Rebirth Of Classic Ultralight, But With A New Twist

by ANN Correspondent Scott Wagner

Back in 1982, Bill Sadler won the Grand Champion Ultralight award at Oshkosh with his single seat Vampire ultralight. Reminiscent of its mid-20th century jet-fighter namesake, the deHavilland Vampire, the ultralight was a mid-wing, twin tailboom pusher. Around 30 were built in the United States, and the design was also licensed to an Australian Company. The stateside operation closed up shop due to slow sales, and the Australian shop went Down Under shortly after.

Fast forward 15 years, when Sadler designed a beefed up version to serve as an attack and surveillance plane for the Turkish military. Dubbed the Piranha, the design was scrapped when the Turks eliminated pretty much everything except their F-16 program. The Piranha was armed with a 30mm cannon, with two hardpoints available to mount up to 1000 pounds of rockets or small bombs. Power was from a 450-horsepower engine, and the plane had retractable gear.

Around this time last year, Sadler began looking into bringing a modified version of the Piranha to the LSA dance.  By lengthening the wing, welding the gear in the down position, making some minor changes to the cockpit pod, and scaling WAAAAY back on the power, Sadler was able to bring the Piranha into LSA compliance. Harkening back to his ultralight days, the new bird has been dubbed the Sadler Vampire LSA.

With its 50" cabin, the Vampire can accommodate pilots up to 6'7". Production aircraft will incorporate gullwing canopy doors, as opposed to the prototype's removable bubble, allowing for easy entrance. "It has excellent visibility... it's like a helicopter in that regard. Cabin noise is very low, due to the pusher configuration." said Sadler.

'What I was attracted to was the robust structure. It's really strong. The wing is stressed to 6 G's. It's a really a solid plane. A lot of LSAs feel like beefed up ultralights. This is a real airplane that meets LSA standards." said company Vice President David Littlejohn.

In the performance department, the Vampire LSA is pushed along by the 100 HP Rotax 912, burning five gallons per hour at 75% power. With an empty weight of around 700 pounds, that leaves roughly 600 pounds for crew, fuel and baggage. Full fuel payload with the standard 20 gallon tank would be roughly 500 pounds, and with an optional second tank, around 380 pounds. One possibility for baggage transportation is a tube inserted in the wing, which would be large enough to haul a set of golf clubs. Maximum speed is expected to be 120 knots, or 110 knots at 75% power. Climbout is estimated at 800 feet per minute, with takeoff and landing over a 50 foot obstacle possible from a 1500 foot strip.

One interesting design feature is the Vampire's folding wing. Hinged in two places, the wing can be folded by one person. Set up and break down takes a mere 10 minutes, and the folded-up airframe measures a mere 8' by 8', with a nose to tail length of 18 feet. Therefore, the Vampire can easily be stored in a 1 car garage, and driven to the airport on a trailer.

Initially, Sadler plans to bring the Vampire LSA to market as an S-LSA, but is open to the idea of producing a kit in the future. The company, Sadler Aircraft, hopes to have the airplane certified to ASTM standards by the end of 2007, with deliveries commencing by the end of 2008. Sadler Aircraft is looking at a number of manufacturing facilities in the Roseburg, OR.

Thanks to the folding wing, Sadler says, the company isn't limited to on-airport production facilities. They can set up shop anywhere that makes good business sense, and move the completed product to the airport for flight testing.

Sadler is shooting for an $85,000 pricetag for the base model. With its huge instrument panel and the engine in the back, the Vampire airframe allows for any number of avionics upgrades. No details are available on upgrade packages, because the development program is still relatively new. Other planned options include the second fuel tank, and the buyers choice of a side stick mounted between the seats or more conventional dual control sticks.

The company is accepting deposits, which are held in third party escrow. Therefore, deposit money is not -- and cannot be -- used as operating capitol for the company. Potential buyers can opt out at any time.

FMI: www.sadleraircraft.com/, www.harvsnews.com/sadler/sadlerair/piranhaman.pdf