New member

[Coffee]

Hello to all Members,

I am new to the board and to flying. I will be retiring soon and have always wanted to learn to fly. The Sports Pilot License is the way to go for me. My mission will be local trips with some cross country trip thrown into the mix. I am currently looking at a used low hour 2015 Sports Cruiser located out east($135,000) and a brand new one at Sebastian, FL.($157,900). https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=CZECH+SPORT+AIRCRAFT&model=SPORTCRUISER&listing_id=2340411&s-type=aircraft and https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=CZECH+SPORT+AIRCRAFT&model=SPORTCRUISER&listing_id=2320820&s-type=aircraft I am interested in finding out how much baggage my wife and I can bring on a cross country trip. I weigh 210# and she is at 110#. The spec indicate gross weight of 1323# and 855# empty. Does the math work this way: 855#+Fuel 30/gallons at 189#+ wife at 110#+me at 210#=1364#. This puts me over the weight restriction even without bringing a toothbrush. I must be doing something wrong. Please let me know. Also are there other LSA's I should be considering? Everything I read speaks highly of the Sports Cruiser. I do not intend to create a dispute but I figure a few people have had the good fortune to have tried many of these different brands and have an opinion. I understand that the Bristell allows you to carry an extra 100#. Should I be considering this one also? One thing I have learned since joining the board is the service record for Sports Cruiser past and present. Would the current record prevent you from buying a new or used aircraft? Also I am excited to be a member and looking forward to my lessons and the purchase of my own plane. Thanks for you time and I am happy to hear all your advice on LSA's.

Coffeejoe

[rtk]

Hi CoffeeJoe!  Welcome to the forum!

855 pounds BEW + 210 pounds (you) + 110 pounds (wife) gives you 1,175 pounds.

Legal total weight is 1,320 (600 kg is actually a bit more and your 1,323 pounds, but the FAA states 1,320 is the fully loaded limit.)

That leaves you with 145 pounds for fuel and luggage (any combination up to that limit.). You could fill 20 gallons (120 pounds) and still have 25 pounds for luggage.  20 gallons will get you 3 hours flight tine with an hour reserve.  You’d probably want to stretch your legs after 3 hours anyway.

Can a Sportscruiser handle more weight?  Probably as I’ve heard stories of people that have flown them over-gross weight, but you wouldn’t be able to do so legally.

The Bristell is limited to LSA rules as well, so 1,320 pounds maximum gross weight.  But because there are carbon fiber bits to that aircraft, it starts off with a lighter Bare Empty Weight (BEW).

If you need more payload capacity, you could look at earlier Sportcruisers (pre 2010) as they were a little lighter.  (e.g. My 2008 is 808.1 pounds BEW, without a BRS).  Some of the earlier Flight Design CTsw had good payload weights, and the Remos is fairly light, but there isn’t much luggage room and you’re limited to 20 gallons (behind the right seat.)

[Coffee]

Hello rtf,

Thanks for the reply. As long as I always landed close to a WalMart, I could always do the Jack Reacher thing. I need to weigh out 12.5 # of clothing to get a glimpse at what I can bring. My wife is already rolling her eyes. Maybe I will need to cut back to 10#. Thanks again.

[Deltafox]

Welcome, CoffeeJoe. You're at one of the most informative sites around. You will get a lot of valuable information and a wealth of opinions. Enjoy.

[ShawnM]

Hi Joe and welcome to the forum.

RTK nailed the answer for you. I posted a W&B calculator in the downloads section if you'd like to download it. It's a Excel spreadsheet that will calculate everything for you. It's formatted to fit an iPad mini screen but will work on any device with Excel or Google Numbers. 

Enjoy the forum, it's full of great info. 

[rtk]

2 hours ago, Coffee said:

Hello rtf,

Thanks for the reply. As long as I always landed close to a WalMart, I could always do the Jack Reacher thing. I need to weigh out 12.5 # of clothing to get a glimpse at what I can bring. My wife is already rolling her eyes. Maybe I will need to cut back to 10#. Thanks again.

LOL!  I think you may want to see what your wife might want to bring, and then you can figure out how many pounds you’ve got left for your gear!  😜

I would think a pair of jeans, underwear, an extra T-shirt, a polo shirt (or button down shirt), pair of shorts, and maybe a light jacket, and maybe toothbrush, toothpaste and a comb would come in right around (or under) 10 pounds.

