Sport Cruiser

Beachcomber

Beachcomber

Pre-Flight
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Feb 1, 2014
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53
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Dallas, TX
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Beachcomber
Well, started flying the Sport Cruiser versus a 172. Wow....what a wonderful airplane. I love the technology enhancements with the Dynon, great autopilot and smooth handling. I was surprised at how much fun these are to fly. I get much more joy flying this plane than the 172.

Getting used to landings is a little tough for me. Other than that, I'm very impressed!

Anyone else get to fly one and have he same experience? Other than the obvious of only a two place and 100hp, it's a no brainer for me over the 172. If I purchase one, have to love the lower operating cost as well.


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I took a demo flight in an Evecktor SportStar (similar LSA low wing). I was also pleased with the lighter handling and general fit & finish. For 1 or 2 up missions, I'd love to have one available. But there aren't any in my area. :-(

John
 
I flew one for a while, no complaints, though it seemed twitchy compared to the 162. I wouldn't mind trying an RV12 some day.
 
That the czech plane right?

Flew one of those with a student, it's was cheaper then the 172 we were training in and I thought we'd try it on to save him some money, its got a stick and it's pitch axis was WAY more sensitive than the roll axis, no mixture, and a super basic glass panel, like for the sake of just having a glass panel, we went back to the 172, mainly because of the lack of balance between the axis sensitivity.
 
Yup, that's the Czech plane. It is super sensitive on pitch, hence why it's been difficult for me to nail the landings. Other than that, it's been a blast to fly. Comparing the Dynon to the G1000 there are certainly some big differences, but the Dynon I've been flying has been great. Haven't missed any functionality versus the G1000.


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I terms of the new breed of LSA, I have time in the PiperSport/SportCruiser, Gobosh, and RV12.

My clear favorite is the PiperSport/SportCruiser. Love it, although it's definitely not the speediest of the group.

I think my reaction to the PiperSport is best typified by a comment I received after my checkout flight. We were coming back into my busy Class D home base. I thought my communications were pretty standard and my voice sounded normal (for me) but after landing, someone came up to me and said, "You sounded like you were having way too much fun up there." I guess being smitten came through the ""8 southeast. Landing with Golf."
 
GeorgeC said:
I flew one for a while, no complaints, though it seemed twitchy compared to the 162. I wouldn't mind trying an RV12 some day.
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What's the 162 like? I found one in my area for rental. Curious what they fly like.
 
Beautiful aircraft. Love the wing lockers on the Sport Cruiser (aka PIper Sport). Phenomenal ramp presence. I came *THIS* close to buying one last year, but it was just the limited useful load (or probably more appropriately, my weight) that kept me from making the deal. Probably the only complaint I could make about the aircraft is that it gets warm quickly in the cockpit even with shade cloth cover. I ended up buying another LSA (high wing). Very pleased thus far.
 
Ryanb said:
What's the 162 like? I found one in my area for rental. Curious what they fly like.
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I always enjoyed flying them, local, xc, grass, night, whatever. Compared to other aircraft, the cabin is a bit loud on takeoff. The seats can get uncomfortable on a long flight, but a memory foam pillow helps.
 
Buddy has one, pretty slick plane. He's taken all the Rotax courses and is fully versed in the bird. Great vis in that canopy.
 
GeorgeC said:
I always enjoyed flying them, local, xc, grass, night, whatever. Compared to other aircraft, the cabin is a bit loud on takeoff. The seats can get uncomfortable on a long flight, but a memory foam pillow helps.
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Sounds good, I'm gonna try to get a checkout on it pretty soon. Thanks
 
When you compare the latest Lsa aircraft agains a 172 ,the light sport will always win ,unless you need more than two seats.
 
frfly172 said:
When you compare the latest Lsa aircraft agains a 172 ,the light sport will always win ,unless you need more than two seats.
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...or you need to carry very much. I'm not talking about size (a full golf bag with clubs can fit horizontally behind the seats of a Piper/SportCruiser) but weight. A weekend trip for two might well be a bit too much fro some.
 
frfly172 said:
When you compare the latest Lsa aircraft agains a 172 ,the light sport will always win ,unless you need more than two seats.
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Or need speed or a IFR rig.
 
