Just Aircraft Launches Stretched SuperSTOL

Just Aircraft has introduced a stretched version of the light-sport SuperSTOL that adds an extra two feet to the taildragger's aft section and an extra six inches up front. The changes allow the SuperSTOL Stretch XL to accommodate bigger engines, such as the UL Power 520 series and Lycoming O-320 engine putting out 160 hp.

The standard SuperSTOL is powered by the 100 hp Rotax 912 that weighs about 165 pounds, with accessories, or the 115 hp Rotax 914, weighing 175 pounds. The six-cylinder 180 hp UL Power 520 weighs 255 pounds and the Lycoming O-320 tips the scales at 315 pounds. The SuperSTOL Stretch can accommodate other types of engines weighing up to 315 pounds. Appropriate engine mounts and redesigned cowlings accompany the SuperSTOL Stretch XL kits, says the South Carolina LSA maker.

Harrison Smith, the first customer to fit a UL Power 520 engine to his stretched SuperSTOL, said the performance boost is readily noticeable. "Predictably, there's an increase in the rate of climb and cruise speeds," he said. "The additional length in the Stretch XL provides handling similar to a high horsepower Super Cub."

With the extra two and a half feet, the SuperSTOL Stretch XL is now 21 feet 6 inches long. Its rate of climb with the UL 520 is 3,000 fpm. It cruises at 95 knots, and its landing speed, thanks to its big fowler flaps and automatically deploying leading-edge slats, is ridiculously slow. Landing rollout with the UL 520, Smith said, is just 75 feet.

Read our full report on the SuperSTOL here.

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