Aerotrek may be one of those “sleepers.” You know, the kind of company that does well, has few problems, and doesn’t need to make a lot of noise to be successful. Aerotrek’s tri-gear and taildragger models look great, fly well, and are priced so reasonably that sales are remarkably steady. The company ranks #12 in fleet size and came in fifth for 2011 registrations. The numbers aren’t big but they could be bigger, said importer and longtime light aviation specialist Rob Rollison. *** Rob noted their last year registration was “way below what it should have been, but [the manufacturer] Aeropro wasn’t able to ramp-up production quickly enough to keep up with increased demand for our planes starting in late 2010.” He continued, “They also had production delays during 2011 as they worked to get UK certification but this was quite worthwhile, resulting in a few nice improvements to our planes.” *** I can add that I know something about British certification and it is one of the most demanding systems in the world.
Archives for February 2012
Corrections to Falcon Post
Here’s correx on a couple mistakes in the last post on the Renegade Falcon and FK 12 Comet LSA biplane: *** The gentleman who bought the Falcon at Sebring is from Switzerland, not Sweden. *** The Comet with the Lycoming 233 LSA engine, which is rated for aerobatics unlike the Rotax-powered version, will be marketed by both Renegade and Hansen Air Group. *** Mike Hansen told me not everyone who is interested in the Comet wants to do aerobatics in it. Some folks just love bipes, so the Hansens will also continue to sell the Rotax-powered version.
Falcons On The Hunt
Just heard from “Doc” Bailey of the Renegade Light-Sport gang, who have taken over U.S. production of the sleek, muscular Falcon SLSA along with wrangling the new Lycoming 233 LSA series of engines.In mid-May, Doc says they’ll be introducing their latest US version of the Falcon, including the tailwheel to tricycle version which uses the same airframe. *** The entire plane is now made here in the US, and based on the constant attention and sales at Sebring, Renegade would seem to have a success on their hands. I’ll be flying it in the next few weeks: have been looking forward to that for some time.Meanwhile, Doc tells me, “We have just moved into our new 44,000 square foot facility here at Lee’s Summit (MO). Sometime I would like to give you a tour of our facility and then when and if you want to go to North Carolina I will take you to our new composite plant, (where) we hope to be making as many as six LSA airframes there soon for different ‘want to be Made in the USA’ vendors.” *** He says the new version of the Falcon will knock my socks off.
Now You Don’t See It, Now You Do
The Aviator Airbag System was introduced to America at the Evolution Trikes booth at the Sebring LSA Expo 2012 courtesy of Laurent Thevenot. Designed and manufactured for La Mouette in France by Helite, the complete system includes two airbags and sensors. For trikes, two different airbags are recommended. For the person in the back seat, the smaller vest (photo) is enough to protect the passenger’s head from snapping forward too quickly or too far in a crash, thereby preventing neck injuries. *** For the person in the front seat, a larger jacket is recommended. It also protects the wearer from neck injuries, but go further by protecting the pilot from the control bar, which could come rearward in a violent impact and break the pilot’s ribs. The larger jacket expands to 40 gallons of volume. *** The system uses a patented cold gas technology, unlike typical hot gas technology used in other airbag systems.
Light-Sport Aircraft… What? How? Why?
Light-Sport Aircraft are the newest category of aircraft as defined by FAA, the government regulatory agency for aviation. The new breed of aircraft – 109 models in just five years of astonishingly rapid development – offer affordable purchase prices, low cost of operation, spacious interiors, the latest instrument innovations, energetic performance and lively handling. Every one of these new airplane meets new industry standards.
Any Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) must fit within the following parameters: A maximum of two occupants, a maximum take-off weight of 1,320 pounds (seaplanes can weigh 1,430 pounds); a 45-knot clean stall speed; a 120-knot top speed at maximum continuous power; a single, non-turbine engine; and fixed landing gear (though amphibious floatplanes can have “repositionable” gear). Some are called Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA) if they are fully manufactured and ready-to-fly. A manufacturer can also offer a kit aircraft based on the SLSA; it’s called an Experimental LSA or ELSA.
