The Sportsman 2+2; The Newest Kit Aircraft from Glasair Aviation is Designed for Pilots Who Love the Outdoors
by Meg Godlewski
For some pilots, the definition of a good crosscountry plane is one that can haul you and a friend with a reasonable amount of baggage from point to point in comfort. Just as the definition of comfort varies from person to person, so does the definition of reasonable baggage. But there's plenty of room to explore it if that plane is the Sportsman 2+2, the latest design from The Glasair Aviation in Arlington, Wash. As the name implies, the kit aircraft is designed for the outdoorsy pilot who wants to head to his or her favorite destination and doesn't want to skimp on luggage or gear.
Payload is in the 950-pound range (the actual figure will vary depending on options and builder technique). Just how much gear that allows you to haul was demonstrated when the plane made its public debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh last year. The bright red and white aircraft was displayed amid an impressive pile of sleeping bags, camping gear, fishing poles, tents, and more. Officials from The Glasair Aviation explained that on the way to AirVenture they stopped by Cabela's, one of America's largest suppliers of camping, fishing and hunting gear, and loaded the plane with items the well-prepared outdoorsman ought to have - including a camping kitchen complete with sink, giving literal treatment to the phrase "everything including the kitchen sink."
This graphic display generated a lot of oohs and aahs from onlookers, some who noted that because of space and weight limitations in their homebuilt aircraft, they had to limit their luggage to a few pairs of shorts and a toothbrush for the trip to AirVenture.
Proof of the Sportsman's commitment to the outdoorsy pilot is placement of a tube down the center of the empennage suitable for storage and transport of fishing poles. As someone who lost her favorite fishing pole in a packing accident, I greatly appreciated this feature.
The plane comes with optional second row seating if you'd like the option of taking more than one passenger with you. Two medium sized adults could probably fit in the back seat provided they are not terribly long in the torso because the roof of the cabin slopes to the rear. Access to the rear seat and/or luggage compartment is through a large door so you don't have to fold back the front seats or become a contortionist to load the plane. Although I could easily fit through the rear door on the demonstrator model, Delong said the door that will go on the production model will be three inches taller and wider. The aircraft itself is designed for easy storage and ground transport.
"It takes about five minutes to fold the wings back," said Harry Delong, a demonstration pilot and sales manager for The Glasair Aviation. He pointed out the recesses on the empennage that allow for the wings to be removed and folded along the side of the plane so that the aircraft resembles a grasshopper.
"The flap track is tucked," he continued. "After you fold the wings it will take you perhaps 10 or 15 minutes to take the horizontal stabilizer off, then all you have to do is tie it down to a flatbed truck or trailer for towing. The removal of the horizontal stabilizer is a simple procedure," he added, pointing to the
fairings that come off to allow for the removal. "The whole process would take less than an hour." The 2+2 features a steel tube cage with a Fiberglas fuselage shell. Tail surfaces are aluminum. The engine on the demo model was a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360 attached to a Hartzell 80-inch constant speed propeller.
While the demonstration model was a taildragger configuration with tundra tires, it's also possible to put the plane on floats or tricycle gear. According to Delong, you don't have to commit to one type of gear or the other. The plane is designed for ease of transformation.
"Changing the gear is actually very easy," he says. "The lifting lugs are built into the aircraft. To go from tailwheel to trike, for example, all you do is take the gear from the front socket and put it into the rear socket, then unbolt your nose or tail gear and switch it from the back to front as the case may be. You could do it alone as long as you found a way to jack the plane up. It can even be done if you have a buddy hold the wing while you switch the gear."
The cockpit measures 44 inches at the seats, 46 inches at the shoulders. This is about 6 inches more than you get in a Cessna 172, 2 inches more than a C-182.
Instruments are left up to the builder. The Sportsman comes with a plain flat metal panel that, according to Delong, will accept everything from your basic VFR panel to instrumentation that looks like it belongs in a King Air.
BUT HOW DOES IT FLY?
I had an opportunity to fly the Sportsman last fall. Delong met me at Tacoma Narrows Airport on one of those bright cold crisp days that we get in Western Washington that remind us that winter is not too far off.
