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[Moving this to the intro folder since it's getting a bit off-topic from Rotax engines...] Funny, I live about 7 miles from the airport, I've had the plane since 2019, and the wife has seen it exactly twice. And both times were from the passenger seat of the car. Safe to say she has NO interest in flying, although it is because of her I fly - she got me a groupon-discounted flying lesson 🤣. I'm not complaining BTW, that just means the topic of flying is all mine! In general though, it means I have to keep the plane clean myself, and I'm bad at that.

Hi Kurt, I was hoping to get a response from you on the plane you were looking at. I did some poking around for PiperSports for sale in West Palm. I like to know what's for sale in and around Florida to help stay on top of the market and current prices. If you are looking at N458S for sale in West Palm by Scott MacDonald Aircraft Sales that's not a 2009 PiperSport. It's a 2009 SportCruiser. There's no such thing as a "2009" PiperSport as the only PiperSport aircraft are 2010 aircrafts. The fact that it's being marketed as a PiperSport is not accurate if this matters to you. The owner may be trying to inflate the market value of this plane with some cheap vinyl decals. Or maybe he's a poser. I have first hand knowledge of this airplane as I personally flew this "SportCruiser" when I lived in Orlando when they were doing demo flights with it in Florida. Look at the FAA registry, it's even listed there as a "SportCruiser" with a 2009 serial number. Here's a pic of me in the pilots seat flying this "SportCruiser" in October of 2009 when it was new out of KISM airport. There are no "PiperSport" decals on it.....because it's not a PiperSport. If this is the plane you are looking at PLEASE do you due diligence and inspect EVERY tiny detail on this plane. If you are not that familiar with the SportCruiser please find someone who is to look at it with you. It was a demo aircraft and it has nearly 3000 hours on it. She's got to be tired. Lastly, it's still a S-LSA aircraft and it's being listed with a Uavionix Echo UAT device for ADS-B out. This is not an approved device by the aircraft manufacturer and there is no LOA for this ADS-B box to be installed in this aircraft. There never will be so "legally" that installation voided the airworthiness certificate for this SportCruiser. Whoever signed off on the install and subsequent annual condition inspections doesn't know LSA aircraft and has no business doing condition inspections on LSA aircraft. Buyer beware.

Hey Glenn. Welcome to the group. Great looking plane!

Hi Glenn and welcome. Any pics of your 2010 PiperSport that you can share? We'd love to see it.

Hi all, I'm Glenn. I've got a 2010 PiperSport version of the Sport Cruiser I keep in central NJ. Had it for a few years but for some reason only joining the forum now. I've already solved a few minor squawks and have become pretty familiar with a lot of its components and systems. Hopefully I can contribute to the group. I posted a question today under the Rotax engine section - looking for information on the fuel check valve used on later models. Any help would be apprciated. Thanks, Glenn

Hi Kurt and welcome to the forum. I’m over in Clearwater, home of the best beaches in the US, or so they say. Are you looking at a PiperSport or a SportCruiser in West Palm? I ask because the PiperSport is going to be a 2010 only and the SportCruiser could be as new as a 2019. I can possibly see why you’d want to keep a newer SportCruiser S-LSA as maybe you want to keep it and use it for flight instruction. If it’s a 2010 PiperSport then you will definitely want to convert it to experimental to be able to make some needed upgrades. Every piece of avionics in that airplane has been discontinued and you’d be better off as E-LSA for those upgrades. As for parts for either of the airplanes, you could be waiting many, many months, if not years for crucial parts if you order from the factory. I’m not trying to scare you away from the airplane because it’s an amazing airplane rather just letting you know the hard truth about the factory and parts orders. It’s been extremely difficult over the last few years getting any response or parts from the factory for this airplane. I’m also a member of the European SportCruiser forum and they are having a difficult time just getting email responses from the factory, how hard do you think it’ll be getting parts? The dealer here in the US will tell you they can get parts but how long will you have to wait? All that said, the aircraft rarely needs factory specific parts. Anything for the engine you can get right here in Florida at Lockwood. As you know, it’s an all metal airplane and with your skill set there’s nothing on it you couldn’t fix/repair. There are procedures in the maintenance manual for making repairs. I’ve owned my 2007 SportCruiser going on 11 years now and have not ever needed a factory specific part. I converted to E-LSA maybe 5 years ago to be able to make my SportCruiser safer and easier to fly. It was the best thing I did. You’ll have some people tell you that it will decrease the value but those people are dead wrong. Good luck with your decision and if you need any more info about the SportCruiser it’s all here on the forum. We have a great bunch of guys on here with an abundance of knowledge to help answer any question you might have about it. The last thing I’ll say is if you decide to buy one have it looked over by someone who is familiar with the SportCruiser. And of course don’t let the seller recommend someone to do the pre-purchase inspection. There have been some critical service bulletins over the years that you need to know about and other details to look out for. If you buy it right and cheap enough then none of those really matter as you’ll have money left in the bank to do those service bulletins as some of them are rather pricey. Again, good luck in your search.

