DREAMING ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION OF GROUP G AIRCRAFT
Imagine climbing in to your aircraft in the morning at Lilydale, just on the edge of Melbourne. Then, setting off through a nice, clear morning sky. Later that afternoon you’re descending in to Redcliffe, Brisbane for a late lunch. With no fuel stop, averaging 170 knots. That’s what the next generation of Group G aircraft will be able to do.
The Sparker represents a new wave of aircraft that will fulfill the promise of Group G aircraft in the future. Let’s start with weight. At 750kg MTOW and 390kg empty, you have 360kgs of useful load. So, take two 90kg pilots, 95kg of fuel (130 litres) and a healthy 30kgs of luggage and you still have 55kg of capacity available. Which begs the question, could we hypothetically add extended range tanks? With a massive capacity of 180 litres, that will still leave you with plenty of scope if you have been hitting the cheese burgers a bit hard lately. That means you could be travelling almost a thousand nautical miles at a hop if you chose to. That’s more useful in a there-and-back-again scenario, because, you know, bladders, etc. And you’re doing it at 170 knots. But back in the circuit you have a docile 45 knots stall speed. We haven’t seen it in the flesh yet, but when we do, we will be checking these claims.
What about the money, you cry? Yep, the Sparker will set you back around $600K. That’s a lot of cheddar. But look at the alternates. A new VH aircraft with this sort of range and speed will cost you $1.5 million easily. Add some options and you’re closer to $2 million. Sure, that will be a 4-seater. But how often are you flying four-up? And if you do, what happens to your fuel payload and range? That point is underscored by the fact that the first Sparker customer in Australia is downsizing from a Cirrus.
Hopefully we will get to test fly this aircraft next year along with several others on the horizon that are aiming for this market segment. You will know as soon as we do. But it sounds like fun, doesn’t it?