Owning a liberty,which is almost an Lsa in size and shape.i can carry golf clubs and fly IFR,but I'm still a staunch supporter of Lsa aircraft.
 
frfly172 said:
Owning a liberty,which is almost an Lsa in size and shape.i can carry golf clubs and fly IFR,but I'm still a staunch supporter of Lsa aircraft.
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What's your block cruise speed?

Endurance with 2 people?
 
I have about a 1,000 hours in SportCruisers. FYI - the pitch sensitivity was reduced on the models around 2012. I had a 2010 (PiperSport) and after a few hours getting used to the controls, loved it. I then traded in for a 2014 and it again took a little while to get used to the heaver pitch requirements. I use mine almost only for cross-country traveling. The 2014 has the Dynon SkyView panel and it is very nice. No, it is not allowed to use in actual IFR, but for training purposes is a nice platform. One nice thing is that it uses automotive gas. My annuals tend to be around the $500 range.

I cruise at 115 knots using 5.5 gals of gas. Endurance is about 5 hours (2 hours longer than my wife's bladder capacity).
 
I'm just blown away at how much fun they are to fly. Regarding useful load.....I exceed it every time (slightly) with full (30g) and two 200# men. I was told that it can easily handle 300 more pounds as it's rated 300# higher in Europe in the same configuration. Nonetheless, I don't like exceeding what my weight and balance docs tell me. But I'll admit, at full load, flies right. I do wish the stick pitch wasn't so sensitive and I wish it had a steerable nose wheel. Other than that, I'm buying one in the Spring. I mean it's just that much fun to fly. Oh yeah, and the comment about it being hot with that canopy is spot on. Solution? Swamp cooler.


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Endurance with two aboard and minimum baggage,is 3.5 hours with reserves,at 120 kts .
 
dnhill said:
I have about a 1,000 hours in SportCruisers. FYI - the pitch sensitivity was reduced on the models around 2012. I had a 2010 (PiperSport) and after a few hours getting used to the controls, loved it. I then traded in for a 2014 and it again took a little while to get used to the heaver pitch requirements. I use mine almost only for cross-country traveling. The 2014 has the Dynon SkyView panel and it is very nice. No, it is not allowed to use in actual IFR, but for training purposes is a nice platform. One nice thing is that it uses automotive gas. My annuals tend to be around the $500 range.

I cruise at 115 knots using 5.5 gals of gas. Endurance is about 5 hours (2 hours longer than my wife's bladder capacity).
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Nice write up. Exactly why I'm wanting to buy one. How extreme have you flown in windy conditions and cross winds? Love your thoughts on it, as all my flights so far have been relatively calm.


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My wind/crosswind tolerance has increased with increasing hours, but I still have a healthy respect for the light wing loading. My preference is to fly early and late in the day if possible to avoid bumpy and heavy wind conditions if possible. My limits are winds in the mid 20's aligned within 30 degrees or so of the runway. If a strong crosswind component of more than 12-15 knots, I'm looking for alternatives. I have only had to scrub plane flights a few times due to winds, but I have also flown before sunrise and after sunset when the winds were supposed to be better.

I have the luxury of not ever having to be somewhere no matter what. I have driven many times when I wanted to fly due to weather. I have a frequent trip (25 times a year) I take that is a 6 hour drive through traffic that becomes a very pleasant 2.5 hour flight. My plane gets twice the gas mileage as my truck.

A very nice thing for you is the importer/dealer being so close to you. I can't say enough nice things about their customer care. I suppose it's why I bought a second aircraft from them.
 
James331 said:
Or need speed or a IFR rig.
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An LSA can be flown IFR by an appropriately rated private pilot (or higher) IF the aircraft's OPLIMs AND operating instructions (unique to LSAs) authorize IFR operations and the aircraft is equipped IAW 91.205.
 
Rented the SportStar when I downsized to LSAs. Then owned a Remos G-3 before I fell in love with the SportCruiser. Bought mine from US Sport Aircraft. Can't say enough good things about the aircraft and Patrick and his team.
 
I agree, first class operation and great people at US Sport.


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Looks like a fun plane to fly around. Really like that it's not composite.
 
WmInce said:
Can you expand on that?
Would like to know what distinguishes landing the Sport Cruiser differently from other LSA's.
I invite other experienced Sport Cruiser pilots to chime in on this.
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The sensitivity in pitch combined with the weight of an LSA means it takes a light touch and you're flying it all the way to the chocks.
 
