For just over $60,000 at the current Dollar/Euro exchange rate of 1.22:1, (around $63K and change) you may see an LSA version of this airplane in the U.S. market soon.
The company Skyleader has been on the European aviation scene since 1996, and produces various aircraft for the overseas market, including the Skyleader 600 (formerly the Kappa KP-5) which is already an ASTM-certified LSA (the 9th one to earn the sticker).
We got a sneak peak at the GP ONE, which is in development for the Euro market...with a possible LSA version in the future.
Scant details yet, but you can glean a sense of the airplane from the pdf here. And look at those sculpted composite lines...impressive.
The GP ONE just had it's maiden flight on May 26 - congratulations to the company and its Sales Manager Miroslav Boubela, who affirms the carbon-fiber composite construction airplane will be offered in Europe in Sept. of this year for 52,000 Euro or $63,500.
That's an attractive number if they can pull it off: similarly-priced U.S. LSA like the Rans S-6ELS and X-Air are ultralight-style construction, whereas the GP ONE is all composite.
Skyleader also intends to market the airplane with a Rotax 912 UL 80 hp engine, Galaxy ballistic parachute, 3-blade ground adjustable prop, and other features as standard equipment.
Not sure how the company will meet such ambitious goals given production cost realities, but come September we'll be looking for more news of this beautiful new LSA.
---photos courtesy Skyleader
Monday, June 14, 2010
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