So, I'm considering a Glastar, I know the Sportsman would fit my needs perfectly, but it's too dam expensive, so I'm looking at the early Glastar version. Any advice? I see that it has a much lower gross, but it is also lighter by 100lbs. Real world impressions of a Glastar with o-360 or IO-360 with constant speed prop, in the tailwheel setup is what I'm looking for. I have been told that you can put the Sportsman rear door mod and a rear seat in for the little ones but with a 600lbs useful it seems a little impractical. I love my kitfox, but my 2 boys are fighting over who gets to go flying with me, I want to be able to take both and my wife.

I sure hope they are a good airplane, as I am going to get mine finished next year!!!! I hope, 180 hp, electronic fuel injection and ignition, 180 hp with cs.".
I was pretty excited when I started on mine, but that has waned some as have had others to fly!!
Still looking forward to it tho!

Unless you really want to build one, find a flyer, way cheaper!?!?

I have no Glastar experience but I have a question/comment. Why spend the money on a plane that will only haul your family for the sort term? With only 600lbs useful you'll out grow that pretty fast and will likely be stuck doing only local flights with the family. I was going to add a jump seat to my Luscombe which would allow me to take my wife and two kids flying but we really couldn't go anywhere; not enough useful (513lbs). I bagged the idea and decided to just save my pennies till I could get something that would in real life allow my to travel with my family.

Just a thought.

Well, you hit the nail on the head. I fly solo 95% of the time and my Kitfox 5 with a 130hp lycoming suits me just fine, until I want to take my boys. Only one at a time, and now they are fighting over who gets to go, which is great by the way. A C180 would be great, but the fuel burn for the other 95% of the time is just wasteful. Plus I am hung up on having a stick, can't stand the thought of a yoke or I would already have a Maule. The useful load on the particular Glastar I'm looking at is just not enough to make it a family plane, but I know that I love to fly, I just don't know if the family is going to want to go as much as I do. So do I buy an airplane for the 95% or the 5%. I can put the family in and have 2.5 hrs fuel, no language.

There is a guy out at my airport that has one of the TD persuasion. Spent a bunch of time building it and then bought this weird in-line engine (Moravia/Lome???). Pretty cool setup. Has pretty near the STOL performance of my Maule without the useful load. Assuming the performance would be the same with the Lyc.

I've flown it a few times and wouldn't hesitate to buy one if it fit my mission.

Jim

I'm curious where this ended up. I did my private training in a glastar and had good reactions to it. It was in the trike configuration, but can easily be switched up. The one I was flying had a useful load around 750, which is plenty. Not for a 4 place, but that's 2 people and a bunch of gear/fuel.

For what i was seeing, a 180 HP / constant speed would be a pretty decent backcountry machine. I know the landing gear is solid enough to handle it .

I went to a glastar/sportsman fly in this last summer in Idaho, impressive planes overall but I didn't see anyone with more than 850's on. Doesn't seem like most people use the plane for off airport, which is a little surprising. Stall down at 45-50 and take off/land in 500-600 ft, seems like it would fit the mission.

Anyone have any notes of why they typically aren't used as such?

M6RV6 wrote:I sure hope they are a good airplane, as I am going to get mine finished next year!!!! I hope, 180 hp, electronic fuel injection and ignition, 180 hp with cs.".
I was pretty excited when I started on mine, but that has waned some as have had others to fly!!
Still looking forward to it tho!

Unless you really want to build one, find a flyer, way cheaper!?!?

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but how'd the build turn out? I'm playing with the idea of buying a flying GlaStar or very advanced project as my first airplane.

The other alternatives seem to be building a Rans S21, or buying a flying 182, which would certainly cost more to operate.

Thanks!

Had a Glastar. O-320. Not enough horsepower for high density altitude flying. Comfortable plane. Side by side seating. 125 kt cruise. Converted mine to a tailwheel-unfortunately had a mechanical and plane was destroyed. Gear and cage is not really stout enough for off airport operations. But good all arounder.
Bought a Scout. Happier with the off airport capability although much slower cruise but way better high density performance, more fun around the pattern.

What Goodyear said about the Glastar is what led me away from them; the landing gear is not hefty enough for what I do. Also, the airfoil of the wing is what gives it it's great cruising speeds but is also why it needs a lot more speed and runway in high DA environments. That didn't make sense knowing that Tom Setzer wanted it to be float flyable as well (why it has such a large empennage).

I was kinda surprised that when GlasStar designed the Sportsman, they didn't put more wing on it to go along with the added capacity.
That said, a guy at my airport built one (approx 200hp) and it was an awesome performer.
It wouldn't outdo a C180, but would pretty much keep up with one.
I'd still rather have the 180 though.
I'm very surprised that GS didn't come up with a leaf spring gear when they
(or their customers) started pushing the "bushplane" aspect of their products.

Thanks for the input guys! I'm at low DA in Boston, but good input. I probably will gravitate toward the S21 if I do go experimental...

Steve

Hi, I have a 180hp glastar. Originally was amphib before I bought it but now a taildragger. I agree with above. I love the plane with two people who pack lightly as it has great cruise and decent but not awesome stol abilities, and I wouldn’t beat up the gear too much either. If you’re into shortish strips that aren’t too rough then it will be great. Useful load is a bit of an issue, but two of us flew across country with full fuel and a bit of luggage. I’ve seen one with rearward jump seats but you’d want them to pop out when you don’t need another seat, it would suck to be back there, and would be short trips. If you need more seats, have you looked at a bearhawk? More money but get a lot of everything.

AbGlastar wrote:Hi, I have a 180hp glastar. Originally was amphib before I bought it but now a taildragger. I agree with above. I love the plane with two people who pack lightly as it has great cruise and decent but not awesome stol abilities, and I wouldn’t beat up the gear too much either. If you’re into shortish strips that aren’t too rough then it will be great. Useful load is a bit of an issue, but two of us flew across country with full fuel and a bit of luggage. I’ve seen one with rearward jump seats but you’d want them to pop out when you don’t need another seat, it would suck to be back there, and would be short trips. If you need more seats, have you looked at a bearhawk? More money but get a lot of everything.

Thanks for the input guys! I'd absolutely love to have a Bearhawk, but I don't think I'm there economically yet. Maybe someday! I'm still looking for a re-engined 175 or up-engined early 172. I'd buy a 182 if I could afford a decent one. Maules have also come up on my radar, as the early ones seem to offer a lot of engine and decent cruise performance for the price.

We'll see what I end up in!

Steve