The Toxo Light Sport Aircraft, which recently had its first flight, made its Sun ‘n Fun debut this year.
The plane, built by Composite Aeronautic Group (CAG) of Spain, received a lot of attention from the Sun ‘n Fun crowds. In fact, company representatives had a hard time preparing for a press briefing because the airplane was surrounded most of the week by interested pilots and prospective owners.
“We have had a lot of traffic,” confirmed Alvaro Lapetra, commercial manager. “A lot of people are stopping by to congratulate us on the airplane.”
Company officials were taking presales on the plane, which is expected to complete flight testing soon for FAA certification. Lapetra estimates that first deliveries will occur in 2008.
The market for the LSA is broad, according to Lapetra. “There will be three different pilots,” he predicted, “the real beginner who has always wanted to be a pilot, very experienced pilots who may have lost their medicals and love flying, and schools.”
The LSA is being marketed as a trainer and “a cruiser,” he added.
The LSA, which sports a sleek design, is built with the same materials as those used by Boeing, Airbus and Lockheed, according to Lapetra. “You don’t see those materials in many aircraft in this category,” he said.
The Toxo boasts a composite airframe constructed with a prepreg system that includes high strength-to-weight ratio honeycomb cores, carbon fiber reinforcement and an advanced modified epoxy resin developed for the aerospace industry.
The airplane is powered by a 100-hp Rotax 912 powerplant and includes a whole airplane parachute and four-point harness seatbelt system as standard equipment.
Avionics can be upgraded to an Op Technologies glass cockpit, which features Highway-In-The-Sky and advanced synthetic vision.
Base price for the Toxo is around $131,000.
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