Everyone gets the big scare speech early on in their flight training: “If you lose power on takeoff,” say our trusty CFIs, with the requisite sobering tone of voice, “DO NOT try to return to the airport if you are below X feet above ground… always find an emergency landing area somewhere ahead.” *** Everyone has their favorite altitude number for “X”, which is a factor of many variables, including aircraft engine off glide ratio and density altitude. Usually it’s a comfortably conservative number, say 1000 feet minimum AGL. *** There’s a good reason for that cautionary buffer zone of course: many pilots — and passengers — have died trying to make the killer turn back to the airport from too low an altitude. *** In an attempt to demystify the infamous “Impossible turn”, AOPA online managing editor Alyssa J. Miller goes about the worthy business of investigating firsthand just how high one should be above launch airport altitude to feel safe about turning back for that oasis of engine-out safety: the runway.
Archives for December 2011
FAA Amends Sport Pilot Examiner Medical Rule
Getting into the New Year garage cleanup spirit, the FAA has amended its Part 61 flight training rule, finalized in 2009, with some needed clarifications and corrections.The stated purpose is to “revise the training, qualification, certification, and operating requirements for pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors, and pilot schools.” *** The primary change as it relates to our corner of the aviation universe: Flight examiners giving the checkride for the Sport Pilot ticket do not need a medical certificate as long as they have a U.S. driver’s license: i.e. the same self-certification of competence to fly requirement that governs the Sport Pilot license qualification. ***
Beauty and the Bird — Do Esthetics Matter?
Even those who are not Apple fans agree the trend-setting California company’s focus on design beauty draws attention to their products. From their position near the back of the pack a dozen years ago, Apple has become the most valuable tech company in the world. Could this be due to their highly-refined sense of esthetics? More to the point of aviation enthusiasts, is artful design an ingredient in pleasing customers? *** I don’t know what all buyers are thinking but beauty has long enhanced the appeal of most consumer products. It seems the so-called niche aircraft producers have gotten this message perfectly well. Especially this is true for those products that have emerged since Light-Sport Aircraft burst upon the aviation scene. *** Creators of new LSA seaplane designs in particular seemed to have found the religion of design esthetics. Icon leads the pack with their stunning — and extremely well presented — A5.
LSA News Bits as 2011 Draws to a Close
In 36 hours or so, Chief Pilot S. Claus will be on final for a few billion chimneys worldwide. Here’s what’s popping up in one of my last looks at LSA news webwide for 2011. Meanwhile, my best wishes for a Merry Flying Christmas and new flight horizons for all in 2012! *** Cubcrafters flexes its market success muscle with a new manufacturing facility and the hiring — yes, hiring! — of new personnel to build its popular LSA Piper Cub clones. *** A newly leased 15,000-square-foot building near the Yakima, Washington airport boosts existing capacity by almost 40% and is already in operation. Congrats to CubCrafters and we wish you continued success. *** Included are a new welding shop and CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machine shop. *** The new space will make room in the main plant for an R&D facility and an updated, more centralized parts department. *** Owner Jim Richmond says, “Our planes are selling well, and if we get even a little help from the economy, we will need to increase our production rate.” *** Check out those job openings.
What’s Going On at the Top? Part 3 — Media
Twice in the past I’ve written about changes at the top of aviation leadership in 2011. We witnessed the departure of leaders in various market-leading companies. Likewise, aviation organizations have gone through a similar metamorphosis. In this third (and final?) installment, we’ll explore changes in aviation media. *** In this week headed into the Christmas holiday I participated in the second-to-last edition ever of Roy Beisswenger’s Powered Sport Flying Internet radio show. This is not sad as PSF Radio has had a decade-long run, which translates to well over 500 two-hour broadcasts. Thousands enjoyed the live performance but even more thousands listened to archived shows that you could capture off the PSF Radio website or from Apple iTunes as a podcast. Roy hinted that podcasts could continue but for now he’ll concentrate on his magazine (Powered Sport Flying) and his Easy Flight powered parachute flight instruction business.
