I was first introduced to light sport aviation when the rule was enacted in 2005. i went to Burnet Municipal and flew a demonstration SportStar. It was so responsive. So much fun to fly and land. I vowed that some day I would own one.
In 2006 they began putting wing tanks in to extend range. That was fine but the SportStar is not really a cross country airplane. Its purpose is fun. Weekend flights to destinations within a few hundred miles. With the added intertia of wing tanks, the models from 2006 and later were sluggish. Roll rate was noticeably less. I flew a 2007 model and was surprised at the difference.
The 2005 SportStar has a 17 gallon fuselage fuel tank. It burns under 4gph, so that's big enough to fly 3 hours with a 1 hour reserve. In my opinion, that's a long time to sit in it, frankly. But as I say, the great thing about having no fuel in the wings is there is no roll inertia. So the airplane is much more maneuverable.
N408EV was owned by Joe, a machine shop entrepreneur in Plainwell, Michigan - the first owner. At 74, he decided it was time to pass the airplane on. The airplane looks new because it was hangared and only flew 450 hours in the 10 years that Joe owned it. My goal is to keep it in the same, pristine condition and I appreciate our pilots helping me in this regard.
i think N408EV is a dream machine. The 800 fpm climb rate with 2 people and the nice, docile stall make this airplane a dream come true for any pilot. It's always a true escape from every care I have. it's my magic carpet.
Ed Downs