Like many deeply involved with aviation I have long marveled that all the best airshows in America seem to be in the Eastern half of the country. Except for the delightful Arlington Fly-in in Washington state and a worthy effort at Golden West plus some other small regional events, the action appears to be “back East.” Given that California has more pilots and airplanes than any other state, how can this be? Especially now that AOPA announced this year’s Summit in Dallas, Texas (October 10-11-12) will be their last one ever, we won’t any more be trekking to Palm Springs, California for what has been the big member organization’s favorite destination. Fortunately, we have the Copperstate Fly-in and Aviation Expo.
On two occasions I’ve attended this event. It isn’t huge like Sun ‘n Fun or AirVenture, and it isn’t in California where more might attend. However, Copperstate is a credible, well established event that serves the southwestern USA.
Archives for September 2013
Aircraft Spruce Appreciation Day Goodie
Aviation bargain hunters … mark your calendar for Saturday, October 5th. Aircraft Spruce is holding their Customer Appreciation Day at all three of their locations: in Corona, California at their headquarters; in their southeastern U.S. location in Peachtree City, Georgia; and for Canadian enthusiasts at Brantford, Ontario. Aircraft Spruce offers reduced pricing plus they’ll have reps from a number of their top suppliers. The big mail order house said they will feature product demonstrations from Garmin, Lightspeed, J.P. Instruments, Hartzell, Scheyden, PTI, Icom, and Dynon plus others. To see which vendors are attending each location, click this link. Pilots that attend qualify for what Aircraft Spruce calls “spectacular discounts” and might also win a raffle. All proceeds from raffle tickets will go to EAA Chapter 1 and EAA Chapter 468 for Young Eagles.
One of their nifty new products for anyone who uses a smartphone, iPod, tablet, GPS device, eReader, camera, or flashlight (doesn’t that include just about everyone?) is a new product called PowerSwatch.
X-Ray Views of Icon’s Amphibious LSA
If you traveled to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2013, you got to see a lot of airplanes and other aviation gear. EAA reported a very substantial crowd of more than 500,000 attended. As this might translate to 150-200,000 pilots, the big figure nonetheless means that more than 400,000 American pilots did not go to AirVenture. That majority of flying enthusiasts missed a lot but recently Icon Aircraft sent out news about their X-Ray View of their Light-Sport entry. This impressive display was shown in their big tent and many examined the details. If you missed AirVenture 2013, we’re happy to show you a little of what you missed.
Icon circulated photos of what the company informally terms its “three-dimensional CAD drawing” of the company’s A5 amphibious Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). “The full-scale 3D model employs automotive vinyl wrap technology,” explained Icon, “printed with an adapted projection of the Computer Aided Design (CAD) virtual model depicting the location and layout of key structures and systems of the aircraft, which provides an unprecedented level of technical detail about the production A5.” If you’ve been wondering what’s under the skin of the handsome LSA amphib, the special graphics were very helpful.
Rans Aircraft in the News … Twice!
After losing the trim tab on the elevator of his Rans S-6, John Pederson of Lombard, Illinois grappled with a violent shaking and executed an emergency landing on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive. He was flying very early so traffic on the multi-lane route was light. Pederson reported timing his landing to avoid any traffic, though local sources reported the airplane was struck by two autos both of which sped away afterward. Unable to regain stability, the 51-year-old electrician radioed a mayday to O’Hare International Airport and then set up for landing. A recording of the radio call revealed John behaving calmly and, indeed, no one was injured in the highly-publicized incident. “At the time of the mayday call, about 6 a.m., he was flying about 1,900 feet above [Chicago’s downtown] Millennium Park, he said,” according to a report on the Chicago Tribune‘s online website.
The good news is no one was injured and while media reports poked fun at Pederson’s very visible downtown Chicago landing, the report can nonetheless be viewed more or less positively.
Rotax BRP In the News; Achieves Milestone
Although Rotax Aircraft Engines successfully power approximately four out of five Light-Sport Aircraft, some in legacy general aviation companies still derisively refer to the liquid-cooled, high-revving, smaller-displacement engines as “just one of those snow mobile engines.” I believe they are woefully under informed but old habits can be hard to break. Many mechanics are expert in working on Lycoming or Continental engines — the powerplants of American aircraft for many decades. However, some of these technicians are not expert on the new technology of a Rotax engine and to divert attention from their lack of expertise some dismiss what they do not know. That is shortsighted as they could be working on and earning an income from servicing Rotax as well. Fortunately, a growing number of mechanics have taken Rotax training (for example, Texas powerhouse US Aviation has six such mechanics). Yet too many GA mechanics still deploy the snowmobile engine pejorative.
