Stolp Starduster

Starduster
Stolp-Adams Starduster, amateur-built in 1966, at Long Beach Airport, California, in 1971
Role Single seat sport aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Stolp Aircraft
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty
Designer Louis A Stolp and George M Adams
First flight November 1957
Status Plans available (2012)
Unit cost
approximately $3600 to build in 1971[1]
Variants Stolp Starduster Too

The Stolp-Adams SA-100 Starduster is a U.S. single seat sport biplane designed to be built from plans supplied by Aircraft Spruce and Specialty. Though the first flight was in 1957, Stardusters continue to be built and flown.[2]

Design and development

The SA-100 Starduster was designed by Louis A Stolp and George M Adams as a light sports aircraft for homebuilding from plans. It is a single bay biplane with fabric covered, wooden framed staggered wings, each pair braced by a single, wide chord interplane strut aided by flying wires. A total of eight centre section struts join the upper wing to the fuselage, basically two pairs in N-form but with the forward strut doubled. The lower wing is unswept and has 1.5° of dihedral; the upper wing has 6° of sweep on its leading edge, no dihedral and a greater span. There are ailerons on the lower wings only, but no flaps.[3]

The fuselage and tail unit have a fabric covered steel tube structure, with the open cockpit positioned just behind the swept upper wing trailing edge which has a rounded cut-out for upward visibility. There is a long and prominent faired headrest behind the cockpit, on top of the curved upper fuselage surface. The Starduster has a conventional tail unit, with a wire braced tailplane and straight tapered, round topped fin and rudder, the latter extending to the keel between split elevators. Both rudder and elevators are horn balanced.[3]

The Starduster has a recommended power range of 125 to 160 hp (93 to 119 kW) and is usually powered by a four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, 125 hp (93 kW) Lycoming O-290-D-1,[3] though more powerful engines of up to 200 hp (150 kW) have been fitted.[4] It has a conventional tailwheel undercarriage. The mainwheels are mounted on V-struts hinged from the lower fuselage longeron, with rubber shock absorbers on diagonal extension struts between wheel and a short, central, under fuselage V-form mounting bracket. The main legs are often partially or completely faired and the wheels enclosed in spats.[2][3]

Operational history

Starduster plans remain available more than 50 years after the first flight and homebuilding building continues.[5] A Starduster register[6] currently shows 27 SA-100 Stardusters and 3 SA-101 Super Stardusters built and building. The FAA register shows 64 SA-100s and 1 SA-101, though not all are assigned and some further Stardusters appear without a type number.[7]

Variants

SA-100 Starduster
Original version.
SA-101 Stolp Super Starduster
Larger and more powerful - uses the longer wings of the CA300 Starduster Too, which have a symmetric M6 airfoil and no dihedral, together with a 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming I0-360-A1A engine to produce a maximum speed of over 170 mph (275 km/h).[8]

Specifications (SA-100)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1966/7, p.331,[3] Aerofiles[9]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stolp Starduster.
  1. ↑ Leo J. Kohn (Winter 1971). "The true cost of building your own plane". Air Trails: 63.
  2. 1 2 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, page 121. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Taylor, John W R (1966). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1966-67. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.
  4. ↑ "Starduster One SA100". Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  5. ↑ "Kits - Starduster". Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  6. ↑ "Starduster registry". Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  7. ↑ "FAA register". Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  8. ↑ "SA101 Super Starduster". Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  9. ↑ "Aerofiles-Stolp". Retrieved 2011-05-11.
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