Yesterday, I paid a visit to Cessna Aircraft and was generously hosted by John Doman, their VP of worldwide prop aircraft sales, Roger Martin, director of prop marketing, and Darren Jones, one of Cessna’s LSA Core Team members and a principal author of the business case being prepared to show Cessna and Textron management why proceeding with the LSA is advised. Leaders are still grappling with several challenges but one aspect has been confirmed. Through potential customer research and by talking to their 400 Cessna Pilot Centers and their dozens of STAR dealers, Cessna has become certain of the market for an LSA. You may already be convinced of this but the world’s largest airplane builder has data to prove their conclusion…such as 3,300 qualified customer surveys from those distributed at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. We were also given a tour of their jet manufacturing in one of the largest buildings in the state of Kansas.
Archives for November 2006
Sky Skooter Makes Two SLSA for IndUS
Dallas, Texas-based IndUS Aviation earned their second SLSA model approval with certification of the T-11 Sky Skooter. Powered by the four cylinder, 85-hp Jabiru 2200, Sky Skooter becomes the lighter sibling to the potent Thorpedo, which uses the 120-hp Jabiru 3300 on the same airframe. Compared to IndUS’s T-211 with the Continental O-200 engine, the smaller Jabiru saves 100 pounds. Fuel burn is stated as 4 gph at economy cruise. At the design’s birth in 1944, Sky Skooter was designed around a 50-hp Franklin engine. With the lighter engine, the 2006 Sky Skooter tips the scales at a modest “645 pounds empty,” commented Ram Pattisapu, owner of IndUS. That is less than most Light-Sport Aircraft and brings pleasant handling as I found in a short flight in the prototype Sky Skooter. I find it refreshing to see a company use a smaller powerplant and simpler aircraft. But I ask the same question as with the Skykits Savannah ADV: Is Sky Skooter a “new” model for our SLSA List?
Dynamic LSA Industry…Staying Informed!
To say the pace has been frenetic for professionals in the LSA industry is both understatement and nothing new to those involved. Most LSA pros are working “day and night” (as one put it) just to get all the work done. It makes for a very exciting time as well as an exhausting one. The chart to the side shows their progress in graphical form. Based on a measurement at the 18-month point, nine companies have made 80% of the SLSA deliveries. But companies that hardly factored in this count are beginning to ship and future shares are certain to change. Early leaders are well positioned to grow (even given Cessna’s possible LSA entry). *** To help you keep up with the warp speed developments, I am happy to introduce the “SLSA List” under the Light-Sport Aircraft tab. This new list is fully up-to-date and I’ll try to keep it so.
Colyaer Amphib is Newest Floatplane SLSA
On the same day Van first flew his RV-12 LSA and on the same day AOPA’s Expo 2006 opened with a fleet of LSA on display, LSA Aero president Don Langford received #44 SLSA certification for the Freedom from Troy Hart of the Memphis FSDO (photo). The following week Decatur, Alabama-based LSA Aero delivered the first Freedom amphibian to its owner. Langford says the Freedom, part of a family of airplanes based on the design, “is the culmination of eight years of development by Colyaer of Pontevedra, Spain.” The Martin3 landplane and Gannet non-amphib seaplane share the same wing, cabin, tail, and fuselage down to the waterline, added Langford. *** Glide performance from the 40.3-foot wings is said to be 20:1 and this helps keep water runs to a reported 8 seconds. Empty weight with the amphibious gear is 854 pounds but LSA seaplanes can gross at 1,430 pounds yielding a respectable 576-pound useful load.
LSA Are a Big Hit at Palm Springs AOPA Expo
The 2006 version of AOPA’s annual Expo was a watershed event for Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft, IMHO. Last year, at the Tampa, Florida Expo, pilots were interested in LSA but it seemed more curiosity…”Maybe these aircraft will interest me in the future,” was a common statement. At the Palm Springs, California event, interest was much sharper. Pilots were talking about buying. And many pilots who earned their Private but have only rented, or those who took some lessons but never finished were now looking hard. GA airplane costs prevented many from getting involved and those flying enthusiasts now perceived a solution to the expense: LSA. *** AOPA again generously gave free space to LSA suppliers and they accepted in droves. Last year we had a dozen LSA at Tampa. This year, we had 20 models, one fifth of all airplanes on display at Palm Springs. A seminar I gave on LSA as affordable aviation was SRO (standing room only); they packed the large room to hear the state of the LSA industry.
AMD’s CH-601 XL Tops Off a Great 2005
The newest Special Light-Sport Aircraft to win approval will help the industry close out a spectacular year. In 2005, starting only by mid-April, 23 designs have won their airworthiness certificate under the ASTM Consensus Standards. For the year, #23 goes to Aircraft Manufacturing and Development of Eastman, Georgia. The AMD Zodiac CH 601 XL is powered by the Continental engine and all of it is built in the USA. American A&P mechanics are very familiar with the O-200 engine, which assures availability of service across the country. Since the southeastern U.S. company also builds the FAA Part 23 certified Alarus four seater, they are assembling the 601 to that high standard (such process meets the ASTM standards). The all-metal design flies conventionally and has won praise for its handling and performance. The CH 601 is one of several designs by Chris Heintz, father of Mathieu Heintz, president of AMD.