On those weekends that I’m hanging out at my newly adopted country airport of Great Barrington, MA (GBR), I always look forward to seeing young Joe Solan. *** Joe’s 12…going on 28, as someone at the airport affectionately quipped. *** Joe is one great kid, the kind I sometimes wish I’d been more like when I was his age. *** When we first greet, whether he’s dutifully dragging a heavy gas pump hose that weighs half what he does, answering the airport office phone or hunting up a charged handheld battery, he’ll flash a friendly smile, say “Hi!”, and stick out his hand like the straight-up little man he is. *** He’s growing up at the airport, mentored in running the business and mentored in life by his dad Rick, a co-owner of the airport with lots of great ideas for growing its prosperity. *** Rick’s also the guy who keeps American Airlines 777 drivers on the straight and narrow as a top-level inspector pilot.
Archives for November 2010
The Airport Kid
On those weekends that I’m hanging out at my newly adopted country airport of Great Barrington, MA (GBR), I always look forward to seeing young Joe Solan. *** Joe’s 12…going on 28, as someone at the airport affectionately quipped. *** Joe is one great kid, the kind I sometimes wish I’d been more like when I was his age. *** When we first greet, whether he’s dutifully dragging a heavy gas pump hose that weighs half what he does, answering the airport office phone or hunting up a charged handheld battery, he’ll flash a friendly smile, say “Hi!”, and stick out his hand like the straight-up little man he is. *** He’s growing up at the airport, mentored in running the business and mentored in life by his dad Rick, a co-owner of the airport with lots of great ideas for growing its prosperity. *** Rick’s also the guy who keeps American Airlines 777 drivers on the straight and narrow as a top-level inspector pilot.
Strong Survive, Even Thrive in Another Slow Year
Accompanying this article is our customary chart showing market share of the entire fleet of LSA. I’ve received a few comments over recent months that we should emphasize current-period results. Market share for many products, computers, for example, are given as total market share (“Windows has 90% of the market.”). *** In truth, I have reported current-period results in the article text for the last few updates. We’ve collected all market reports to make reviewing them easier. Here’s a look-back with emphasis on results only for 2010. *** With 83% of the year (10 months) accounted for, Piper‘s legacy brand is convincingly leading the market. At 43 airplanes registered in 2010 (24% of all registrations), the Vero Beach, Florida company is rising rapidly. Note as always that these figures do not match actual sales activity at companies. *** Following Piper, CubCrafters is enjoying a strong year, said Jim Richmond at AOPA as his company added 37 LSA registrations (20% of all ’10 LSA).
LSA Fans Comment on Ethanol in Mogas
Kent Misegades writes, “For the past several years my colleagues and I have been waging a campaign to ban the use of ethanol in premium gasoline, thus preserving a safe, affordable, unleaded fuel for sport aviation as well as the millions of Americans who need “E0″ for their boats, snowmobiles, power tools, classic cars & bikes, among others.” Kent continues, “Thanks to vintage BMW owner Sam Hokin, his Pure-Gas.org list helps us find the fuel. We recently posted a petition that will be sent to the EPA administrator, Ms. Lisa Jackson, urging action on the issue. *** “The petition has been getting widespread attention among sport aviators, who have left comments such as these:” • (#2,390) The industry of Light-Sport Aircraft has been severely impacted by ethanol fuel. It dissolves our gas tanks, fuel lines, and gaskets causing in-flight engine failures, aircraft mishaps, and even death. We desperately need a local source of ethanol free gasoline.
Electric LSA as Primary Trainers?
Snow Coming? Think Sebring!
