Aircraft model
BRM AERO S R O BRISTELL LSA
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Bristell is a Czech all-metal low-wing light sport aircraft designed by Milan Bristela, who also designed the SportCruiser, and it is generally regarded as the more refined of the two. Its distinguishing feature is the cabin: at around 51 inches across it is wider than a Cirrus and far wider than any other aircraft in the class.
That cabin, a sliding bubble canopy, good fit and finish and 115 knots on a Rotax make it one of the more desirable light sport aircraft, and the price reflects that — it sits at the top of the market. The reservations are those of any European import: parts come from the Czech Republic through a distributor, the US fleet is modest, and mechanic familiarity is lower than for a Cessna. The Rotax runs happily on mogas and has a 2,000-hour TBO, which keeps running costs genuinely low.
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Put BRM AERO S R O BRISTELL LSA side by side with up to two other models.
- BRM AERO S R O BRISTELL LSA
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Rotax 912 ULS |
| Horsepower | 100 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | LSA |
| Production start | 2011 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 115 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 14,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 900 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 32 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 615 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 423 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,320 lb |
| Empty weight | 705 lb |
| Usable fuel | 32 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 5.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $140,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $475,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $18,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $28,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 86 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 85 |
| Median year built | 2020.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 0 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 31 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 36.47 · 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 85 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 85 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 85 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 6.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 9.2 of 105 |
These record scores treat BRM AERO S R O BRISTELL LSA as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 1 aircraft registered as BRM AERO S R O BRISTELL. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 29.1 · 174 models in class.
- Severity: class median 9.09.
- Access: class median 974.
- Support: class median 81.
- Liquidity: class median 20.47.
- 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.