Czech Aircraft Works SportCruiserI finally found a rental light sport airplane in the area! It's a Czech Aircraft Works SportCruiser. operated by Atlanta Sport Flight at Fulton County airport in Atlanta (FTY). The picture above is of the exact plane (N187SF) I flew, A sexy little new low-wing plane with just 100hrs on the engine and airframe.
This airplane is made in the Czech Republic by an aircraft company that used to make airplane parts for the old Soviet Union. Once the bear dismantled, in fine capitalist style the company retooled as Czech Aircraft works (CZAW) and began producing light aircraft for the civilian market. They first built Zodiacs for Zenith Aircraft, then started making the SportCruiser as their own design.
The SportCruiser has a lot going for it. It has the same 100hp Rotax engine as the Tecnam I trained in. It's an all-metal structure, which is great for maintenance (the newer carbon fiber and fiberglass constructed planes are very strong, but much harder to repair correctly). It also has a full "glass" cockpit, meaning electronic displays rather than traditional gauges.
This airplane is made in the Czech Republic by an aircraft company that used to make airplane parts for the old Soviet Union. Once the bear dismantled, in fine capitalist style the company retooled as Czech Aircraft works (CZAW) and began producing light aircraft for the civilian market. They first built Zodiacs for Zenith Aircraft, then started making the SportCruiser as their own design.
The SportCruiser has a lot going for it. It has the same 100hp Rotax engine as the Tecnam I trained in. It's an all-metal structure, which is great for maintenance (the newer carbon fiber and fiberglass constructed planes are very strong, but much harder to repair correctly). It also has a full "glass" cockpit, meaning electronic displays rather than traditional gauges.
One thing that's very different is that the SportCruiser does not have nosewheel steering on the ground. The nosewheel is free castering, and will rotate around on its own. All steering is done by differential braking -- braking one of the main wheels causes the plane to turn in that direction. This makes the plane very maneuverable on the ground, as it can basically pivot within its own wingspan. It is not nearly as intuitive as nosewheel steering though, and I ended up taxiing like a drunken sailor. I may come to love it, but for now I found it just difficult.
The castering nosewheel also means there is little directional control on takeoff roll before the rudder becomes effective. You can tap a brake to maintain direction, but then you are slowing down just when you want to be speeding up for takeoff. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, and a lot of other aircraft like the Grumman AA-1/AA-5 series use the same arrangement with no major problems.
How does it fly? I could describe it in one word: light. The control forces needed to control this plane are minimal; in fact they don't really seem change much. I don't think I *ever* touched the trim, and the stick forces never got heavy at any speed from 32 knots to 108 knots. This is a little puzzling to me, as I don't think the Czechs have learned a way to repeal the basic laws of aerodynamics. Nonetheless, on this flight trim was unnecessary.
Handling didn't seem unusual (other than the trim enigma), and there were no really bad habits. Stalls were benign and predictable, and turns were easy to maintain and roll into and out of. Overall it felt more like the Zodiac than the Tecnam, but not in a bad way.
The plane has big wings and lots of lift, which is evident in the 32 knot (!) rotation speed on takeoff. It's also evident in the pattern, which when properly flown is completely power off from abeam the numbers on downwind to touchdown. You essentially just glide it in, progressively adding flaps, only adding a little power if you get below the glideslope.
The big bubble canopy is a blessing and curse. You can see all around, and the only blind spot is directly to the rear. This makes spotting traffic easier, and sightseeing more enjoyable. What I know from flying the Zodiac, however, is that when the sun comes out and it's hot outside, that big greenhouse will COOK you. The SportCruiser has a retractable sunshade overhead that will help, but I think it's still going to be a sauna in there pretty often.
Then there is the low wing vs. high wing debate. I now have about equal time in low wing (Zodiac) and high wing (Tecnam) aircraft. While I think low wing planes just look better and remind me of fighter planes, for actual flying I prefer the high wing. The visibility to the ground is better, which helps in the pattern and for sightseeing. Only on the downwind-to-base turn does the high wing block your view, and it's a simple matter to lift the wing a little to peek, or just judge your turn by the compass or directional gyro. I don't mind the low wings, I just think for the things I usually want to look at the high wing is more suitable. Plus in Georgia that big wing overhead gives you some shade!
The Dynon Electron Flight Information System (EFIS). There's a LOT of data here.And of course, don't forget the glass panel vs. steam gauge question. The glass panel gives you a LOT of information in a small area, which is nice, but sometimes it's a little tough to find the exact bit of info you want. In the picture above you can see the EFIS. In a seven inch area you have airspeed, altitude, pitch and roll attitudes, slip/skid indicator, Vertical speed, heading indication with GPS steering cue, angle of attack, wind speed and direction, ILS and VOR deviation, density altitude, outside air temperature, altimeter setting, local time, and more. And that doesn't include the other display, the Engine Monitoring System (EMS)!
All this information is great and helpful, but the density of information can be distracting. If I just want to know my airspeed, for example, it's easier to glance at a standard airspeed gauge and get that information than it is to get it off the EFIS without getting distracted by other data. I find myself looking more at the panel when I've got glass, and really that's a bad thing. You want your attention outside the airplane, looking for other traffic, and only looking at the panel occasionally to confirm what you already think is happening, such as heading and airspeed.
Honestly, I think I prefer standard gauges to glass. It's not a strong preference, but I just think it feels more like flying and less like flying a simulator. There is something to be said for keeping each piece of information separate.
So what's my overall impression of the SportCruiser? I think I'll like it in the end, but right now it's a lot of work and feels difficult. To be fair, I've felt this way every time I've transitioned to a new plane. Once I get the feel for it and the controls and procedures become second nature, I'm sure I'll really enjoy it. In the meantime I'll just keep working at it!
