Texas Aircraft Colt LSA unveiling, tour and review - video

Jet Peddler

Jet Peddler

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
13
Display Name
Display name:
Jet Peddler
I got a tour of the new Colt LSA yesterday while at the New Braunfels airport (KBAZ) just northeast of San Antonio. Pretty cool little plane and appears very well built. Supposed to be launched properly at Oshkosh this year.

 
Last edited:
texasclouds said:
Cuanto cuesta?
Click to expand...

Not Spanish bud, Portuguese. They're Brazilian, not Mexican, though the assumption is fair considering we're here in South/Central Texas. To be fair, lots of brazilians are portuguese/spanish bilingual in the border regions of Brazil. I had very little problem communicating in Spanish with the Tucano Demo team during Windsor Airshow 2010. It was a trilingual paella giving them a B-52H tour in English and Spanish, while they gave me a Tucano tour in Portuguese and English. :D

This sounds like an offshoot product of INPAER (Conquest 180), attempting to capture a piece of the US LSA market. Hondo was probably done as a cost saving measure. Who knows what kind of freebies Medina County gave these guys. Plenty of empty infrastructure left at HDO since the Air Force gave up on the Firefly program. It's a good location wrt access to San Antonio; I always said it would have been a complete night and day assignment from the morale stand point if we had placed UPT at HDO instead of DLF. I even dare say our safety outcomes in mx would be significantly improved, but they would tar and feather me if I uttered that in an official capacity. Congress pork rules the roost. I digress.

I wish them luck, we need as many entrants into recreational GA as we can. The Italians (Tecnam) are doing good things in the 4 seater market, and if we're gonna have a fighting chance at affordable used aircraft we gotta keep manufacturing some of these things so that in 20 years we have affordable options. Our bona fide middle class cannot afford new piston period dot, and the 10%ers don't want old pistons, which creates a double problem for the sector.
 
I'm guessing $125k+. Sorry, I wasn't assuming the nationality of the people in the video...just asking the price.
 
I guess 125k is not too wild considering our diluted purchasing power. That said, I suppose I thank my lucky stars for the production run of the 60s and 70s. I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the relativr freedoms of american GA if not for the fully depreciated Cuban style fleet of spam cans I've called my home in the hobby. Rentals would have cured me from flying recreationally, at least for my travel and family centric mission.

For 125k id be willing to purchase a new tecnam 4 seater with a lycoming 540 and factory automotive quality air conditioner. Alas, no such thing exists at said price point. No crying over spilt milk.
 
Wonder of they are tied to the Paradise folks down in Brazil.
 
texasclouds said:
I'm guessing $125k+. Sorry, I wasn't assuming the nationality of the people in the video...just asking the price.
Click to expand...

Not positive, but I get a feeling the price is very close to $150k.
 
I recently purchased an LSA... $150k is probably correct if the Rotax is carbureted, the Dynon is single screen, and no chute.
 
AGLyme said:
I recently purchased an LSA... $150k is probably correct if the Rotax is carbureted, the Dynon is single screen, and no chute.
Click to expand...

I believe the $150k includes the chute.
 
I kind of like it. It's basically a modern 152.
 
From his conversation he seemed to indicate the useful load is 456 lb.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I kind of like it. It's basically a modern 152.
Click to expand...

Bingo.

152 similar design and performance with more cabin room, much nicer seats, modern avionics, auto-pilot and a chute.
 
EppyGA said:
Wonder of they are tied to the Paradise folks down in Brazil.
Click to expand...

Just talked to their Chief Pilot (friend of mine). He says they are tied to Empire in Brazil.

Wouldn't take much for them to do better than the 162. :) They've invited me to take a factory tour this weekend. Anyone interested in another video?
 
Jet Peddler said:
Just talked to their Chief Pilot (friend of mine). He says they are tied to Empire in Brazil.

Wouldn't take much for them to do better than the 162. :) They've invited me to take a factory tour this weekend. Anyone interested in another video?
Click to expand...

Free marketing yo. Sure, if I was them I'd def take up on the offer for free advert. Besides, and no offense intended, but at this point I'll take any one of y'all Pulitzer winning youtube randos over that insufferable snide @ss Bartorelli. Some people need to know when to quit. And I digress...:D
 
hindsight2020 said:
Free marketing yo. Sure, if I was them I'd def take up on the offer for free advert. Besides, and no offense intended, but at this point I'll take any one of y'all Pulitzer winning youtube randos over that insufferable snide @ss Bartorelli. Some people need to know when to quit. And I digress...:D
Click to expand...

I'll see if I can't get another one up next week. Hopefully inside the airborne Colt.
 
The August AOPA Pilot will have a cover story on the Texas Aircraft Colt.

AOPA%20Pilot%20Cover%20August%202019_zps1ufb0k8o.jpg
 
Looks like a nice aircraft, thanks for sharing!
 
Looks like a C162 done the way Cessna should have done it. They might do well with it if they get the price point right and they can actually produce them cheaper than they can sell them.
 
Juliet Hotel said:
Looks like a C162 done the way Cessna should have done it.
Click to expand...
How so? Their use of a rotax does not seem to have translated into additional useful load. Same for the Glasair Merlin.
 
Last edited:
GeorgeC said:
How so? Their use of a rotax does not seem to have translated into additional useful load. Same for the Glasair Merlin.
Click to expand...
The 162 didn't have a standard ballistic recovery parachute like the Colt, so that's at least part of the reason the lighter weight engine doesn't translate into lower empty weight.
 
GeorgeC said:
How so? Their use of a rotax does not seem to have translated into additional useful load. Same for the Glasair Merlin.
Click to expand...
Its got an real airplane yoke and an interior that looks like it belongs on a new airplane costing north of $100k. The skycatcher interior looked like a shop project by comparison. Its got a 3-blade prop. It probably does nothing for performance, but that doesn't stop owners from wanting them.
 
My August AOPA Pilot arrived in today's mail, and there are more details in the Colt article. The Colt-S is the base model and will have a base price of $156 k. The higher end Colt-SL which was flown for the test and has a ballistic parachute and 2-axis autopilot had a price of $167 k as tested. The useful load of the SL as tested is 485 pounds. The useful load of the S isn't listed, but without the parachute and autopilot will probably be 40 or 50 pounds more. Rate of climb at sea level is 800 fpm at gross, and 75% cruise speed is 110 KTAS.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top