People tried to call it Oh-nex, but the giveaway is the single seat. I got it… One-ex. The clever name is adapted from the company name and one of its models, Sonex, and fits with the Waiex and Xenos. All are variations on a very successful theme (1,600 kits sold), and like the other models, Onex can be powered by the AeroVee engine. Along with a modestly priced airframe kit, the company’s own low-cost four-stroke engine helps to constrain the budget. *** A primary goal with Onex was to make ownership even more affordable, a challenge for a company that already boasts low prices. Onex is still in development so no performance numbers or costs have been finalized. But with a two-place Sonex at about $25,000 for all components including engine, Onex could be as low as $20,000, says the manufacturer. In 2010, that’s pretty amazing for an 80-hp single place that ought to perform like crazy and is suitable for most positive G aerobatics, says designer and general manager, Jeremy Monnett.
Archives for August 2010
A Raging Debate… IFR, IMC, VMC, and LSA
In the last month, I’ve received many calls and emails from more than a dozen flight schools. Here, I will try to reduce the confusion — and some alarm — regarding IFR (flying by instrument reference) and LSA.
ASTM’s F37 committee is comprised of people with technical knowledge and they have done the nearly-impossible: start with a blank sheet of paper and create aircraft certification standards for the LSA sector… in just five years, and on the leanest of budgets. These volunteers from many countries created a series of standards, one of which is the Design and Performance Standard. Following a positive vote by committee members, all have been accepted by FAA.
For more than three years another subcommittee has tried to create an IFR standard that has yet to find agreement. Until consensus may be found and to provide an interim defensive position for the committee and for manufacturers, F37 added a point to the revised but yet-to-be-accepted-by-FAA D&P Standard.
New Flight Design Offerings — Summer 2010
Flight Design has maintained their substantial lead in market share partly through a strategy of steady innovation. The German company and its U.S. partners regularly develop new products and introduce them with pizzazz. The company’s press conference and exhibit space at Oshkosh 2010 revealed this methodology. *** AirVenture visitors got to examine the CTLS Lite on amphibious floats. CTLS Lite — unveiled at a significantly-reduced price and dramatically-reduced empty weight — was introduced only three months earlier at Sun ‘n Fun. By Oshkosh 2010, that new model sat atop amphib floats that have already recorded a number of flights from water and land. *** The floats are from Clamar and were developed in concert with Flight Design distributor Airtime Aviation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, arguably the nation’s largest dealer of LSA. “The Clamar floats match the structure and the feel of the Flight Design planes,” said Tom Peghiny, president of importer Flight Design USA.
‘Net Surfin’ for LSA News
Knocking around the ‘Net looking for signs that Light Sport is alive and well… *** Michael Combs is nearing the end of his 19,000 mile odyssey — what a vision. Latest word from PR dude Dave Gustafson is that the Flight for the Human Spirit in a Remos GX has made it to my old west coast stompin’ grounds. Five jewels of the left coast — San Diego, Burbank, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and San Jose — were on the itinerary for one magical flight day over one of the most beautiful stretches of coastal landscape in the world. God speed Michael, 18,000 miles and 45 states and you’re nearly done. • Imagine the human experience he’s having, flying all summer, meeting all the great people he’s met. I’m jealous, I admit it. • BTW, pilots are encouraged to fly along for any portion of Michael’s Flight.
LSA Sales Continue Slowly; Change Among Leaders
While most of the LSA industry — as with most of aviation — endures unprecedented slow sales, at least two companies are showing reasonably good 2010 performances. *** Washington-based CubCrafters is the clear market leader for the first seven months of 2010, with 27 new registrations. We repeat, as always, that FAA registrations do not equal sales; individual company statistics may be different. Following CubCrafters is CSA’s PiperSport with 18 new registrations and Flight Design with an even dozen. *** All the Big Six companies remain the same — in their rank for the entire LSA fleet — though some shifting occurred: Flight Design; American Legend; CubCrafters (moving from 4th to 3rd ranked); Tecnam (3rd to 4th); Czech Sport Aircraft (builder of the PiperSport, 6th to 5th); and Remos (5th to 6th). These Big Six all have more than 100 registered airplanes in FAA’s database, though they are trailed by only a few airplanes by Jabiru USA and Evektor.
