Glasair Aviation’s booth at Sun n’ Fun 2014 in Lakeland, Florida was a busy place. The company announced a new Light Sport aircraft named Merlin. The aircraft will be equipped with a Rotax 912iS engine, the latest Dynon Avionics suite and will have the following specs:
Max Speed at Sea Level: 120 kt
Cruise (75% power): 113 kt
Stall, No Flaps: 45kt
Max Takeoff Weight: 1320 lb
Empty Weight: 770 lb
Useful Load: 550 lb
Limit Loads: +4.0/-2.0 g
Wing Span: 27 ft
Wing Area: 112 sq.ft.
Length: 21.5 ft
Height: 8.5 ft
Cabin Width: 48 in
Baggage: 50 lb
Fuel: 25 gal
A BRS chute and upgraded avionics will be available as options.
The SLSA will be the company’s first certified aircraft and they hope to leverage their TWTT experience and provide an aircraft which Glasair’s parent company Hanxing Aviation can certify and sell in China.
The Merlin SLSA will be available in the fall of 2014.
Our goal was to design an LSA with exceptional flying characteristics, great visibility, aesthetically pleasing lines and easy access
– Chuck Hautamaki, Merlin chief engineer
Glasair Sportsman Diesel
The second big announcement was the availability of a Diesel engine option for the Sportsman. The Sportsman Diesel will come equipped with a Centurion 2.0s Diesel engine, a Hartzell Bantam three-blade propeller and VFR glass panel avionics. This package is priced as an $89,950 option and it is primarily aimed at operators in countries where Avgas is very expensive or difficult to find. Glasair’s president Nigel Mott said the diesel will only be offered in the TWTT program. There are no plans to make it available as a retrofit option or as a powerplant for home-built kits.
Options will include IFR Avionics, taildragger and floats, and carbon fiber which improves the airplane’s useful load by 150 lb.
Estimated performance figures:
Fuel Burn
65% power@ 8,000 ft: 5.1 gph
75% power@ 8,000 ft: 6.6 gph
Cruise Speed
65% power@ 8,000 ft: 125 kt
75% power@ 8,000 ft: 135 kt
Range
65% w/VFR Reserve: 1163 nm
75% w/VFR Reserve: 955 nm
Useful Load: 1,000 lbs
The company plans to have a flying Sportsman Diesel at Oshkosh AirVenture 2014.
For more information visit the Glasair Aviation website.
