A number of military fighters feature the same seating configuration, actually positioning the pilots above the top fuselage line to help them spot threats from their six. Pilot and passenger ride high in the SportStar, elevated enough to allow a clear view straight back at the vertical tail. Fortunately, the SportStar’s configuration provides a CG envelope that’s wide and forgiving. A pair of 180-pound pilots will bring the airplane to gross. Subtract a full service of fuel, and you’re left with 358 pounds for people and stuff in the baggage area (stuff can weigh up to 50 pounds). Gross weight is set at 1,212 pounds, and Evektor suggests a standard airplane goes out the door at an empty weight of 668 pounds. The glass bubble also is large enough to accommodate pilots as tall as 6’ 2”. The airplane’s cabin is a surprising 46.5 inches across, wider than most other four-seat singles, much less two-seat sport planes. The Eurostar, Evektor’s European version of essentially the same airplane, has been selling overseas in 30 countries for years, and there’s a fleet of nearly 500 airplanes already in the air. Unlike many of the others, however, the airplane has the distinction of having been the first LSA certified in the United States. Like all the other LSAs, the SportStar mounts two seats and is restricted to 137 mph. Gross sales in 2004 topped $50 million, and the company has some 450 employees. A product of the Czech Republic’s largest aircraft manufacturer, Evektor-Aerotechnik of Kunovice, the SportStar is one of many products from a company with a prestigious international client list-Boeing, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Let Aircraft and others.Įvektor was established more than 35 years ago, specifically to build motorgliders and autogyros, and the company’s fortunes have since expanded to include production of a variety of aerospace components. The category is called light-sport aircraft, and one look at the Evektor SportStar suggests that it practically defines the type.
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