Photograph:
Sapphire Aircraft Sapphire 19-4825 (c/n SAA015/06) at Holbrook, NSW in November 2014 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
Australia
Description:
Single-seat light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
(LSA Mk II) One 29.5 kw (39.6 hp) Rotax 447UL-IV two-cylinder, two-stroke, fan-cooled electronic single-ignition engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.84 m (29 ft)
- Length: 5.0 m (16 ft 4¾ in)
- Height: 1.25 m (4 ft 1½ in)
- Wing area: 9.13 m² (98.3 sq ft)
- Cruising speed at 75% power: 139 km/h (86 mph)
- Stalling speed power on: 63 km/h (40 mph)
- Best climb speed: 83 km/h (52 mph)
- Max rate of climb at sea level: 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 3,660 m (12,000 ft)
- Take-off run: 55 m (180 ft)
- Landing run: 100 m (330 ft)
- Fuel capacity: 38 litres (8.6 Imp gals)
- Range: 607 km (377 miles)
- Endurance: 2.5 hours
- Empty weight: 158 kg (348 lb)
- Loaded weight: 350 kg (771 lb)
History:
The Sapphire was originally designed and built in Australia by Scott Winton to CAO.19. The design was later obtained by Donald Bowd, a distributor for Spectrum Beaver ultralights. He made some improvements and produced about 20 aircraft. In 1998 the business was sold to Sapphire Aircraft Australia Ltd of Sydney, NSW which produced the aircraft in kit form, the first amateur-built category Sapphire (19-3099) being produced in February 1999. Development led to the Sapphire LSA Mk II and kits commenced to be delivered in June 1999.
In more recent years the aircraft has been produced by Sapphire Aircraft Australia Pty Ltd of Bendigo, VIC and fitted with a 30 kw (40 hp) Rotax 447UL-1V or 34 kw (46 hp) Rotax 503UL-1V engine driving a Sweetapple two or three-blade fixed pitch wooden propeller. Fuel capacity is 38 litres (8.6 Imp gals) but a 58 litre (12.7 Imp gal) tank may be installed. The Sapphire is a single-seat, fully enclosed cockpit, strut-braced, high-wing, tailwheel undercarriage, ultralight of pod and boom configuration, fitted with flaps and constructed of composite materials.
The Sapphire has been available as a factory built aircraft or in kit form. By February 2001 more than 36 examples had been sold. It was also available with an open cockpit with a large windscreen. A baggage area of 25 litres (0.88 cub ft) is available.
First of the type registered in New Zealand became ZK-TBH (c/n MAANZ/370) and many are registered in Australia under RAA regulations.
The manufacturer announced it was developing a two-seat variant known as the Sapphire Scenic with a loaded weight of 500 kg (1,102 lb) and a cruising speed of 174 km/h (108 mph) but this development was put on hold in 2003. Model available in 2006 was the Sapphire LSA Mk II, which was also available as a factory built aircraft or in kit form.