Welcome to the forum Kurt. There are a lot of very helpful folks on here. I haven’t been in the LSA community but a couple of years now but from everything I see parts for the Sportcruiser can be difficult in the US. Mine is E-LSA and I’m sure you will get told to go that route. Again, Welcome, best of luck, and keep us updated.

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Kurt and I am in Stuart, Florida, "The Sailfish Capitol of the World" or so they say... I am an A&P and a Rotax iRMT. I am looking at a Piper Sport Cruser in the WPB area. I am curious how I am going to be able to maintain the S-LSA certificate, that is a concern. Being an A&P, I can 'fix my own' but what about the availability of acceptable parts? I look forward to reading about these aircraft and discussing these maintenance issue with you all. Cheers!

As of 3/31/2024 the number of   Active, Validated SCFLIER SportCruiser Forum Members with Log-In Privileges  increased to   706  SCFLIER Forum Members ! And still only a small handful of our members EVER participate ! Durn. D

As of 2/29/2024 the number of   Active, Validated SCFLIER SportCruiser Forum Members with Log-In Privileges  increased to   701  SCFLIER Forum Members ! A new milestone ! D

Kevin I appreciate the kind words. No “contributions” are necessary from any SCFLIER Members. Enjoy the SCFLIER SportCruiser forum ! Dave

Thanks for all you do Dave. This forum has been a very big asset to me, being a new ELSA owner. Let me know where to send contributions to. Thanks Kevin

Hello SCFLIER Forum Members. This forum area is for me, the LUCKY SCFLIER Forum ADMIN, to tell y’all about stuff going on in the SCFLIER SportCruiser forum ADMIN World. I did an “Admin Check” of how many Members are viewing posts on the forum, and how much “image memory” we are using against our Monthly Plan cost. The more pictures we save on the forum website, the more the forum costs per month — IF we exceed our storage space allowed. I pay the bills, and I am NOT asking for Member contributions. And, in fairness, I myself am probably the king of SCFLIER forum image posting memory size. Whoop de doo. I will continue to pay the SCFLIER website bills, which are Less than $ 100 per month to keep the SCFLIER Forum running. I noticed that we were getting “close” - in a gigabyte kind of way - to our memory limit for our monthly plan bill. So, I decided to spend an extra $ 9 per month (whoop de doo) to give us a nearly 50 X increase in image storage space for the SCFLIER forum members. Wow That is a bargain ! The message - please post more images of your SportCruiser, flying trips you have taken, and cool ideas for improving the SportCruiser (Experimental E-LSA), …, and more. But, Please keep your posts relevant to the SCFLIER topic area you are posting in ! Please use the search icon to find a logical place to put stuff. PLEASE !!! Please Don’t just create a NEW topic when there is already an EXISTING Topic area out there on the SCFLIER SportCruiser forum that FITS your idea. Finally, if you know a SCFLIER SportCruiser member that only LURKS on the forum, reading stuff, but never posting any ideas or pictures, try and convince them to post something - in the correct topic area ! (NOT HERE !!!). Thank you your friendly SCFLIER SportCruiser forum Admin Whoop de doo. Dave The New plan :

