In 2009 the rights, tooling and parts inventory were sold to Yuneec International of China when Flightstar Sportplanes' business was wound up. Flightstar designer Tom Peghiny built the first Flightstar in the mid-1980s for the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category with its maximum 254 lb (115 kg) empty weight requirement. The two-seat Flightstar II soon followed to fill the role of a trainer. The designs quickly became commercial successes and the basic design has been extensively developed over time. By 2007 over 700 single seaters had been sold. All models are constructed from anodized aluminum tubing assembled with bolts. The fuselage is suspended from a keel tube that also mounts the engine at the front, the tail at the back and the wings. The wings are strut-braced and utilize jury struts. The wings and tail surfaces are covered in pre-sewn Dacron envelopes, which reduces construction time. The wings have full-span ailerons, while the tail features conventional elevators and rudder. The landing gear is a tricycle gear arrangement with bungee suspension on the main wheels. The nosewheel is steerable and mainwheel brakes are an available option. The reported construction time for the single seat models is 100 hours. For more details of the single seat Flightstar variants, and the two seat Flightstar II (specifications below) click here. Images are the Flightstar IISC (Sports Cabin) variant.
