FAQ
SUPER PETREL POWER PLANT
The Super Petrel is currently equipped with the Rotax 912 iS Sport engine. The 912 is the most common engine in the LSA category (more than 190,000 Rotax aircraft engines have been sold since 1973). The Rotax 912 iS Sport is a fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, 100 hp, liquid- and air-cooled powerplant (liquid-cooled heads, air-cooled cylinders). The Super Petrel fuel consumption with this engine is 4 gph. The Super Petrel is also available with the 914 UL Turbo 115 hp engine. The fuel consumption becomes 6 gph with the 914 UL.
For flexibility off airport, the Rotax 912 iS Sport burns either automotive (91 octane) or aviation gasoline (100LL avgas).
The standard for most aircraft engines is 2,000 Time Between Overhaul (TBO). Dependent on the fuel type used in your Rotax, there are some conditional engine parts that will need to be overhauled or replaced prior to the 2,000 TBO time. Check the Rotax Line Maintenance Manual for more information. https://www.rotax-owner.com/en/support-topmenu/service-bulletins
SAFETY
The engineers at Scoda Aeronautica designed the Super Petrel to be predictable and easy to fly with safety features such as a Flip-Resistant Airframe (FRA) if you make a mistake and land on the water with the gear down. Simple to operate with no flaps, a 35 kt stall speed, a 10-1 glide ratio at maximum weights, no mixture control and no propeller control. All this allows pilots to fly with peace of mind.
FAA APPROVAL
Light Sport Aircraft are not certified by way of FAR Part 23 certification measures but rather audited to meet the ASTM standards set forth for FAA Light Sport Aircraft. Scoda Aeronautica and the Super Petrel successfully completed the FAA audit for S-LSA production in 2014 when a team from the FAA came to the Scoda Aeronautica factory in Brazil to witness the production standards used to produce the aircraft.
Light Sport Aircraft are certified to a maximum of 1320 lbs. or 600kg (European Rules), however, for amphibian aircraft with retractable landing gear an additional 50kg was granted bringing the maximum weight to 650kg. In 2019, Scoda created new performance data for the heavier weight and increased the maximum takeoff and landing weight to 1430 lbs or 650kg. This increase is strictly for land operations only. Airport to Airport.
PURCHASE PROCESS
- Which engine do you prefer for your aircraft?
- What color graphics and scheme do you prefer for your aircraft?
Note: Everything else is standard equipment.
Yes. 40% down payment with remainder financed at closing. Rates are approximately 5% and terms of 10-15 years are available. Contact sales for more information. Please check with AOPA Aircraft Financing on their website.
Annual premiums for liability insurance vary depending on the type of aircraft insured and a pilot’s experience. Super Petrel has had great success using Lima Bravo Aviation Insurance. They shop for the best rates from a variety of underwriters. https://limabravoaviation.com
SUPER PETREL SERVICE & SUPPORT
The Super Petrel carries a Limited Warranty that covers, subject to its limitations, exclusions and conditions, the aircraft for one year or 100 hours flight time. In actuality, there are three separate warranties. The Scoda produced airframe, the Rotax engine and the Garmin Avionics. It is important to register each of these items when taking delivery to establish and begin your warranty period.
THE COMPANY
SUPER PETREL USA, Inc. Aircraft’s headquarters are in Ormond Beach, Florida, 12 miles North of Daytona Beach.
The Super Petrel LSA is completely built and assembled in Ipeuna Brazil at the Scoda Aeronautica, Ltda facility. Please see link to Scoda. https://www.scodaeronautica.com.br for more information. BTW, they speak Portuguese in Brazil, sorta.
Yes. Absolutely, 100% Yes!!! Plan your trip accordingly. When it is cold and nasty here in the North, it is warm and wonderful there.
SUPER PETREL GENERAL
The airframe is lightweight, high-strength composite material comprised of carbon fiber and Kevlar that is corrosion resistant, which is preferred for amphibious planes and seaplanes. The wing spar is carbon fiber thus making the Super Petrel very corrosion resistant.
Yes. The Super Petrel is amphibious, so it can land and takeoff from either water or land due to the boat hull design and retractable landing gear.
In accordance with the FAA Light Sport rules, an LSA is limited to the pilot and one passenger.
The latest Super Petrel configuration will have a useful load (people + luggage + fuel) of near 580 pounds.
