Glasair Aviation, LLC is an aircraft manufacturer based in Arlington, Washington that produces the Glasair and Sportsman 2+2 line of homebuilt aircraft.
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Tom Hamilton began flight testing the Glasair TD and founded Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft in 1979. Glasair Aviation was formed in 2001 when Thomas W. Wathen purchased the Glasair assets from bankrupt Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft, Inc. and signed an agreement with Arlington Aircraft Development, Inc. (AADI) to buy all rights to and assets of the GlaStar model. The new companies New Glasair, LLC and New GlaStar, LLC are marketed under the Glasair Aviation name.[1][2] More than 3000 Glasair kits have been delivered worldwide.
The Glasair (called Glasair I after the introduction of the Glasair II) is a two-place (side by side), low-wing general aviation airplane. First introduced in 1979, the Glasair was the first premolded composite kit aircraft ever offered. The Glasair was available in retractable gear (Glasair RG), tricycle gear (Glasair FT) and tail dragger (Glasair TD) configuration. The Glasair I line is no longer in production and was superseded by the Glasair II line.
The Glasair II line of aircraft is a modification of the original Glasair I that improves on cockpit ergonomics and ease of construction. The original line-up included the Glasair II, the Glasair II-S and the Glasair SII. Only the Glasair SII (Super-II) model is still in production.
By the fall of 2007, a thousand Glasair IIs of all sub-types had been completed and were flying.[3]
The Glasair III is similar to the Glasair SII but is designed for higher performance. The Glasair III is capable of 313 mph (504 km/h) in cruise, and is only available in retractable gear configuration.
In the fall of 2007, Kitplanes magazine reported that 250 Glasair IIIs had been completed and were flying.[4]
The Glasair GlaStar is a 2-place, sport-utility airplane that can be built from a kit and registered in the experimental amateur built category (in the United States). The kit was designed and originally produced by Stoddard Hamilton Aircraft, Inc. The fist prototype flew on November 29, 1994. Stoddard Hamilton filed for bankruptcy in June 2000, and the assets of the company were purchased by New GlaStar LLC, which later became Glasair Aviation LLC. That company is still in business producing kits in Arlington, Washington, but they now only sell the GlaStar kit on a special order basis.[1]
The GlaStar is noted for its outstanding slow flight capability combined with good cruise performance. It features folding wings, making it easy to store or tow on a trailer.[5]
Although the original prototype had a 125 horsepower (93 kW) Continental engine, most kits have been completed using either the 160 horsepower (120 kW) Lycoming O-320 or the 180 horsepower (130 kW) Lycoming O-360 engine.[6]
The fleet consists of about 401 completed and flying. Builders typically complete one of these kits in about 1,500 man-hours. The cost of completing a GlaStar ranges from USD$80,000-$250,000, depending on engines and options.[7]
The typical GlaStar has an empty weight of 1,200 to 1,300 pounds and a gross weight of 1,960 pounds. The gross weight on floats is 2,100 pounds. Cruise performance with wheels is about 140 knots (260 km/h), and the stall speed is 43 knots (80 km/h), making for a good combination of cruise speed and short field capability. The plane can be easily configured with tricycle landing gear or conventional landing gear.[6]
The Symphony SA-160, at one time built by Ostmecklenburgische Flugzeugbau (OMF) and later Symphony Aircraft, was a certified development of the GlaStar.
The Sportsman 2+2 is a larger version of the GlaStar with a gross weight of 2,350 lb (1,070 kg) and a useful load of approximately 950 - 1,000 lb (450 kg). The first customer-built Sportsman flew in 2005. The aircraft can be powered by the Lycoming Engines of 180 hp (134 kW) to 210 hp (157 kW). Additional power plants and options for the Sportsman 2+2 are in development. It has a second-row seat that can accommodate two passengers up to 5' tall in addition to the pilot and front seat passenger.[8][9]
The Sportsman 2+2 has vortex generators on each wing and the company claims a 42 kn (78 km/h) stall speed with full flaps. Depending on the engine, the aircraft can cruise as fast as 162 kn (300 km/h).
The Sportsman 2+2 can be configured with tricycle gear or a conventional tail wheel and can be fitted with floats or skis. Folding wings allow trailering or storage with other aircraft.