December Cover Story:
Flight Test: AveoUSA SportRider
Story by Jim Hartley

I recently flew into Boerne Stage Field near Boerne (pronounced: Bernie), Texas, to visit with Aveo USA, the U.S. distributor for the MD-3 SportRider, the newest entry in the Light Sport Aircraft category. The SportRider is a product of a multi-national partnership of people and companies. The airplane is designed, manufactured and marketed by FlyItalia, an Italian company specializing in light aircraft construction, and GRYF Aircraft of the Czech Republic, the manufacturing arm of the FlyItalia group. Chuck and Rodena Reynolds are the executives managing the exclusive distribution of the SportRider in the United States, along with investment and technical support from their European partners.

This was my first experience flying an aircraft in the new LSA category, not counting my time in Cubs and AirKnockers. I can't say what I expected the airplane to offer, but what I found was a nicely finished, well-equipped, state-of-the-art airplane. It was obviously designed from a "clean-sheet" perspective. The wide cockpit, 46 inches at the shoulder, offers comfort to even two large people. The seats, reminiscent of sports car seats, are well designed, offer good support and are equipped with a five-point harness. Visibility is outstanding. The side windows are huge and curve outward to match the smooth curves of the fuselage. The windshield is large and rear side windows and skylight windows complement the already spacious (for its category) cockpit.

As Chuck Reynolds and I sat on the AveoUSA ramp, letting the Rotax 912S reach its operating temperature, he showed me around the cockpit. I didn't expect to find electric flaps, nor did I expect electric trim, both located on the console between the seats. The complete instrument panel, including an airspeed indicator, horizon, digital altimeter, compass, VSI, electronic engine and fuel flow monitors was also unexpected. I guess I had expected a "basic" airplane. The SportRider may be a "light-sport" airplane, but it is clearly as advanced as anything on the market.

The SportRider is powered by a Rotax 100 horsepower engine with a ground-adjustable, three-bladed, wood and composite propeller. This was my first time behind a Rotax. Engine start is simple; first you set the "choke", there is no mixture control. Then you call "Clear" and start the engine. You advance the throttle to 1500 rpm for warm up and head for the runway.

The avionics in the SportRider are as complete as your wallet can stand. There is plenty of room for dual nav-coms, GPS, Transponder and whatever other electrical goodies you can’t live without. Chuck advised the Boerne Stage Field traffic that we were taking the active and, with the Rotax turning 5000 rpm, we accelerated down the runway.

The demonstrator is a new airplane, besides being the only SportRider in the U.S. right now, and Chuck treats it accordingly. Even at a reduced take-off power setting we were off the ground in well less than a thousand feet. Chuck handed the controls to me, and indicated that we ought to climb at 47 knots. The climb rate was nearly a 1000 fpm, until I lowered the nose for better visibility. There are a pair of fresh-air vents atop the instrument panel that block some of the over-the-nose view, and, combined with the semi-recumbent seating, I wanted the nose down a little to allow for traffic avoidance.

The noise level in the SportRider is lower than in my Skyhawk. The higher rpm of the Rotax is not unpleasant, just different for those of us who fly behind Lycomings and Continentals. Once level, the power is reduced a little, the noise level drops further and the visibility over the nose is just fine.

This airplane had one more surprise for me. Another expectation I had was that it would be, for lack of a better word, "flimsy." Far from it. The airplane has a solid feel, even a little heavy. It is, without any doubt whatsoever, a "stick and rudder" airplane. You must put rudder in to turn and you have to take it back out. Fail to do so, and the airplane will let you know in clear terms that the rudder has a purpose and you need to use it. After a few minutes of getting used to the controls, and getting used to using a stick again, the turns came naturally, solid and comfortable, even though the Central Texas sky was pockmarked by thermals. We slowed for a stall and the airplane responded benignly, a little burble right above the stall, the nose dropped through and the wings stayed level.

We returned to the airport, advised local traffic of our arrival and turned downwind at 70 knots. Just as there is no mixture control, there is no carburetor heat either. Chuck selected one notch of flaps on the electric flap switch, slowed to 50 on final and let the SportRider settle to the runway. Clearly, he could have gotten the airplane on the ground and stopped in a few hundred feet, but, again, it's a new plane, and the only one AveoUSA has at the moment.

The SportRider is constructed with a semi-monocoque, blind-riveted airframe with composite cowlings and fairings. The all-metal wings are designed around a MS(1)-0313 airfoil and have integral 19-gallon fuel tanks. Ailerons and flaps are all metal, as is the tail. As mentioned earlier, the flaps and trim are both electrically operated. The doors and cowling are composite. The fit and finish of the airplane was very nice as was the interior arrangement and upholstery. Folding wings are an available option. All in all, a very well thought out and constructed aircraft.

The SportRider has a useful load capacity of just over 600 pounds, including fuel. Considering that the airplane consumes about four gallons per hour at cruise, the useful load can be largely used by the occupants. Of course, options you might add to the airplane, such as a BRS parachute, additional avionics and other bells and or whistles you might require, will come out of that useful load allowance. The new Aveo digital instrument line and wireless headset/intercom system to be released in January will actually reduce the instrument weight significantly, so the useful load may actually improve.

Chuck says AveoUSA will start receiving airplanes from the Czech Republic by the end of this year. They will be final-assembled at Boerne for now, with additional facilities to come late next year. The initial allotment will bring 20 SportRiders to Texas with production to ramp up as demand requires.

The SportRider, complete at around $80,000, makes a lot of sense. It cruises as fast as my Skyhawk on half the fuel. It's a new airplane and it is fun to fly. Sure it only has two seats, but on a hot day so does the Skyhawk. Let’s see, if I put my airplane in Trade-A-Plane, and I talk real nice to Chuck and Rodena, maybe....