The Glasair and GlaStar

Friday, June 01, 2012 at 08:06 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The Glasair series significantly impacted the homebuilt aircraft market by popularizing composite construction.
The Glasair was offered in various configurations, including tricycle and taildragger landing gear, and with retractable gear.
The subsequent GlaStar model surpassed individual Glasair models in sales, showcasing the success of the design evolution.
Both the Glasair and GlaStar are known for their performance and versatility, influencing subsequent designs in the homebuilt sector.

See a mistake? Contact us.

How the Glasair and the GlaStar changed the world of composite homebuilts.

Glasair — Glasair I as a tricycle.

Glasair — Glasair I as a taildragger.

Tom Hamilton, Inventor of the Glasair — Tom Hamilton holding court at OshKosh ‘94, the year he introduced the GlaStar.

Glasair — The Glasair IIS in its tricycle configuration.

Glasair — The Glasair III, which actually preceded the IIS…the III is for 300 mph and 300 hp.

Glasair — The Glasair IIS in retractable format….near Mount Baker in Washington.

Glastar — The GlaStar…it outsold each model of the Glasair series, but not the series total.

Glastar — The GlaStar on floats….an ideal floatplane.

Glastar — GlaStar on final approach.

Glasair — Glasair 1 RG

FLYING Magazine is a one-stop resource for everything aviation, including news, training, aircraft, gear, careers, photos, videos, and more.