Takeoff Roll Of 250 Feet Is Only The Beginning

By David Juwel

Like the prey of a predatory bird, all of a sudden you’re enveloped by a large shadow, and then a huge beast lands beside you, screeching to an abrupt halt. Relax; there is no need to be frightened. It’s "Just" a SUPER STOL.

Troy Woodland and his team at Just Aircraft, have built a phenomenal performer. Their Super STOL aircraft will take off at full gross weight in 250’ and land at full gross weight in 75’. Troy says nothing else in the field will match his performance at twice the price. Others may be able to climb faster, but none of them can match his short landings.

At the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo earlier this month, I told one of his team members ... Scott Blankenship ... that I had seen similar short landings in the various contests, particularly in Alaska. But he advised me that all of those aircraft have been stripped bare to get to the lowest possible weight first. The Super STOL will land short at full gross weight.

Troy says he put in over 400 hours of punishment on his factory demonstrator in an effort to eliminate any weaknesses. He wanted to make sure he had a rock solid aircraft before delivering kits. Currently there are about 8 completed aircraft in the field, and approximately 55 delivered for building. His goal for 2014 is to produce and deliver 120 units. He’ll produce approximately 2.5 kits a week until June, when he’ll be able to ramp up even more.

The aircraft is all aluminum, no wood. It takes about 800 hours to build the aircraft, according to Woodland. They have added a Catto prop which Just Aircraft says gives them 20% more thrust, a higher ROC, and a shorter take-off. Like some other STOL aircraft, his aircraft is not dependent on being dragged in with power. In fact, they say you can easily train a non-pilot wife to land it if you become incapacitated. You just turn the engine off, and pull the stick back into your lap and hold it. Keep the wings level. The airplane will settle to the ground at 800 fpm, which the landing gear will handle without damage to the aircraft. If you fly a lot with a non-pilot, this is a simple thing to practice.

Effective February 1st, the aircraft price will jump up to $39,800 from its current price of $36,600.

So if you have the need to fly postal ... that is landing in areas the size of a stamp ... this "just" may be the airplane for you.

(Image credit David Juwel)

FMI: http://www.justaircraft.com/online.php, www.cattoprops.com