SportCruiser Offers Docile Handling... And Free Training?

Three aircraft... that's the number of certified S-LSAs Sport Aircraft Works has introduced over the past six months. Aero-News has just learned of the certification of the newest aircraft to join SAW's stable, the SportCruiser.

The new SportCruiser is "designed to be eminently flyable, enjoyable, and particularly affordable," according to Sport Aircraft Works President, Danny Defelici. "With this airplane, SAW now covers all the bases in Sport Pilot airplanes -- the Mermaid amphibian, the cantilever-wing, high-performance Parrot, and now the entry-level SportCruiser."

In addition to fantastic visibility (aided by rear quarter windows that, to the editorial eye, give the side profile a quasi-Lancair appearance... probably not by accident) and all-metal construction, the new SportCruiser also comes with what SAW believes is an industry first: a full twenty hours of free pilot training. That is enough to meet the FAA requirements for the Sport Pilot license.

"We want to encourage those who have never flown, or those who flew ages ago, to get into the cockpit," said Defelici. "An airplane that is designed with the new flyer in mind should include what the new flyer needs. We want our customers to feel prepared, to feel good in their new airplanes, and there is no better way to encourage them, than to provide up to 20 hours of instruction."

Training is provided at Sport Aircraft Works’s new facility at the Indiantown (FL) Airport (X58).

Delivery of new SportCruisers is very quick. Defelici anticipates that a customer could buy the SportCruiser and come to Florida for training; and by the time he or she is licensed and ready to fly, the new pilot will be comfortable at home in the new machine.

Delfelci tells Aero-News the low-wing, 100hp SportCruiser is ready to take a large payload a long way, on just a little money. With pricing set at $65,000 and burning around 4.5 gallons of autogas per hour, the SportCruiser won’t break the budget. SAW also says the SportCruiser's American-designed, all-metal traditional construction and US-sourced materials and airframe components will help keep it flying (and insured!) trouble-free.

All three SAW aircraft are designed to be easy to fly, with touchdown speeds in the high 20-knot range.

Sport Aircraft Works, importer and distributor of the Czech Aircraft Works designs, completed all the certification work on time.

"We said in January’s announcement that we would be certified in March, and we did it," Defelici said. "It helped that we have such great support from CZAW, and that we’re learning what it takes to certify. The FAA has been great in getting this done."

All three members of the Sport Aircraft Works family will be on display at the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland (FL), April 4-10, Booths 68&79.

FMI: www.sportaircraftworks.com