Let’s make an important point right up front. Seaplanes cost more than land planes. A fully-built, ASTM-compliant LSA seaplane starts at $150,000 and can go way up from that point. With a boat hull and retractable gear, of course, these water birds cost more to manufacture.
Must seaplanes be so costly? Fortunately, no! Aero Adventure manufactures a surprisingly affordable light seaplane kit.
With the Suzuki-based AeroMomentum engine, you can get an Aventura in the air for less than $50,000 …yep, nose to tail, tip to tip, including a basic panel and powerplant for $49,000. Elect the super-popular Rotax 912 and the cost rises a bit to $55,000, at which level Aventura remains one of the major bargains in light aviation. Learn more about the AeroMomentum engine in this video.
AeroMomentum has a few choices for you, Alex indicated, including their 100 horsepower AM 13 model or the 117 horsepower AM 15.
Archives for June 2017
Big Boy Tires (and More) for One of the Most Popular Light-Sport Aircraft
Aerotrek has steadily risen from an unknown brand to the #9 position in the all-time-fleet market share. The brand is one of only ten that have registered more than 100 aircraft in the United States. Excellent prices help but that’s not the whole story.
You hear about some of the top brands all the time but Aerotrek is a hare-and-tortoise story where steady progress wins over flashier marketing and wow features.
At the heart of this success is Rob Rollison, arguably one of the most experienced men in the LSA space.
Pilots Like ’em Big — It seems pilots love an ever-bigger engine. …or ever-bigger digital screens. …or ever-bigger cockpits. Indeed, pilots may like all those things bigger but tires go right along with the big thing. If “tundra” tires are good, then “Alaska” tires are better, and even bigger Alaska tires are just right. …apparently.
Beringer Conquers the “Last Frontier” — Putting the Brakes on Alaska
Beringer Aero USA announced an expansion of the French company’s U.S. presence on what they call “The Last Frontier.” Known for its best-in-class wheels, brakes, and related components, Beringer opened an office at the Birchwood airport in Alaska to wide their network and offer customer support.
Alaska is an airplane lover’s state. Reportedly one in 50 residents of the largest American state are pilots, compared to around one in 650 in the “lower 48.”
No wonder really, as the vast state has only a handful of roads and most of them are in Anchorage or en route to Fairbanks. The rest of the enormous state is largely accessibly only by aircraft.
“The Alaskan Landing Gear and a complete range of wheel and brake systems are nearing certification and will be available to all Cub owners and pilots soon,” announced Beringer. “Our wheel and brake kits raise the level of safety thanks to efficient and progressive braking action combined with the strong and reliable design of the wheels.” Weight savings comes as an added bonus, the company said.
Your “Light-Sport” Quad Awaits, and It’s Affordable (kinda, sorta)
Update: Unknown at the time this article was posted, Viking Aircraft Engines reports it provides the powerplant for SureFly. —DJ July 5, 2017
News from the Paris Air Show probably does not interest you too much, unless you care about the airliner you will fly in eight years from now. However, one article caught my interest because of a few references. (The article I found is available here.)
Here’s the parts that grabbed me:
(1) “We’re hoping it can be a light-sport aircraft type of licence,” said developing company CEO Steve Burns. “We want to keep it minimal, and we believe it’s easy enough to fly to do that.”
(2) It will be pilot-operated; controls are said to be minimal, with buttons for up/down altitude adjustment, and a joystick for forward, sideways and yaw.
(3) The company aims to bring the SureFly to market at a price of just $200,000.
Get Ready to Party with DUC Props Like It’s 2017!
If you live in France or are traveling to the country (soon!), you might want to join the party… the DUC Propellers party, that is. It is happening in a few days.
In December 2016 DUC Propellers moved new facilities (nearby photo) to be closer to the airfield for tests and to have a more spacious infrastructure to expedite development.
To celebrate their new quarters, on Saturday, June 24th, 2017, DUC Propellers announced they will “organize an exceptional party to celebrate the inauguration of our new location on the Villefranche-Tarare Aerodrome (LFHV) in Frontenas, France.” They plan a big event with more than 500 guests expected along with participation of many operators from the airfield.
“Lot of guests will arrive all long the day by plane but the party will officially start at 8 p.m. with the visit of the new facilities, a photoBooth on flying topics, a Beaujolais culinary discovery, a cocktail dinner, a music DJ, and some animations throughout the night,” said DUC representatives.
SeaMax Light-Sport Aircraft Seaplane Returns to American Market—Pilot Report
SeaMax from Brazil has been somewhat absent in recent years. I will spare you the detail but the company used a lot of energy to repel an undesired takeover. In recent months that was resolved and the company is now ready to move forward smartly.
