What a Month! October was a busy month starting with the first-year LSA event Heart of America Sport Aviation Classic outside of Kansas City. The next week featured AOPA’s Summit in Palm Springs California. After a brief stop in Phoenix for a conference, the ASTM meeting followed in Atlanta, and the month finished with the big NBAA convention in Orlando. It was good to finally get back in the office and see how the month went… and, IT WENT GREAT! October was THE biggest month ever for ByDanJohnson.com. My sincerest thanks to each of you for your regular visits propelling us to this new mark. I’m pleased we’re delivering the content you want and we’ll continue to do so. Watch for more videos and news stories as we head toward Sebring in January.
Spruced Up Spruce What’s the big event on Tuesday November 6th? Ha! …trick question. How about this? Major supplier Aircraft Spruce will launch a completely redesigned website today… yes, election day.
Archives for November 2012
The Gigantic NBAA Show… and LSA?
Strolling around 1,073 exhibitors at the National Business Aircraft Association’s show in the Orlando Convention Center is something like walking on another planet, at least for a recreational / Light-Sport Aircraft enthusiast. The displays, while not as lavish as in years past, are elaborate and expensive; several were two-story-high affairs with lunch being served to jet buyers on the upper deck.
Surreal as it was, I found something surprising: quite a few of the people I talked to knew about Light-Sport and those that did relaxed their facial expression after hearing me identify my work as “fly for fun.” I felt it brought out the joy of flight in people who mostly pursue aviation as business transport or working aircraft. Higher salaries do not equate to a higher passion for flight.
The one and only LSA I saw was the Sky Arrow, now from Magnaghi Aeronautica, and that Sky Arrow was just a model on a stand.
Seaplanes To Be Banned From New Mexico?
There’s been a hue and cry from the seaplane community over New Mexico’s proposed ban of all seaplane operations in the entire state! • Especially given next year’s rush of LSA seaplanes, this is doubly troubling. —DJ
The rationale for the ban, as put forward by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, would seem to be the danger to boaters from seaplanes landing on water, and the introduction of non-native, invasive species of flora and fauna into waterways in the state.
The Recreational Aviation Foundation and other organizations got the word out to seaplane pilots to send in their comments on the proposal. That comment period ended October 30th, and we’ll eagerly await the final ruling.
EAA and publications have decried the proposal by noting the literally tens of thousands of non-winged watercraft that all potentially introduce invasive species into the water every day in every state in the union.