FSDO is your local Flight Standards District Office, yours would be in Jax so a phone call would be better. They can explain your options. Do you have a copy of the operating limitations for that plane? Those would be helpful as well. I'm just a lonely ole "Sport Pilot" so IFR to me is I Follow Roads. That I can do very well. You'd have to wait on better answers from our resident Private Pilots here. If you believe ANYTHING coming out of the dealers mouth in Utah you're in for a rude awakening. The factory has NEVER wanted to support legacy aircraft and they continue to blow smoke up our "you know what" and it's been the same song and dance from them for nearly 8 years now. Nothing has changed in this time and nothing ever will. The parts they have on hand in Utah are to fix the broken aircraft in their flight school that get damaged on a regular basis. I know this first hand from the last A&P who worked for the dealer when it was here in Florida. Dave our admin stated he's been waiting on a very simple part from the factory for over a year now, maybe longer. Still believe the folks in Utah? All I'm saying is dont hold your breath waiting on the factory for anything, convert to E-LSA and move on from them. You'll save yourself a ton of headaches. Ask me how I know. A turbine option? Really? They dont even know how to put a 912is engine in a SportCruiser let alone a turbine. What a bunch of idiots over there. This has to be the 4th or 5th "project" that they say is "coming soon" and we never see it. I'll bet you see "new seats" in the next SportCruiser before you see a turbine. A turbine wont matter to the LSA market anyway. Stepping down off my soapbox now and going to enjoy my weekend putting the finishing touches on my new Skyview panel upgrade.

Thank Everyone. Shawn, what is a FSDO? I was aware about not flying the craft in IMC, only for the training. I was mainly wondering specifically about the IFR Training, IFR Checkride, and Time building with someone under the "Hood" with out certified equipment. I have reached out to Thrust Flight per admin recommendations and am waiting for their call back. On a side note, I also spoke with the sales rep at Cruiser (now the dealer of the Sportcruiser). He told me they just returned from a visit to the factory. They stressed the importance of more support for LOA's and Parts for legacy aircraft. Due to new products the factory will be bringing to market they understand they need to heal the image that has been developed with the previous poor service. We'll see how that plays out. He said they currently have about 2 planes worth of parts, and will be getting more frequent containers that specials orders can be put in to shorten wait times.And a turbine option should be coming. Thank you everyone for your help!

So basically any SportCruiser with glass panel(s), a moving map display (either integrated into the glass like Skyview or a separate GPS with moving map like a Garmin product) and an autopilot will be considered a TAA aircraft. I'd also recommend that you read the CURRENT operating limitations for the plane you are wanting to buy. It will spell out what's allowed. There are some SportCruisers that are day, VFR only. Newer SportCruisers for training as a TAA aircraft will certainly have different operating limitations than a 2010 PiperSport. When in doubt contact your local FSDO and pay them a visit with the current aircraft operation limitations in hand.

From AOPA on TAA Technically Advanced Airplanes https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/active-pilots/safety-and-technique/operations/technically-advanced-airplanes

I agree with everything that the Admin said above, and the short answer is Yes. I practiced for, and took, my private Pilot check ride in a Pipersport with the exact same combination you photographed above. The approaches were all accomplished with the SL-30 and the CDI display of the D100. This particular DPE wanted me to prove that I could navigate with the SL-30 and CDI in the event that the 696 became inoperable. I was also told that the D100/D120/696 combo qualified as a TAA at the time. I am not aware if the standards for a TAA have changed since then.

