Matt

Hi Dave, Yep, our Sportstar was Peter's original demonstrator aircraft.We were at Narromine this year (on the Saturday) and Peter had the sister aircraft to ours there last year. Never fear having missed us, we'll definitely be back at The Oaks on a regular basis and look forward to meeting you next time we're up. Cheers, Matt.

Yep, we'll be there in the Sporstar and happy to take anyone up who's keen fora ride...no excuse needed to go flying as you all understand. So what's on offer at The Oaks for lunch- BBQ / BYO / shops etc?

G'day Oaks folks, we were planning on a trip up to The Oaks on Saturday having read so much about this field and those who fly out of here. Weather forecast for the weekend looks absolutely perfect for flying, we're planning on getting to The Oaks around 12:00 and look forward to meeting some of you if you're around. Cheers, Matt.

What a great looking Sportstar nice photo. Great to meet you Geoff, was also good to catch up with a few other folks from the forums while we were there. Still going through our pics from the weekend, will post some once I've sorted them...and get a few minutes break from work

I know where we're headed this weekend RAAF F/A-18 Hornets to visit Temora Aviation Museum The Temora Aviation Museum is excited to announce that Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 Hornets are scheduled to attend our August 5th & 6th Flying Weekend. F/A-18 Hornets are rarely seen at rural air-displays thus making their appearance at Temora a unique opportunity for Museum visitors to see the aircraft up close. The F/A-18 Hornet is a multi role fighter designed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions and is one of the most potent fighter and accurate strike attack aircraft in the world. Manufactured by Boeing it incorporates two 7,258 kg thrust General Electric F404 turbo fan engines which allow the aircraft to reach speeds of Mach 1.8 (2,220 km/h) and reach altitudes above 45,000 feet. The Hornets participating at the Temora Aviation Museum’s Flying Days are from RAAF 77 Squadron based at RAAF Base Williamtown, NSW. It is planned that four Hornets will conduct a formation aerial display. Also during the flying program Squadron Leader Paul Simmons will conduct a solo high energy aerobatics routine. Throughout the day one F/A-18 will be on static display allowing Museum visitors the rare opportunity to take an up-close look at this RAAF frontline fighter aircraft. The Museum Flying Weekends offer a unique opportunity for visitors to observe the Museum’s collection of historic airworthy aircraft take to the skies. The Museum anticipates a huge weekend with the inclusion of visiting aircraft such as a P-51 Mustang, P-40 Kittyhawk and a WWII Boomerang. Visitors can also expect to see the Museum collection airborne including the Tiger Moth, Wirraway, Canberra, Vampire, Dragonfly and Spitfire. The Museum’s Gloster Meteor F.8, which is painted in RAAF 77 Squadron markings, will also take to the skies. The RAAF operated Meteor F.8’s in Korea in the early 1950s, with a Meteor F.8 being the last RAAF aircraft involved in air-to-air combat. Kenny Love, Chief Executive of the Museum says, “The opportunity to have both a current serving modern attack fighter and the world’s only airworthy Meteor F.8 displayed together is unique, especially considering that both aircraft are painted in RAAF 77 Squadron markingsâ€Â. This weekend is planned to be a spectacular event that will entertain visitors of all ages. Come along and bring the family to Temora Aviation Museum’s special flying weekend on the 5th and 6th of August 2006. The Museum will be open from 10.00 am, flying begins at 11.00 am.

not quite 'recreational' but...had great fun taking them

Also why we fly

must agree, this is why we fly

Interested in what they're doing with Rotax engines around the world, check out this story on how NASA has modified a Rotax 914 with triple turbochargers and EFI to operate at altitudes up to 90,000 feet http://www.designnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA151154&cfd=1

You can get the full range of airservices charts in OziExplorer format and OziExplorer can be configured to use the most appropriate scale for where you are i.e. will automatically switch from VNC to VTC when you change boundaries or VNC to WAC etc. I usemy PDA to give a 'moving map' capability primarily for airspace boundaries, terrain etc. and reduce cockpit clutter. I also use a Garmin 196 which I use primarily for actual route planning, waypoints etc. I mount the PDA on a powered mount which attaches to the canopy via a suction cup and the Garmin is panel mounted - both are removable for upload / download at home.

Hi Jan, I use OziExplorer on a HP iPaq,bluetooth GPS receiver and electronic airservices maps available through a company called Maptrax. You can use OziExplorer on both PC and mobile PC to synchronize maps / tracks / routes etc. as planning is easier on a PC then transferred to the PDA (but most features are available on the portable version). Happy to answer any other questions or provide additional info. Cheers, Matt.

