July 22, 2009 - Roseburg, Oregon
Sadler Aircraft Company is planning to announce its next-generation Vampire LSA at EAA Airventure 2009. This marks the culmination of three years of research and development for the Roseburg, OR, based company.
"We're really excited to go from R&D to delivering airplanes," said company VP David Littlejohn. "This has been a long road, especially in a challenging economy. I think light sport aircraft are going to emerge as true value leaders in the aviation community though, and the Vampire should really deliver on that front."
The Vampire is not your typical LSA. First off, it's built on a scaled back air-to-ground fighter plane airframe. So it's stressed to more than +/- 6 g's. Second, the prop is behind you, as is the engine and twin tail-booms. Third, the wings double-fold vertically a la an aircraft carrier-based WWII bomber. And fourth, the cabin doors are wide and the entry point is low. In fact, getting into a Vampire is more like getting into a sedan than an airplane.
"We took a lot of our cues from the automotive industry when it came to designing the interior of the Vampire. So wherever we could add creature comforts we tried to do that. We wanted the interior to attract both pilots and potential pilots. And we also wanted to keep it on the lower end of the LSA price spectrum."
While a fully loaded Vampire does reach into the six-figure price range, you can get a well equipped model for under $100,000.
Sadler Aircraft will be exhibiting at space 77 at this year's AirVenture 2009.
Sadler Aircraft Company
www.vampirelsa.com
