Highlander vs Escapade

[rnk]

I have led a sheltered life and just recently learned about Just Aircraft. Based on all of the posts I have seen, everyone seems to really love the Highlander. I can see from the literature that the Highlander would be a more rugged plane than the Escapade. Can any of you with real world experience with them tell me why you chose one over the other, and what the pros and cons would be?

Any insights any of you can provide would be appreciated.

[danerazz]

Though no escapade experience, the highlander gives you "more," more of all the good stuff. The tail is bigger and more effective, the wings are longer with bigger control surfaces, short field performance should be better, the gear is a little beefier, (if you shell out for the extreme gear A LOT beefier, though probably not necessary (I got it, but for extra ground clearance)), upgraded wheels, and they still indicate the doors are the old forward swinging doors on the escapade, though I thought they only did the swing up doors these days (can open them in flight).

If you are just flying around, the escaped would be fine, though due to the demand I believe the highlander would have higher resale. I think the proportions look better on the highlander, though that isn't really that important. There is at least one "escalander" on this forum, being an escapade that got highlander wings.

[ScottieB]

I feel ya, brother. 4 years ago I was in your shoes. I was looking to build myself an airplane and had researched several other offerings. There really are some nice kits available out there and I was comparing 4 or 5 different models, all the time having no knowledge that Just Aircraft even existed.
Then I saw the light.
I found out about Just Air and their offerings through a Kitplanes article, visited the factory and the rest is history. I immediately ordered a Highlander kit and STILL didn't know about the Escapade simply because the Highlander was stealing the show at the time. I came to South Carolina and started building my Highlander at the factory (taking advantage of their build assist program) and earned my pilot's license while building. I learned a little about the Escapade during this time and although I heard good comments about it once in a while, I actually had no idea what a fine little airplane it is until I became an employee and got permission to fly the company's Escapade because my Highlander wasn't ready yet. I built a lot of hours in that plane over the summer of 2013. It is actually a fantastic airplane with more capabilities than you'd expect at first sight. I do love my Highlander, which is flying now, but I'll still sing the praises of that little Escapade. She's a fine ship that'll do you proud.
It's kind of funny though, how "what comes around goes around". Now the Superstol is stealing the show and the Highlander doesn't get quite as much attention.
They are all three such great airplanes (personal experience) that it's hard to look over any of them for the other. In my opinion, the Escapade is just a little faster, maybe 5 mph, so it could be considered more sporty and nimble - better for cross country use, while still maintaining off field capabilities. The Highlander is a bit more of a bush plane because of its increased control authority at slower speeds and more rugged landing gear. The Superstol is hard to describe without using expletives. The necessary words are not hardly found in an airplane dictionary. The only other things I have seen that can land that short are a helicopter and a parachute. (or maybe a buzzard).

[ScottieB]

Oh, I forgot to mention - the doors on today's Escapade hinge at the top.

[rnk]

Thanks for the input guys. It is appreciated!

[Gil T]

A few things to think about.

The Escapade is just as "rugged" as a Highlander since it has the same fuselage. I suppose if you installed heavier gear you could say it was a bit better. My plane is a Highlander that started out as an Escapade until Troy asked "would you like the longer wing?" and I said "sure why not?". The wings are different only in the placing of the struts. The attach points are 18" farther out on the Highlander wing. My wings started out as Escapade wings and were lengthened during build up. I didn't notice this until Troy's dad mentioned this to me last year. The other difference of course is the tail. I already had the Escapade tail installed on my airframe which I removed and installed the larger Highlander tail. I suspect the larger tail is needed because of the longer Highlander wing and as we all know this is definitely a "rudder" airplane. So what I have is a Highlander with wing struts 18" closer in than almost all of them. Or an Escapade with long wings and a big tail. It is registered as an Escapade. As to the quality and toughness they are equal. The speeds of an Escapade is faster, but just a little bit. The runway required of a Highlander is less, but just a little. The Escapade is a little more nimble and the Highlander can land a little slower. So you have to decide if you want to spend a few thousand more for a little more short field performance or use that few thousand for some more electronic candy. I haven't mentioned the Super STOL because that would talking about another airplane.

Please consider the value of my advice may be what you have payed for it.

Gil T