Supersportster 20

Great Planes Supersportster 20

Here is the latest addition to the flying stable, after a long time in construction. The Supersportster 20 was a swap via the Internet with Carlton Beasley from Oklahoma for a Mini Jazz. I had been looking for a 25 sized plane to take to the field in one piece after work in the summer, and this was the plane I really fancied. Only problem was that it was long since discontinued, and had never been imported into Britain from the U.S.

Carlton came to my rescue with the offer of an SS20 new in box for a swap with something interesting from the UK. The Mini Jazz seemed an ideal candidate. The deal was duly done, and this is the result.

These photos display the sleek, racy lines of the plane which I found so appealing, and having now flown it, I can't understand why my enthusiasm waned halfway through the build.

Actually, I do know, as the covering scheme totally phased me - it is based on the DH 71 Tiger Moth racer scheme, and realised half way through that to finish the tail surfaces following the original scheme was going to be a LOT of work. I also prevaricated over the nose area of the fuselage. I think the end result is good, but I'm not sure I would do something as complex as this again.

The covering is golden yellow pearlescent Profilm and dark blue Solarfilm Supershrink Polyester. I had to paint the canopy, as the covering iron got too close on the bench and put a small burn mark in the right hand side. It wasn't only the canopy that turned blue when it happened!

The plane was test flown on the 15th February 2002, by my chief test pilot, wing commander Agombar. Dave took the plane off and trimmed it out for me, and then handed the tranny over. It is quite a fast plane, and at full throttle burns up the sky at a fair rate of knots. The Irvine 25 provides plenty of power, and with a 9x6 prop I could feel the plane going light in my hands when I had it nose up to test the main needle setting.

I tried to keep the radio gear light, and therefore have Hitec HS225MG servos on the rudder and elevator, a Futaba 3001 in the wing for the ailerons, and a Ripmax SD200 mini servo for the throttle. The receiver is a Hitec 555, and a 500mAh square type nicad pack completes the setup.

This photo shows the plane in the bones during the build. This was not a particularly easy plane to build - the age of the kit showed, with bandsawn sides, no locating slots for the formers etc. However, it still went together well, with no real problems. The engine bay is very congested, and it was a bit of a shoehorn job to get the Irvine settled in and connected up.

This page was last updated on 31/12/03