The TL Ultralight TL-96 Star is a single-engine,

side-by-side configuration Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

two seat

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

, designed in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

in the 1990s. More than 150 have been registered.

Design and development

The TL-96 Star is a single-engine,

low wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

seating two side by side under a prominent single-piece, forward-hinging canopy. A second, fixed transparency forms the rear of the cabin. The structure is all composite, a mixture of glass and carbon fibre reinforced plastics ( CFRP). Its wings are unswept and have constant chord apart from a slight rounding of the leading edge at the tips; they carry plain inboard flaps. The one-piece,

all-moving tailplane A stabilator is a fully movable aircraft horizontal stabilizer. It serves the usual functions of longitudinal stability, control and stick force requirements otherwise performed by the separate parts of a conventional horizontal stabilizer (whic ...

has a similar plan and is fitted with a central

anti-balance tab A servo tab is a small hinged device installed on an aircraft control surface to assist the movement of the control surfaces. Introduced by the German firm Flettner, servo tabs were formerly known as Flettner tabs. Servo tabs are not true se ...

. The fin and rudder are swept, the latter

horn balanced Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family o ...

. It has a

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...

with faired wheels and cable brakes. The Star can be powered by one of several

flat four A flat-four engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-four engine or boxer engine, is a four-cylinder piston engine with two banks of cylinders lying on opposite sides of a common crankshaft. The most common type of flat-four engine is the box ...

engines, including the 60 kW (80 hp)

Rotax 912 The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, la ...

, the 86 kW (115 hp)

Rotax 914 The Rotax 914 is a turbo-charged, four-stroke, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed aircraft engine with air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled cylinder heads. It is designed and built by the Austrian company BRP-Powertrain, owned by Bombardier ...

or the 67 kW (90 hp) Aero Prag AP-45. The Rotax engines drive three-blade propeller, the Aero Prag a two-blade wooden one. The Star flew for the first time in November 1997 and had achieved German certification before 2000.

Variants

;TL-2000 StingCarbon (2002-2004) :An all CFRP version, introduced in 2002, that gained Czech certification. Its span was reduced by 760 mm (30 in) and length by 570 mm (22.4 in), though the empty weight increased by 10 kg (22 lbs). ;TL 2000 RG (2003) :A retractable gear model with a cruise speed of that was announced before the first flight at Aero '03 in

Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...

. ;TL StingSport (2004-2006) :US SLSA model introduced in 2005 ;TL-2000 Sting S3 (2007 - 2009) :Announced at Sun'n'Fun 2007, Lakeland, Florida, succeeding the StingSport. This is a more advanced version of the StingSport with a new, tapered wing of greater span (9.11 m or 29 ft 11 in), area and

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

and with larger flaps. 540 lbs useful load. Main Tank 21 gal, plus 2 wing tanks 6 gal ea. for a total of 32 gallons fuel. It has a higher level of instrumentation and a

ULS engine. Speeds with 912ULS engine: Cruise 75% 115kn, Va: 118kn, Vr: 45kn, Vx: 50kn, Vy: 55kn, Vne: 164kn, Vso: 39kn@max gross. Climb Rates with Rotax 912ULS 1200+ fpm, w/single pilot, @max gross, 800+ fpm ;TL-2000 Sting S4 (2010 - Present) :Model introduced in 2010 that is an improved version of the S3. It incorporates an improved canopy, redesigned instrument panel and cockpit, main landing gear, engine cowling, and tail surfaces. Standard engines available are the

Rotax 912UL The Rotax 912 is a flat-four engine, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke engine, four-stroke aircraft engine with a Propeller speed reduction unit, reduction gearbox. It features Radiator (engine cooling), l ...

Rotax 912ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, ...

and 912iS, and the

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

powerplants.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', pages 84–85. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ;TL-2000 Sting S4 RG :Retractable gear version of the S4 with a maximum level speed of . Standard engines available are the

and 912iS, and the

powerplants.

Operational history

As of mid-2010, there were 202 TL-96 Stars and 153 TL-2000 Stings on European civil registers, excluding Russia.

Accidents

On 25 July 2020, shortly after takeoff a TL-96 suffered a structural failure and crashed into a residential building near the city of

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel i ...

in Western

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, killing both aircraft occupants and one woman in the apartment that it impacted.

Specifications (TL-96 Star, Rotax 912)

References

External links

TL Ultralight product page
{{TL Ultralight aircraft TL-96 Star 1990s Czech and Czechoslovak ultralight aircraft