This just in from Glasair Aviation:

Glasair Aviation expands its unique Two Weeks to Taxi Program to include an amphibious Sportsman 2+2, with limited introductory pricing of $199K.

The Sportsman 2+2 amphib has a useful load of 950 pounds and a full fuel payload of 650 pounds – more than a Cessna 182 or 185. Sea level water takeoffs at gross weight break the surface in as little as 15 seconds; the 42 knot stall speed ensures smooth splashdowns; and with a cruise speed of 110 knots, range is 600 miles. All of this performance is achieved with an economical 4 cylinder Lycoming engine. “If you like landing on water, the amphib Sportsman will impress you with its unmatched performance and value,” said Mikael Via, President of Glasair Aviation.“The Sportsman was designed to be used as a family aircraft, with seating for two adults in the front and two kids in the back,” said Via.  In about one minute the rear seats can be removed, converting the aircraft to a spacious bushplane that can accommodate enough camping gear to head off into the wilderness for a month. It can also accommodate large sets of golf clubs, skis, fishing or hunting equipment. “It’s a go-anywhere, do-anything airplane and it’s fun to fly,” Via added.

Glasair’s unique Two Weeks to Taxi program is the first ever developed to provide pilots with access to an organized, systematic course that takes them on a step by step building program that ends with their airplane taxiing from the hangar. Customers have exclusive access to a variety of tooling, organization and quality assurance measures unavailable anywhere else. Combining lean manufacturing processes with educational assistance accelerates the Sportsman build time significantly without violating the spirit or intent of the FAA’s 51% rule.

Pilots who have completed the program openly state that, for them, Two Weeks To Taxi is the only way to build an airplane because the process not only provides certainty in terms of cost and completion, but also a level of confidence and satisfaction. Select your instruments, avionics, engine and propeller – even your paint scheme, if desired.

For more information, visit www.glasairaviation.com or call 360/435-8533, x 232.

Kits will be available as a parts kit (no holes drilled) or as a pre-drilled kit (floats are pre-assembled at the factory and disassembled for shipping).

Good news for those who may want amphibious floats is that they will be available at the same time as the straight floats. Mainwheel size will be 18.5 inches, which is huge and great for grass strips, the company says.

Prices for the 2500-pound straight floats range from $6490 to $15,490 (depending on level of assembly). The amphibious floats range from $11,990 to $24,990. Additional options are available.

Specifications are shown below:

For more information, call Mathieu Heintz at 705/526-2871 or visit www.zenairfloats.com.

Glasair Aviation's Sportsman TC in flight.

Looking to inject new performance into the established Sportsman design, Glasair Aviation has created a new model by installing a turbocharged, 180-horsepower engine and making the switch from fiberglass to carbon fiber in the fuselage structure. The airplane’s traditional cro-moly steel-tube frame remains as before, though strategically beefed up to accommodate an increase in maximum-gross weight.

The engine, a variant of the parallel-valve Lycoming IO-360, is turbo normalized; that is, it retains its 8.5:1 compression ratio and makes its 180 horses at 30 inches of manifold pressure. It employs a sophisticated automatic wastegate and intercooler. The cowling is similar to the normal Sportsman item, though fitted with extra cooling louvers; the entire turbo system fits under the familiar outline. For the first prototype, the Sportsman TC is fitted with a two-blade Hartzell composite constant-speed prop.

According to the company, “Advanced design and engineering changes, combined with the new carbon-fiber fuselage, have resulted in a 40 pound reduction in empty weight and a 150-pound increase in gross weight. This equates to an amazing 200-pound increase in useful load, which now totals nearly 1200 pounds. After his first flight to over 16,000 ft in the Sportsman TC, Glasair President, Mikael Via was all smiles, and praised the new airplane’s performance and capabilities. ‘I’ve always thought that the Sportsman had great performance, but I think I’m going to have to redefine “great.” Putting it all together—the airframe changes and carbon fuselage, the advanced turbo-normalized engine, and the big carbon-fiber Hartzell prop—the TC is a game changer for us.’ “

The aircraft has just flown, so full performance numbers are not available. The company estimates a cruise speed of 165 knots at 20,000 feet, burning around 9 gph while running comfortably at lean-of-peak mixture settings.

Prices have not been set, though it’s expected that the Sportsman TC will be offered in the Two Weeks to Taxi program alongside the regular Sportsman 2+2. It can be outfitted as a tricycle gear or taildragger model, and can be fitted with amphibious floats. Other improvements to the kit include high-intensity-discharge landing lights in the wingtips, LED nav/strobe lights, and integrated door locks.

For more information, visit the company’s website.

“There is no homebuilt category in China yet,” XueQiang Si said. “I will fly it with an N number first.”

XueQiang Si says he selected the Glasair Sportsman because of its STOL performance and because of the TWTT program, which enables customers to build the entire aircraft in two weeks. “It was perfect for me, because I not only saved so much time in building the aircraft, I also learned what I need to know to maintain my Sportsman,” he said.

Glasair’s program complies with the FAA’s new 51% rules, allowing customers to build the high-wing four-seat Sportsman with guidance from factory mechanics, the company says. Builders can select several choices of engines and a variety of instruments for their panels.

XueQiang Si’s Sportsman will feature one of the most advanced instrument panels of any aircraft coming from the TWTT program, and will include Advanced Flight System LCD glass screens with synthetic vision and a VP-200 climate control system.

“I am so excited about building and flying my Sportsman that I am planning an around-the-world flight,” XueQiang Si said.

For more information on the Sportsman, visit Glasair Aviation.

Gearing up for the Sun ‘n Fun extravaganza in Lakeland, Kitplanes editor Marc Cook and AVweb editorial director Paul Bertorelli are motoring around the west in Cook’s Glastar Sportsman visiting companies prior to the show. Here’s part 1 of their video blog report:

Part 2: Marc Cook and Paul Bertorelli continue their Sportsman odyssey with a look at this unique aircraft:

Part 3: “Do you realize how obsessive you are?”

That’s Paul’s observation as the boys wing their way across Idaho and Nevada. Ya notice things when cooped up in the same cockpit for three days …

Part 4: Marc and Paul runnamucca in Winnemucca!

That’s in Nevada, by the way — and home of the friendliest FBO on the planet. Good thing, ‘cuz the boys have been snowed in there for two days. Here’s the dramatic details in the final installment of the Sportsman Pre-Sun ‘n Fun vid blog.

Part 5: The guys finally make it out of Winnemuca after two days of snow and ice and cross the Sierras back into the Golden State.