The history of StarFlight Aircraft

The company founder, Dick Turner, started in late 1979 at Liberty Landing, a rural airport near Liberty Missouri, as an Eagle and Wizzard dealer.  He was not happy with the designs or the workmanship so he decided to do his own using all aircraft grade hardware and tubing.

1981/82 the Starfire

14 were built, some with a 15 or 20 HP Yamaha, most had a 295 Cayuna and a few had the larger 340 Cayuna.  We have located one surviving example and are assisting the owner restoring it.

1982/84 the TriStar

This was a three axis version of the StarFire.  A single place Ultralight with kingpost and wires, elevator, cable control spoilers, cable control rudder and pedals.  They had spoilers, nose wheel steering and brake, center mount inverted engine with shaft drive and belt reduction.

219 were sold, some with a 295 or 340 Cayuna engine, some had a 277 or 377 Rotax and some later ones had a 430 Cayuna or 447 Rotax.

1983 the Starflight series

This was a name change with black painted tubing on an improved Tristar.

TX1000 (shown above) A single place Ultralight with spoilers, kingpost and wires, center mount inverted engine with an improved shaft drive and belt reduction, dual cross tubes and two round cockpit tubes, nose gear steering, nose gear brace tube and ‘Aluma-Torsion’ main gear suspension. Spoiler control was changed to a Morse cable and some of these were modified for use as agricultural sprayers.

179 were sold, many with a 340 or 430 Cayuna engine.  Others had a 377 or 447 Rotax, a few sprayers had a 503 Rotax

DBL   The first two place trainer. It had wing struts instead of wires, center mount inverted engine with shaft drive and belt reduction, dual cross tubes and two round cockpit tubes. Later models had rear mount inverted engine with gear drive. These were the first “Ultralight trainer” made and won an award at Oshkosh in 1983.

14 were sold with a 447 Rotax engine, four more had a 503.

1984 There were major changes to the main chassis and all new model designations.

XC280 A single place Ultralight with a 277, 377 or 447 Rotax, spoilers, wires and square cockpit and axle tubes, round nose tube, inverted rear mount engine with gear reduction drive, flexible main gear legs.

XC320 A longer wing version ussually with a 447 Rotax engine.

XC2000 A two place trainer with a 447 or 503 Rotax engine, long wing, spoilers, wires, square single cockpit and axle tube, round nose tube, inverted rear mount engine with gear drive.

Stiletto A double surface wing option was available on all XC models.

About 200 of the XC series were sold.

1987 A longer and larger cage assembly was developed with a revised boom tail system that could accommodate larger engines and props.

Agflight had conventional ailerons, the long 32 foot wing with 4 compression struts and 11 battens per side. They were modified for agricultural sprayers. We know that a number of these were built with either a 503 or 532 Rotax and most went to South America.

XC2000 2 place version but with Junkers style ailerons, rectangular down tubes, center down tube, rear mount upright 532 or inverted 503 engine with gear drive, They had a slightly shorter 30′ wing span than the earlier XC2000 with 10 rib battens, four compression struts per side and a revised boom tail.

1992 (approx)

We know that a new company was formed called VsTolAir

 VsTolAir made a tail dragger version of the XC with leading edge slats, and they made a truss frame tricycle or tail dragger called the SS2000 and a twin engine (T) version, but little else is known about them.

Around 14 twin pusher engine aircraft were made and sold in South America and a few went as far as Africa.  We know of one twin that is being restored in Guatemala.

All aircraft production stopped in the late ‘90’s.