Autopilot Now Includes Pushbutton Wings-Level Capability

A new and novel safety feature first seen this year on planes costing as much as $600,000, has trickled down to the light-sport aircraft segment. SportAirUSA, the US distributor of the Czech-built Sting S3, announced Thursday the aircraft now includes the "Straight|Level" system, designed to make flight simpler and safer in the world of LSA.

Press the button labeled S|L on the Sting’s avionics panel and the autopilot takes over, leveling the wings and locking in heading and altitude, giving the pilot a break in the event of spatial disorientation. For a passenger faced with a pilot's sudden incapacitation, the S|L button is a potential life-saver.

Once the airplane is stabilized, the occupants are provided an opportunity to consider the appropriate next steps.

"The Straight and Level system is a significant advance in flight safety for Sting owners," says Bill Canino, the President of SportairUSA, "That's why we are providing it at no additional cost on all of our TruTrak EFIS/autopilot equipped Stings. Our goal is a sport airplane that is fun, safe and responsive.

"We want pilots to know they are flying a capable and user-friendly airplane, with backup systems that are easy to deploy. And we want passengers to feel confident in the knowledge that there are simple steps they can take to protect themselves if the situation calls for it."

The S|L button is standard in the Sting S3 equipped with the TruTrak EFIS/autopilot system.

FMI: www.sting.aero, www.sportair.aero