[Warmi]

I would suggest taking look at the new Aeroprakt Vixxen A32 .

http://www.aeropraktusa.com/a32-vixxen.html

http://www.aeropraktusa.com/new-pre-owned.html

You can get a new one for about 130k with everything and sugar on top and still end up at 100 lbs more useful weight than a SportCruiser (empty weight at 740lbs)

Lovely plane , awesome visibility and 48 inches wide cabin - I would have probably gotten one but back in 2017 , when I was in the market for a LSA, only their older A22 was available in the US.

A few relevant videos.

 

 

[Velocity26]

Coffee,

We have a lot in common!   I am also preparing to retire and have 30+ hours towards my PPL.   

I had wanted to wait until I had my license in-hand to get an airplane, but feel that I am close enough to make an educated decision, with the help of my friends here.

What part of the country are you in?  Have you flown much in a SportCruiser?

Leo

[ShawnM]

9 hours ago, rtk said:

LOL!  I think you may want to see what your wife might want to bring, and then you can figure out how many pounds you’ve got left for your gear!  😜

Sounds to me like Coffee Joe gets to bring........ummm....... nothing !!  

[mikeomaha]

welcome aboard. josh scheid at cruiser aircraft  is a great person to work with and knowledgeable and helpful in solving problems of aircraft ownership. to comply with all of the recent service bulletins, a new plane at the price of 148k  might be best way to go. oshkosh airshow be worthwhile to attend good luck

[ShawnM]

8 minutes ago, mikeomaha said:

welcome aboard. josh scheid at cruiser aircraft  is a great person to work with and knowledgeable and helpful in solving problems of aircraft ownership. to comply with all of the recent service bulletins, a new plane at the price of 148k  might be best way to go. oshkosh airshow be worthwhile to attend good luck

Mike, were you drinking the Kool-Aid that they were handing out at Sun-N-Fun? 

Make sure you get wheel pants with that purchase. 

[Coffee]

Hello Warmi,

Thanks for the tip. I will check out at Air Venture in July. First time there. I understand it is very worthwhile to attend.

[Coffee]

Hello Velocity26,

I am located in the Midwest and have no experience in a Sports Cruiser. I have only read how well the Sports Cruiser and the Bristell fly. I have been in an ancient Cessna 152 and a Piper 140. The 152 was more prone to bouncing around then the Piper. Perhaps it is a weight thing. Does the Sports Cruiser fly better than a 152/

[mikeomaha]

50 minutes ago, Coffee said:

Hello Warmi,

Thanks for the tip. I will check out at Air Venture in July. First time there. I understand it is very worthwhile to attend.

be sure to attend the airshow tue, wed, thur. i would stay away monday, set up day, and friday, saturday and sunday. massive lines and unable to meet and talk to the airplane salesman as easy with fewer people around gawking on tue,wed,thur. bring a notebook and pen and take notes and make sure you ask the questions you want answers to. make sure you sit in the plane and check seat comfort, view etc. all light sport planes are in one area and easy walk and to find from the main gate entrance.

[mikeomaha]

3 hours ago, ShawnM said:

Mike, were you drinking the Kool-Aid that they were handing out at Sun-N-Fun? 

Make sure you get wheel pants with that purchase. 

josh scheid is trying  his best helping  sport cruiser  owners . he went over and visited the factory in europe after sun and fun and hopefully that will help going forward. wish that all light sport plane manufactures would offer parts and labor warranty for any future design flaws. doing so would really help customer goodwill .

[Velocity26]

1 hour ago, Coffee said:

Hello Velocity26,

I am located in the Midwest and have no experience in a Sports Cruiser. I have only read how well the Sports Cruiser and the Bristell fly. I have been in an ancient Cessna 152 and a Piper 140. The 152 was more prone to bouncing around then the Piper. Perhaps it is a weight thing. Does the Sports Cruiser fly better than a 152/

The speeds are likely similar, but the SportsCruiser is like a sports car, handling wise, compared to the Cessna being an econo-box.  I have no experience with the Piper, although I would expect it to handle better than the 152 also.  

[Warmi]

2 hours ago, Coffee said:

Hello Velocity26,

I am located in the Midwest and have no experience in a Sports Cruiser. I have only read how well the Sports Cruiser and the Bristell fly. I have been in an ancient Cessna 152 and a Piper 140. The 152 was more prone to bouncing around then the Piper. Perhaps it is a weight thing. Does the Sports Cruiser fly better than a 152/

All LSAs do bounce around , even more than C-152 - there is no getting around that , it is a function of weight.