Icon A5 Update
In mid-water taxi toward its anticipated production date sometime next year, Icon Aircraft was at Oshkosh again with an impressive display booth/tent/hangar, and every time I walked by, whether early morning or late at night, there were always people ogling that beautiful airplane. *** The company has made two major design changes over the last few months which are interesting and worthy of attention. (1) The wing flaps are gone, ostensibly to “simplify” pilot operations. Company spokesfolk say they weren’t getting sufficient benefit from the flaps to justify their weight and complexity. (2) A desire to work in more spin resistance has led to airframe tweaks, including wing cuffs to lower the stall speed of the composite carbon fiber SLSA. *** I and others had wondered, after our first looks at that streamlined profile when the A5 debuted a couple years back, how Icon was ever going to get stall speed below the 45-knot minimum, even with flaps.
Sport Pilots: Fly to the Bahamas in Your LSA!
It’s a first… the acceptance of Sport Pilots into another country. I don’t refer to acceptance of Light-Sport Aircraft in other nations; that’s already happening in a dozen countries with 30 more studying the method of certification. When the Islands of the Bahamas said it would accept Sport Pilot certificate holders to pilot their LSA to the Bahamas, that was a first in another country recognizing the pilot side of FAA’s 2004 regulatory innovation. *** Thanks go to EAA for stimulating discussion and for staffers Randy Hansen and David Oord, both of whom work in EAA’s government relations office. *** At the 2010 Oshkosh event Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, Charles Albury, told EAA AirVenture Today writer Jeb Burnside, “We felt this was another area to expand because of the growth of sport pilots in the United States.” Government and Advocacy Specialist Oord said, “We look forward to similar recognition of the sport pilot certificate by our international neighbors.” In celebration of the latest changes to Bahamian rules, EAA, the Ministry and Florida-based EAA chapters are organizing a sport-pilot fly-out to the Bahamas, planned for the near future.
Oshkosh Day 5
The Sleeping Giant Wakes… Big news from China: IndUS Aviation threw a big lunch bash today at Oshkosh to break word of its exciting new program to shift production of all its Thorpedo LSA to China, as part of a unique collaboration with the country’s government and private industry to begin to grow Chinese General Aviation. *** The program will launch this fall at the new LuYangHU General Aviation Development Zone in Weinan, China. There is currently no GA permitted in the country. This will be the first — carefully studied and controlled, to be sure — attempt to bring private aviation to Chinese citizens: a fascinating period in history, and one that, with this partnership, aims to open the country wide to sales of light sport aircraft from all over the world. *** Indus will build LSA for its domestic market as well as worldwide — including Chinese citizens.
Oshkosh Day 2
Recovering from the mud soup floods that crippled arrivals a few days ago (so many airplanes typically park on the grass), things began to dry out enough yesterday to bring robust opening day attendance, helped in large part by the beautiful weather. Humidity was manageable, temps were in the mid-80s. *** A great start for EAA (which reportedly draws 45% of its yearly revenue from Airventure), with lots to see and talk about. *** Highlights: *** Yuneec, (which seriously needs to update its website), is the Chinese electric aircraft company that blew open the hangar doors of everybody’s electric flight dreams last year with the debut of the beautiful E-430 all-electric S-LSA. They’ve guarded some tasty secrets since, which came to light yesterday. *** I spent a half hour with Managing Director Clive Coote to get updated, here are some highlights (more details down the road, and in my electric flight article which will run in a P&P issue this fall).
Big Fall Show Looms
Oshkosh is over but wait! There’s more! *** One of the surprise hits last year was the Midwest LSA Expo lead by capable Chris Collins. Held at Mount Vernon Outland Airport (MVN) in Illinois, the new show attracted 42 airplanes and 30 exhibitors and what was reported far and wide as a focused and motivated LSA crowd. *** Many sales were closed in the months following the 2009 gathering. One main factor was the psychological continuity Midwest provided after Sebring (Jan.), Sun ‘n Fun (Apr.) and Oshkosh (July/Aug). By postponing the “end of summer” flying mindset into early Fall, normally an aviation wind-down time for pilots who live in the less temperate parts of the country, potential customers got one more opportunity to refine their buying decision process. *** The Midwest LSA Expo will run a week earlier this year: from Sept. 23-25. Mark your digital calendars! *** Attendance should be strong: there’s a huge population base in the midwestern market that stretches from Chicago to New Orleans, Denver to Charlotte.