As fall colors begin to pop their chromatic yumminess on New England, it’s time to do some shotgun Light Sport factoid gathering.
Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo Model Airplane Contest: Pandering shamelessly to the inner kid in all of us, as well as the kids we bring to the event, the LSA event this coming January 17-20 will hold a model airplane contest. Count me in! Five categories – age 6 and under, 7-10, 11-14, 15-18 and Adult give everybody a chance to walk away with a prize. Can I sign up in the 11-14 category or are these biological age groups?
Just back from a car trip down to the friendly crew at New Garden Flying Field southwest of Philadelphia, where Airport Manager Jonathan Martin made me welcome so I could finish up the photo side of my story on the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer which runs in the next issue of Plane & Pilot magazine.
Archives for September 2012
Light-Sport Aircraft… at Home and Abroad
My European associate and friend, Jan Fridrich, coined a phrase a few years ago: “Global LSA,” he said, meaning the ASTM standards set could be used in any country and thereby create a worldwide market for recreational aircraft. Already a few accept the standards and many are considering or are already using some variant. So, in this post, let’s review some international successes for LSA.
Tecnam is one of the most prolific of all LSA producers and not just because they have multiple approved models. Recently, they sold a pair of P2008s to New Zealand. Waikato Aero Club CEO Richard Small said, “The new planes have a number of advantages over traditional aircraft. Manufactured from modern materials [Tecnam] planes are more fuel efficient and quieter. They also have full electronic flight display screens. Our pilots are thoroughly enjoying the upgrade.”
Pipistrel has logged sales globally as well and booked four orders for their new Alpha Trainer into Russia.
Finding Answers in the Air — Lightening Your Mood
After my post about ups and downs with government and recreational aviation, it’s wise to keep perspective on the sheer joy that flying can deliver. Here’s Brit’ Dave Unwin’s take…
Why fly? I was thinking this just the other day while wading through three piles of unpleasant-looking paperwork. One pile contained reminders regarding renewal of my medical, BFR and BGA BI ratings, another had info on my VP-1’s Permit renewal and insurance while the third, and largest, held news which I planned to refer to while writing ny monthly magazine column called “Push to Talk.” The news was all pretty grim — airfields closing and fuel prices rising, EASA, airspace grabs, the outrageous proposals for the Olympics, Mode S, ad nauseum. Bored (and slightly depressed) I did the only sensible thing — I went flying.
It was a beautiful evening and my demeanor was improving exponentially as I approached the airstrip.
You Can Help Prove the Safety of LSA
In light of recent developments, perhaps some ups and downs of FAA’s involvement with Light-Sport aviation can offer perspective. First some background; then an appeal for your help on behalf of LSA.
POSITIVE In the summer of 2004, precisely 35 years after the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, FAA gave birth to Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot. An agency of the government wrote a regulation obeying a 1995 law saying government agencies should relax the reins whenever reasonable. Presto! SP/LSA. In essence, the idea was to set aviation free from heavy-handed regs like Part 23 while also taming what some saw as the “wild west” of ultralight aircraft. This shrewd move propelled a rather fantastic 127 new SLSA models in only seven years… like nothing in aviation, worldwide, ever. For three years, LSA sales were firecracker hot!
NEGATIVE A couple years after the birthing, FAA started evaluating the producers.
$30 Burger — LeaseBack — Aircraft Tour
A fun thing happened this weekend. Such pleasures occur regularly across the USA where we enjoy so much aviation freedom. This time I got in on part of the weekend fly-out. Plus, I want to celebrate a thriving LSA flight school, another one supported by an arrangement called “leaseback.” I’ll also highlight our newest video that I hope you’ll enjoy.
Successful LSA Flight School — First landings is a central Florida flight school dedicated to LSA. They use five of them in their school including two Remos GXs, two SportCruiser/PiperSports, and a Cessna Skycatcher. First Landings is run by young entrepreneur Adam Valencic and he and his cadre of youthful flight instructors are keeping his fleet busy, averaging an admirable 70 hours a month per LSA, he reports. First Landings is based at Orlando/Apopka Airport (X04). Any flight school would be proud to claim such numbers, so great job, Adam!
