Mini Size, Maximum Fun

Whether you build it or buy it ready to fly, this Czech designed SSDR will put a big grin on your face

- Dave Unwin

Having strapped on the SD-1 (well, that’s what it feels like) I gestured at the fuel sight tube: “Looks like around twenty litres Jiri, so how much playtime do I have−about an hour and a half?” “Approximately four hours,” he replied with a grin. Now, I’d subconsciously included the thirty minutes ‘day VFR’ reserve in my guesstimation, but still…

As some sectors of UK general aviation seem determined to price themselves out of existence, it’s always refreshing to discover a new, fun type that is also genuinely affordable. Having flown several interesting single-seaters (and being the owner of a Jodel D.9) the smart little SD-1 really caught my eye at the 2017 LAA Rally at Sywell. Once I learned a brand new example could be ‘flown away’ for around £22,000, I wasted no time insetting up a flight test−and UK agent Jiri Krajca obligingly flew it to Fenland one afternoon last month.

As it taxied across the grass the SD-1 looked a little reminiscent of the Mini- Max, probably because of the canopy, although it is actually a clean-sheet design from Igor Spacek, and intended to meet SSDR rules whilst also being competitively priced and−of course−fun to fly! My initial thoughts are that the build quality is very good; even close-up the wing and fuselage are so smoothly finished they look like they are made from composite (but are actually ply skinned). Although a relatively simple aircraft to build and fly, the SD-1 is not the easiest to write about, as it is available with three different undercarriage arrangements, five different engines, and even an enlarged fuselage. Consequently, this report will focus on the actual aircraft tested, G-CJLU.