Stolp Starduster SA100 - PIREP?

[ilpilot]

Hello all,

Planning on purchasing a Stolp Starduster SA100 nearby. It is the single seat version with a Lycoming O-320. Just curious if anyone here has time in one, and if so what your thoughts were.

Thanks!

 

[Dana]

I had about 20 hours in mine before rolling it into a ball during a forced landing in a rough field. Great flying plane, good handling, heavy ailerons. Better have sharp tailwheel skills, especially if it's an early one with the shorter / more forward landing gear. That said, it's not nearly as twitchy as a Pitts (so I'm told, I've never flown a Pitts). Mine had an 0-290 and climbed 1800 fpm. Join the biplane forum, there's an active Starduster section and Dave Baxter, the Starduster guru, hangs out there.

 

[ilpilot]

I had about 20 hours in mine before rolling it into a ball during a forced landing in a rough field. Great flying plane, good handling, heavy ailerons. Better have sharp tailwheel skills, especially if it's an early one with the shorter / more forward landing gear. That said, it's not nearly as twitchy as a Pitts (so I'm told, I've never flown a Pitts). Mine had an 0-290 and climbed 1800 fpm. Join the biplane forum, there's an active Starduster section and Dave Baxter, the Starduster guru, hangs out there.

Really appreciate your post and will join that forum. Sorry to hear about the landing. If you don't mind me asking what is the aerobatic capability of it? Obviously its no pitts, but looking to do entry IAC primary or sportsman sequences. Are you familiar with that at all? Thanks!

 

[Dana]

I think people have competed at least to intermediate in them, but they're not in the same category as a Pitts, of course. Me, I was just starting to get comfortable enough to explore its aerobatic capability when I lost it. Lou Stolp didn't design it for acro but he knew people would use it that way so he made sure to make it strong enough.