• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Where are the fast high wing LSA kits?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

KevinThorp

Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2008
Messages
12
Location
Charleston, SC
If you want a (relatively) fast low wing LSA kit you have many choices: Zenith CH-650, Vans RV-12, Rans S-19, Sonex/Waiex, etc. these have cruise speeds of 120-138 mph.

But if you want to build a high wing aircraft it looks like you're limited to a 95 mph cruise - 25-40 mph slower than the aircraft listed above. Instead they're designed for STOL performance.

STOL capability and bush flying are great if that's what you're looking for, but where are the relatively fast high wing LSA kits? Cessna's new 162 is high wing, and so is Flight Design's CT (the #1 selling factory-built LSA). Both of those have cruise speeds > 120 mph.

High wing aircraft have a number of advantages: Better downward visibility, more room & baggage space, easier ingress/egress, cooler in the summer, simple gravity-fed fuel system.

I'm not saying high wing aircraft are better than low wing, each have advantages. But why the big void in the marketplace? Do we have to accept a low cruise speed if we want to build a high wing aircraft?
 
Back
Top