Glasair Sportsman 2+2

Glasair Sportsman 2+2
Role Civil kit aircraft
Manufacturer Glasair
Status In production
Produced 2003 to date
Unit cost
$50,502 (full kit)
Developed from Glasair GlaStar

The Glasair Sportsman 2+2 is a single-engine, high wing, strut-braced, four seat kit aircraft, developed by the Glasair Aviation company.[1]

Design and development

The Sportsman 2+2 was developed from the company's Glastar aircraft, a smaller version. The company's 'Two weeks to taxi' program provides factory-assisted assembly, while providing the owner with training in using tools and jigs. This complies with the Federal Aviation Administration's 51% construction rule, allowing issuance of a Special Certificate of Airworthiness as an amateur-built aircraft.[2][3]

The aircraft can be converted from a tricycle configuration to a tailwheel configuration in less than an hour and can also be equipped with floats and amphibious floats or tundra tires. The aircraft's wings can be folded back for storage or transport.

The aircraft is constructed of a fiberglass fuselage with all metal wings and horizontal stabilizer and elevator. At AirVenture in 2010, it was announced there would be a new option to construct this aircraft out of carbon fiber composites instead. This model has since been completed by several customers. The airplane is available with a 180 hp (134 kW)Lycoming IO-360 engine or a 210 hp (157 kW) Lycoming IO-390 engine with an optional constant speed propeller.

The Glasair Sportsman TC (Turbo Carbon), showing its predominately carbon-fiber fuselage
A fiberglass Sportsman
The cockpit of a Glasair Sportsman
A Glasair Sportsman 2+2 on floats
Sportsman with Tundra tires

Variants

Glasair Sportsman 2+2 Diesel
A Thielert Centurion 2.0s powered variant[4] costing $89,000 for the engine alone.[5]

Specifications (Sportsman 2+2)

Data from Glasair website[6]

General characteristics

Performance

References

  1. Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, pages 55-56. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  2. DIY Plane: From Toolbox to Takeoff in Two Weeks | Autopia | Wired.com
  3. AirCrafters Builder Assistance for Experimental Aircraft - The 51% Rule and the FAA
  4. Sport Aviation: 15. May 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. "Aero-TV: Doing It Diesel Style -- Glasair's New Diesel Offering" 29 August 2014. Accessed: 3 September 2014.
  6. Glasair Sportsman specs

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glasair Sportsman.