PlaneFox tracks 1 Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer aircraft for sale and re-reads every one of them from the broker and dealer sites it watches, so the figures below move when the market moves. Every number on this page is measured from those live listings, not taken from a published price guide.
A Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer flies about 260 nm, roughly 482 km, which is about 2 h 33 min in still air at typical cruise.
A Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer costs about EUR 1,830 a month to run, or about EUR 192 for every flight hour when it is flown 150 hours a year.
The Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer is a two-seat, tandem open-cockpit biplane developed by Great Lakes Aircraft Corporation in the United States. The design first flew in 1929, with original production concentrated from 1929 to 1933. It was built as a sport and training aircraft, with aerobatic capability that made it popular with private pilots and barnstorming-era operators. The 2T-1A is the original Sport Trainer configuration, distinct from later revived Great Lakes models and higher-powered derivative variants.
Original Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer aircraft were typically powered by an American Cirrus inline engine of about 90 hp, although many surviving examples have been restored or re-engined over their long lives. Performance varies significantly by engine, propeller, rigging and airframe condition. Representative period figures place cruise performance around the low 80-knot range, with a range of roughly 300 nautical miles and a service ceiling commonly cited around 15,000 feet. Useful load is modest by modern touring standards, reflecting the aircraft’s compact biplane layout and sport-training mission.
The Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer has two tandem seats in open cockpits, normally with the pilot in the rear seat and the passenger or student in front. Cabin comfort is basic: wind protection, seating position, cockpit covers and intercom installation depend heavily on the individual restoration. Buyers should not expect integrated glass avionics such as Garmin Perspective or G1000. Typical equipment is simple VFR instrumentation, often including an airspeed indicator, altimeter, tachometer, oil pressure and temperature gauges, a radio, transponder and ADS-B Out where required. Electrical systems vary between aircraft.
Used-market Great Lakes 2T-1A Sport Trainer aircraft are specialty vintage biplanes rather than conventional trainers or cross-country aircraft. Evaluation should focus on the quality of the restoration, fabric age and condition, wing structure, flying and landing wires, fuselage tube corrosion, control rigging, landing gear alignment, tailwheel condition and documentation of any engine conversion or major repair. Logs should clearly support aerobatic use, inspections and compliance with applicable airworthiness directives or service information.