Flight School “Classic” from U.S. Sport Aircraft
In the year following Piper’s departure from the LSA market, you may have expected a big slow-down for importer U.S. Sport Aircraft (USSA). Many believed the removal of the Piper brand would cause a loss of loyalty and that sales would flat line. *** Those people may have forgotten how well the SportCruiser did before Piper got involved. The dark forecast turned out to be wrong thanks to hard work by USSA boss Don Ayers, Donato Martino, and their staff. SportCruiser models have logged 20 registrations in nine months of 2011, a performance that keeps them high on our Market Share Chart even as Cessna has zoomed upward. Now, the Florida company has a new model and a new man to help promote it. *** USSA President Don Ayres announced a new model of the Czech Sport Aircraft SportCruiser positioned as an affordable training aircraft. “The majority of our customers have transitioned from Cessna and Piper aircraft not because it fits in the Sport Pilot category but because the SportCruiser offers a more exciting experience at significantly lower hourly operating cost when compared with traditional aircraft.” Flight schools value lower costs, too.
Like LSA Seaplanes? You Have Beautiful Choices!
Life is good if you like LSA seaplanes. I’ll review five LSA seaplanes, either on the market or in development. *** Today SeaRey reins as far and away the most successful and proven design with some 600 flying. While SeaRey has been an Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) model, they’ve been working diligently on SLSA approval and will eventually sell SLSA, ELSA, and EAB versions. Priced around $70,000 as a kit, SeaRey is the most affordable seaplane. Owners are intensely loyal to the brand (Progressive Aerodyne) and the model. SeaRey is having a workshop right before Sebring. More about that shortly. *** SeaMax is the next most proven and accepted seaplane. Manufactured in Brazil, about 100 are flying including a handful in the USA. SeaMax America is the new importer for the handsome LSA seaplane from prolific designer (and nice guy) Miguel Rosario. From Great Neck, New York Richard Rofe said, “We have added many new features and have moved to a much larger production facility.
Coming Soon: Biggest LSA Industry Get-Together
While AirVenture, Sun ‘n Fun, and Germany’s Aero may have more LSA professionals in attendance the LAMA Dinner at the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo is big. How big? For the last four years, LAMA has “sold out” — standing-room-only last year — its annual dinner. The event takes place in the main, large tent at Sebring. This year it will be the AeroShell tent as that company is generously providing the tent and tables through a sponsorship. Each year LAMA draws 300 or more persons, all industry participants. The dinner is by invitation only. *** This represents the largest gathering of LSA professionals at any show and it is proving to be a major draw. Consider the confirmed list of highly placed officials coming to Sebring 2012: EAA President Rod Hightower will address the LAMA Dinner; GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce will again lead a joint GAMA/LAMA meeting with LSA businessmen; and AOPA President Craig Fuller will reportedly make an appearance early in the show.
Knocking Around The InfoVerse
|||| News travels fast these days: Just ask Herman Cain. New tech net scraper Gizmag just ran a blurb on the Pipistrel Alpha that I covered earlier. Gizmag’s focus is on Alpha’s low cost, which as they note is less than €60,000 (currently about $80,000). *** Now consider this: if the euro continues to go through its troubles and drops further against the dollar, imagine a quality SLSA, like the Alpha promises to be (it’s based on a years-proven design — the Vinus/Sinus — with hundreds now delivered), priced at, perhaps, $70,000. For all of us who’ve decried the high costs of LSA, might this be the price point/airplane that would help break the LSA sales logjam? |||| Dynon plans Hands-On SkyView Training at Sebring. Who among us hasn’t sat for the first time in a new LSA and felt brain overload when confronted with an unfamiliar EFIS display?
Video Pilot Reports… Want More? We Deliver!
Video info and entertainment is burgeoning these days. YouTube has become one of most-visited Internet websites; you can watch videos on subjects of every conceivable description (plus many you could not have conceived). *** In the aviation world, videos are also common. AOPA, EAA, AvWeb, Aero-TV, Loop-TV, and others offer video to further your knowledge and enjoyment of aviation. Folks just seem to love watching videos. Now, we are pleased to offer you something a little different from the others and in so doing we promise to remain true to Light-Sport and all Sport-Pilot-eligible aircraft. *** After producing more than 100 shorter-length video reports on Light-Sport Aircraft and other Sport Pilot-eligible flying machines, the Light Sport and Ultralight Flyer and I are pleased to collaborate on the first two-pilot, full-length, all-video pilot report. Here you’ll find almost an hour’s worth of flying footage and detail commentary from a couple experienced evaluation pilots that can help decide which airplane you want to buy.