Warmi wrote:Based on various posts from ShawnM ( probably most active SportCruiser owner on this forum ) SportCruiser LSA is a disaster of a plane to own - a seemingly endless stream of expensive service bulletins, owners being unable to obtain LOAs for anything ..factory support highly depend on when the plane was manufactured ...and now being a potential orphan...
Now ...if I really wanted to own a SportCruiser I would just go with ELSA and be done with it - chances are you will never need SportCruiser specific parts that cannot be sourced from places like Aircraft Spruce or a good metal shop.
Well almost, it's not a disaster of a plane to own at all, if you convert to E-LSA. I
LOVE my SportCruiser. The factory, now they are a disaster.
Don't expect any support from them at all.
I do own a legacy 2007 SportCruiser and
LOVE the plane, perhaps I mentioned this already. I did convert to E-LSA several years ago to separate my plane from the gross incompetency of the factory. The factory is now in bankruptcy again and who knows the outcome. Will I miss them, absolutely not.
They changed their name slightly last year to hide from creditors. There's no "company" to buy, I was told by another aircraft manufacturer on the same air field that they own nothing but the jigs and if any intellectual property to build SportCruisers. They lease everything else including the building they are in and have no real assets per se', other than intellectual property.
For me, buying a used SportCruiser would be great. I love the plane and it's a joy to fly. I get complements on the plane everywhere I go. First thing you'd do is go E-LSA as Warmi stated. I'm a "hands-on" kind of guy and and also have my LSRI certification for my SportCruiser. This means I can do my own annual condition inspections along with all the other maintenance and upgrades I want to, keep in mind it must still comply with LSA guidelines. This makes owning my SportCruiser VERY economical compared to a S-LSA. This may not be for everyone as I'm sure there are owners who can't/won't change their own oil. Your mileage may vary.
As for parts, it's an aluminum plane so there's no part on it I couldn't make or have made if the need arises. I am not even concerned about parts if the factory went belly up. The canopy and composite, main landing gear would be of concern to most but I have another source for both if I ever need them. As for making parts "economically" you ask, you do remember this is an airplane, right?
But yes, parts can be made economically, also not an issue. You asked, "who would certify" any aftermarket part, no one because this is not a certified aircraft, it's an LSA, remember?
After this most recent bankruptcy the factory closed the sales and parts office in Sebastian Florida and moved only the parts sales to Bountiful Utah. I do not know of any "new" SportCruisers for sale or if they are making more at this time. They partnered with a flight school, FLT Academy, in Utah who has a large fleet of SportCruisers for training and they break them, often.
So this partnership with the flight school there is more of a win for the flight school. You can order parts through them but you better check the lead time on that part as it could be a while.
I see your concerns as a non issue but only you can make that decision for yourself as you know the limits of your comfort zone. There are many other orphaned LSAs still flying today.
Come check out
http://www.scflier.com if you want to know more about the plane.