Photograph:
Startech ST-1 Beachboy C-IBWT in Canada (Author’s collection)
Country of origin:
Australia / Canada
Description:
Single-seat light sport biplane
Power Plant:
One 26 kw (35 hp) Rotax 377 two-cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.22 m (27 ft)
- Length: 5.48 m (18 ft)
- Height: 2.13 m (7 ft)
- Wing area: 17.27 m² (186 sq ft)
- Never exceed speed: 161 km/h (100 mph)
- Cruising speed at 60% power: 121 km/h (75 mph)
- Stalling speed: 35 km/h (22 mph)
- Take-off run: 91 m (300 ft)
- Landing run: 91 m (300 ft)
- Rate of climb: 152 m/min (500 ft/min)
- Empty weight: 186 kg (410 lb)
- Loaded weight: 295 kg (650 lb)
History:
The Startech ST-1 was one of a few designs by Anthony Shennan, an Australian, who designed the BeachBoy Staggerwing, Beach Boy ultralight, and light sport aircraft. He took his plans with him to Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada where the prototype was built in about1985. The aircraft was aimed at the light aircraft market for a homebuilt machine which resembled the Beech 17 series of cabin monoplanes. It was constructed of aluminium tube and plate with pop riveting and was said to be able to be built by the average metal worker in a small workshop. It was covered with polyester with a fiberglass cowling designed to resemble the cowling of a radial engine but the prototype was fitted with a Rotax 377 engine. The first aircraft was first flown in about 1985. Plans and drawings were available from the Tesla Centre for Advanced Technology at Caringbah, NSW.
A two-seat variant was also designed with a more powerful engine and was similar in appearance, having an empty weight of (450 lb), a max speed of (80 mph) and a range of (250 miles).
A small number of examples was built in Canada and Australia, Canadian examples including C-IBWT and C-ICYF. A couple were built in Australia and one of the latter survives in storage at Narrandera, NSW.