Luxurious Quicksilver Dealership: Flying & Living
One of the most storied companies in the entire light airplane space is Quicksilver. Their iconic models have populated the skies more than any other recreational aircraft brand… yes, more than Van’s (7,000+), Rans (4,500+), and Challenger (2,500+) combined! In fact, in 2002 and 2003, Quicksilver by itself outsold Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft combined! Now, that’s a performance any aircraft company would love to match.
Recently this company, which has what our nation’s president might call “a good narrative,” acquired new ownership, the fourth such transition in the five decades it’s been in existence. Quicksilver Manufacturing became Quicksilver Aeronautics. Thanks to increased energy and fresh directions from Will Escutia and Dan Perez, the California company is attracting new retail businesses to become part of Team Quicksilver. One of the newest is Flying & Living LLC, located in Queretaro, Mexico. Here’s another reason for envy from other producers.
Sunny Skies for England’s LAA Rally
Our roving British journalist, the always-entertaining Dave Unwin, reports on the UK’s LAA Rally event, giving ByDanJohnson.com readers a taste of light aviation in England.
After an even grimmer British summer than usual — we’ve just experienced the “wettest drought” since records began; a dry spring followed by flooding rains — the weather Gods smiled benignly on the 2012 LAA Rally. The Rally is basically the UK’s version of Oshkosh (albeit several orders of magnitude smaller) and is run by the Light Aircraft Association, formerly the PFA or Popular Flying Association, which is the Limey equivalent of the EAA. The event has been staged at several different airfields over the years, and is currently held at Sywell in Northamptonshire.
Despite the parlous state of the economy, this year’s Rally had a real buzz, and it wasn’t just all the two-stroke engines. In spite of EASA’s best efforts it would seem that the lighter side of UK aviation continues to thrive.
Why Does the FAA Hate LSA Gyroplanes?
One of the longest suffering participants on the ASTM committee that writes certification standards for Light-Sport Aircraft is Greg Gremminger, the remarkably mild-mannered chair of the gyroplane subcommittee. Demonstrating patience like Job in the Bible, Greg has labored to change FAA’s mind about granting Special LSA status to gyros. He has completely struck out but deserves loud applause for sticking with it so long despite such intransigence*. Regardless of the years-long challenge, at the Midwest LSA Expo in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, Greg managed to put a good spin on the present situation.
Gyroplanes were an American phenomenon at one time. The Benson Gyro was as close to a household word as gyros get. Many others joined the parade over the years. Today, however, the main action is European based and the reason is probably that aviation authorities across the pond are more accommodating. While gyros were indeed part of the LSA regulation that arrived in summer 2004, they were never given SLSA status due, Greg reports, to intraagency squabbling.
SLSA #127, SAB Vulcan, Appears at MW LSA Expo
SAB’s Vulcan isn’t entirely new. The design has existed in Europe and arrived in the USA more than two years ago but stealthily avoided our radar as a Special Light-Sport Aircraft until the 2012 Midwest LSA Expo at the Mt. Vernon, Illinois airport. The secret is out now and Vulcan C-100 has been added to our SLSA List and comes at #127.
Basically, the Italian SAB Aviation jumped the Atlantic into the American LSA market with their derivative of the famous Falco kit aircraft. The low-wing all-metal design first arrived to importer Phil McCoy and his Florida-based Light Sport America enterprise. McCoy promoted the introduction at Sun ‘n Fun 2010 but evidently didn’t complete the process for the Vulcan C-100 to earn its Airworthiness Certificate.
Representation at the Midwest LSA Expo was by the team of Niley Church and Valter della Nebbia under the business name SAB Aviation of Americas.
First Half 2012 LSA Registration Update
We’ve been getting requests for market share information and I am happy to provide an update, thanks to my European associate Jan Fridrich who does the hard work of sifting through FAA’s database. I remind you that his efforts are not merely tallying whatever FAA publishes. In fairness, Jan has to evaluate many pieces of information and judge accuracy of the entries.
This isn’t because FAA’s registrars are bumbling fools that cannot enter data accurately. The challenges come from sheer number of brands (90) and models (127) over a mere seven years… unprecedented in aviation history. To that add the variations of Experimental Amateur Built (EAB), Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA), Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft kits (ELSA) and converted two-place ultralights to LSA status.
Then factor in that some standard category or homebuilt aircraft meet the LSA parameters of weight and speed and such so some people consider them “LSA,” when in fact they mean they can be flown by some possessing a Sport Pilot certificate.