Star Flight Starfire

The Star Flight Starfire is the first aircraft in a large family of American ultralight aircraft that was designed by Dick Turner and produced by Star Flight Manufacturing, introduced in 1979. The aircraft were all supplied as kits for amateur construction.

Design and development
The aircraft was designed before the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules were brought into effect, but all models comply with them anyway, including the category's maximum empty weight of 254 lb. The Tristar, for instance, has a standard empty weight of 220 lb. The line of aircraft all feature a cable-braced high-wing, a single-seat, open cockpit, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminium tubing, with the flying surfaces covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 33 ft span wing is cable-braced from a single element kingpost. The landing gear features a steerable nose wheel with a bicycle-style rim brake. The powerplant is mounted underneath the wing and drives a pusher propeller.

The Tristar model took 25 hours to build from the factory-supplied assembly kit.

Variants

 * Starfire
 * Initial model with a hybrid weight-shift and aerodynamic control system, designed in 1979.


 * Tristar
 * Model designed in 1980, with a conventional three-axis aerodynamic control system, using a side stick and spoilers for roll control. Revised fuselage for new control system. The standard engine supplied was the 30 hp Cuyuna 430R.


 * TX-1000
 * Model with a conventional three-axis aerodynamic control system, strengthened airframe and a 35 hp Rotax 377 two-stroke engine.


 * SC-1000
 * Improved model


 * AC-2000
 * Improved model introduced in 1984.