Bristell NG5 Taildragger Option

[drseti]

Or 21st-century fuel injection!

They have that, of course, in the 912iS and 915. But both are significantly heavier, and costly, than the 912 ULS. There is still a place for carburetors, where price and weight are important considerations.

Beautiful airplane, by the way.

Thanks. Apparently I choose airplanes the way I choose wives.

[Dave C]

Frankly , it would have made for a very nice LSA if it weren’t for a absolutely ridiculous price that is being asked for another mostly metal LSA that doesn’t do anything better than half a dozen other LSAs - what exactly do you get for $ 220k that you cannot get with, say $160k Sling 2 or a Flight Design ?

Different mission. You get a great useful load, a very wide cabin, and extremely comfortable seats. A waste of money if you're just going around the pattern or hopping from place to place but if you spend hours doing cross country you'll find that most other LSA won't fit your mission, especially if you're a large person. It's like a Cessna 182 vs a Cirrus SR20. Similar performance but one of them you wouldn't dare take an 8 hour trip in.

The $160k Sling2 is a nice airplane but I can barely fit in it. I'm a big guy. No way I could spend more than an hour or two in one.

They are all allegedly capped at 120kts and 1320 MAUW, so, how is a Bristell any better than the rest of the LSA fleet, not counting interior space or hi end interiors? Is a Bristell certified in another configuration to carry more weight, like a SLING?

LSAs vary a lot with regard to empty weight (over 100 lbs). Because they are limited to 1320 lbs max, useful load is largely a function of empty weight. Bristells are very light and this enables a large, for an LSA, useful load.

[Wm.Ince]

I am not a small guy either - 6 feet and 220 lbs ...and frankly none of these planes are good for more than say 2 hours but maybe that’s just me..

It isn't just you. I'm the same dimensions and concur with the cramped quarters dilema.
At 49 inches of shoulder room, I attest . . the CT is much more comfortable.

[fatsportpilot]

Frankly , it would have made for a very nice LSA if it weren’t for a absolutely ridiculous price that is being asked for another mostly metal LSA that doesn’t do anything better than half a dozen other LSAs - what exactly do you get for $ 220k that you cannot get with, say $160k Sling 2 or a Flight Design ?

Different mission. You get a great useful load, a very wide cabin, and extremely comfortable seats. A waste of money if you're just going around the pattern or hopping from place to place but if you spend hours doing cross country you'll find that most other LSA won't fit your mission, especially if you're a large person. It's like a Cessna 182 vs a Cirrus SR20. Similar performance but one of them you wouldn't dare take an 8 hour trip in.

The $160k Sling2 is a nice airplane but I can barely fit in it. I'm a big guy. No way I could spend more than an hour or two in one.

I am not a small guy either - 6 feet and 220 lbs ...and frankly none of these planes are good for more than say 2 hours but maybe that’s just me..

I'm used to very long road trips sitting for 12+ hours in a car so the only thing I need really is good back support and a soft seat.

The Bentley seats in the Bristell that I briefly test flew were like a genuine car seat, just as comfy and nothing at all like other seats.

[JimParker256]

I found my RANS S-6ES to be surprisingly comfortable, and I'm certainly in the "Big Guy" category (5'11" and 280-lbs). The 45" cabin width and Oregon Aero seats help a lot, but the "stick and rudder" ergonomics are really good.

They are light-years better than my previous airplane (Citabria 7ECA). The Citabria was fun to fly for short stretches, but anything over 2.5 hours made me absolutely dread getting back into the cockpit. The rudder pedals were too close – even with the seat all the way back. The throttle knob was far enough aft that my wrist had to be "cocked" to keep hold of it, and the stick was awkwardly positioned as well. Add uncomfortable seats into the mix, and the result was a cross-country nightmare.

By contrast, the flight controls in the S-6 cockpit seems to be exactly where I would have put them if I had designed the plane myself. The stick and throttle are right where I reach for them naturally, and keeping my hand on the throttle is comfortable. The pedal reach is just about right as well, which is unusual for me. I drive with the seat all the way back in every car I've ever owned.

I flew the Coyote II from West Desert Airpark (UT9, SW of Salt Lake City) to KTKI (McKinney, TX – NE of Dallas) in two "flying" days of 7-8 hours each, with one "weather" day in the Albuquerque area because of thunderstorms in all quadrants for most of the day. Headwinds were brutal during the entire trip. The average ground speed was just over 65 mph for the trip. And there was more than a little turbulence, especially going through the mountains the first day. But when I got "home" after almost 8 hours of cross-country flying that day, my wife met me at the airport, and asked how the flight was. I felt good enough that my response was "Great! Wanna go for a flight?"

