The new owner of our ex-demo Skyleader GP One rings me from Australia every once in a while to update me on what he is up to.

After assembling the GP One in Brisbane, he had to wait until CASA certified it. So he got busy and built a new hangar.  Then he spent many days on a digger making a wider/longer main runway and adding a cross vector to accommodate the range of recreational aircraft that are based at his Queensland farm.

​Then silence for many months.  It turns out that he needed some maintenance and parts replaced on his own body. Now that he's got a new hip, he is up flying in the GP One again. And he loves it.  Well done, Tim.

Skyleader have partnered with MGM Compro, a Czech company specialising in electric propulsion, to fit an 80kW (107hp) electric motor to one of their SL-400 light sport aircraft.

​MGM Compro have previously developed electric-powered versions of aircraft such as the GP 14 Velo glider, Archaeopteryx ultralight glider, Song single-seat ultralight and the Ego Trike weight-shift microlight. 

Four battery packs can be installed totalling 145 Ah capacity. Ground tests have now been completed, so keep a look out for the maiden flight of this new Skyleader LSA. Given MGM Compro's successful track record with electric conversions, the SL-400E should fly well.
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The new owner of our GP One rang me yesterday from Australia to say that the CASA had certified the aircraft. and they were ready to fly the GP One. If all went well, they would make the 600km flight north to his home farm near Rockhampton.

​It was really good today to get another phone call from him to report that they'd successfully made the 3 hour flight to Cawarral Farm. He loved flying the GP One and was happy to have it home. I'm looking forward to seeing some photos of the GP One in its new environment.

Not one to be idle while waiting for the GP One, he has widened and lengthened the original 800m runway, added a cross-wind runway and built another hangar. There are 6 aircraft based at the farm, so hopefully lots of people will see and fly the GP One in the future.

Skyleader have several new aircraft ready for immediate dispatch from the factory.
 
SL 600 luxury low-wing tourer/corporate (complete with 100hp Rotax 912ULS, emergency parachute, Fowler flaps, Garmin GPS 695, directional gyro, VHF/intercom, transponder, ELT, LED strobes, LED landing lights, wheel pants, heater, etc) - only Euro 102k.

More info on glider towing on the SkyFreedom Aviation website.

Skyleader staff have been helping Rapid Aircraft, the new USA dealer, with their trade stand at Oshkosh 2016.
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Oshkosh, about 2 hours north of Chicago, is the site of the world's largest airshow. This year, Skyleader's full-motion flight simulator was on display together with their lovely SL600 light sport aircraft.

The Skyleader GP One arrived in Brisbane last weekend.  The new owner drove more than 600km down from Rockhampton to witness the import proceedings.  After easily clearing biosecurity and Customs, the shipping container was transported 70km north to Caboolture.

The new owner is delighted with the quality of the GP One, especially how well its cockpit door system and its exterior is finished. He felt it was so much better made than a similar-looking microlight designed and built in Australia.

Other pilots who gathered around commented that the GP One looked "very sleek and sexy". The general opinion was that "if its looks good, then it probably is good".

The Skyleader GP One light sport aircraft is loaded on the container ship 'Conti Emden'.

The ship called at all NZ's east coast ports en-route to Brisbane. Initially it went from Bluff to Port Chalmers, then on to Lyttelton. It side-tracked to Nelson, then back to Wellington, Napier and Tauranga. The final stop was Auckland.  

The 'Conti Emden' is now on its way across the Tasman Sea and is due in Brisbane on 9 July. 

Five minutes from coming thru the gate until leaving. That's all it took to load the shipping container onto the transport truck today. A brief exchange of pleasantries between the driver and I, an identification seal being placed on the door, a bit of slick remote-controlled hydraulic legs and lifters action, a three-point turn, then the Skyleader GP One light sport aircraft was gone.

On Thursday it will be on a ship from Bluff to Brisbane. After being unloaded and re-assembled by its new owner, the GP One will be re-certified by CASA. Finally it will be flown 520km (350nM) to its new home near Rockhampton.

Action a plenty at the weekend. Our Skyleader GP One light sport aircraft had its wings, tailplane and prop removed. Then it was cleaned and loaded into a 20 foot shipping container. It's a snug fit from nose-to-tail, but it does go in diagonally. The wings sit in their special foam cradles beneath the fuselage.

Now I will strap down the wings and round up the prop, tailplane, streamlined wheel fairings (spats) and other loose items. The container is due to go on a ship to Brisbane next week.

The new Kiwi owner has purchased a property at Cawarral (near Rockhampton, QLD) with a large hangar and 800 m airstrip.