Considering doing business with TL Sport Aircraft?

One buyer’s impression of the company

Is TL Sport Aircraft for real, is it risky business, what is the experience like?

These are the top inquiries I receive from potential buyers in their decision-making process. All the same questions I asked in the fall of 2023 prior to my purchase, questions that any buyer would naturally consider when doing business overseas with a company they may not be familiar with.

We all have our nightmare scenario: fork over a wad of cash, get a less than desirable airplane months after the promised delivery date and virtually no support after the sale. Stuck holding the proverbial bag.

I am happy to say nothing could be further from the truth. I base this on my factory visit, participation in the builder-assist program and the support received after the delivery. It is a great company! Here is why, in my opinion.

Three aspects of the company that impressed me the most were: 1) the people working there, 2) the fact that just about everything on the airframe is produced in house (including props), and 3) the agility of the company’s manufacturing process.

As I walked around during the factory visit, I noticed the employees look you in the eye when you visit with them; it is obvious they take pride in their work. I picked up what I can best describe as a family-business vibe with an undertone of genuine hospitality. During the builder-assist I observed a 9-hour workday with scheduled breaks and lunch, a sustainable pace that I can only assume contributes to the high quality of their product. Having one experimental aircraft under my belt, I could truly appreciate the skill and proficiency of the workforce and the attention to detail I saw.

The depth of production stems from their broad range of in-house capabilities to include CAD, CNC machines, traditional machine shops, large 3-D printers, curing ovens, programmable composite material cutting machine, paint shop, extensive parts supply, rough and final assembly areas- everything they need to support production. If they need a part, want a better widget or need more, they simply make it. The main office is right across the street and faces the ramp looking towards their hangar at Hradec Airport.

All that capability equals agility for the TL factory. Allow me to provide an example. While exploring the market, I was following the arrival of the Sparker with the Rotax 915 and DUC four blade prop. Trey Murdough, the distributor, was kind enough to keep me in the loop. With the higher hp Rotax 915 generating more heat than its 100hp predecessor, TL was not completely satisfied with the overall cooling performance and decided a redesigned cowling would better suit this engine and the Rotax 916 to follow.

Start the clock. A clean-sheet CAD design is completed in-house by their full-time engineering and design team. That design program gets sent to the 3-D printer and molds are cut. From molds, the layups are done and cured. Next is rough assembly, then final assembly and …presto! You have a new cowling. Back to test flying in roughly two weeks. And yes, it worked. No delays waiting on third-party vendors! This in-house capability is by design.

I had asked about Berringer brakes for my build. They said they had considered them but were not confident in consistent product availability. Guess what? TL makes their own brakes! You get the picture. They are in the business of designing and manufacturing airplanes and being as self-reliant as possible in the process. This affords substantial control over their production process and flow.

These leading-edge aircraft are an investment for most, making the prudent person look beyond the aircraft and to the company behind it. Naturally, questions arise such as: company stability, history, longevity, parts availability and lead time, quality control, hidden cost, responsiveness, servicing...you get the point. All are very real and valid concerns. I pondered every one of them, and more. Most never had reason to look outside the US market until encountering these new high-performance imports and soon realize these concerns stem mostly from lack of exposure. You probably have an opinion in these areas about US manufacturers but not so much for the ones overseas. After due diligence, none proved to be an issue for me.

TL has 35 years in business officially beginning in 1989, just days after the Velvet Revolution (the collapse of the Russian communist block) when private business was finally allowed. The owner/designer has his own great story which can be found on the TL Ultralights web site--worth the read. They have been exporting their aircraft into the U.S. for 21 years. The Sting and Sirius models will be familiar to most, and now the Sparker and Stream are on scene. These airframes were developed in conjunction with experts from the Aviation Institute of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of VUT in Bru of which there has been continuing cooperation over the years. As a result, the Sparker aircraft won Gold at the International Engineering Fair in October of 2023.

If you have any reservation about TL being a “real company” I can assure you, they are for real! I would encourage a factory visit to see for yourself, I’m pretty sure you will come to the same conclusion. I had no reservations about signing my purchase agreement and putting down the deposit after my factory visit. The mechanics of the purchase are like any other, sign your purchase agreement and use an Escrow agent to transfer funds. Quite straight forward and simple thanks to Trey Murdough. If TL Sport Aircraft is on your radar, I hope this information helps with your decision-making process.

