About Us
The Thorp T-18 and S-18
In 1963, John Thorp designed his 18th design, the T-18 Tiger. As an all-metal, 2-seat, aircraft design, they were originally built just from plans. Flying at upwards of 200 mph, and with a design that allowed people to build this plane in their garage, it soon became one of the most popular amateur built aircraft designs on the market.
In 1984, John Thorp and Lou Sunderland improved the design with the S-18. The first major improvement was a folding wing designed to be trailered home for maintenance or hangar savings. The new wing has an improved airfoil for lower staff speed without affecting top speed. It is also stronger, which carries the +6/-3 "G" load to a higher gross weight over the T-18.
The second major redesign involved widening the fuselage by two inches to 40 inches at the shoulder. In order to maintain proper proportions, the S-18 is 5 inches longer, behind the pilot, than the T-18 while still maintaining the unique Thorp look.
Quality Aircraft
At Thorp Aircraft, our mission is to provide top-quality kit aircraft that meet and exceed industry standards with our kits, sub-kits, parts and plans. The S-18 is a nimble and versatile homebuilt kit aircraft with excellent handling characteristics.
Choose Your Panel Layout
With the versatile panel layout, you can easily build the perfect panel to meet your dreams and mission. From a simple day VFR panel with 'steam' gauges to the full IFR glass panel that would be the envy of any pilot.
Performance
PERFORMANCE
- Gross Weight 1,600 lbs
- Empty Weight 1,000 lbs
- Useful Load 600 lbs
- Wingspan 20' 10"
- Length 18' 6"
- Rate of Climb 1500 FPM
- Luggage 80 lbs
- Fuel-Std Tank 29 Gal
- Wing Tanks 24 Gal
- Range Std Tank 540 SM
- With Wing Tanks 900 SM
- 75% Cruise 180 MPH
- Top Speed 200 MPH
- Stall Speed 63 MPH
- Seats 2 side by side
- Engine Lycoming O-290, O-320, IO-320, O-360 or IO-360
