Theiss Sportster Explained

The Theiss Sportster is an American homebuilt aircraft that was designed and produced by Theiss Aviation of Salem, Ohio, introduced in 1998. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.[1]

Design and development

The aircraft features a biplane layout, a single-seat, open cockpit, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The Sportster was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 2540NaN0. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of 2520NaN0. It was intended to resemble biplane of the 1930s and mounts its upper wing not on cabane struts, but on a central pylon that has a tunnel to allow the pilot forward vision.[1]

The aircraft is made with mixed construction, from aluminum, steel, wood and foam. Its 17.51NaN1 span wings have a total wing area of 82square feet. The cockpit width is 20inches.[1]

The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 252lb and a gross weight of 460lb, giving a useful load of 208lb. With full fuel of the payload for the pilot and baggage is 178lb.[1]

The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 400 hours.[1]

The company later turned its attention to produce unmanned aerial vehicles for the US Navy and no longer produces manned aircraft.[2]

Operational history

By 1998 the company reported that two Sportsters had been completed and were flying. Customer kits were forecast to start shipping in March 1998.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 360. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998.
  2. Web site: Company History. 3 May 2015. Theiss Aviation. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150619021746/http://www.theissaviation.com/history.html. 19 June 2015.