Sport Pilot Talk

ArionAv8or · Joined: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 271

I picked up my new Lightning LS-1, made by Arion Aircraft, on May 23rd and thought I would show off a couple of pictures. I flew her from KSYI (Shelbyville Tn) to KGIF (Winter Haven, Fl) @ 5500' and she flew like a dream. She will climb at 1500 FPM, cruise all day long at 120 KTS, sip 5.5 GPH from 30 Gallon tanks and do it all with the Jariru 3300 only turning 2850 RPMs. I let the TruTrak Digiflight II VSGV share the workload on the first half and flew a little more hands on the second half. Going from a 1946 Ercoupe 415C to this gem is quite a change, but one I think I can live with.

You can check out the Lightning at www.flylightning.net

I am really pleased with how she turned out since I got to pick out all my colors and even design the graphics myself. I even had the canopy top painted to keep the Florida sun from beating down on me.

GRT EFIS - Garmin SL40 - Garmin GTX 330 w/ Traffic - TruTrak VSGV

50 pound limit in spacious baggage compartment.

KSCessnaDriver · Joined: 25 Jan 2009 Posts: 159 Location: KOJC

Wow, that's a beautiful airplane. Congrats on getting it. I don't remember ever seeing the Lightning before, but perhaps I just over looked it at the big shows, but in any case, looks awesome. Have fun with it.

Bill · Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 96 Location: Delaware Beaches

Wow, that's one sweet-looking airplane. Congratulations!

I keep thinking "new and shiny" but I also really like my Ercoupe. (By not having a payment book I can afford to rent new and shiny whenever I like.) Every time I see a nice new plane like yours I begin re-thinking my situation. ;)

deltafox · Joined: 06 Apr 2010 Posts: 89

Congratulations for buying that beautiful airplane! What went into you decision process (other than the great looks)? Can you share some specs with us?

N918KT · Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:44 pm Post subject:

I love that airplane! Looks beautiful! However, I wish the plane had a Rotax 912 100 hp engine. 120 hp seems too powerful for my tastes.

not2old2fly · Joined: 16 May 2010 Posts: 12 Location: Reno, NV

Gorgeous plane-- congratulations! It looks quite a bit like the PiperSport--I'm wondering how the specs compare. Have fun!

ArionAv8or · Joined: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 271

deltafox wrote: Congratulations for buying that beautiful airplane! What went into you decision process (other than the great looks)? Can you share some specs with us?

That is a great question and believe me I looked long and hard into aircraft comparisons before making my decision. When it was all said and done I narrowed my search to only two planes, the Lightning LS-1 and PiperSport. I don't believe the perfect plane has been built yet and each has it's pros and cons, you just have to decide which ones are important to you. The Pipersport has a little wider cabin @ 46", compared to the LS-1 @ 41". The Pipersport also comes standard now with the BRS and that is not an option on the Lightning. Since I was transitioning from an Ercoupe 415C that has a 39" cockpit both aircraft offered a larger area than I was used to, a plus for both. The BRS is a great safety feature but not one I was originally looking for so I did not allow it to sway my decision. The PiperSport uses the Rotax 912 while the Lightning LS-1 is powered by the Jabiru 3300 6 cylinder w/ 120 HP. I personally love the sound of the Jabiru and prefer the lower reving RPMs of 2850, as opposed to the 5500 or so with the Rotax. I knew I wanted a low wing aircraft, good visibility and lets face it, SEXY ain't bad either. Well IMHO when you place the two side by side I prefer the looks of the LS-1, sleek, NO rivets and sexy lines, not a bad bonus on top of the other specs I compared. Since I got to pick all my colors for the interior as well as the paint and even design my own graphics for the plane, that was another bonus to make the plane truly mine as well. The Lightning will also fly all day long at 120 KTS, something that some of the others claim but can't actually meet. I also love the fact that the Lightning LS-1 is made right here in the Good Ole' USA, Shelbyville Tn (KSYI) with the fuselage being made in WI. The last consideration was price. I knew what I wanted and I wasn't going to settle for anything less, this gave me a BIG surprise when I found out the Lightning LS-1 was less expensive than the PiperSport, by a considerable amount. I only paid $114,900.00 with everything listed below w/ the free autopilot the company was giving away at the time. Compare that to the rest of the LSAs on the market with the specs, performance and looks, it's hard to go wrong with the LS-1.

Dual GRT EFIS w/ Internal GPS
Garmin SL40
Garmin GTX330 w/ Traffic
Tru Trak Digiflight II VSGV
PM 1000 II Intercom
EIS 6000
30 Gallon Fuel Tanks
LED MicroSun Landing Light and Taxi Light w/ WigWag Feature
Pulsar Strobe and Nav Lights
Dual Brakes
Painted Sunshade on Canopy
Personally Designed Graphics

Okay, enough of my rambling and on to the specs you ask about.

Wing Span: 30' 6"
Height: 6'6"
Length: 20'8"
Empty Weight: 820 lbs
Interior Width: 41"
Fuel Consumption: 5.5 GPH @ 2850 RPM
Fuel Capacity: 30 Gal
Cruise Speed: 120 KTS @ 2850 RPM
Powerplant: Jabiru 3300 - 120 HP 6 cylinder w/ TBO 2000 HR
Vne: 180 KTS
Stall (full flaps): 38 KTS
Stall Clean: 44 KTS
Glide Ratio: 17:1
Climb Rate: 1500 FPM - I get 1700 FPM solo w/ 20 gals
Take Off Roll: 400'
Roll Rate: 100 degrees/second
Wing Area: 102 sq ft
Adjustable Pedals / Even in flight

Having the opportunity to fly her home (Florida) from Tn I can tell you she is a BLAST to fly, when the autopilot isn't doing all the work, LOL. She flew perfect and performed just as promised.

rfane · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Sunnyvale, CA

Looks like a fun plane. Congrats!