Looking out the window, I see cold gray clouds and possible precip. Of course, it’s late Fall and this is the Northeast, so we call this Situation Normal. *** Which means it’s never too early to imagine warm weather and blue skies…which naturally leads our daydreams to the LSA kick-off aviation event of the year: U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, AKA Sebring: the pre-eminent happening for us sport flyin’ types since it debuted in 2005. *** It’s only 66 days until the show, which runs Jan. 20-23, 2011. Start making those travel plans, flyfolk! *** Sebring’s founder and head honcho, Robert Wood, is already busy wrangling the exhibitor lineup. *** “We actually have a waiting list for inside exhibit spaces and have very few outside spaces remaining for the January show,” he said just a few days ago. *** Many of the top makers are already signed up, including American Legend, Flight Design, Cessna and Piper.
Remos Teams with LoPresti
Folks with a GA background will know the name LoPresti… the late, great Roy LoPresti was a prominent aeronautical engineer who became famous for finding ways to streamline and otherwise enhance existing airframe designs to squeeze more speed out of them. *** LoPresti Aviation (nickname “LoPresti Speed Merchants”), now owned by son Curt LoPresti, just announced that it is the new east coast sales, distribution and service center for Remos Aircraft, to be based at LoPresti’s Sebastian Airport facilities near Palm Beach, Florida. *** It should be a good move for both companies as Remos Sales and Marketing Veep Earle Boyter and LoPresti can make good use of their longtime relationship. The Sebastian Airport is ideally located in the middle of a robust year-round flying community. *** LoPresti engineers will hope to enhance the Remos GX fuel efficiency — the LSA speed limit, of course, has a max of 120 knots — by bringing its speedifying technology to bear with things like redesigned fairings, cowls, aileron gap seals and other “clean-up” technologies that made LoPresti famous.
Pete Krotje on Jabiru Engines & Aircraft
What do sugar cane harvesting equipment and light aircraft and engines have to do with one another? The former was the original work of Jabiru founders Rod Stiff and Phil Ainsworth. The latter is what occurred after a trip to Europe back in 1988. While they traveled, the other partners voted them out of the company and on their return they got a check for their equity.
So Rod and Phil did what entrepreneurs do. They took their dough and started a new company. This is the story Jabiru USA boss Pete Krotje told to begin his talk about the engines and airplanes the duo created. *** The first Jabiru flew in 1991 under Australia’s then-new “ultralight” rule that allowed a new class of aircraft with no medical (long before FAA found such a solution useful). That first airplane — called a Light Sport Aircraft, again well before FAA used a similar term — used a KFM engine but that powerplant company soon said they were leaving the business.
Sport Pilot Flight Training Success Story
No, this article is not about an established flight school operation. Nor is it about a university training program, or some government flight training facility. I’m simply impressed that Charles Stites and his Able Flight nonprofit organization have brought so many new pilots into the fold. For this alone, he deserves applause. Add that he exclusively helps persons with disabilities and you have something noteworthy. *** Here’s a contrast… At the AOPA Summit to begin this week, a group of leaders will meet to discuss ways to reverse the depressing 70% drop-out rate of flight school students. On the other side of the compass, “Able Flight achieves a very impressive completion rate of at least 72% for recipients of its full scholarships,” revealed Stites, who founded the organization in 2006. Able Flight didn’t set up shop to be a major flight school. Yet hear this: “We’ve awarded a total of 30 scholarships as of September, 2011, and 24 are full scholarships that can lead to a license.
Stirring My Soul — Phoenix Rising
I’ve had the pleasure to fly more than 350 light airplanes of every conceivable description. Most of those experiences brought a smile to my face. A few genuinely stirred my soul. Though I started in powered aircraft I found my way to gliders and to soaring, which I freely admit is my favorite aviation challenge. To rise high above the Earth using only swirling currents of air is magical. *** An extra benefit was acquiring confidence about landing without an engine. To many power pilots, an engine-out landing is scary. But every landing in a glider involves but one approach. You know what? You get comfortable with it and now when I fly a power plane, I don’t worry as much about a loss of power. My power plane will just become a glider and I know how to handle that. *** So with great anticipation over an eventual test flight, I am delighted to announce the Phoenix was certified as SLSA #111 in August 2010.