Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/178050
speed of 37 mph. Flights as long as an hour are possible, with a 30-minute reserve still available upon landing. Batteries can be exchanged or charged in about two hours. www.GreenWing.aero SkyCraft Introduces Ready-to-Fly SD-1 Minisport Nando Groppo Debuts Trail The Trail, a two-seat, fixed-wing LSA made in Italy by Nando Groppo S.r.l., debuted at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013. It is certified as a UL (Ultra Light) airplane in Germany and Great Britain, and it just obtained LSA approval. The Trail on display at AirVenture was a ready-to-fly version, equipped with a 100-hp Rotax 912S engine, AvMap 5 instrumentation, fixed-pitch wooden propeller, and 40-gallon (120-liter) fuel tank that allows more than six hours of flying time and about 600-nautical-mile range, and was offered for sale at a promotional price of $79,900. The Trail features two seats in tandem and a chromoly welded steel fuselage and is covered with 2024 T3 aluminum. It is available in the nose gear and taildragger configuration. One of the most unusual features is its quick wing-fold capability. The wing-fold process is exceptionally fast and easy, doesn't require any tools, and can be performed in five minutes, thanks to strutted wings. SkyCraft Airplanes launched its ready-to-fly SD-1 Minisport at AirVenture. The plane has a 118-mph cruise speed, 1,400-fpm climb, 1.8-gph fuel burn, and $54,850 price tag. Included standard with the aircraft is a Hirth F-23 engine, removable wings, Dynon glass avionics, a comm radio, iPod jack, and nav and strobe lights for night VFR flight. The airframe was designed in the Czech Republic by Igor Spacek of SD Planes and is well known to the European public. The single-seater weighs 275 pounds and has a 300-pound useful load. It can accommodate a 230-pound pilot and 60 pounds of fuel—enough for a 575-mile range. An aft baggage compartment provides up to 30 pounds of storage. The Hirth powerplant is a two-stroke, flat, two-cylinder, 50-hp engine with dual ignition, fuel injection, and a 1,000-hour TBO. As an added benefit, SkyCraft has offered to pay for the top-end engine overhaul and propeller replacement for all SD-1 owners in the United States. www.SkyCraftAirplanes.com The Trail is a STOL aircraft, offering a cruise speed of 110 mph, and has been specifically designed to operate from unprepared runways. Ninety-two Trails already have been manufactured and delivered. The aircraft can be powered with a Rotax 912S, Sauer 2400, or Jabiru 2200 engines. Trail will be sold in the United States as a ready-to-fly aircraft for $85,000 or as a kit at $25,000 (no engine), with an average build time of 600 hours. Kits are delivered with the wing spars already riveted and steel parts welded and powder-coated. All aluminum skins are supplied CNC pre-drilled. www.Groppo.it or www.Fly-BuyLSA.com Photography by Marino Boric RANS Offers All-New S-20 Raven RANS introduced its newest product, the S-20 Raven, in bare-bones form at AirVenture. The airplane is designed to be the successor to the famous Coyote II EAA Experimenter 25