The airplane gleamed like a piece of candy in the sun as we did the preflight inspection. Delong remarked that because of the cold and the fact that the 2+2 has definite STOL tendencies, it would probably lift off quickly. His assessment was correct. We were airborne in less than 400 feet. Establishing a Vy climb, we headed out to the practice area west of the airport. I was impressed by the climb performance of the aircraft, but of course the cold air might have helped. Also impressive is the visibility from the cockpit from all angles and attitudes. There's a lot of windshield to work with. The aircraft also has a turtledeck that gives you the chance to clear the airspace above you before climbing.
We reached an altitude of 3,000 feet and trimmed it for hands-off flight to check the stability of the aircraft. You know the drill: Pick an object out on the horizon (in this case the Olympia airport to the south) and put the nose on it. Pull the stick for a climb, then let go. The plane easily returned to level flight without wavering. Steep turns and unusual attitudes followed. The aircraft is light on the controls, so I imagine it would cut down on pilot fatigue, something you need to take into account for those long flights to your favorite fishing or camping spot.
Next on the list were stalls.
"The real beauty of this airplane is that is doesn't have any bad stall characteristics," said Delong as we did the clearing turns and slowed down for the power-off full-flap variety. "It is fully controllable throughout the stall, so you can make that classic error of opposite aileron in the stall and all it does is pick the wing up. It doesn't make you spin." The classic stall-spin scenario during the base to final turn would be difficult to do in the Sportsman, according to Delong, who explained that if you kick in all the rudder to turn it, the plane will turn, but not roll over onto its back like some other models. Since we had the altitude to work with, Delong demonstrated this aspect of the design. There was no dramatic break, more like a falling leaf that was easily controllable.
Next we headed for an uncontrolled airport to do some touch and goes. Delong demonstrated the short field ability of the aircraft. Pilots much more experienced than I have told stories of some taildraggers that will get your attention quickly on touchdown because the back end wants to come up to visit the front, but that was not the case with this plane. Everything was smooth and predictable.
If there is a drawback to the Sportsman 2+2, it's that you have to build it yourself. If you are someone who requires instant gratification, this is probably not the plane for you. However, according to Delong, it does not require a heavy skill set to build. "This is very simple and the manual is written for someone who hasn't built an airplane before," he said. "It's tab A in slot B, step-by-step instructions rather than just blueprints. You get lots of words to back up the pictures."
Estimated build time for a standard kit is about 1,500 hours. Time for completion of a jump-start kit is approximately 750 hours.
Shipment of the kits began in September with standard wing and tail kits; fuselage deliveries began after the first of the year.
For more information: NewGlasair.com.
Performance 180 hp-200 hp (estimated)* Stall Speed (at max. gross)** Rate of Climb Range (at 65% power)***
Top Speed 161 mph-167 mph No flaps (Vs) 58 mph Solo 1,950-2,050 fpm Standard VFR Reserve 667-573 nm Cruise Speed (TAS) 75% power 155 mph-161 mph Full flaps (Vso) 48 mph Max. gross 1,000-1,200 fpm Fuel Consumption 8.5-10 gph
Cruise Speed (TAS) 65% power 149 mph-153 mph Service Ceiling (est.) 20,000-21,500 ft
*Performance data is taken from Glasair Aviation, LLC's prototype Sportsman. The 180 hp numbers are from aircraft equipped with Lycoming O-360 engines, and Hartzell constant-speed propellers. **Stall speeds are irrespective of engine horsepower. ***Range figures assume no wind and include VFR reserves
SPECIFICATIONS LENGTH
Lycoming engine (rigged for flight) 23 ft
Lycoming engine (wings folded) 24 ft 8 in
WIDTH
Wingspan 35.0 ft
Wings folded & tail removed 8.0 ft
Wing area 131 sq ft
Wing loading (at max. gross) 17.5 lbs per sq ft
Structural limit loads (at max. gross) +3.8 / -1.5 Gs
HEIGHT
Tricycle (on gear) 9 ft 4 in
Tricycle (wings folded) 7ft 1 in
Taildragger 6 ft 11 in
CABIN DIMENSIONS
Width (at hips) 44.0 in
Width (at shoulders) 46 in
Baggage space/Rear passenger area 37.0 cu ft
WEIGHTS
Maximum gross weight (on wheels) 2,300 lbs
Maximum gross weight (on floats) 2,450 lbs
Empty weight (typical)* 1,300-1,350 lbs
Useful load (typical)* 950 lbs
Full-fuel payload (standard tanks) 650 lbs
Maximum baggage capacity 300 lbs
FUEL CAPACITY
Standard tanks 50 gal
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