End-‘O-Year Registration Numbers
The much-anticipated LSA Market Share numbers as compiled by LAMA Europe’s head dude Jan Fridrich are up on Dan Johnson’s blog this week. They expand on some anticipated, surprising and overall encouraging themes. Sales were up at Sebring and many companies are posting strong numbers. *** First, in the No Brainer Dept: Cessna and CubCrafters won the year hands down. *** Big Cessna, as the charts Dan and Jan compile clearly show, had the largest number of registrations in 2011 with 134, a record for the LSA industry and fully 48% of all listings for the year. The numbers reflect Cessna playing catchup on its 1,000 order glut back at the beginning of the LSA movement. *** As Dan is always quick to clarify and I like to remind you, these are not sales numbers, but actual registrations and thus will lag sales numbers somewhat or, in Cessna’s case with their long initial production delays, quite a bit.
Icon Back on the Radar Screen
The splash heard ’round the LSA world continues to send out ripples, though it’s been years now since startup LSA maker Icon Aircraft first announced, with considerable marketing fanfare, its amphibious light sport amphibious project, the A5. *** Now comes word today from the company that’s it’s just completed a “demanding regimen of spin-resistance test flights. This milestone will make the A5 the first production aircraft in history to be designed to and completely comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s full-envelope Part 23 spin-resistance standards developed from NASA’s work on the topic.” *** The lengthy release (a PDF file) goes on to enumerate the general cost in lives and hardware to civilian flying from stall/spin accidents, and cites its intentions to “design the A5 to the more difficult to achieve but safer standard of ‘spin resistant,’” as opposed to spin recoverable. *** Icon also conformed its testing regimen to the FAA Part 23 standard for certified aircraft.
Making Movies, Talking Aviation
I find it remarkable. Many of you do not. I’m writing about the arrival of video reports on ByDanJohnson.com and how that addition has been received. In a phrase: You’re Lovin’ It! *** When Ultralight News YouTube channel first approached me in 2009 about doing videos I was hesitant. I may have been unsure but you spoke clearly and you know what? I like doing them as much as you like viewing them. I recently uploaded several more (we have 122 as of this writing, all free) and I have another 15 to upload plus Ultralight News has many more in process. *** No kidding, but I’ve had several people come up to me at airshows and say, “Oh, Hi! You’re Dan Johnson. I’ve watched all your videos.” I try to respond graciously with my thanks for their interest. And… wait a minute! What was that? “Which video did you watch and did it answer questions for you,” I ask?
Nowhere But Up… Welcome to a New Writer
After a whole week of low clouds and drizzly rain, the weather cleared as if a curtain was lifted across the stage of the sky. I had time for an evening flight before official sunset. Hurrying to the airfield I arrived just in time to see a giant rainbow downwind. I took this as a good omen. *** My Evans VP-1, G-BIFO (Biffo) is based close to my house and is always at the front of hangar, so just twenty minutes after I leave home we’re both standing outside, bathed in the evening sunlight. As we usually fly together at least twice every week Biffo looks at me almost accusingly, as if to say “Where’ve you been?” *** So far, I’ve been rushing, but as I slip the chocks in front of the wheels, I deliberately slow things down. I check the fuel and oil, do a careful preflight, and complete the time-honoured ritual of pumping the primer, setting the choke, sucking in and selecting the mags on.
Post-Sebring Ketchup
After an arduous shooting/flying schedule at Sebring and several more days in country shooting and flying around Florida, I wung my way home to bang out some stories and pix for the mag. *** And now for the rest of the Sebring story: *** I made my way through the big exhibitor tent at show central and ran into Adam Valencic of Light Sport Group, who cued me in on their latest product. They’re the folks who market the cool wide-angle A/V-ator HD camcorder that mounts in the cockpit and also stores data for later GPS tracking on computer. *** The new unit is called Dr. Rotech. The palm-sized device is an engine electronics diagnostic tool for Rotax four-stroke engines which tests everything electrical: • Generator coil (on stator) • Charging coil (on stator) • Trigger coil (A&B) • Primary ignition coil (A&B) • Secondary ignition coil • Spark plug connector • Ignition switch • Engine ground *** Verifying or tracking down problems in electrical systems such as cracked wires, loose connections and failed components can take a lot of time.