The Flightstar is a large family of single and two-seat, high wing, single engined

kit aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

that was produced by

Flightstar Sportplanes Flightstar Sportplanes was an American aircraft manufacturer based in South Woodstock, Connecticut. Its primary product was the Flightstar line of ultralight and two-seat training and light-sport aircraft, which were produced continuously from ...

of South Woodstock, Connecticut. In 2009 the rights, tooling and parts inventory were sold to Yuneec International of China when Flightstar Sportplanes' business was wound up.Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-19 and B-80. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 162-164. BAI Communications. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 49. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 53. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', pages 85, 102-103. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

Development

Flightstar II C-IGRH Rotax 503 engine 03

Flightstar designer Tom Peghiny built the first Flightstar in the mid-1980s for the US FAR 103 ''Ultralight Vehicles'' category with its maximum empty weight requirement. The two-seat Flightstar II soon followed to fill the role of a trainer. The designs quickly became commercial successes and the basic design has been extensively developed over time. By 2007 over 700 single seaters had been sold. All models are constructed from anodized

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

tubing assembled with bolts. The

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

is suspended from a keel tube that also mounts the engine at the front, the tail at the back and the wings. The wings are

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

-braced and utilize

jury strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

s. The wings and tail surfaces are covered in pre-sewn

Dacron Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foo ...

envelopes, which reduces construction time. The wings have full-span

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...

, while the tail features conventional

elevators An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They are ...

and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

. The landing gear is a

tricycle gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

arrangement with bungee suspension on the main wheels. The nosewheel is steerable and mainwheel brakes are an available option. The reported construction time for the single seat models is 100 hours. The fuselage is built around an overhead aluminum tube keel that mounts the tail at the back, the wings and fuselage in the centre and the engine at the front. The pod-type cockpit fairing is made from

fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

and includes a windshield. The two seat models all have side-by-side seating and have folding wings. Reported construction time for the current two seat models is 150 hours. Reviewer Andre Cliche described the Flightstar line as: "a strong ultralight that is built to last" and particularly singled out the control system for praise saying: "the controls are well-balanced, light and authoritative." In July 2009 a new single seat model was exhibited at

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsi ...

. The e-Spyder is an electric-powered version of the Sportstar Spyder, developed by Tom Peghiny. The aircraft replaces the Spyder's two-stroke engine with a Yuneec Power Drive 20 electric motor and two

Lithium polymer battery A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyt ...

packs which provide a 40-minute endurance. The aircraft is intended to be developed into a commercially available kit and forecast to be available for under US$25,000. The aircraft are also produced under licence in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Albatross Flying Systems Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacifi ...

Variants

Single seat

;Flightstar :Original mid-1980s single seat ultralight with an empty weight of , powered by the

Rotax 277 The Rotax 277 is a , single-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, that was built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Euro ...

engine ;Flightstar Formula :Improved single seat version with complete fairing and an empty weight of . First flown in 1987 Powered by the

Rotax 447 The Rotax 447 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. Design and development ...

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. As of 2011 the Rot ...

engine ;Flightstar Spyder :Further refined single seat version first flown in 1993. Partial or complete fairing and an empty weight of with the

. Can be operated in the US ultralight vehicle category if equipped with a lighter single-cylinder engine ;Flightstar Loadstar :Fuselage, wings and tail of the Flightstar II with just a single seat fitted, intended for use on floats or to tow

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame cover ...

s. Empty weight of with the

;Flightstar e-Spyder : Electric aircraft development of the Spyder in conjunction with Yuneec International of China. Equipped with a Yuneec Power Drive 20 electric motor and two lithium-polymer battery packs which provide a 40 minute endurance. First flown in July 2009. Qualifies as a US single seat ultralight with an empty weight of . In June 2013 it was announced that the aircraft would be produced, marketed and supported by GreenWing International. In July 2013 the aircraft received German DULV certification, to become the first electric-powered aircraft to be certified by a national authority.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 58. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. By 2014 GreenWing was out of business.

Two seat

;Flightstar II :Original two-seat ultralight trainer first flown in 1987 with an empty weight of and powered by the

engine,

HKS 700E The HKS 700E is a twin-cylinder, horizontally opposed, four stroke, carburetted aircraft engine, designed for use on ultralight aircraft, powered parachutes and ultralight trikes. The engine is manufactured by HKS, a Japanese company noted f ...

four-stroke or the

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operating ...

;Flightstar IISL :Improved "Sport Light" two-seat version, first flown in 1994. Empty weight of , partial cockpit fairing was standard and full fairing optional. Powered by the

four-stroke or the

;Flightstar IISC :Improved two-seat "Sport Cabin" version. Empty weight of , powered by the

four-stroke or the

Specifications (Flightstar II)

References

External links

Company website archives
on

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{Yuneec International aircraft 1980s United States ultralight aircraft Electric aircraft eSpyder

Development

Variants

Single seat

Two seat

Specifications (Flightstar II)

See also

References

External links