Earlier this year, Texas Aircraft updated its Colt LSA with a comprehensive Garmin avionics suite, and now it’s going the other way, with a simpler, less expensive Garmin setup for VFR flight. Priced at $139,900, the latest Colt configuration has a single-screen Garmin G3X Touch display, external com radio and remotely mounted ADS-B-compliant transponder. Texas Aircraft says it is responding to flight-school requests for a more affordable primary trainer.
“As we come out from under COVID-19 induced flight training restrictions, the operators of several flight schools have come to us asking for an affordably-priced, all-metal, Garmin-equipped training aircraft,” Texas Aircraft Manufacturing’s CEO, Matheus Grande, says. “Our solution is the highly-advanced and very-affordable entry-level Colt S-LSA, which is priced at $139,900, below the cost of the fully-equipped Colt-S and Colt-SL S-LSA.”
In addition to the simplified avionics, the entry-level Colt has analog instruments on the copilot/instructor side, “synthetic leather” upholstery, white paint with no graphics and toe brakes on the left side only. “Today’s students want to train on the same avionics they will be using later as they advance into more complex Garmin-equipped aircraft,” says Texas Aircraft Manufacturing’s Chief Operating Officer, Caio Jordão. “The G3X Touch-equipped Colt-S will give students a leg-up as they advance through their training. When you couple the Garmin G3X Touch display with Colt’s attractive pricing, and low operating costs, flight schools now have a truly modern, all-metal, training aircraft that sets a new industry standard for comfort, safety, and ruggedness.”
I guess this is the modern version of the C152 that everyone’s been looking for?
This all makes sense to me except the toe-breaks on the right side; if this is for training, wouldn’t you want the CFI to have brakes??
Hand brake.
Ah. My Comanche only has a hand brake, but I’d not seen that on a modern plane.
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler”. Albert Einstein certainly must have had a hand in the design of that panel. Nice. Neat. Uncluttered. Right sized. Simple but no simpler than necessary.
As a point of reference, my 1979 Tomahawk (125 hp STC) provides 100 kts IAS on 6.7 gph of 100LL. Comfortable; unrivaled visibility.
Although it’s four times as expensive as the Traumahawk (purchase price), you get a brand new bird for your bucks. While I haven’t flown it, to me, this Colt looks like a real winner!
$140k is a nice price-point. No cylinder-temp monitoring. Note this is not an IFR airplane.
Anybody have experience with it?
Anybody tried to use a touch-screen display in rough air?
$139,900 seems like quite a deal in this day and age.
Vashon Ranger