Nomore767 wrote:Paul, I'm intrigued, what is the material on the canopy which looks to be a permanent sunshade? Is it attached to the canopy itself?
It is indeed a permanent sunshade, composite over perspex both inside and out. I actually preferred the previous SportStar's retractable Kogan sunshade, but this is what this plane came with.
it looks nice and appears to do a good job
It does look nice, works well, and can generally be seen around when necessary (but can't be pulled back for a clear view of the sky when desired).
Did you choose the SportStar because of your experience with the last one you had or did you look at other models before you made your decision.
I did fly several other aircraft (including the Bristell, which I would have loved for a personal aircraft), but the SportStar is far more practical in a flight school environment. And yes, I did have a very good experience with the previous SportStar over the previous 5 1/2 years.
How did the weight come in and how do you operate in training regards empty weight, fuel and student weights?
The new one actually weighed 1 pound less than the old one, when first I acquired it. I've added 12 pounds with my various mods. Still, empty weight is under 780, giving me 540 useful load and greater than 350 payload. I normally run it in flight training with a 170 pound CFI (me), 20 gallons (120 pounds, good for 4 hours with zero reserve) of fuel, and up to 250 pounds of student. That still leaves 50 pounds for baggage (not that I need to carry much more than emergency equipment when training).
I did some training at a school that had an all FD CTLS fleet and though I liked the plane it didn't seem to be holding up well in the training environment.
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My previous SportStar held up quite well in the training environment, but as Tom pointed out, when you're the owner, mechanic, and CFI, you tend to teach your students to treat the aircraft with the respect it's due.
Are you using 100LL with an additive or can you get a good supply of suitable MoGas?
I use 100LL (can't get mogas without ethanol, and I chose not to put solvents in my tank!) but am not using tri-chloro phosphate, because of its corrosive effect on exhaust systems. I do double up on oil changes and gearbox inspections.
Wish you a lot of luck with the new airplane!
Thanks, Howard.