Arlington, Washington-based Glasair is taking advantage of the investment funds made available by its Chinese owners, Jilin Hanxing Group, by launching two new products, namely a new two-seat LSA and a diesel-powered version of the popular Glasair Sportsman.
I took a seat in the mockup of what Glasair has named the Merlin LSA at the company’s booth at Sun ‘n Fun. With gull-wing-style doors and a control stick that protrudes from underneath the panel, the Merlin has some similarities to Cessna’s recently retired SkyCatcher. However, the cabin felt roomier in the Merlin and its panel setup was nicely laid out with related switches and buttons grouped in certain areas. Glasair’s Scott Taylor said the flap switch will be on the control stick along with the electric trim and push to talk.