An angle of attack indicator provides the pilot with a direct indication of the wing’s performance, as measured by the angle between the aircraft’s longitudinal axis relative wind. Since a wing stalls at the same angle of attack regardless of airspeed or weight, the pilot is able to rapidly assess wing performance during any phase of flight simply by referencing the AoA indicator. This capability is particularly useful during landing and maneuvering. Military pilots fly almost completely using the AOA.
No. Per FAA accepted ASTM consensus standard F2245-16c, S-LSAs are limited to VFR flight.
FAA regulations do allow for a Private Pilot to fly an LSA at night, if properly equipped. With the night lighting package, the Super Petrel is legal for night VFR flight operations.
Yes, the doors can be removed, and the aircraft flown with them off. Please keep in mind, there is no storage area in the aircraft for the doors once removed.
The demonstrated limit of the Super Petrel is 12 knots. (15 mph)
Water takeoff and landings should be done into the wind as much as possible. Significant crosswind component can cause accidents in water takeoff and landings.
The rudder pedals can be adjusted using add on extenders as well as the heal brakes using brake pedal extenders. The seat bottoms do not adjust fore and aft however, the back rest do to accommodate various pilot height dimensions. The Super Petrel was designed to accommodate pilots from the 50th percentile female to the 95th percentile male. This translates into a 42-inch head clearance (distance from the compressed seat cushion to the headliner). People as tall as 6′4″ or as short as 5’1” can fit comfortably in the Super Petrel, but it will depend on the build and torso length of the individual. Let us know where you are located, and we can have you do a “sit & fit” with one of our owners in their aircraft.
Yes. There is a baggage stowage area directly behind the pilot and passenger seats of the. The space is rated to carry up to 66 lbs.
LAND OPERATIONS
Yes. While the Super Petrel is designed for water operations, it can be flown into any airport or airfield from small strips to the largest international airports. Depending on the pilot legality of course
Yes. The Super Petrel is a lightweight aircraft that requires very little runway surface to operate. The Super Petrel can be flown from paved surfaces or relatively smooth grass, dirt, or gravel surfaces. I just love telling people this part. The factory runway in Brazil, GRASS!!!
WATER OPERATIONS
The FAA recommends that bodies of water designated as seaplane bases be at least 2,500 feet long by 200 feet wide, with a depth of three feet or more, and are free of floating debris or submerged obstacles. In addition, a 20:1 glide path to the landing lane is the recommended minimum for obstacle clearance. The Super Petrel does require 30 inches of water depth in order to operate the landing gear up and down. On the water, the Super Petrel can be landed in 328 FEET. Hang on to your shoulder harness!
The Seaplane Pilots Association (www.seaplanes.org) is a valuable resource for determining where seaplane operations are permitted. Now in its 10th edition, their Water Landing Directory (http://www.seaplanes.org/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=122&Itemid=235) provides a single reference tool for waterway-use regulations. You may also call the appropriate regulatory agency for the body of water being considered. In general, the USCG considers all waterways it controls open to seaplanes. Once on the water, a seaplane must obey the appropriate rules for a boat. In the air, you belong to the FAA, on the water, the USCG.
Seaplanes do not significantly impact the environment and compare favorably to conventional motorized boats in areas of air and water pollution, wakes, and disturbance of plants, wildlife, and sediments. That said, there are lakes out west (Flathead Lake in MT) that require the boat/airplane be washed down prior to arriving if you have been in other bodies of water.
Seaplanes do not significantly impact the environment and compare favorably to conventional motorized boats in areas of air and water pollution, wakes, and disturbance of plants, wildlife, and sediments. That said, there are lakes out west (Flathead Lake in MT) that require the boat/airplane be washed down prior to arriving if you have been in other bodies of water.
Yes. The Super Petrel has demonstrated its ability to taxi out of the water and up a boat ramp, maintaining good directional control. The maximum recommended gradient for the ramp is 10% with the wings and sponsons clear of any obstacles. Additionally, the nose wheel will make contact with the ramp in about 10 inches of water.
Yes. Duh!
Yes. There are no set limits on saltwater operation; however, Super Petrel does highly recommend that following any operation in salt-water, the aircraft exterior be given a freshwater rinse. In addition, the aircraft should not be allowed to sit in salt-water for prolonged periods due to saltwater’s corrosive nature. OK, remember those beautiful avionics by Garmin?
