Corey Scribner | 
We had a chance to look at the Kappa KP-5 sport plane at the opening weekend of Sport Planes West’s newest office at the Camarillo Airport (CMA), about a half hour north of Los Angeles, CA.
The Kappa is a sleek aircraft that appears to have a lot of potential for fun flying. With a good looking profile and pleanty of room for two passengers and a couple small bags for the weekend, the Kappa is sure to be a popular plane among light sport aircraft enthusiasts.
“This is one of the easiest light sports to get in and out of,” said long-time pilot Tom Wittman as he grabbed the unique roll bar/grab handle down the middle of the cockpit’s canopy area. Another noticeable feature is the Fowler Flaps which help the Kappa acheive its impressive stall speed of 38 knots. The plane also comes with 17 gallons of standard fuel capacity with an option to add another 8 gallons in “long range” tanks.
Under the hood is a Rotax 912 ULS 100 horsepower engine that gives you a 138 mph cruise speed with a 1100 ft./min. climb rate. Empty weight for the plane is 695 lbs. and you have a usefull load capacity of 538 lbs. Pretty good for a couple folks and bit of luggage. The interior arrangement allows for bags to be stored behind the seats and has a small shelf above that for easy to reach items (or maybe a little four-legged friend along for the ride?). Speaking of seats, the pilot seat is mounted about 4 inches further forward than the passenger seat. This arrangement feels quite comfortable with a couple 6 foot plus guys sitting in the plane…no “shoulder smashing” as you might get in some more cramped light sport cockpits.
Overall, the Kappa KP-5 looks like a fun sport plane that we can’t wait to fly.