The first flight of Sam LS, an all-new design, took place Feb. 26 at Lachute Airport near Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
“Liftoff was perfect, in about 300 feet,” said Thierry Zibi, president of SAM Aircraft. “We were not at gross weight, so our climb of nearly 1,300 fpm felt like a rocket.”
The test pilot, Raphaël Langumier reported that the initial handling was exactly as expected.
“With the prop set at a climb setting, we saw a maximum level speed of 127 mph,” he said.
The 21-minute flight covered the basics – 30° banks, straight flight, and gentle control. “There is a lot more to test,” said Thierry, “but all indications are that the aerodynamics are exactly what we have expected all along.”
The SAM LS is a tandem, retro-look, metal aircraft, powered by the 100-hp Rotax 912S, and sporting the Sensenich ground-adjustable composite propeller. Available ready-to-fly or as a kit in three configurations (short, long, and standard wing), the LSA features a Dynon SkyView panel.
Deliveries of the first kits are scheduled for late summer. Deposits for delivery position are open; the introductory ready-to-fly price (FOB Canada) is $135,000. The Standard Kit is priced at $39,000.
Please visit SAM Aircraft at space NE-029 at SUN ’n FUN in Lakeland, Florida, (April 9-14) and at Oshkosh, NAD-626, in July.
To see a short video, including clips from the first flight (at 1:40 on the video – February 26, 2013), click here.
For more information: Sam-Aircraft.com
Airplanes with props in front and wings directly over or under the front office were obsolete in the 1930’s. Why anyone would want to replicate such an ancient design is beyond me. Those guys need to auger that design in and start over.