Mods

Builders are awesome tinkerers and inventors, and they come up with improvements to the original design. Luckily they aren’t’ shy about sharing information!

New glass installed. Note the 12" spun aluminum wheels and bead locks.

The “SuperStar”

Recently, I worked with a friend from San Diego after he purchased a GlaStar that had briefly flown. He wanted the GlaStar to undergo a complete make-over plus some upgrades.

Tires for Alaska

With the big trip to Alaska almost upon us it is time to think seriously about getting our planes ready to tackle the untamed...
Flap Gap Seal Sportsman N11YM_02

Flap Gap Seals Reduce Stall Speed

One of my goals is to obtain as low of a stall speed as reasonably possible. Enlarging the wing and flap area and reducing...
Setzman N11YM

Setzman N11YM Maiden Flight

I conduct most of the Phase 1 initial flights on Sportsman aircraft that are born out of the TWTT program. Even though I am...
Gravity fuel flow schematic

Orville’s Gravity Fuel System

Fuel system problems are the leading cause of experimental airplane accidents. All fuel systems should be carefully evaluated and thoroughly tested prior to flight....
New Sportsman tailwheel spring.

Tailwheel Springs

I’ve never been entirely satisfied with the way the tailwheel leaf springs are secured to the tail cone, especially when banging them off of...
The Power Flow system (left) has a much larger final exhaust pipe and a smaller heater muff compared to the standard system (right).

Perking up the Performance of a Glasair Sportsman

More power. Everyone wants it, but how do you get a real performance increase without tearing your engine apart? Power Flow Systems, Inc. has...
Steve Brault's Sportsman landing at Arlington Municipal. Photo by Terry Green/Hawg Wild Photography.

Cylinder Head and Oil Temperature Management on a Glasair Sportsman

There have been numerous threads on the Glasair Owners Forum related to engine cooling and dealing with high oil temperatures and high cylinder head...
A GlaStar fuselage undergoing load testing at Glasair

GlaStar Cargo Door Update

Recently I have received several inquiries about the engineering of the aft baggage door for the GlaStar. I have responded that there will not...
Cowl-piano-hinge

Cowl Piano Hinge

A piano hinge for the cowl provides a sleek look with no visible fasteners on the outside. It takes a bit more work to...