Or this one, Mustang @ Avalon 2005

Taken at Canberra VE Day 60th anniversary last year. SportStar3978

Fantastic looking model, who distributes it - freeware or payware?

Matt, Canberra (formerly of Melbourne) Own: Evektor Sportstar Have flown: Gazelle, Jabiru, Piper Warrior, Piper Aztec, Yak-52, Tiger Moth, Winjeel, CT4, FA-18 (simulator @ Tindal ) Total Hours: 300 GA Hours: 75 RAA Hours: 225

Beautiful weather for flying today out of Canberra, so we had a hop over to Wagga then up to Temora for a bit of a private show - plenty goes on here even if it's not a programmed flying day. A Harvard, Mustang and Spitfire were up and about today, one of the museum pilots was having his first flight in the Spitfire...suffice to say he was a bit nervous before his trip. Here's some pics of the Sportstar in good company. Plenty of work going on at Canberra at the moment to extend runway 35/17. Displace threshold makes this tight for the 737s...no prob for us though SportStar3978

Gregg, Good luck with the sale and look forward to the call Understand that the advertised price may appear a little steep but as with all things for sale, it's negotiable and I'm open to reasonable offers. Cheers, Matt.

Ignore the parts of my last post that incorrectly state the Sportstar as being first for LSA certification etc....bad memory...age not to blame though unfortunately. I do believe it's the first to be registered LSA in Australia though as per press release from the dealer and factory.

With regards the Sportstar and LSA, the Sportstar was first in the US and Australia to gain LSA certification with a MTOW of 600KG as original design i.e. ours rated to 544KG in Australia under RA-Aus is the same aircraft that's LSA rated to 600KG. In my opinion anything under 500KG MTOW with two average Aussie blokes on board is going to struggle to be able to make use of large fuel tanks. With 65L and 544KG MTOW, the 'old' Sportstar has a comfortable 3.5 hour endurance with reserves and can be fully fuelled with two passengers and a reasonable amount of luggage and be at orunder MTOW...with the luxury of knowing that the airframe can actually handle another 66KG.

QBE was the way to go for us. For an insured value of $125,000 we're paying 3.5% for full coverage with $1 million public liability for less than $1000. We've also just had a 10% discount for a 12 month claim free period.

If you haven't noticedthe For Sale section...Sportstar 3978 is for sale. Why selling? Similar to Gregg, nothing wrong with her but I'm probably going 'the other way' in aviation and progressing my GA experience...and I'm buying a CT4 to do it in (bit of my RAAF heritage coming out with this buy) and the finance minister reckons we can't keep both. I'm keen to get opinion on what a reasonable price might be, we've got $120,000 on her based on advice from Peter Harlow regarding the few 2nd hand Sportstars that have been sold. Details etc. are at http://users.bigpond.net.au/sportstar Comments welcome.

I use a HP iPaq 6365 with a bluetooth GPS receiver and OziExplorer CE. This provides a moving map capbility using electronic Airservices aeronautical charts which are available for OziExplorer from Maptrax. Websites: Maptrax http://www.maptrax.com.au/aeronauticalcharts/ OziExplorer http://www.oziexplorer.com

Hi guys, just got back on the forum. I'll add some responses to the questions asked / comments made: Headroom - heaps! I'm 194cm with a tall torso and have around 10cm between headset and canopy, leg room is not an issue either. We've done pleny of 2.5+ hour stints and always get out without any back or comfort issues...stops usually required for bladder. I tried the Tecnams (low and high wing) and found them to be far too restrictive for a 'larger than normal' frame, the Sportstar would be one of the roomiest ultralightson the market. Canopy - fantastic for 360 degree visibility, can get a little warm in summer with it closed and no airflow but with engine running and vents open it's comfortable - never going to compete with aircon. Regarding wind effect on canopy, we've not had any problems so far, the gas struts are effective at holding it in place in strong winds. Flying - not sure about the nose wheel issues at high speed, you're off the ground at 55kts and same for landing, we've not experienced any issues. I'm very happy with the handling at both low and high speeds, we're averaging 105kt cruise at 16LPH from 1500' up to 9500' - required for some long trips over Bass Strait and mountains around Canberra where we are based.

Welcome to the user's group for the Evektor Sportstar. Although there are only a few of us, this forum will hopefully provide a place for us to discuss all things Sportstar. Cheers, Matt.