Let’s drive the final stake through the heart of this idea: Light sport airplanes would sell better if they were cheaper. And to pound the stake firmly home, we’ll use the airplane we’re reviewing in this report, the Tecnam Astore, as the hammer.
When the Astore was rolled out at the European Aero show in 2013, we didn’t pay much attention to either the price or the market intent. It looked like just another LSA in a swarm of LSAs. But while we weren’t looking, the Astore has become a best seller, at least for Tecnam, if not in the larger universe of light sport airplanes. Right out of the gate, the Astore—which means Goshawk in Italian—was to be pitched to the upper tier of the light sport spectrum and it sure enough is, with upscale avionics and an interior as luxe as buyers might wish.