| Year introduced | 1988 |
| Nation of origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | home-built |
| Scale | 3/4ers |
| Serial/tail # | N37835 |
| Floor/suspended | floor |
| Wingspan | 19 feet |
| Length | 17 feet |
| Donated by | Bob Gilbert |
The Sportfire is a single-place, single-engine, low-wing cantilever monoplane, with fixed tailwheel-type landing gear. No flaps are fitted. The cockpit is enclosed by a sliding (military-style) bubble canopy and a fixed windshield.
This airplane was designed to obtain the best possible performance from a 1700cc Volkswagen (Monnett Aerovee), automotive engine conversion. Plus, be structurally sound enough for recreational aerobatics (load limit of +/- 4g’s), and to have ample control surface area and angular travel for excellent control authority near the stall.
The airframe is shaped to resemble, as much as possible, the Mark 24 Spitfire. The structure is a conventional semi-monocoque fuselage with cantilever wing and tail surfaces.
The primary structure is laminated Douglas-Fir and Birch aircraft plywood. The secondary structure (all leading edges and control surfaces) is 2lb./cu.ft. urethane and styrene foam skinned with Rand 6 oz. fiberglass cloth and Dow 330 epoxy resin. All hardware is A.N. Spec.
