LSA Company For Sale, Sadler Vampire
Sadler Vampire, which produces a mid-wing, twin-boom pusher that’s been in development in various incarnations since the 1980s and had been gearing up for LSA certification, is now up for sale — including a prototype and parts — for $50,000. As a light sport aircraft, the two-seat Vampire would have folding wings and fly with a Jabiru 3300 burning 5 gph for a 500-nm max range, according to the company. In a May 24 blog post, company vice president David Littlejohn expressed disappointment and blamed the economic downturn for the sale. Without enough interest translating into escrow deposits, “We failed to meet the required pipeline commitments needed to receive second-stage capital from our investors,” he said. The prototype has flown, and the company was operating out of Roseburg, Ore. The $50K OBO sale price includes that aircraft, plus parts for three more under construction, along with a Jabiru 3300. The previously developed air-to-ground attack version of the aircraft was not listed as part of the sale.
Sadler Vampire, which produces a mid-wing, twin-boom pusher that's been in development in various incarnations since the 1980s and had been gearing up for LSA certification, is now up for sale -- including a prototype and parts -- for $50,000. As a light sport aircraft, the two-seat Vampire would have folding wings and fly with a Jabiru 3300 burning 5 gph for a 500-nm max range, according to the company. In a May 24 blog post, company vice president David Littlejohn expressed disappointment and blamed the economic downturn for the sale. Without enough interest translating into escrow deposits, "We failed to meet the required pipeline commitments needed to receive second-stage capital from our investors," he said. The prototype has flown, and the company was operating out of Roseburg, Ore. The $50K OBO sale price includes that aircraft, plus parts for three more under construction, along with a Jabiru 3300. The previously developed air-to-ground attack version of the aircraft was not listed as part of the sale.
Sadler Aircraft in 1997 developed what was meant to be a 1450-pound, 450-hp, 4000-fpm version, the Piranha (PDF) air-to-ground attack fighter, with Turkish Aerospace Industries. From that work, according to the company, evolved the LSA. The company says the LSA could achieve a 1,000-fpm climb after a takeoff roll of less than 700 feet. Sadler Aircraft was hoping to sell the LSA version of the aircraft for less than $100,000. A December 2009 blog post by the company covered fuselage modifications that the company said had resulted in increased cooling efficiency at altitude, faster climb speeds and quieter operation. The aircraft is an evolution of the Sadler Vampire Ultralight, which was a 247-pound single-seater stressed for plus/minus six Gs that in 1982 won an EAA AirVenture Grand Champion Award for innovation and workmanship.