Survey Results for Reasons to Buy LSA
At the Midwest LSA Expo that concluded a few days back, I delivered a presentation called “20+ Reasons to Buy an LSA.” However, to handle the subject a little bit differently, I turned it into an audience participation exercise. As I presented each slide of one particular reason, I explained what was meant and elaborated on how each reason made LSA different from other sorts of aircraft someone might consider buying. Then, I asked the audience to raise their hand if that reason was one that might cause them to buy a Light-Sport. I advised that no one was recording their names, so they remained anonymous. Each person could raise their hand as many times as they wanted or never raise their hand if they chose. No one had to participate. About 35 people listened and somewhere between 15 and 25 answered most of the time. The following chart shows the responses.
Pipistrel’s Flexible Sinus & Soarable Taurus
After Germany’s Aero 2013 event, we traveled to Pipistrel. It was our first visit to Slovenia, a country of four million with a section of the Alps running through it and a lovely route called the Emerald Trail to view the tall mountains. Slovenia proved a beautiful country that we’d love to visit again, but a leading reason to repeat is the presence of Pipistrel. This summer, the LSA and self-launched glider producer is in the news with their exchangeable wingtip Sinus Flex that transforms the long, shapely motorglider wings from a 50-foot span to a more hangar-manageable 40 feet. Using a single bolt, the change is said to take only five minutes and the unused tips can be stored in leather bags; the option price is $5,200. Buyers get both “a long range super-economic cruiser” and a “training aircraft,” noted Pipistrel. Sinus offers dual flight controls and a choice of either tailwheel or nosewheel gear, though the latter decision must be made at purchase.
After Aero — Visiting Rotax and Pipistrel
We paid two memorable visits after Aero ended and I’ll tell you a little about each one … but first … While I was at Pipistrel in the office of boss Ivo Boscarol, he received word that Matevz Lenarcic had reached the North Pole on his flight reported earlier. Congratulations on this achievement; a long flight across the North Atlantic remains. Godspeed! ••• The two visits were to Rotax Aircraft Engines and to Pipistrel. These two are not geographically far apart and work closely. Each spoke highly of the other and both companies are highly impressive places to visit.
BRP-Powertrain is the parent behind Rotax Aircraft Engines. Though occupying a sizeable amount of real estate in the immense BRP-Powertrain factory, the aircraft engines are the “hand built” portion of the production. Fast-paced, largely-automated, robot-assisted assembly lines manufacture many thousands of engines each year for such products as SeaDoo, BMW motorcycles, and other well-known brands.
Simple Aircraft (Like LSA) Need Simple Rules
In this post I’m going to do something potentially risky. I am going to make some statements about the politics of aircraft certification. While rather dull, this subject is nonetheless something pilots and others feel rather strongly about as the safety of aircraft — for persons in or under aircraft — is involved. Doesn’t everyone except a handful of thrill seekers care deeply about safety? I certainly do yet I feel it’s time for some new directions. I fully expect not everyone will agree, but I feel strongly that these statements need to be made. So, here goes …
My term as Membership Secretary of ASTM’s F37 LSA committee will complete later this year; I will be term limited out. That’s perfectly fine … I’ve done my duty for several years. ASTM’s F37 committee is the group that wrote and updates the standards used to gain acceptance for Light-Sport Aircraft. F37 is populated by some exceptional people that are largely unsung heroes for all the hard work they’ve done with little recognition.
Best Midwest LSA Expo Yet? … Yes, Sir!
I reported earlier that it might have been the best AirVenture ever (thanks to the most pleasant weather I can recall in many years). Employing that yardstick, the just-concluded Midwest LSA Expo was equally successful. The fifth annual event in Mt. Vernon, Illinois — described by airport manager and principal organizer Chris Collins as “the little brother to the Sebring LSA Expo” — enjoyed three days of highly accommodating weather. Warm temperatures, mild winds, a solid turnout of LSA vendors, a few attractions such as the Maid in the Shade B-25, the “Red Nose” P-51 Mustang that made several high-speed performances (both offered rides, too), along with riveting demonstrations of John Snider‘s exceptional
Mosquito XET turbine-powered single place helicopter … brought out good crowds with Saturday looking especially strong.
In a closing interview with Collins, he reported Thursday was the best opening day they’ve ever had and that day was just a warm up.