[FastEddieB]

Another Airhead/BING application just popped up on my Facebook feed!

[malexander]

I found my RANS S-6ES to be surprisingly comfortable, and I'm certainly in the "Big Guy" category (5'11" and 280-lbs). The 45" cabin width and Oregon Aero seats help a lot, but the "stick and rudder" ergonomics are really good.

They are light-years better than my previous airplane (Citabria 7ECA). The Citabria was fun to fly for short stretches, but anything over 2.5 hours made me absolutely dread getting back into the cockpit. The rudder pedals were too close – even with the seat all the way back. The throttle knob was far enough aft that my wrist had to be "cocked" to keep hold of it, and the stick was awkwardly positioned as well. Add uncomfortable seats into the mix, and the result was a cross-country nightmare.

By contrast, the flight controls in the S-6 cockpit seems to be exactly where I would have put them if I had designed the plane myself. The stick and throttle are right where I reach for them naturally, and keeping my hand on the throttle is comfortable. The pedal reach is just about right as well, which is unusual for me. I drive with the seat all the way back in every car I've ever owned.

I flew the Coyote II from West Desert Airpark (UT9, SW of Salt Lake City) to KTKI (McKinney, TX – NE of Dallas) in two "flying" days of 7-8 hours each, with one "weather" day in the Albuquerque area because of thunderstorms in all quadrants for most of the day. Headwinds were brutal during the entire trip. The average ground speed was just over 65 mph for the trip. And there was more than a little turbulence, especially going through the mountains the first day. But when I got "home" after almost 8 hours of cross-country flying that day, my wife met me at the airport, and asked how the flight was. I felt good enough that my response was "Great! Wanna go for a flight?"

This is funny Jim.
My brother & I flew his RV9A to Pocatello, ID in October and bought our S6S. I flew it home to OKC, my brother flew his RV home. It was 13.8 hours flight time. We didn't get gone as soon as we had anticipated on Saturday, so we had an extra overnight stay in Tucumcari.
I need to do a trip report on that "adventure" some time.

[drseti]

I need to do a trip report on that "adventure" some time.

I think you just did, Marshall!

[drseti]

Adventure update:

Those of you who know me IRL are aware that I am rather short of stature. After a week struggling, trying to get full rudder deflection with my short legs, I've decided I really need rudder pedal extenders. (It's either that or grow my legs four inches longer). So, I'm leaving the plane in SC, and flying home on American tonight to retrieve same. I expect to resume my training some time next week.

[malexander]

I need to do a trip report on that "adventure" some time.

I think you just did, Marshall!

LOL, I didn't tell you all about the people at the Spanish Forks airport that invited us home with them for the night, and to join them in the birthday party for their son, who'd just gotten his PPL the Wednesday before.

[drseti]

Cool!

[JimParker256]

My trip report also failed to mention that when I landed at KBRG, the airport manager first came out to help me wrangle the plane to a parking spot (winds were at that point 30G45 - my plane has a 35-ish mph stall speed!), then called a guy he knew was out of town for the weekend, in order to arrange for me to park my plane in his hangar that night and the next day while the thunderstorms played themselves out. Then he stuck around to drive me to the hotel because the crew car was already in use, and waited until I checked in to show me a good restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. The next day, he brought the crew car to me at the hotel,with his wife following him so they could go to church. Wish I could have bought more fuel, but my tanks would only fit 14 gallons. Really nice guy (and wife)!

[David]

Paul I will have to mask up and come visit you from KPTW and look at your new bird. It sounds like it has all of the bells a whistles and looks great too

[drseti]

David, at the moment my new plane is still in South Carolina. It will be going first to Lancaster (probably this week or next), and only later to Lock Haven. I'll post here when it finally gets back to its new home (and would welcome a visit from you).

[jetcat3]

Congratulations! She’s a beautiful bird. I absolutely love the Bristell and greatly enjoy each chance I get to go up in them. It’s surprising how much better the short wing Bristell handles turbulence compared to the SportCruiser. But there is less wing area and a more laminar flow airfoil which really seems to help. I can definitely fly 3+ hour legs in the Bristell.

Another aircraft I think is extremely well suited for long sits is the P2008 turbo with upgraded seats. Having the ability to adjust the seat aft and recline is quite nice in cruise!