There has been a steady stream of
aircraft coming into the U.S. in anticipation of
the new Sport Pilot program. Many of these are coming from the
Czech Republic where productions costs are cheaper, and a pool of
aircraft manufacturers and designers are discovering the
"capitalist system."
These manufacturers in most cases
are producing composite craft that are sleek, and fast. B Bar D
Aviation Inc. had the Fantasy Air Allegro on display at Sun N Fun.
This beauty comes as a quick build kit which is pre-assembled at
the factory, with a great deal of the airframe the aluminum
wings, elevator and rudder finished.
The homebuilder has to assemble
and install the steering components, front undercarriage legs,
cabin cover, laminate wing tips and elevator. This should take
about 200 hours.
The builder then has to install the
engine, wiring, prop, instruments, and options, which should take
another 150 hours.
The Allegro can is powered by the
Rotax 912 series of engines. It has a fourteen gallon fuel tank
located below the seats, with fuel on board it cruiser quite
comfortably at 90 to 110 mph using three gallons of fuel per hour.
A variety of options are available
including the 912 S 100 HP Rotax engine, which is recommended for
float operation, a full instrument panel, lights and upholstery
package.
The Allegro design has been flying
for twelve years in Europe, currently there are over 450 kits
flying, with 3 of these in the U.S. Betty Hempstead of B Bar D
Aviation the U.S. distributor for the craft is currently setting
up a dealer network for sale and service of the Allegro.
