Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III
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 Glasair III is the 300 hp, retractable-gear top of the Glasair line: a two-seat composite kit with a 23 ft wing, a Lycoming IO-540 and a 291 knot Vne, which the owners' table puts at 242 knots at 75 percent, a 68 knot flapped stall, 2,140 fpm at gross and 1,077 nm, on 2,400 lb with 775 lb useful.
It is one of the fastest piston kits ever sold and it demands to be flown like one: approach speeds in the 90s, a wing loading near 30 lb/sq ft and a reputation for punishing inattention, with insurers expecting real retractable and high-performance time plus type transition. The IO-540 and constant-speed propeller cost what they cost in any 300 hp single, and the retractable gear adds its own inspection and overhaul schedule. Each III is a builder's work - engine, tip extensions, slotted flaps, panel - and composite quality and the aircraft's own weight-and-balance matter more than the type figures. Two current listings in the $135,000-$179,000 range is a thin market; take a wide view before paying.
Variants of the Glasair III
- Glasair III · 1986 · 153 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
Compare with…
Put Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III side by side with up to three other models.
- Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III
Open Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III in Compare
Watch this model
One email a day if anything changes: new ADs and NTSB records.
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-540 (300 hp) |
| Horsepower | 300 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1986 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 242 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,077 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | 2,140 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 68 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 775 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,625 lb |
| Usable fuel | 70 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 13.5 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $135,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $179,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 234 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 153 |
| Median year built | 1998 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 6 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 39.221 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 32.682 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 24 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 15.693 |
| Airworthiness directives | 4 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 153 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 153 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 153 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 1.6 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 1.1 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 3.3 of 103 |
| Support | 7.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 16.3 out of 506 |
- 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 7 · scores Sep 30