Pulsar XP
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Pulsar XP is the 1992 Rotax 912 version of Mark Brown's Pulsar, a small two-seat composite kit descended from his Star-Lite: 25 ft span, 660 lb empty, 1,200 lb gross, about 122 knots at 75 % power, a 49 mph stall and 17 gallons (the maker publishes no 75 %-power range figure with a 30-minute reserve).
The Pulsar is an efficient, pretty aeroplane for two slim people, and the research found only one specification block for the whole line, apparently for the 115 hp Series II, so the figures above almost certainly flatter an 80 hp XP and the original Rotax 582 Pulsar is slower and lighter still; the engine and model fitted and the aircraft's own test figures are what to rely on. Composite construction from a company that changed hands three times means builder support was uneven, and the layup quality and fuel system are the inspection items. It is a narrow cockpit with tricycle gear and light handling. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate; Pulsar Aircraft's parts support has lapsed and the owners' group is the resource.
Variants of the Aero Designs Pulsar
- Pulsar XP · 1992 · 68 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 14.4 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
Compare with…
Put Pulsar XP side by side with up to three other models.
- Pulsar XP
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Rotax 912UL (80 hp, XP standard); 912ULS / 914 on Series II |
| Horsepower | 80 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1992 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise (75 % power) | 122 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range (75 %, standard fuel, 30-min reserve) | — |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,200 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 43 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 550 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,060 lb |
| Empty weight | 510 lb |
| Usable fuel | 19.5 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 3.5 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 150 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 68 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 29.41 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 29.41 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 14 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.59 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 68 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 68 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 68 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 4.5 of 103 |
| Support | 4.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.3 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 14.4 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 8 · scores Sep 30