions downloaded from Flight Design's website.

Great little airplane, I've owned mine for 3 years.
Also get familiar with the Flight Design Flight Training Supplement CTSW. That provides some good additional information.

Wm.Ince wrote:Great little airplane, I've owned mine for 3 years.
Also get familiar with the Flight Design Flight Training Supplement CTSW. That provides some good additional information.

Found that and read it, too.

I have about 350 hours instructing in a CTSW, plus another 500 in a CTLS. If you have any specific questions fire away.
I don't know what you have flown in the past, but the CT is very light on the controls. It requires quite a bit of rudder work to keep it coordinated, especially at slow speeds with flaps down. The sight picture when you are straight on landing is hard to get used to, and there are reasons for that. Work on getting the correct sight picture burned into your memory. Most people tend to over control on landings at first. The more you move the stick side to side the more you need to coordinate rudder. I tell students a quiet stick makes for a happy airplane.
Use caution with more than 15° flaps until you are getting used to landing the airplane, especially with a crosswind. Overall they are a great airplane, but not as easy to fly well when compared to many of the 2 seat training airplanes from the past.

Squirrelly is relative. I think the CTSW feels more like a heavier airplane than other LSAs I have flown. It does take some modified techniques to fly well, but I don't think it's that hard to do. I transitioned from the CTSW in about five hours, and that was after having not flown for three years while I was building my later abandoned Sonex project. I have had some sketchy landings in the CTSW, but what pilot doesn't when learning?

Now that I am completely used to the airplane with 400hrs on it, I love how it flies and lands, and I'm very confident. As for "calm winds only" -- bill and I landed two CTSWs in Texas when the wind was 24 gusting to 32 knots, and both made uneventful landings. The tower controller even asked what type they were and he was surprised to see such small airplanes landing on such a windy day. I know CharlieTango regularly flies in mountain winds the rest of us would go pale and shaking over. It's all in what you get used to and building your experience with winds up slowly.

Turbulence can kick around the CTSW, but no more than any other 1100-1320lb airplane.

I wasn't saying I believed it... just that this was the rep this FBO gives it. Good for me; it means availability!! As long as the owner doesn't pull it, that is.

I don't have a huge list of planes I've flown or hours logged. Primary training in PA-38s. Was in a club with Continental powered C172s. Some time in a PA-28-140. Only a couple hours in Sport Cruiser and an hour in a Carbon Cub (favorite of all).

I'm looking forward to getting to know it. Will have to just deal with winds; they're practically ever present in this valley. Incrementally.