The SkyCraft SD-1 Minisport, a small single-seat S-LSA, first showed up at EAA AirVenture last summer, but this is the first time the airplane has visited Sun ‘n Fun, designer Joe Doherty told AVweb this week. The airplane, which sells for about $55,000, is based on a Czech experimental design, with a 50-hp Hirth F-23 two-stroke fuel-injected engine made in Germany. The company has one flying in test mode now, Doherty said, and he expects it will complete the S-LSA certification and start deliveries before Oshkosh this summer. The little airplane burns less than 2.5 gallons of fuel per hour while cruising at about 100 knots. “We think a good market for us will be flying clubs, or flight schools,” Doherty said. “This could be a great airplane for building time or flying cross-country.”
The airplane has a range of about 575 miles, a stall speed of 34 knots, and a 220-foot takeoff roll, according to the company. It weighs less than 300 pounds empty. It’s available with either a tailwheel or tricycle gear, and a ballistic parachute is optional. AVweb’s editorial director Paul Bertorelli took a brief tour of the airplane last summer at AirVenture; click here for the video.
