Thread: CTLS comparisson to *****

A friend of mine is looking to buy a lsa plane and has narrowed it down to the CT and *****.

Does anyone have a link to an article comparing the 2.

I am not that familiar with the *****.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Jos

Originally Posted by josjonkers

A friend of mine is looking to buy a lsa plane and has narrowed it down to the CT and *****.

Does anyone have a link to an article comparing the 2.

I am not that familiar with the *****.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Jos

Here is an older comparison of basic parameters. Its a little dated, but covers the basic differences:

http://www.gatewaysportaviation.com/id25.html

There is also a series of EAA videos on learning to fly the ***** that can give a good idea of what a pilot might experience while flying the *****:

http://www.eaa.org/apps/blog/learntofly/Default.aspx

For a detailed comparison of the handling characteristics, a very good site is Dan Johnson's, but you have to pay a fee to access the reviews:

http://www.bydanjohnson.com/

I am curious how he narrowed the choices down to 2 without having read some of the basic references above?

Dan Johnson also has a PlaneFinder that can help you choose a plane.

I think a far better method for deciding on which to buy is to go fly in both and then sit on it a few days to reflect on the differences.

I am very confused why so many people are trying to decide between these very different planes. OK, they are both two seat, single engine high wing LSA planes with a 912ULS but that is where the similarities stop. They are very different planes with very different missions.

The ***** has folding strut braced wings and is a great sporty little plane for local flying and some light cross country with 22 gallons total.

The CTLS is a larger plane with a much larger cabin that has great cross country capabilities with 32 gal useable fuel (34 total), a cantilever wing, and a generous luggage capacity. It even goes as far as to offer adjustable lumbar support for long trips.

I also don't understand the range claims that I am seeing. If the CTLS carries 12 more gallons of fuel, and is slightly faster than the ***** GX, how can the ***** have a longer range according to the numbers I am seeing? I am sure if you compared the ranges at the same speeds than the CTLS will have a considerably longer range.

If I wanted to grab it from my garage & go get a $100 hamburger than a GX would be great. If I wanted to fly halfway across the country, then I sure would want to be in a CTLS.

Price seems to be comparable, but there seems to be confusion there as well as the CTLS only comes fully loaded with avionics. When you get all the same options weight is not that much different.

Bottom line is both planes seem great at what they do, but they do two different things, so why all the confusion?

I am sure there are those that love local flying in there CTLS as do I, and I am sure there are those that love x country in there GX.

Any insights would be very helpful.

Perhaps we need to think more about what we need, and what product will fill those needs the best. This isn't Honda vs Toyota where both make some very similar vehicles. These are two very different animals. Anyone who has actually seen both, and flown both would have to agree, only one would best fit a particular individuals needs.

So there is my question, "Why would someone have a hard time deciding between these two?", the first one I have asked of this forum!

I look forward to your replies.

John

Hi John,

I'm with you. If you've flown both and compared apples to apples then you are right, but some people only see the difference and forget to add those up to compare or sit in one for any length of time. Their fuel numbers can only add up if they are flying at a reduced throttle setting for the 912ULS. We could blow them out of the water if CT did the same on their fuel numbers. I'm not a little guy and my knees are in the ***** dash and our CT is wider so I don't have to hug my best friend after the doors are shut. (ok, I'll concede the tight cabin if you are flying with a cute college cheerleader, but that's my limit. )
I'm flying my CT up to San Francisco next week and I hate to be cramped and I like good baggage space so the CT works for me.

If you get the ***** you can see a picture of your plane on the new AOPA caldendar.
WF

I'm loving our new CTLS!

Originally Posted by Fly_IFT

One thing I don't understand is why in the world a manufacturer would put 35 gallons of capacity in an aircraft that burns 4 GPH. No one could sit that long. Payload is the #1 requirement of any aircraft! Put 20 gallons of capacity in them and advertise the additional full fuel payload.

One of the reasons we bought a CTSW is because of the range. That's what makes it a great cross country plane. With a large fuel tank, I have the option of carrying fuel or more baggage. With a small tank, I have no choice. Not having to worry about fuel, or make frequent fuel stops, is a big plus.

We flew from the California coast to the Page Arizona fly in. It took 4 hours and we made one bathroom stop, no fuel purchase. The return trip took 5 hours and was non-stop. We could not have done this with a 20 gallon tank.

John

I agree about the fuel. My last light sport, a KP5 ne sky leader, also with a rotax 100hp engine, had 23 gallons useable, which made it a 3.25 hour plane with a one hour reserve at high power cruise. I had never before let myself dip below a one hour reserve until I owned that plane, and I did not like doing it. My CT burns less fuel and is 15 knots faster. I now have a 4.5 hour airplane with a two-hour reserve. (I keep a two hour reserve because of the long skinny tanks and sometimes fuel imbalance.) I can still plan trips of almost twice the distance. Of course, if I need the payload I can load less fuel. - WF

Maybe I'm just slow, but...

...in my browser the plane to which the CT is being compared is always show as 5 asterisks (*****). Can someone figure a sneaky way to tell me why and maybe a link to the plane in question?

It looks like a CT except it has struts, they sell a lot of them. Lets see if this works. Starts with an R ends witha an S. So it's an R, then an E, then a M, then an O, then an S.