Waldom
Fifteen blades!
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2005
- Posts
- 323
- Type aircraft owned
- Piper PA-11
- Base airport
- NY95
- Ratings
- ATP ASMEL ASES FE A&P
Have any of you been following the introduction of this Light Sport airplane? What these people have developed and delivered is impressive. I have flown and never warmed up to the aluminum tubing and sail cloth machines out there. The SE-1 is a different animal. For instance, the airplane has a demonstrated crosswind component of 15 knots and a service ceiling of 17,500 feet. It is built from alclad aluminum stressed skin.
Equally impressive is how the design was introduced to the public at Oshkosh last year. For contrast, I remember Jim Bede standing on a hay wagon with a bullhorn and a mockup of the BD-5 at the EAA convention in 1969 (Rockford) or 1970 (Oshkosh). He was extolling the incredible performance, very low cost, and eminent kit availability of a design that had yet to complete or fly a prototype. All of that could be had for a $200.00 deposit. There were people in the crowd around that wagon waving their cash in the air. We all know how that ended. Spirit Engineering kept their project under wraps during a 10 year development of both the airplane and the engine.. When they had design and manufacturing approval for both, they flew 4 of them to Oshkosh and that was the first time the public became aware of the company. Back in Grand Junction, there were more than twenty airplanes coming down the production line at the time.
The aircraft is only sold as a complete airplane and is not offered as a kit. They have the financial backing, a large production facility, and the sales numbers to continue producing their design. Spirit has reportedly sold more than 70 of them. I suspect a price point of under $77K with lights and an ADS B out transponder helps sales. There aren't many practical, ready to fly, new airplanes available at that cost.
The airplane is a single seater designed primarily for local fun flying and it gets its performance by being very light and aerodynamically clean. It has its limitations as any airplane does, but you are not restricted to flying it only when the wind is calm.
After several decades in many facets of aviation, I am not easily moved by the latest hype. I have to say that this one caught my attention.
Equally impressive is how the design was introduced to the public at Oshkosh last year. For contrast, I remember Jim Bede standing on a hay wagon with a bullhorn and a mockup of the BD-5 at the EAA convention in 1969 (Rockford) or 1970 (Oshkosh). He was extolling the incredible performance, very low cost, and eminent kit availability of a design that had yet to complete or fly a prototype. All of that could be had for a $200.00 deposit. There were people in the crowd around that wagon waving their cash in the air. We all know how that ended. Spirit Engineering kept their project under wraps during a 10 year development of both the airplane and the engine.. When they had design and manufacturing approval for both, they flew 4 of them to Oshkosh and that was the first time the public became aware of the company. Back in Grand Junction, there were more than twenty airplanes coming down the production line at the time.
The aircraft is only sold as a complete airplane and is not offered as a kit. They have the financial backing, a large production facility, and the sales numbers to continue producing their design. Spirit has reportedly sold more than 70 of them. I suspect a price point of under $77K with lights and an ADS B out transponder helps sales. There aren't many practical, ready to fly, new airplanes available at that cost.
The airplane is a single seater designed primarily for local fun flying and it gets its performance by being very light and aerodynamically clean. It has its limitations as any airplane does, but you are not restricted to flying it only when the wind is calm.
After several decades in many facets of aviation, I am not easily moved by the latest hype. I have to say that this one caught my attention.
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