Stern ST 87 Vega

The Stern ST 87 Vega (sometimes ST-87) is a French homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Rene Stern, first flying in July 1992. The aircraft is supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction.

Design and development
The ST 87 Vega features a cantilever low-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fixed conventional landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft is made from wood, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its 7.62 m span wing mounts flaps and has a wing area of 10.0 m2. The cabin width is 110 cm. The acceptable power range is 85 to 125 hp and the standard engine used is the 108 hp Lycoming O-235 powerplant.

The ST 87 Vega has a typical empty weight of 469 kg and a gross weight of 726 kg, giving a useful load of 257 kg. With full fuel of 110 L the payload for the pilot, passenger and baggage is 175 kg.

The manufacturer estimates the construction time from the supplied kit as 2000 hours.

Operational history
By 1998 the company reported that four kits had been sold and two aircraft were completed and flying.