Well, Day One for me anyway; the show started yesterday but I was still stranded in Alabama by soggy and intractable weather with a couple Dakota Cubs.We made it into Plant City at about 5:30 last night after squeaking under some very low ceilings, then running east once we hit the Gulf Coast. *** A 6-day odyssey…and we’re just glad to have made it at all. Several VFR pilots are still stuck in the South and the storms continue. *** Here’s a video I quick-shot today, thanks to Legend Cub’s Dave Graham, who took me over to meet the owner of a fabulous Piper Cub J3 restoration. LEGEND NEWS UPDATE *** It’s really gorgeous. My video doesn’t do it justice but it’ll give you a bit of a peak. The owner is having it judged and hoping to snag a Grand Champion Award. And it’s sure got a shot: absolutely immaculate. *** The restoration cost upwards of $80K!
Archives for March 2011
Sun ‘n Fun 2011 Takes Off Tomorrow
SUN ‘n FUN 2011 kicks off, even as scores of planes — yours truly included — remain scattered around at airports up to hundreds of miles away, trying to beat the storm system that’s prevented them from making it to Lakeland, FL so far. *** The big airshow’s big boss, John Burton, promises an impressive line up: *** * Blue Angels performances four different days, highlighting the celebration of the 100th anniversary of naval aviation *** * a 20-year retrospective on Desert Storm *** * a 10-year commemoration of September 11, 2001 *** * the formal opening of the new Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) on the SUN ’n FUN campus. *** * F-22 Raptor flight three different days *** * AvBid Airplane Auctions *** * Hot Air Balloon Launch at dawn, Saturday, April 2 *** * Daily and nightly airshows with fireworks *** * AOPA “Rally GA” Day *** * Lindbergh Foundation Awards for electric-powered flight advances *** * “Green Space” Exhibit of environmentally friendly, aviation-related products and services, anchored by Lindbergh Foundation.
Sun ‘n Fun 2011 Takes Off Tomorrow
Sun ‘n Fun 2011 kicks off, even as scores of planes — yours truly included — remain scattered around at airports up to hundreds of miles away, trying to beat the storm system that’s prevented them from making it to Lakeland, Florida so far. *** The big airshow’s big boss, John Burton, promises an impressive line up: • Blue Angels performances four different days; highlighting the celebration of the 100th anniversary of naval aviation; • a 20-year retrospective on Desert Storm; • a 10-year commemoration of September 11, 2001; • the formal opening of the new Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) on the Sun ’n Fun campus; • F-22 Raptor flight three different days; • AvBid Airplane Auctions; • Hot air balloon launch at dawn on Saturday, April 2; • Daily and nightly airshows with fireworks; • AOPA “Rally GA” Day; • Lindbergh Foundation Awards for electric-powered flight advances; • “Green Space” exhibit of environmentally friendly, aviation-related products and services, anchored by Lindbergh Foundation; • 75th Anniversary Cub Convoy mass arrival to Sun ’n Fun on Monday, March 28.
Stranded in Sparta
Half way to Sun ‘n Fun, thumb typing on my iPhone, we’re sitting in the same place we’ve been in — the comfy lounge at friendly FBO, Sparta Aero Services — since 8 this morning. *** It’s 3:30 now. *** Allow me one small comic book growl of anguish: aarghh. *** Thanks, that feels better. *** Our erstwhile Cub Crew, ably led by aviation Whiz Kid Amy Getsch who’s interning in marketing at Dakota Cub, the Super Cub replica kit and certified maker, flew down this far yesterday, landed right around sunset after a lovely, mottled-sun trek at a leisurely 90 mph all the way at an average 3000 feet. *** 400 miles down, we stopped for a late lunch and picked up some reinforcements: two gents also en route to Florida, each flying their J3’s. *** Dick Pattschull of Iowa City and George Armstrong of Omaha, Nebraska launched, just after we got back from lunch, from Fulton Co., Mo.’s Hensley Airport.
Baumann Floats Leaving Business; “Loss for LSA”
Pilots interested in a floatplane LSA and airplane sellers seeking floats lost a good supplier today when Baumann Floats, based at the South St. Paul, Minnesota airport closed its doors. *** In an email, General Manager Joe Birkemeyer wrote, “Due to the unfortunate economic conditions we have all faced in the past couple of years, our current owner of Baumann Floats LLC has decided to discontinue production of all of our float models. The equipment, design data, STCs and inventory will be relocated to Oshkosh, Wisconsin and placed with Basler Turbo Conversions LLC. I personally as well as the rest of my crew will not be moving over to Oshkosh with the company and we will no longer be employed by Baumann Floats LLC. Randy Myers, head of production at Basler Turbo Conversions will be the new interim contact person for any parts orders after April, 1, 2011.