Steven Barbour 2024 Stream Turbo

TL Sport Aircraft is the North American distributor for TL Ultralights aircraft which are manufactured in the Czech Republic.

When the term ultralight is mentioned in the U.S. you immediately think FAR Part 103 with tube and Dacron and a max speed of 55knots. In Europe it is just the opposite, it is an LSA aircraft with virtually no restrictions on complexity except for the 1320 max TO weight and a max Vso of 45 knots. As you can see, marketing as TL Ultralights in the US could be a bit misleading and counterproductive, hence the name TL Sport Aircraft.

Hope this helps,

Steven Barbour 2024 Stream Turbo

A great perk of TL Sport Aircraft is that they offer a builder assistance program that facilitates the aircraft being imported and registered in the experimental amateur built category once stateside.

Having participated in this in April of 2024, I hope to share some insight into the process.

First come to the realization these planes, for the most part, are manufactured and assembled by hand. Your arrival must coincide with a point in the production process that facilitates your participation to achieve 51percent. A two-month window to start with would be reasonable expectation, obviously narrowed down as your aircraft begins to manifest itself through the production process.

Key point: you don’t achieve 51% unless you document 51%. There will be an extensive checklist (provided by TL Sport Aircraft) and camera accompanying you along the way, at times it may seem more like a photo shoot than a builder program. Just accept it.

Not until the stateside final assembly will you see your plane as a finished build. Final assembly will complete the remaining items on the build checklist. When I arrived my fuselage was on what I call the rotisserie, the engine on a hoist, and a wing in the paint barn, you get the idea. Your build schedule is work in progress and is mostly driven by production schedules and accessibility. Example, the fabrication shop has an opening today and we can make pushrods, cables and brackets, your starboard wing is going into the paint shop in two days, so plan on that. You get the idea; it is a fluid environment with a lot going on and a lot accomplish.

The experience will be different for everyone depending on your build/maintenance background. Having one build and 25 years of working on engines and airframes I could spend more time on some areas and less on others. Example: wheels and brakes…. they are still just wheels and brakes. Hydraulic system for the gear, ah, let’s dig in.

Utilizing a notebook and my iPhone, I made drawings, took notes and pictures for personal reference where I deemed beneficial for me, especially areas that would be difficult to revisit once fully assembled. You will have ample opportunity to delve into all areas of your aircraft. Familiarizing myself with the maintenance manual helped me get oriented with the airframe before arriving.

Your Stay

Your adventure will probably begin at the Prague airport in the Czech Republic, having either met there or traveled with reps from TL Sport Aircraft. Clearing customs and immigration and getting a rental car is not an issue. My iPhone and Google maps all functioned. Most flights seem to arrive in the am. I would recommend sharing a car from Prague and letting the seasoned travelers do the driving. Attempting to drive after a long flight on busy highways in a foreign country is not my idea of fun, use your best judgement.

Accommodation is driven by your preferences and what is available at the time. I was lucky and happened upon a small one room efficiency suite downtown that became available, which was perfect for me, some may require more luxury. In contrast, I stayed in a nice full-service hotel for my factory visit. Trey can coordinate with the company to see if there are any options other than hotels if you desire. Having your own wheels by day 3 is probably a good idea. Schedules will vary and you can avoid some waits if there are early or late meetings for the reps, but plan on being there from the facilities opening to close. Driving to and from was straight forward after seeing it a few times and rentals are available in Hradec. Waze is your friend!

I absolutely loved downtown Hradec! Food, cobblestone streets, historic buildings, etc. I won’t spoil it for you. On the middle weekend we toured Prague and did some hiking in the beautiful hilly countryside.

The overall experience of engaging at the TL factory with your bird, scoring a ride in some of their other planes, and experiencing Hradec and the Czech Republic is an experience I will always cherish. A shout-out to the whole TL team for making it so great and to Bara for all her outstanding coordination and hospitality.

Airframe mounted on “rotisserie” allowing 360 degrees of rotation for easier access

A little gear OJT

Horizontal stab prepped for paint

Downtown Hradec Kralove, about 15 minutes’ drive from the TL facility at the Hradec airport

Hope this helps,

Steven Barbour 2024 Stream Turbo