Glasair GlaStar

The Glasair GlaStar (sometimes Glastar) is an American amateur-built aircraft that was designed by Tom Hamilton and produced by Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft and later Glasair Aviation. It was first flown in 1994 and was superseded in production by the Glasair Sportsman 2+2 c. 2005. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

Design and development
The GlaStar features a strut-braced high-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit accessed via doors, fixed tricycle landing gear or conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft is made with a welded steel fuselage, with a fiberglass covering and aluminum wings. Its 35 ft span wing employs a NASA GA(W)-2 airfoil at the wing root, with a NASA GA(W)-2 mod at the wing tip. The wings have an area of 128 sqft, mount flaps and can be folded for ground transportation or storage. The acceptable power range is 100 to 180 hp and early engines used included the 100 hp Rotax 912ULS. The aircraft proved underpowered with the Rotax, and later the 150 to 160 hp Lycoming O-320 and the 180 hp Lycoming O-360 four-stroke powerplants were used. The landing gear can be rapidly converted between tricycle and taildragger configurations. The cockpit is 44 in wide and includes a large baggage area that will accommodate 200 lb of cargo.

Initial factory estimated construction time was 1200 hours.

Accidents and Incidents
In 1996, a service recall was issued for the control yoke assembly of select GlaStar kits. In 1999, one of the GlaStar kits not included in the recall crashed, killing its two occupants.

Variants

 * Symphony SA-160
 * Type certified version, produced by Ostmecklenburgische Flugzeugbau (OMF) and later Symphony Aircraft.


 * Glasair Sportsman 2+2
 * Four seat development with a gross weight of 2350 lb that replaced the original GlaStar in production.


 * Plane Driven PD-1
 * Roadable version produced by Plane Driven.