The BushCat History

In the late 1990’s a need was identified for a simple robust, cost effective, bush capable tri axis aircraft. 

Under Mike Blyth (who later went on to develop the world renowned Sling Aircraft) Rainbow Aircraft created an entirely new design that was released to the public as the Cheetah in 2001.

The Cheetah aircraft was constantly developed and improved and the second generation Cheetah XLS was released in 2008.

Mike Blyth left Rainbow Aircraft (to start the Sling project) and subsequently, new ownership under the banner of Skyreach continued the development of the Cheetah XLS platform.

In 2012 the third generation BushCat aircraft was flown which included several design updates. The most significant changes were:

• changing the wing aerofoil from the original Clark-Y to a more symetrical profile
• increasing the empenage surface area by up to 50% and replacing the ventral fin with a top fuselage fillet
• replacing the undercarriage with a clean and efficient aluminium sprung unit with hydraulic brakes
  
  

Released to the public in 2013, the BushCat underwent a rigorous and continuous evaluation process with the test pilots at Test Flight Academy which confirmed the robustness of the design and its docile flight characteristics.

Over the next decade over 300 Bushcats were sold and the aircraft earned a solid reputation and a global  footprint.

Skyreach was approved as an AMO and the Bushcat was offered as a homebuild LSA kit or factory built SLSA.

The Skyreach factory had a comprehensive manufacturing facility that produced all the parts for the aircraft and had an in house design team with 2 qualified aeronautical engineers on staff.

However an unfortunate collusion of events took place that was triggered by the Covid 19 economic downturn and changes to LSA regulations in the USA, which directly affected sales.

The difficult decision was made to close down SkyReach and Bushcat production in 2024.

However there is good news.  The BushCat story doesn’t end there.  A new chapter has begun.  The full rights to the BushCat have been acquired  by Errol van Rensburg and his team at Global Aviation Products (GAP) in Australia, who are now carrying the legacy forward with fresh energy and vision.

Starting early 2026 Homebuilt ELSA  kits will be available.

For more information on  pricing or to place a pre-order please contact us.