Photograph:
Stolp SA-900 V-Star ZK-MIJ (c/n AACA/437)) in 2011 (NZCIVAIR)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat sport biplane
Power Plant:
One 48 kw (65 hp) Continental four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 7.01 m (23 ft)
- Length: 5.23 m (17 ft 2 in)
- Height: 2.26 m (7 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 13.1 m² (141 sq ft)
- Max speed: 145 km/h (90 mph)
- Cruising speed: 121 km/h (75 mph)
- Stalling speed: 64 km/h (40 mph)
- Max rate of climb at sea level: 183 m/min (600 ft/min)
- Take-off distance: 122 m (400 ft)
- Landing distance: 183 m (600 ft)
- Fuel capacity: 57 litres (12.5 Imp gals)
- Range: 443 km (275 miles)
- Empty weight: 329 kg (725 lb)
- Loaded weight: 480 kg (1,058 lb)
History:
In 1957 Louis Stolp and George Adams designed and built a light single-seat sporting biplane known as the Starduster, and subsequently marketed plans, components and basic materials to amateur constructors. In 1972 the Company was acquired by Jim and Hanako Osborne, and in 1981 by William Clouse.
To meet demand, a number of designs were developed around a similar theme, the Starduster thus becoming the SA-100 Starduster. Other models were released for amateur construction, and these included the SA-300 Starduster TOO being an enlarged two-seat variant of the SA-100; the SA-500 Starlet being a single-seat swept parasol wing monoplane variant; the SA-750 Acroduster TOO being a two-seat aerobatic variant of the SA-300; the SA-900 V-Star; and the Super Starduster, a new series of special aerobatic aircraft for unlimited aerobatic competition.
A small number of examples of the SA-900 V-Star have been constructed in this region, the first two being completed in New Zealand, becoming ZK-SAM and ZK-JAN. ZK-JAN (c/n AACA/82 – ex ZK-ECJ [ntu]) was not completed, construction being abandoned. ZK-SAM (c/n AACA/437/1) was withdrawn from service in January 2005 for a short period, later being registered as ZK-MIJ.
The SA-900 was developed from the SA-500 as a low-cost low-powered biplane variant with aerobatic capability. The prototype had a 48 kw (65 hp) Continental engine fitted with a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller, but engines ranging up to 93 kw (125 hp) could be installed. G-limits are +9 and –9 G.
The wing was of wooden construction with spruce spars, plywood web, and cap strip ribs, with Dacron covering. The fuselage was welded steel tube with Dacron covering, and the tail unit was a braced structure of the same construction. A non-retractable tailwheel type undercarriage was fitted.