SKYREACH BUSHCAT
Originally known as the Rainbow Cheetah, now in its third iteration, having been refined and improved over 19 years, the BushCat continues to enthuse the adventurous amongst us. As the name suggests, the BushCat is designed to operate in and out of back country strips and paddocks. This is due to its rugged design and good STOL performance, there are few places the BushCat cannot get in and out of. A large fuel tank and economical motor (Rotax 912ULS) allow for an excellent operational radius. Available as a taildragger, nose wheel and experimental amphibian (region dependent) SkyReach offers a great bush plane for every mission.
In recent years, SkyReach has concentrated on the kit market and believes it has the quickest and easiest kit to assemble in its class. A highly detailed assembly manual and an extremely accurately packed kit make it the ideal build for the first-time home builder. To prove how simple and quick it is to assemble a BushCat, SkyReach partnered with its Australian distributor and invited 25 senior school learners to build the aircraft in one week. Early one Monday morning in September 2019, the scholars opened the crates containing the BushCat kit and started working. The following Sunday afternoon, the aircraft performed a few circuits at the venue and then the following day was flown 1000km to its new home in the Gold Coast.
Since SkyReach has made significant design improvements to the BushCat over the years, the company is looking into the European market. For this reason, it was decided to undertake an exhaustive structural analysis and flight test regime to prove compliance to CS-LSA standards. The flight test programme was not dissimilar to those imposed on manufactures aiming for certification to FAR23 with the programme taking a full year to complete.
With the widest cabin in its class, ease of maintenance, rugged and reliable design and now possibly the most comprehensively tested LSA aircraft in existence, the BushCat is set for another year of record sales. Even during worldwide lockdown, the company’s international distributors have placed a dozen orders to keep the factory busy once the country opens for business.