John Vining Discusses At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025

ANN’s Jim Campbell spoke with John Vining, North American Sales Manager for SD Planes, at the 2025 EAA AirVenture Air Show and Fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

John said the company is manufacturing the 51% kit in the Czech Republic right now and they are available in the U.S. He said there is interest as he sold three kits last year and two the year before.

The airplane is classified “EAB” that is, Experimental Amateur Built, and based on its performance it can be flown with a Sport or Private pilot license. It can be configured with lights for legal night flight.

Performance with the engine being used right now, it will go 85 in cruise but can be pushed to 100. The engine is a 35-hp, inverted V-twin made by Briggs & Stratton. It has a dry sump with an external sump, and an oil pump was added to the camshaft. The sump has negative pressure when the engine is running so that oil is scavenged from the bottom of the sump and the valve covers.

The plane is constructed of ‘mixed composite’ having a traditional Sitka spruce fuselage with a 1-mm birch-ply skin covered in 3-ounce fiberglass. The wing spars and tail spars are carbon, the ribs are high-density foam covered with 1-mm plywood and then covered in lightweight fiberglass.

With the 51% kit, SD estimates a 500-hour build time. When the customer receives the kit, the fuselage and wings are done and the skin is on but the fiberglass has not been applied. The bottom skins are left off so the builder can install whatever electrical components they want and also install the pitot system. All the parts in the kit are laser CAD cut so there’s no cutting involved.

The airplane has a 9-gallon tank, and the 35-hp engine will burn 1-1.5 gallons per hour and has a decent range. The specs say the plane stalls at 39 and 49 kts with an average sized pilot.

The airplane is capable of having a ballistic parachute installed, so when a customer orders a kit, SD will build the internal parts for the chute. SD sells the Galaxy chute with the kit.

The 51% tailwheel version, with the engine, sells for $23,560. That is without the resins because SD can no longer ship them, but the epoxies are readily available in the U.S.

For builder-assist, there is an English-language forum where people can send in messages, and the designer, Igor, is always there to answer questions. John is almost always available by phone and if the builder is within a few hundred miles he might even be able to come out and lend a hand as well. The 2-seat version was prototyped about 5 years ago, and is now flying in Europe. John has offered it here in the U.S. but hasn’t had a buyer yet. However, he’s hopeful because he really likes the airplane’s potential.

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