Part One: TL-2000 StingSport

by ANN Managing Editor Rob Finfrock

Over the past 10 months, I've had the opportunity to spend some seat time in three emerging players in the light sport aircraft segment. As a Cessna 172 jockey, I must admit I wasn't expecting much when I first took to the skies on demo flights in three significantly smaller, lower-powered aircraft... but wow, was I wrong.

These reports are NOT flight tests -- I'll leave the heavy lifting around here to Jim -- but rather my impressions of these aircraft from the perspective of a student pilot, looking at LSA as an option to continue and expand my flight training... the same way other potential sport pilot entrants will likely approach the segment.

With that in mind...

SportAirUSA TL-2000 StingSport

The first LSA I had the chance to fly was the StingSport -- probably one of the best-known players in this segment. Taking a look at the specs, you'd be hard-pressed to identify this aircraft as an 'entry-level' plane: All-composite construction. Ballistic parachute. Advanced avionics, including GPS-based, gyroless instrumentation and a standard Garmin 396 with available XM satellite radio and weather.

To my eye, the Czechoslovakian-sourced Sting also features the most hands-down good looks, currently unrivaled by other airplanes in the LSA market. It would not be out of line to equate the 'Sting' to one-half of a Cirrus SR20, for one-quarter the price.

I flew the Sting at Lakeland last spring... and immediately, I was impressed with how "real" the plane felt. Don't get me wrong, this is a light aircraft... to the point you have to be sure to place your hand in just the right place during entry and exit, so you don't inadvertently crack the less-reinforced areas of the plane's Kevlar skin. Due to the plane's light weight and CG location, two pilots also cannot enter the plane at the same time; one must be seated before the other can climb onboard. These are issues hardly limited to the Sting, though; it's simply a fact of life when talking LSA.

Once seated, you find the beautiful construction seen on the plane's exterior is well-matched by the interior. The padded fabric instrument panel covering is meticulously applied; all cockpit surfaces are either similarly padded, or constructed of smoothly contoured composite. (I dare anyone to find one sharp edge on this entire plane.) Control labeling is clean, in a legible font style that is uniform throughout the panel. The seats, while thin (another concession to weight seen throughout LSA) are quite supportive. It's obvious the Sting is assembled with great care, just like its larger Part 23 cousins.

As for flight characteristics, the Sting struck me as a highly responsive aircraft. I'm no test pilot, and I can't explain the physics of flight with phrases "static and dynamic stability and control profiles" as others on the ANN staff can; but suffice to say the Sting is great fun to toss around the sky, and gives a very nimble feel through its controls. The Sting is NOT a Skyhawk.

The Sting is one of a relative handful of LSAs that advertise a cruising speed near the 120-knot maximum, with up to 115 knots to be expected out of the 100-hp Rotax 912ULS. To give you some idea of the airframe's strength, Vne (Never Exceed Speed) is 164 KIAS -- a number most sport pilots should never come close to approaching. Takeoff speed is 45 knots, with 940 feet needed on a paved runway to clear the theoretical 50-foot obstacle at the end; landings are done at 39 KIAS, and SportAirUSA says a lightly-loaded Sting can come to a stop within 400 feet. Optional wing tanks bump range (assuming no wind) to 780 nautical miles.

Something that struck me odd, coming from the C172, is the fact the Sting did not have a stall-warning horn. I've since learned this is common practice on several other light sport aircraft.

Landing a Sting was also a new experience, if you're not used to flying light planes. Simply put, this plane does NOT want to come down. Go ahead, pull the throttle to idle as you enter downwind on the 45; you'll probably still find you're coming in high on final. This is certainly not an undesirable quality -- give me a plane that would prefer to stay in the air as long as possible ANY day -- and all it would take is some training and familiarity to adapt.

I came away with a VERY favorable impression of the StingSport... but alas, you do pay for what you get. The very well-equipped base-level Sting (including the GPS396, ballistic 'chute, nav lighting, and several other features that are extra-cost options on other planes... if available at all) will run approximately $100,000, give or take, depending on exchange rates. Options such as autopilot, 100-hp Rotax 912UL engine (or the certified 912 S DCDI), Dynon EFIS-10, and AmSafe seatbelt airbags can send that price well north of $120,000.

One thing is clear... the Sting is NOT a "basic" LSA, just as a Cadillac or Lexus is not a "basic" automobile. I suspect many buyers will be drawn to the plane for that very fact alone.

Coming Friday... The AMD CH601 XL Zodiac

FMI: www.sting.aero/, www.sportpilot.org