 

[ShawnM]

2 hours ago, Warmi said:

All LSAs do bounce around , even more than C-152 - there is no getting around that , it is a function of weight.

Absolutely agree, the SportCruiser and every other LSA on the market weigh much less than a 152 and will get bounced around more. The BEW of say a 1980 Cessna 152 is around 1,100 pounds, compare than to your average LSA at say 850, give or take a few pounds.

The SportCruiser, as with most other LSA's, fly much better than a 152 (my opinion of course) as they are far more responsive. When you move the stick the plane goes there immediately,  not 3 seconds later like the Cessna.  

[atrosa]

Here is a stunning plane to consider:

https://www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for-sale/25417471/2014-tecnam-astore

I think it will carry 511# so that is 210 (Funny that is my weigh too) + the misses 110 + 120 fuel (20 gallons)= leaves about 70 pounds whatever else you need.  CG permitting of course.

My "all in" budget for my airplane is about 90K (depending on the stock market) plus $ 700 per month.  I'm not saying I will go out and buy a 90K airplane, that is very short sighted..   I want to buy a 50K airplane and have 40K in reserve in case (when) I run into issues.

The day my lovely wife will get in a plane with me I'm going out to buy a used Cirrus.

  

[Velocity26]

3 hours ago, atrosa said:

Here is a stunning plane to consider:

https://www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for-sale/25417471/2014-tecnam-astore

I think it will carry 511# so that is 210 (Funny that is my weigh too) + the misses 110 + 120 fuel (20 gallons)= leaves about 70 pounds whatever else you need.  CG permitting of course.

My "all in" budget for my airplane is about 90K (depending on the stock market) plus $ 700 per month.  I'm not saying I will go out and buy a 90K airplane, that is very short sighted..   I want to buy a 50K airplane and have 40K in reserve in case (when) I run into issues.

The day my lovely wife will get in a plane with me I'm going out to buy a used Cirrus.

  

Maybe not be as "Stunning" as those pictures might imply ... A lot has happened since those photos were taken.  

This is a perfect case of "Buyer Beware", so do your homework.

[Skipper]

45 minutes ago, Velocity26 said:

Maybe not be as "Stunning" as those pictures might imply ... A lot has happened since those photos were taken.  

This is a perfect case of "Buyer Beware", so do your homework.

I was also considering this plane as soon as the price was reduced to $100,000. Sounds like you might have some information that would benefit a potential buyer. Care to share. 

[atrosa]

Odd thing is that it started off at 100K.  Velocity has better info on it.  This is a case of turn 180 and clear IMC.  I would pass on this one.(my opinion).

[atrosa]

2 hours ago, Velocity26 said:

Maybe not be as "Stunning" as those pictures might imply ... A lot has happened since those photos were taken.  

This is a perfect case of "Buyer Beware", so do your homework.

"Stunning" description still works.  I'm stunned that they would raise the price after it was damaged.  Thank you for the information scflier member!

[ShawnM]

Ok, I'll start this conversation......AGAIN. 

After the seller placed this beautiful 2014 Astore up for sale with the initial price of $100K (a phenomenal prices for this aircraft) he decided he wanted to take it out for one more flight. Not his best idea to date.  On its last flight the owner had a hard landing and collapsed the nose gear....everyone knows what happens next, right?

It has been repaired and nearly airworthy again. New NLG, new prop, I was told a gearbox "inspection" was done but it needed another one for some reason. The plane is just up the road from me in Inverness, about a 20 minute flight north. I was possibly going to go look at it with another forum member but that has been put on hold.

The plane was perfect BEFORE its last flight with no damage history and the price was out of this world at $100K. Now with all new parts AND DAMAGE HISTORY the seller wants more, go figure.  

[ShawnM]

8 hours ago, atrosa said:

My "all in" budget for my airplane is about 90K (depending on the stock market) plus $ 700 per month.  I'm not saying I will go out and buy a 90K airplane, that is very short sighted..   I want to buy a 50K airplane and have 40K in reserve in case (when) I run into issues.

The day my lovely wife will get in a plane with me I'm going out to buy a used Cirrus.

Have you considered this aircraft? It's not $50K but less than $90K and I'm sure you could get it for a pretty good price.