SeaMax was an early LSA to meet the consensus standards as required by FAA. The first was the Mermaid in February 2006. Second was the Colyaer Freedom on January 2007. On Christmas Day 2007, SeaMax became the third.
However, of those three only SeaMax has remained in regular production for the last ten years. More recently, SeaMax was followed by SeaRey, Super Petrel, and A5 as ASTM-compliant LSA seaplanes. See our SLSA List for all aircraft shown in sortable columns.
At Sun ‘n Fun 2017, I did a video interview with designer Miguel Rosario that you can watch below.
China Embracing LSA and Light Aircraft with Help from ASA
One of the big hopes of the global aviation community — besides the shared wish for more young people to take up flying — is that Chinese interest in aviation grows.
China has convincingly proven it can build vast numbers of bridges, apartments, railways, and all sorts of major infrastructure. Can their people develop an interest in flying? Why might this be important to Americans?
To date, Chinese investors have bought all or portions of big GA companies, such as Cirrus, Mooney, Continental Motors, Glasair, and more. Yet those acquisitions do not start Chinese youth on their way to enjoy flying as Americans and Europeans do today.
Real growth needs to be grassroots.
Chinese leaders have staffed their airlines and their military, but from my own close-up view, the number of Chinese involved with sport or recreational flying is a very small number, microscopic compared to their immense population.
One organization working to change that is Aero Sports Association, run by the tireless, ever-positive Shudong Li a former Chinese national who today lives and works in the San Francisco area.
Sonex’s Xenos Motorglider Kit Aircraft Upgraded to B Model
Sonex made a splash earlier when they announced their “B Models” for the Sonex and Waiex. Read about the B-model changes in this article. Now the Oshkosh, Wisconsin company has brought these same upgrades to their Xenos Motorglider.
Over many years I’ve asked many pilots why they fly, what their top reason might be. The answers are nearly as numerous as the number of pilots asked. For me, it’s probably aerial sightseeing, enjoying the view from above. Right after that, though, it is easily and clearly soaring. I’ve logged hundreds of hours soaring hang gliders and the sensation of rising thousands of feet in thermals remains one I cannot top with any other kind of flying.
Sonex’s Xenos is a motorglider and is quite adept at soaring.
So, I got excited when I read the Sonex Aircraft announce the new Xenos B-Model. You can order a Xenos-B now, kits are shipping, and, earlier purchasers may wish to check out the Xenos-B Conversion Kit.
Progressive Aerodyne’s CEO Adam Yang Resigns
Adam Yang, the CEO of Progressive Aerodyne, resigned from the CEO position on May 18, 2017 and is handing the position to his successor, Geoff Nicholson. Progressive Aerodyne developed and manufactures Searey, which is a very well-recognized amphibious Light-Sport Aircraft. Adam has been chairman of the board and CEO for the past six years.
Adam led the company as it evolved from a kit airplane manufacturer of more than 500 aircraft to a factory-built LSA company. In 2013, under Adam’s leadership, the company achieved Special LSA status following an audit that some FAA officials regarded as one of the most successful in the industry. “[Searey] passed FAA’s inspection with no major findings,” noted Adam.
The company continues to offer kit versions as well as fully-built LSA in a variety of configurations.
Searey achieved another distinction with Adam at the helm. The LSA seaplane claims to be the first LSA to obtained Type Design Approval and a Production Certificate from the Chinese aviation authority, CAAC, in 2015.
Cuban Invasion (by Light Aircraft) Continues
Flying light aircraft to Cuba seems to be a kind of new normal. Whatever the politics of the relations between governments, the fact remains that pilots enjoy using their aircraft and want to fly to interesting destinations. To many, Cuba is one of those places, a reasonably short flight from the USA… albeit over a stretch of mighty ocean.
“Exploring new destinations and sharing the joy of flight are two of the key driving forces behind Cruiser Aircraft Inc. So when plans were announced for the first VFR Air Rally,” the company announced, “Cruiser Aircraft.eu CEO Oscar Starinsky and Thomas Schrade president of the company’s U.S. presence knew they had to be a part of it.” Cruiser Aircraft is a relatively new entity — seen earlier this year at the Sebring Expo. The new enterprise is the exclusive western hemisphere importer of Czech Sport Aircraft’s SportCruiser.
Starinsky and Schrade saw the rally as an opportunity to forge new relationships and take the first steps in revitalizing the once vibrant general aviation community in Cuba.