05.05.2007: I am quite busy working in Sydney, so I can’t spend as much time as I want to on the SportCruiser. I have sent a number of questions regarding the options and the panel to Kurt Schumacher, the SportCruiser sales agent for Switzerland, and have already received some feedback. I will try to look into it next Saturday and then update this page.
Next Sunday I will also go flying! I have tried to get an Australian temporary license, but since the World Trade Center attack you need a safety check before you can obtain any license, and that can take several months to complete. For that reason I will go flying with a flight instructor, as this can be done even without any license. I have reserved a Piper Warrior with Airborne Aviation at Camden Airfield (YSCN), which is 45 km southwest from where I live.
I have already organized the necessary maps too, to plan some nice sightseeing flight:
The airspace structure around Sydney looks quite similar to the one in Switzerland, except that the TMA sectors around the CTR are even lower:
The have some extra VFR procedures to fly into the CTR so that you can go and have a look at the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.
13.05.2007: Yesterday and today I finally managed to spend some time on the SportCruiser again. As mentioned earlier, I have started a list of open issues to be decided before the kit is manufactured and shipped.
So far the list looks as follows:
| Item | Options | Decision | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel Fairings | with or without | yes | It would be aesthetically a crime to not install them. |
| Propeller Type | fixed | The performance gain does not justify the extra cost and weight, it is also more complex to operate for low time pilots. | |
| Propeller Brand | Sensenich | Even though it is more expensive, after having seen it at the Aero the case is clear. | |
| Adjustable Pedals | with or without | yes | Seem to be part of standard kit anyway, different size of the two pilots requires it. |
| Dual Brakes | with or without | yes | The latest info I have received says that you can get flight training on a kitplane, but for that it is a must. Maybe I can teach my kids flying? |
| Parking Brake | with or without | yes | Is just much more convenient than to always use chocks at each landing. |
| Leather Upholstery | standard seats | yes | Leather seats are much more robust, the price difference is minor. |
| Locking Fuel Caps | non lockable fuel caps | yes | I know Chips argument that they can still steal your fuel through the fuel drains, but at least you can control what goes into the tank, which is much more important. |
There is a number of issues I am looking into too that are however not relevant for kit manufacturing:
| Item | Options | Decision | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tow Bar | buy or make | open | I have not seen the one from CZAW yet, but it is probably a lot easier ordering one than making it yourself. |
| Paint | local painting or at CZAW | open | It would be possible to have the kit painted at CZAW, either by bringing it there by truck or by flying there. I have heard that they make an excellent job and for a very decent price, so this could be an option. |
When surfing on the internet I found the following picture on the page of the Sport Aircraft Works, the sales agent for the SportCruiser for North America. It shows what he kit looks like. I thought this might be of interest to those who are less familiar with kits, so I show it here (engine, propeller, instruments and avionics missing are).
