Jenki

Dear friends,

The plane you have seen at Oshkosh is completely STYLUS X2 / the same plane you can see here:

or here:

What happened is that Slovak producer of STYLUS aircraft (AVAMA Ltd. Poprad, Slovakia, http://www.avama.sk/vyroba_en.html ) sold this year, early spring time, complete design and production documentation to Czech company Czech Sport Aircraft located in Kunovice and producing SportCruiser. They decided to produce STYLUS under new name for US market as there is really demand for such planes.

And yes, it is quite a difference comparing Aerotrek as both of the planes are "shoulder to shoulder" parking in our hangar here. STYLUS resp. Sky Cruiser has significantly more spacious cockpit, completely different wing (with separate flaps and ailerons, different airfoil) and therefore higher cruising speed, longer about 40cm (15.748") therefore more stable in direction ... Simply different with significant heritage 

Seashore of Istria is really nice, but not very suitable for float planes. They have some there, but water is only occasionally suitable for small float planes. Even bigger planes are not very often able to use sea due to waves.They use Grumman Goose,Twin Otter Seaplanes and similar planes there Simply no regulation, just nature seashore is just about cliffs and rocks, no sand. Very nice despite of this.

That's the point I'm still considering. To rebuild my Stylus to taildragger. To remove nose wheel completely and rebuild main gear as I saw here (High country cabane type gear I think). Or to sell it as is and buy taildragger for my future bush flying. I have neither time nor condition for rebuilding here but plane is very well built. I am flying about 150 hours per year, sometimes 200, but no conditions here for building, constructing, welding etc.Maybe I will find somebody to help me with such mission. And, I need to find some plans how to manufacture new main gear.Hard mission.

well, old man words

regarding grass runways here in Middle Europe, yes, you can find here huge grass runways very often. For example 3000' long runway is very common, usually used by aero-clubs, but we had 6000'as well, just now they are shortened, due to lack of government support. Glider sport was extremely popular here and still it is leading aviation sport, even there is some sort of depression.

Short runways like 1200' and 1500' long are usually former agriculture strips, wide was 39' till 1985 and then 49' as a standard. Many of them, even paved by asphalt, are out of service now, unattended, or covered by solar panels due to private owner decisions. Due to agriculture, we have only small number of airstrips in mountains (I'm not sure, if any) and majority in agricultural part of country. We have some nice lakes and dams but no one aircraft on floats is here. New, private airstrips are very rare here, but step by step we can find some of them. That is the point I'm looking for bush training and bush plane conversion for my plane.

The last picture is only grass RWY we had on the way, Ptuj airport, 1100x100 meters (3600x330 feet)

Paved RWY at Portoroz airport is 1200x30 meters (3900x100 feet)

My home RWY is paved 500x12 meters (1600x40 feet)

Well, only taildragger there, Super Cub, from Aeroclub Ptuj. We have all tricycles now, I'm only owner looking for taildragger - bushplane here.

Btw. Vanda is the owner and pilot of the plane she is refueling. Viper SD4, flying as LSA or standard ICAO  GA as well, registration is up to owner.

11 members of the group are on the picture below, well, majority is older, but definitely not sad looking, believe me.

And some pictures from Vrsar airport ..... and most beautiful member from our group and pilot of Viper SD4 - Vanda finishing refueling in Ptuj

Some pictures from airports and last leg from LJPZ to LDPV

Well, I will add some photos ASAP

You know, first step was to made flight debriefing and data log processing.

Just short update, I've made trip to seashore last week with my Stylus.

First time flying over sea with my little bird. Trip was about 360 NM from Lucenec, Slovakia (LZLU airport) via Hungarian airspace, Ptuj, Slovenia (LJPT airport / just to put 10 liters of gas from  jerrycan to tanks) and Portoroz  (LJPZ airport / due to immigration procedures) to Vrsar, Croatia (LDPV airport) and took 4 hours of flight, 5 hours together with time on stopovers. Take-off early morning, just at break of day time and flying at 2000 to 6000ft altitude (due to mountains and turbulence).

Trip back after 4 days spent at seashore airport of Adriatic sea, with about 30-45 kts headwind for about 120 NM part of trip.

Nice experience.

Hi, you are probably right, but zipper is available only in  US, so shipment will be probably the same problem as eventually for landing gear ... I've seen this upgrade reports here, all are about satisfied people. 

I'm going to write to Zipper how it could be managed and even if they are ready to ship to Europe. But definitely Zipper Big Bore looks like good solution.

Well, that's the point I'm considering carefully. And also one more point of complication - for example, I'd like to use landing gear as High country Wide gear - I can make agreement with producer, but price for shipment could be really "cost prohibited" as you wrote. And here I have experienced welder here, but no idea of construction.

So still in the process of finding solution - but flying as much as possible

Yes, similarities are there, but.... differences as well as I found this week.

My idea was to rebuild my Stylus X3 (X3 means tricycle) to version X2 - means tail-dragger. Some sort of High country Wide gear.

It is common to make two versions of such plane here due to different pilot preferences. Even change of the version from one to another use to be not complicated process (for example EuroFox, or Aerotrek A220/240). Maybe one day of work, calm and thorough, no more.

But after deeper consultancy with the guy working in the AVAMA manufacture I found that there are real differences in material and construction of bottom part of fuselage, where landing gear is fixed. Change of this part will be wasting of money, he said. Pretty expensive and time consumption process, welding and recovering fabric. So I'm locked in tricycle gear solution anyway.

