G-700S Aimed At American LSA Market

With all the hubbub surrounding the announcements of new light sport aircraft from Cessna and Cirrus, you may not be aware of a third company hoping to make an impact in the burgeoning LSA market. Gobosh Aviation unveiled its new light sport aircraft , the G-700S, this week at AirVenture 2007.

The aircraft is a collaboration between Gobosh Aviation and the design efforts of Tomasz Antoniewski and Aero -- familiar names in aviation since 1990. Based in Poland, Aero holds Type Certificates for three different aircraft designs -- and the G-700S, a light sport variant of the Aero AT-3, is at the top of the ladder. The American-market LSA is manufactured on the same production line that produces certified aircraft.

The all-metal, low-wing G-700S sports a seamless wing skin, constructed from a single piece of aircraft aluminum from wing root to wing tip. Under the skin, all aluminum parts are anodized -- a corrosion protection process that is superior to the traditional zinc chromate plating process. All steel parts are cadmium plated for corrosion protection.

Standard aircraft rivets are used throughout the G-700S -- a departure from practices of other LSA manufacturers, Gobosh said, which use blind rivets -- and the aircraft also sports steel landing gear, making it ideal for the daily rigors of the flight training environment.

Speaking of the training environment, ease-of-maintenance is also a hallmark of the G-700S. All concealed moving parts have hinged access doors built into the airframe for quick and easy daily inspection or scheduled maintenance. You'll appreciate that feature when annual time comes around.

Access to the Rotax 912 powerplant is available through not one postage-stamp-size door... but rather two large, hinged panels, that each allow an almost-unlimited view of the engine, and all necessary fluid levels.

New to the US market, the G-700S is being offered in three configurations: Sport, Elite and Elite+, to appeal to the specific needs of different owner groups (see attached spec sheet). The Day VFR Sport Edition is positioned as an entry level platform for sport pilots, and features a full-size, classic six-pack flight instrument package, for less than $107,000.

Private Pilots may use the G-700S Elite Edition to fly Day or Night VFR in a quest to satisfy their curiosity of what lies beyond the horizon. In addition to its Night VFR capability, the Elite includes an upgraded interior and exterior trim package. An aggressive finance offer exclusively through Gobosh Aviation Finance brings the G-700S Elite to market for under $760 per month.

The top of the line G-700S Elite+ Edition targets the private owner and offers standard amenities including two-tone leather seats to match the custom exterior paint, Garmin 496 with XMWX capabilities, a pair of Beyerdynamic HS300 headsets emblazoned with the Gobosh "Spinning G" logo, and enough storage capacity for business or pleasure excursions.

ANN had the opportunity to spend some flight time with the G-700S during AirVenture 2007, and will be bringing our readers and Aero-TV viewers a more detailed feature on this new LSA entry in the near future. Stay tuned.

FMI: www.gobosh.aero