GeorgeC said:
The sensitivity in pitch combined with the weight of an LSA means it takes a light touch and you're flying it all the way to the chocks.
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Exactly. It's just different. On a 172, I can man handle the yoke. This LSA takes just two fingers with light effort. It's not bad, just different, when I compare it to my experiences with the 172. It's a great little flyer!


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A massive difference between Evektor and SportCruiser is the headroom. On SportCruiser, it's impossible to close down the canopy on my head, much like in Sonex. It still has an inch to go when it lands hard on my skull. But overall, none of the traditional low-wing LSAs is comfortable for me. RV-12 is probably the most suitable.
 
Beachcomber said:
Exactly. It's just different. On a 172, I can man handle the yoke. This LSA takes just two fingers with light effort. It's not bad, just different, when I compare it to my experiences with the 172. It's a great little flyer!


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Kinda sorta, if you're man handling any aircraft, you ain't doing it right.

Ore sensitive controls are fine, the issue is when, especially with a stick, one axis is way more sensitive than another, if they put servo tabs on one axis, or anti servo tabs on the other axis, or in another way ether increased the roll sensitivity, or decreased the pitch, I would have trained folks in that plane, but unbalanced stick controls are not something I can get past when it comes to 0 time PPL students.
 
I fly them. I like the plane a lot.
Different years of manufacture fly a little differently. Some are a little more "pitchy" than others. A little practice and it fades away.
 
GeorgeC said:
I flew one for a while, no complaints, though it seemed twitchy compared to the 162. I wouldn't mind trying an RV12 some day.
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You might enjoy this one, not twitchy at all.


Cheers
 
Little late I know, but I've flown a "sling 2" Lsa, quite similar. I found that it was a very fun plane to fly, but personally prefer the Cessna, even though i prefer mid/ low wing. The reason? Didn't care for the "joystick" style yoke that the sling has, not sure what that plane uses, but I prefer a traditional flight colum.
 
ralarcon said:
You might enjoy this one, not twitchy at all.


Cheers
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I normally fly an AA-1A, and I think the controls are "just right". I jumped at the opportunity go fly the Flight Design. It was such a great airplane I could not stop laughing. It was "even just righter". Just a phenomenal plane!
Excellent visibility as well with the over-head windows and strutless wings. A real pleasure to fly.
 
I like the Sportcruiser a lot, very nice little airplane. As for high wings, my favorite is the Tecnam P2008. With a 914 turbo it sure is a performer. 127 KNOTS true at 5,500 RPM continuous. Climbs like crazy as well up to 1,400 FPM on a cold day. That is an LSA that can definitely outshine a brand new 172, save for the useful load and back two seats. The carbon fiber fuselage really helps dampen the vibration and noise level in the cockpit, and the aluminum wing and stabilator are nice for "whoops" moments around the hangar.
 

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If I were looking for a Tecnam, I'd get an Eaglet. P2008 is heavy. Yes, the performance is impressive, but it's still an LSA, so they aren't very different.
 
I think you'd be pleasantly surprised how differently an Eaglet handles vs the P2008. It's almost as if the P2008 is in a completely different league to be honest. The Eaglet has a much thicker airfoil and gets off the ground quicker, but the 2008 is much less susceptible to turbulence in flight and is much, much faster. It is heavy, but with the 912 ULS and dual G3X touch it's in the ballpark of many other Light Sport Aircraft with similar equipment. Around the 880-890 pound empty weight. Just my two cents.
 
dnhill said:
My wind/crosswind tolerance has increased with increasing hours, but I still have a healthy respect for the light wing loading.
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Agree. The light wing loading of LSAs is a reason some pilots with plenty of time in "larger" aircraft have some transition trouble. But that's really more of a skill development issue than anything else. When I flew the PiperSport (same airplane) it was out of Denver Centennial, famous for summer high density altitude and crosswinds for substantial parts of the day.
 
Andrew Morris said:
It is heavy, but with the 912 ULS and dual G3X touch it's in the ballpark of many other Light Sport Aircraft with similar equipment. Around the 880-890 pound empty weight. Just my two cents.
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Thanks, Andrew. I think my being a lardass has something to do with my obsession with lightweight LSAs.
 
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