AvGas: David vs. Goliath? Or, Multiple Solutions?
Unless you’ve avoided every aviation magazine or website, you’re no doubt aware of the push by big aviation organizations to address future availability of 100 low-lead avgas. We wish the alphabet groups the best in arranging a replacement fuel or another solution for those operating high performance aircraft. But one solution does not fit all. Why? *** First is the often-quoted statistic that 70-80% of all “legacy” airplanes can use 91-octane and preferably zero ethanol (“E0”) mogas. No question that Light-Sport Aircraft can almost universally use E0 mogas and in fact, Rotax and Jabiru powerplants prefer premium unleaded (the 80-hp Rotax 912 can even use 87-octane satisfactorily for still greater savings). Only a modest percentage of U.S. aircraft must have high octane. • Secondly, 100LL is now more expensive and any replacement will share this quality. Mogas can be $1-2 or more less per gallon. • Thirdly, airplanes like LSA and those many older GA airplanes are not the only ones who can benefit from wider availability of E0 mogas.
Touchstones: Honoring the Basics
The FAA has a helpful publication that wouldn’t hurt us to check out now and then, whatever our level of experience and skill: the Airplane Flying Handbook. *** Sure, it may seem like plain vanilla… but where would hot fudge sundaes and banana splits be without good old dependable vanilla? *** We pilots need to maintain our good airmanship foundation, no matter how big a hotshot we sometimes imagine ourselves to be. Reviewing the essentials helps us recall those nuances we forget, or shortcut… and which, in a pinch, we may desperately need in our quiver of flying skills. *** Once we start down that “I-got-this-wired” slippery slope, the risk of incidents and accidents increases. Who needs that kind of education?Case in point: FAA’s Handbook section on porpoising. *** I sometimes revisit a landing tendency that I’ve been working to correct: I will make a bigger-than-necessary pitch correction after bouncing a landing.
LSA Tour Heads North After Sun ‘n Fun 2011
The flying entourage has grown from five brands the first time around to a total of 10 Light-Sport Aircraft including: TL Sting, TL Sirius, Zlin iCub, Legend Cub, Rans S-19, Flight Design CTLS, CSA SportCruiser, Jabiru J-230, Remos GX, and CubCrafters (SportCub). This flock includes several of the best-selling LSA. *** Following on the success of January’s Florida LSA Tour, the idea is to bring the show to the people. The truth is most pilots cannot attend every airshow for a variety of reasons. Even though the LSA concept has generated a lot of attention inside aviation over the last six years, the fact remains that, “most pilots in the country have yet to even see a LSA,” to quote industry leader, Tom Peghiny of Flight Design USA.
Aviation Jobs, American Style
Good news from Allegro LSA’s head honcho Doug Hempstead, as he spoke with Plane & Pilot publisher Mike McMann. *** Allegro, now a solely-American made, composite/aluminum SLSA (my flight report is due out soon in the magazine) told Mike he expects to hire as many as 35 workers within the next year. These are jobs that were formerly held by Czech Republic personnel. *** Allegro is a Czech-designed airplane (Fantasy Air) that, like so many LSA, was built in Czech Republic and assembled, test flown and delivered in the States. *** Doug and his wife Betty bought the rights to produce the airplane here and production is now underway at the company’s Sanford, NC plant. *** More than 450 of the Kevlar-composite fuselage/aluminum wing Allegros have been sold since 1994, mostly overseas. The Hempsteads hope to change that proportion…and employ more Americans in the process. *** Three Allegro models are offered: Classic Trainer at $89,000 (also configurable as an IFR trainer), Voyager at $94,000 (adds things like MGL Voyager EFIS, Garmin radio and transponder and vertical card compass), and Executive at $99,000 (adds two Dynon Skyview Synthetic Vision displays).
Deals! We Got Deals!
I just finished a column that’s becoming an annual event: talking with Avemco Insurance‘s VP Mike Adams, who filled me in on the general picture for LSA accidents, claims and what it says about pilot’s flying habits and the market strength as well after two brutal years trying to grow a fledgling industry.That column will be out in the mag this spring. The short tell is: rates haven’t gone up…and they haven’t gone down. We’re in a general market stagnation where new pilots are replacing those who are dropping out. *** Pilot accidents are less frequent, especially experienced GA pilots, because Avemco’s 5-hour minimum transition requirement before they’ll write a policy for a new LSA owner is helping pilots get the touch they need to fly these aircraft well. *** LSA are generally lighter in weight than the birds they’ve flown all their lives, and the initial experienced-pilot mindset tended to regard them as toys instead of a new type of aircraft that deserves respect.