Quasar Lite LSA Sets High Hopes

0

Two companies promoting the Quasar Lite — a Brazilian-made light sport aircraft currently aiming for S-LSA approval in September — are hoping an experimental version of the aircraft will this year successfully fly “from California to Florida on a single [40-gallon] tank of fuel.” No date for the flight has been announced. Powered by a 121-pound HKS-700E 60-hp 4-stroke engine that promoter GeBe LLC says sips about 1.7-3.5 gallons per hour, GeBe claims the roughly 500 pound aircraft could be “the greenest aircraft on the planet,” or, less subtly, “the most efficient commercially available aircraft on earth.” The company also calls the Quasar Lite a “2-seat trainer” and likens its handling qualities to “a Pitts in the air.” In terms that should prove less subjective, the aircraft’s fuselage is composite, its 30-foot-span wings are aluminum and the tail is aluminum structure with Dacron covering.

As for advertised numbers, the specifications sheet provided by Quasar Aircraft Company LLC lists the two-seat low-wing with an empty weight of 445 pounds (expected to rise to over 500 pounds before LSA certification) and a maximum takeoff weight of 1,300 pounds. The sheet also lists a baggage capacity of 33 pounds and a maximum fuel load of 124 pounds, which by our math leaves just under 700 pounds for two … humans. Quasar Aircraft Company LLC says one example of the currently experimental aircraft has been fitted with optional 40-gallon tanks that make more practical use of its carrying capacity, extends its range and (along with economy cruise and tailwinds) could facilitate its coast-to-coast trip.

When AVweb asked about the aircraft’s structural integrity we were told the wing withstood 7.5 G’s in a test stand that did not. With 20-gallon tanks, the aircraft’s range is listed at 1,060 miles (10 hours at economy cruise) and its cruising speed at 75 percent power is listed at 130 mph with stall at 45 with flaps down. Maximum rate of climb at gross weight is listed at 550 ft/min and Quasar told us when they fly the aircraft it generally climbs 700 ft/min with full fuel and one pilot aboard. Quasar also says they routinely fly the aircraft at 120 mph true burning two gallons per hour. The company hopes to prove the numbers through a couple world record attempts and sell the LSA-certified aircraft at the end of the year for a base price of $99,000. So far, neither BeBe LLC nor Quasar Aircraft Company offers an especially extensive Web presence.

LEAVE A REPLY