The Light Sport Aircraft and the Light Sport Pilot License
The FAA defines an LSA as any aircraft that can meet the following performance criteria:
- Two occupants maximum
- 1320 lbs max gross weight (1430 lbs for seaplanes) The Super Petrel uses the 1430 weight for land operations only
- Single engine (non-turbine)
- 120 kts (138mph) max level flight speed
- 45 kts max stall speed
- Fixed landing gear (retractable allowed for seaplanes)
Yes. Anyone holding a Sport Pilot License or higher can fly an LSA. However, it takes a Private License or higher to acquire a Single Engine Sea rating.
S-LSA stands for Special Light Sport Aircraft. S-LSA are factory built and delivered in a ready-to-fly condition with no assembly required by the owner. The Super Petrel is an S-LSA and will be delivered in ready-to-fly condition. It is not available as a kit. If it were available as a kit, it would be classified as an E-LSA (Experimental).
S-LSA stands for Special Light Sport Aircraft. S-LSA are factory built and delivered in a ready-to-fly condition with no assembly required by the owner. The Super Petrel is an S-LSA and will be delivered in ready-to-fly condition. It is not available as a kit. If it were available as a kit, it would be classified as an E-LSA (Experimental).
Four criteria apply:
- Must be at least 17 years of age to take the FAA Practical Test (can begin training at age 16).
- Must have a valid state driver’s license or 3rd Class Medical.
- Must be proficient in the English language. If you can read all this, you are good to go.
- Requires either a third-class FAA Medical Certificate or a valid U.S. driver’s license as evidence of medical eligibility (provided the individual’s most recent application for an FAA Medical Certificate was not denied, revoked, suspended, or withdrawn).
Three things must be completed:
- Must pass the FAA Sport Pilot written exam.
- Must complete all required Sport Pilot flight training from an FAA-Certified Flight Instructor.
- Must pass an FAA Oral and Practical Examination with an FAA Examiner (i.e., “Check-ride”).
No. As per FAA regulations, Sport Pilots are required to have EITHER:
- a minimum of an FAA 3rd Medical Certificate, or
- a valid Driver’s License as evidence of medical fitness. Any limitation on a driver’s license must also be complied with while acting as a Sport Pilot.
Additionally, it is important to note that the SPL is not intended as a workaround to a known medical condition. The FAA prohibits anyone who knows of, or has a reason to know of, a medical condition that would make them unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner from operating under an SPL. For further information please visit the FAA’s additional Sport Pilot Medical FAQs. (http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/medical_certification/sportpilots/)
The following are requirements for a Sport Pilot License:
- At least 20 hours of flight time, including at least 15 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor, of which at least two hours are cross-country flight training.
- Ten takeoffs and ten landings to a full stop (with a traffic pattern) at an airport.
- Three hours of flight training in preparation for the practical flight test (completed within 60 days of the practical flight test).
- At least five hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, including at least one solo cross-country flight of at least 75 nautical miles, with landings at a minimum of two points, and one leg of at least 25 nautical miles.
- A valid U.S. driver’s license (not under suspension or revocation) or a third-class Medical Certificate issued by an approved Medical Examiner.
Yes. Provided your Insurance Underwriter allows solo flying in your airplane. Check with your agent on this one.
A Sport Pilot may not operate in Class A airspace (airspace above 18,000 MSL). A Sport Pilot must have an endorsement to operate in Class B, C, or D airspace. The majority of the low altitude U.S. airspace below a few thousand is “uncontrolled,” virtually unutilized, and completely open to Sport Pilots.
No. A Sport Pilot may not act as Pilot in Command (PIC) in IFR conditions.
No. A Sport Pilot may not act as PIC at night. “Night” is defined as end of civil evening twilight to beginning of morning civil twilight (approximately 30 minutes after sunset and 30 minutes before sunrise).
No. Flying an amphibian LSA does not require an additional seaplane rating; however, you would need to complete a Proficiency Check for operating the aircraft in a water environment. This requires two flight instructors (CFI) to complete the process. The first instructor will make the recommendation on a FAA form 8610-11. Then, a second certified flight instructor (CFI) will add an endorsement to your logbook verifying that you have received the appropriate training, sign the FAA form and send to Oklahoma City indicating you are qualified to operate a Super Petrel LSA in a water environment. This Proficiency Check will be included in the baseline Super Petrel Flight Training curriculum for both beginner and existing landplane transition pilots.
If you are already a Private Pilot holding a seaplane rating (SES), you will simply need to complete a brief Super Petrel transition training course that usually is 5-10 hours flight training. If you are a Private Pilot or higher and do not hold a seaplane rating, you will need to complete transition training and a Proficiency Check to receive a logbook endorsement to operate the Super Petrel in a water environment.