CZW SportCruiser Pilot

[Doc L]

Hey, all -

I am new to this forum. I now own a 2008 CZW SportCruiser E-SLA and I am flying with a flight instructor to knock off the rust before exploring from my base at Coastal SE NC. I'd be happy to hear from other sport pilots transitioning from flying traditional GA SEL aircraft to LSA flying.

Doc

 

[Cluemeister]

Have you tried the Sportcruiser forum?

https://www.scflier.com/

 

[midlifeflyer]

Have you tried the Sportcruiser forum?

https://www.scflier.com/

There is also a decent SportCruiser group on Facebook.

 

[Doc L]

Thanks for the tip about the SportCruiser forum!

 

[Mikey B]

Also Sport Pilot Talk at www.sportpilottalk.com.

 

[exncsurfer]

Hey, all -

I am new to this forum. I now own a 2008 CZW SportCruiser E-SLA and I am flying with a flight instructor to knock off the rust before exploring from my base at Coastal SE NC. I'd be happy to hear from other sport pilots transitioning from flying traditional GA SEL aircraft to LSA flying.

Doc

Welcome to POA. I rented a Skycatcher for a bit, does that count? It was just a typical rental checkout. You'll notice the wind more now in the LSA!

 

[midlifeflyer]

I'm curious... in what ways is the SportCruiser E-LSA dIfferent from the SportCruiser S-LSA?

 

[odie451]

As an S-LSA, a person would need a LOA from the aircraft manufacturer to make any changes to the aircraft. Hard to do when the manufacturer files for bankruptcy. By converting to an E-LSA, an owner would be able to make changes to the aircraft. Examples would be avionics upgrades. Also as an E-LSA an owner can do the conditional inspection after taking a 16 hour light sport repairman inspection course.

 

[lsaway]

I'm curious... in what ways is the SportCruiser E-LSA dIfferent from the SportCruiser S-LSA?

S-LSA the aircraft was built by the manufacturer and the manufacturer dictates what repairs, updates, and maintenance can be done by the operator. Often, dealing with the manufacturer is worse than the FAA. I talked to 1 manufacturer about repairing a damaged wingtip and they said they will not authorize or support any repairs to a damaged airplane, and if I convert the plane from s-lsa to e-lsa they will not sell me any replacement parts for that serial number. S-lsa aircraft can be rented out, used for flight instruction or other limited commercial interests. Once an airplane is converted from s-lsa to e-lsa, it can never go back and never be used for any of the prior commercial activities.

 

[Warmi]

S-LSA the aircraft was built by the manufacturer and the manufacturer dictates what repairs, updates, and maintenance can be done by the operator. Often, dealing with the manufacturer is worse than the FAA. I talked to 1 manufacturer about repairing a damaged wingtip and they said they will not authorize or support any repairs to a damaged airplane, and if I convert the plane from s-lsa to e-lsa they will not sell me any replacement parts for that serial number. S-lsa aircraft can be rented out, used for flight instruction or other limited commercial interests. Once an airplane is converted from s-lsa to e-lsa, it can never go back and never be used for any of the prior commercial activities.

You should probably list the manufacturer so we know who not to buy from …
I own a plane manufactured by a company that allows just about any user based maintenance short of structural airframe repairs http://www.tl-ultralight.cz/en/ultralight-aircraft/tl-2000-sting-s4
So it is all about who are you dealing with ..

 

[lsaway]

You should probably list the manufacturer so we know who not to buy from …
I own a plane manufactured by a company that allows just about any user based maintenance short of structural airframe repairs http://www.tl-ultralight.cz/en/ultralight-aircraft/tl-2000-sting-s4
So it is all about who are you dealing with ..

I totally agree that its all about who you are dealing with. Your manufacturer allows maintenance short of airframe structural repairs. What if your airframe develops a crack somewhere, or experiences a minor incident? With a normal category airplane, structural repairs can be performed according to FAA guidelines. With an SLSA, the manufacturer must approve the structural repair. If manufacturer won't do it due to liability fears or doesn't have engineers on staff to deal with it, then the airplane has to be scrapped out or converted to experimental in order to fix it. I think this is a huge problem with SLSA aircraft in general.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

I totally agree that its all about who you are dealing with. Your manufacturer allows maintenance short of airframe structural repairs. What if your airframe develops a crack somewhere, or experiences a minor incident? With a normal category airplane, structural repairs can be performed according to FAA guidelines. With an SLSA, the manufacturer must approve the structural repair. If manufacturer won't do it due to liability fears or doesn't have engineers on staff to deal with it, then the airplane has to be scrapped out or converted to experimental in order to fix it. I think this is a huge problem with SLSA aircraft in general.

As you mentioned, the problem can be solved with the change to E-SLA. If there's enough damage, it's likely not worth a bunch fixed anyway.

 

[Doc L]

Welcome to POA. I rented a Skycatcher for a bit, does that count? It was just a typical rental checkout. You'll notice the wind more now in the LSA!

I do suppose that counts! I hear what you are saying about the wind! 1320 pounds isn't much and can certainly get banged around. Fortunately, here in coastal SE NC, you can always fly over the water and avoid the bumps!