The Garmin 696 GPS is not IFR Capable, for example it cannot provide WAAS RNAV GPS guidance for LPV WAAS GPS Instrument Approaches. However, the Garmin SL30 NAV/COM can provide lateral guidance cues (CDI on your Dynon screens) for an Instrument Approach with an ILS or VOR Based guidance. The SportCruiser is really NOT the aircraft a Pilot would want to fly in HARD IMC Weather, even if an IFR Capable NAV COM were installed. Heated pitot tube ? De-icing equipment ? Stable platform in HARD IMC weather ? Two radios ? Nope. NOT a SportCruiser friendly environment. Good VFR Weather ? Light winds, no or very little cloud cover ? $ 100 hamburger flight ? YES for a SportCruiser ! one more thought - the FAA allows IFR Time Building, with a safety Pilot in good VMC (VFR) weather, IF the aircraft is a TAA Technically Advanced Aircraft. There ARE versions of the SportCruiser, typically with Dynon SkyView panels, that DO qualify as a TAA Technically Advanced Aircraft. I have flown our 2010 PiperSport (many years ago) with the SL30 NAV/COM providing CDI lateral guidance to the KADS Addison Airport (North Dallas) runway 15 (now 16) ILS system. Recommend you contact ThrustFlight and ask which of their ~ 10 SportCruisers in the training fleet qualify as TAA. Dave https://www.thrustflight.com/ https://forum.flydynon.com/threads/is-garmin-sl-30-and-hdx-an-ifr-navigator.13139/

Hello everyone. I am looking at a 2010 sport cruiser to do training in and time building. I have a question regarding the instrument portion of training/check ride. I know the cruiser is only certified for VFR, but can I use the plane for the IFR portion of the training and get a check ride in it. I know LSA's can fly IFR in VFR conditions. Also, can the cruiser be used with one person "under the hood" to split costs for time building? I have heard mixed things from different people. I have attached photos of the interior dash to show what gear is installed. I will add an actual equipment list as soon as I get it from the seller. I hope the question is clear enough as I haven't quite mastered all the terminology yet.

As of 1/31/2024 the number of   Active, Validated SCFLIER SportCruiser Forum Members with Log-In Privileges  increased to   697  SCFLIER Forum Members whoop de doo. D

As of 12/31/2023 the number of   Active, Validated SCFLIER SportCruiser Forum Members with Log-In Privileges  increased to   691  SCFLIER Forum Members HAPPY NEW YEAR ! D

Do you know of a potential NEW SportCruiser SCFLIER Forum member that is having trouble getting access to our forum ? As the SCFLIER FORUM Admin, I require a simple TWO WAY E-mail communication from me to them and back to me, to that I know I have every new SCFLIER Member’s correct email address before ACTIVATING their new SCFLIER member request. WHY ? So that I can reach new Members (all SCFLIER Members) via email, And they know how to contact me, via my SCFLIER ADMIN email address, scflieradm@yahoo.com …if they have a password lockout scenario or a question for me. I NEVER reveal any SCFLIER member’s personal information, including their own email address, publicly on the forum. Just last week, a potential new member typed in THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS with an error, a typo, and so I was unable to reach them via email. On a hunch, I corrected what looked to me to be a typo in their email address sent to me, And I was able to contact them via email, And activate their new account quickly. And, FREQUENTLY, potential new SCFLIER Members request a new SCFLIER account, I send them my “two way email communication test “, and I NEVER HEAR FROM THEM AGAIN. I suspect my email to them, from scflieradm@yahoo.com got caught in their email’s SPAM Folder, And sometimes, when I check my own SPAM folder, I see new member’s responses to me caught in MY SPAM bucket there. Easy to move that “NOT SPAM” email to my admin email inbox. the Message - if you know of a potential new SCFLIER Forum member, tell them to check their own SPAM folder for my email sent to them ! SPAM Buckets work both ways … I am Trying to help new SCFLIER Members get activated quickly and to join in all the SCFLIER SPORTCRUISER Forum fun ! Dave SCFLIER SportCruiser forum Admin And, a frequent SPAM Folder email checker…

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