Much lamenting has been heard regarding the price of Light-Sport Aircraft. It isn’t hard to understand given prices that now exceed $140,000. Was such inflation supposed to happen? I’ve explained how this occurred, and the biggest culprit, by far, is the exchange rate difference between dollars and euros. (Other factors include the time value of money and the desire by many buyers to have high-end instrument panels and features.) *** For a time, we thought the low costs of labor in Eastern European countries would overwhelm Yankee producers… and for a time they did. However, RANS — one of America’s most successful kit suppliers (more than 4,000 delivered!) — is offering the S-6ELS at only $63,000. This equates to only $53,500 in 2004 dollars when the new rule came out, which was about the cost of a Flight Design CT at that time. *** The S-6ELS comes with the 80hp Rotax 912 and a decent analog panel in either trigear or taildragger configurations.
Archives for November 2009
Under Intense Scrutiny — Zenith & AMD CH-601XL
Bad as in-flight break-up accidents are, many opinions often blur the big picture. Last spring NTSB recommended FAA “ground the fleet,” so to say. FAA chose further study. When additional CH-601s became involved, media and organizations jumped on the bandwagon. Let’s review. *** The focus is on the CH-601XL, of which about 1,500 kits have been sold since its introduction in 1984. Approximately half are complete and flying, said Zenith boss, Sebastien Heintz. *** Of the airplanes that broke up two were fully-built SLSA. One was built by Czech Aircraft Works; the other by AMD. The rest are owner-built kits… essentially one-off airplanes. Comparing one to a factory-built airplane is apples and oranges. *** Some allege Zenith and AMD have ignored the problem, but lots of detailed info on Zenith’s website suggests otherwise. Sebastien buttressed this saying, “We believe our effort is an example of an industry doing the right thing.
Belite’s Carbon Fiber Part 103 Ultralight Vehicle
If you’ve been around aviation long enough you’ve heard the Q&A: “Know how to make a small fortune in aviation? Start with a large one!” Yet aviation can always use fresh talent, so welcome former tech entrepreneur, James Wiebe, turned aviation businessman. From his days building Mac peripherals under the name Newer Technology (and reaching sales of $60 million), Wiebe sold his tech enterprises and, in January 2009, bravely launched Belite Aircraft. The first flight came July 4th. *** Wiebe chose to incorporate stronger, lighter carbon fiber technologies to replace steel, wood, and aluminum. The result is a three-axis, full-cockpit airplane with a full instrument panel that can be built to weigh less than Part 103’s 254-pound maximum. Though employing plenty of costly carbon fiber including on the firewall, Belite uses a welded steel frame for strength and safety. The premium Belite 254 CF includes carbon fiber wing spars and ribs, hydraulic brakes, aluminum wheels, full flight instrumentation, built in transceiver, a bigger 45-hp engine, enhanced electrical system, and a Gizmo GPS dock.
Flying MySky’s MS-1 — Homebase: Spruce Creek
Lucky me. On a warm, sunny day I drove less than a mile to the airport’s Downwind Cafe restaurant where I met the developers of MySky (the company) and their MS-1 (a new LSA model). After a tasty lunch we strolled over to their facility and hangar. All the while I was within a mile of my home; last year my wife and I caught a good deal at Spruce Creek, an upscale residential airpark. *** MySky is located on this airport and quietly, their team has been developing what I’d call the first of the “high-performance tandem LSA.” We have seven other tandem LSA (check at PlaneFinder 2.0) but none cruises near the 120-knot limit. MS-1 will, with its 120-hp Jabiru 3300 6-cylinder powerplant. *** Company VP, Tim Plunkett (an engineer and pilot of airliners to Pitts Specials) has been flight testing for 140 hours.
AOPA Summit 2009 Broadens Outreach of LSA
In its first year as the AOPA “Summit” (versus “Expo”), the 70-year-old, 415,000-member organization made lots of changes large and small. Among the most notable under capable new president Craig Fuller was much greater attention to LSA. Here’s the fast-read update… *** AOPA announced their 2010 Sweepstakes airplane is a Remos GX; the company had multiple displays and aircraft. Cessna brought a Skycatcher for selected reporters to fly. Craig Fuller had Icon A5 developer Kirk Hawkins on the center-hall stage. EAA’s Earl Lawrence led a LSA panel of FAA and industry experts (including yours truly). LAMA operated an LSA Mall area and had fruitful discussions with AOPA to advance goals of the LSA industry. SeaMax USA showed off their simulator seaplane running on MS Flight Sim. Tecnam North America, with several aircraft on display, announced new service centers for the popular Italian line of aircraft they now represent.
Heavy Topic for Light Aviation… LSA Safety
Others have written about LSA safety but did not reveal underlying facts. While I prefer to blog about new aircraft, LSA safety is a worthy topic. Here’s the quick summary: While every loss is tragic to family and friends, LSA safety numbers are better than some predicted. Now some detail. *** According to FAA records in the four-year period from August of 2005 to June of 2009, Special Light-Sport Aircraft experienced 12 fatal accidents resulting in the loss of 18 lives. *** In 10 of the 12 accidents a licensed pilot was in control (that is, not a Sport Pilot). Altogether, 10 manufacturers were affected. Only one, variations of the CH-601 produced by three companies, had multiple accidents and that veteran design remains under investigation so conclusions would be premature. *** In 2007, a year of high sales and activity, the industry experienced five crashes and eight fatalities. All other years had half that or less.