New Sportsman TC Sports A Turbo-Normalized Engine

The newest member of the Glasair Aviation composite piston family is the Sportsman TC, which has been upgraded with a turbo-normalized powerplant. Glasair says the Sportsman TC merges the Sportsman high utility design with a state-of-the-art turbo-normalized engine and advanced carbon-fiber
materials.

The design and engineering changes, combined with the new carbon-fiber fuselage, have resulted in a 40 lb reduction in empty weight and a 150 lb increase in gross weight. This equates to about a 200 lb increase in useful load, which now totals nearly 1200 lbs. Glasair says performance is also significantly improved. The Sportsman TC’s turbo-normalized engine produces sea level manifold pressure all the way to 20,000 ft and offers significantly higher cruise speeds on less fuel consumption than a normally aspirated engine operating at 75% power.

Glasair President, Mikael Via was all smiles after his first flight to over 16,000 ft in the Sportsman TC. “I’ve always thought that the Sportsman had great performance, but I think I’m going to have to redefine ‘great’," he said. "Putting it all together – the airframe changes and carbon fuselage, the advanced turbo-normalized engine, and the big carbon-fiber Hartzell prop – the TC is a game changer for us.”

Glasair says the Sportsman TC is also quieter, smoother, and offers many other refinements. Notable enhancements include dual HID wingtip landing lights, LED nav/strobes, parking brake, integrated door locks, and more. The TC is available as a trike, taildragger and/or on amphibious floats.
Commenting on the new TC, Director of R&D Ted Setzer said “It’s not very often that we get an opportunity to decrease an aircraft’s empty weight, increase its gross weight, or significantly boost its climb and cruise performance. Accomplishing all of this at the same time takes the Sportsman TC to a whole new level. Needless to say, we’re very, very excited about the TC.”

FMI: www.glasairaviation.com