Aircraft is pretty strong and solid (328kg/723 lbs empty weight) and really suitable for bush flying. I already have VG delivered from Australia (not installed yet), plan was also to replace 80 HP engine by 100HP Rotax to improve STOL capability.

I've installed new propeller recently, Mihalides DMP2, ground adjustable 3-blade propeller, 1660mm/65.35" diameter, adjustment 22.5 degree, weight only 4.3kg/9.48 lbs instead of old Kaspar KA-1/3P-PA with weight 7.8kg/17.2 lbs.

I'd like to introduce my Stylus. As it was written here, you can see some Avid and KitFox heritage on the construction. Some parts are completely redesigned... but some remained the same.

I really don't know, who was behind the construction, but I can recognize basic difference in the size of the cockpit, Stylus is simply bigger regarding place for crew. On the other side, there is nearly no place for baggage, behind the seats is only small area limited by fiber/plastic construction.

It looks like Murphy Rebel or Maverick.... am I right?

Well, now I can see that I have earlier version of Stylus, because my flaps are covered by fabric and you can see on the photos that there are metallic flaps already.

Sorry, but I've perceived only now.

Btw. manufacturer sold completely this project and equipment a few months ago to company Czech Sport Aircraft located in Kunovice, Czech Republic producing SportCruiser and very well selling in the USA. So you can expect such aircraft, maybe under different name on the US market very soon   

Verner is now a bit forward I think

Boxer engines are no more in production. They move to radial 3-,5- and 7 cylinder Scarlett engines.

Here is a link to Verner website http://www.vernermotor.com/index.html#

Hi, flaps and ailerons are covered by fabric. Construction plans are still not available for me, but I'm trying to find somebody with plans.
Photos from construction are here:

http://www.avama.sk/vyroba_en.html

So this part of discussion will be very interesting for me as well, due to my plans to make conversion form standard fiberglass tri-gear version to tail-dragger for bush flying rather then paved RWY I am using now for my STYLUS X3

Btw. Stylus is not only plane I am flying, but sometimes, depend on the situation, there is also Viper SD4, SportCruiser, Bristell... but, Stylus is my property

Some pictures from life are here http://jenki.rajce.idnes.cz/

Yes, wing tips are fiberglass. And front part of fuselage is covered by fiberglass as well, engine compartment, cabin up to main gear, only bottom part of cabin is covered by fabric. I will put here details about my plane step by step.... and then I will discuss my ideas how I'd like to "improve" this aircraft.

I'd like to use it more for "light bush flying" due to low cruising speed (about 85knots) and strong welded construction. The main issue is for me is landing gear change. I'm not sure, if it'll be better to use plastic/fiberglass version or Grove ... current gear is 67" wide only and my feeling is that it is not enough for bush flying. But how to replace and where to ask for manufacturing me sort of Cabane version - I don't know for now.

This weekend I'd like to replace propeller. I am flying Kaspar KA-1/3P-PA ground adjustable now, but it is very heavy for my engine 80HP (7.5kg-16.5 pounds) and new one is Mihalides (Slovak producer) DMP-3/3 with diameter 66.14" and weight only half.

Regarding Avid/Fox heritage - there in no doubt. Tail part is probably complete copy, cockpit is wider/bigger, more roomy and more comfortable. Even interior is more "luxury" but, there is very limited place for luggage. Owner of company said, that customers are crazy and usually don't care about MTOW, so he decided to provide only very limited place for luggage limited by hard plastic construction. Stupid idea, but what I can do... I will post pictures later for better realization.

Nose gear is special construction, with coaxial hydro-pneumatic dumper built inside the front leg. Nice for easy handling and "tidy" runways, but not very suitable for rough grass runways - i am always a little afraid about bumpy grass RWYs . Plane is a little bit "head heavy" maybe due to absence of ballistic rescue system usually installed behind the cockpit. Aircraft was built in 2010, airworthiness issued 3. September 2010 and till 16. jun 2014 flown 200 hours. Since then I am owner, today it is exactly for two years and I am flying a little more - now there is more then 400 hours on the counter. Cockpit you can see on the picture, just gadget on the right side is no more there.

I will write my ideas how to "rebuilt" partially this plane, with stress on the landing gear first - I'd like to have more "light bush plane' form it.

thank you very much everybody very nice reception

Regarding COMLEX production, I am sure that they are producing many different gear legs for different types of aircraft. Regarding Aerotrek A240 Trigear I am not sure (I think that last versions of landing gear are from COMLEX) but it is easy to ask my friends - owners of the same plane - just here in Europe they call it EurFox. I will let you know.

Thank you for invitation,

My plane was build in 2010 on the base of company construction as you can see on the pictures. All welding was done in the company, it is standard strut construction of TIG welded steel pipes covered by doped fabric, for now it could be better to use ORATEX UL600 rather then fabric.Folding wings are combination of aluminium ribs and two beams covered by doped fabric.Nose gear is tube type with coaxial hydro-pneumatic shock absorber, main landing gear is made from fiberglass (from company COMLEX, the same as for Dynamic WT9). I personally don't have construction plans, but I can try to ask my friends.

Hi everybody here

I am from Slovakia, European union, owner of similar plane as Avid Flyer/KitFox.

My plane is shoulder-wing as well, but standard solution, classic ailerons and flaps (no flaperons). Type is STYLUS X3, tricycle version with ROTAX 912 A (80HP).

Some basic info is here, some pictures as well http://www.avama.sk/lietadla_en.html

I hope to find some info here how to upgrade my aircraft by better gear and wheels. My idea is to rebuild STYLUS to tail-dragger, but with different type of landing gera, more wide.