You’re probably wondering about this raspy old voice appearing on the ByDanJohnson site. Who are you and what have you done with Dan? Part of that you already know.
Dan sold this site to what was then the Flying Media Group, owned by Craig Fuller, an LSA owner himself. Since adding a bunch of marine titles from Bonnier, the overarching company is now known as Firecrown, but the aviation side is still a big part of the portfolio, including FLYING, Plane & Pilot and KITPLANES (among many others). ByDanJohnson, when it becomes Affordable Aviation, will fit like the perfect puzzle piece into the group
Speaking of KITPLANES, that’s where I come from. In fact, Dan and I have history—the good kind—as he wrote about the then-nascent LSA category for KP back when all this got started. We felt it was important to get smart about the segment since it would intersect with Experimental aircraft.
Archives for March 2024
Good Neighbor! — How Sling Pilot Academy Made Their Trainer Whisper
Harley Davidson or Rotax — Sounds can be unique and associated with a certain brand. Harley motorcycles have made their sound a trademark, defending it vigorously against wannabe knock-offs.
Sling Pilot Academy found Rotax 912iS engines output a particular sound, too. However, they wanted to shield their neighbors from it. As busy as Sling Pilot Academy has become, keeping good relations is essential.
So, Whisper Sling
Necessity is the mother of invention, so the saying goes. Necessity, in this case, was success.
(SPA) at the Torrance, California, airport has grown to become a training behemoth, with their fleet flying more than 4,000 hours per month, the bulk of it in the Sling two-place LSA it uses as a primary trainer. That makes the SPA one of the busiest training companies in the region.
And Torrance, like many urban airports, faces increasing complaints from non-pilot neighbors; in fact, Torrance’s very existence has been threatened for decades by those opposed to the presence of airplanes at, get this, an airport.
Do You Love LSA and Sport Pilot Kits? Calling for Writers in the Affordable Space
By the middle of March, this website had exceeded all prior monthly records. In only 16 days, we recorded an all-time high in single-day non-repeating visitor count and in monthly visitors.
So, it is already certain that I will conclude my full-time activities with ByDanJohnson.com on a very high note and I am grateful beyond what I can convey. I had hoped to “go out at the top of my game” and this strong response from visitors is a wonderful send-off.
Please believe me, though, the genuine thanks are from me to you, not the other way around.
I am deeply appreciative of your loyal readership for these past 20 years. Thank you from the bottom of my pilot’s heart.
Is Affordable Aviation
Really a Thing?
I didn’t know I was creating the affordable aviation space when I began my online adventure back in 1999 — it took four years of work in those early days of the World Wide Web but we went live on April 1, 2004.
Super Petrel XP Arrives in Florida; Proven Product Significantly Upgraded
A few days ago a couple Super Petrel XPs arrived in Florida. In no time, Roger Helton‘s team had the pair assembled and had earned their Special Airworthiness Certificates, from two different FAA inspectors no less.
Development happens fast in light aviation; Mosaic will further quicken the pace.
Welcome to Light-Sport Aircraft where the swift thrive and those that can’t move fast enough fall behind. LSA is a market full of seasoned competitors. They’ve learned their trade well, surviving and some even gaining during the Covid upset. Any new creation coming to market will be measured against tough standards.
You think the pace of development is fast now? Wait as Mosaic approaches and company after company announces new products to take advantage of the “Christmas in July” list of new privileges FAA offered in the summer release of their Mosaic proposal (view list at bottom). The regulation is currently in review by the agency and according to their own statements, it should go live by second quarter 2025 (2Q25).
Your Own P-51? (Only Modern?) — Remarkable SW-51 Increases Production
Every pilot loves a P-51 Mustang, right? The World War II fighter with gutsy lines and a thundering engine turning a giant prop consistently ranks as one of the most desirable airplanes of all time.
Don’t even think about affording a real P-51 unless you win the lottery. Warbirds may be the biggest attraction at AirVenture Oshkosh year after year but only a few pilots have sufficiently deep pockets to own and fly one of these historic machines.
SW-51 is breathtakingly priced as well, many readers may think. Nonetheless, SW-51 is an awesome-looking flying machine that some will figure out how to afford.
Even more rare than a Ferrari, SW-51 is a very-limited-production design. The company forecasts a dozen aircraft per year. At that rate and given SW-51’s exquisite detail, I’ll bet they can sell out year after year.
Mount Your Mustang
You can watch a video below from Sun ‘n Fun 2022 that provides additional and fairly recent detail.
The Shape of Tomorrow? Pegaso Is Another Beautiful Light-Sport Airplane You’ve Never Seen
Pilots who have attended the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany may have spotted Pegaso since it first exhibited in 2018. Six years later, the model lacks American representation so Yankee pilots generally don’t know this flying machine.
This is Pegaso, a European “ultralight” that expresses a beautiful style we expect from Italy.
Promecc is better known for their low-wing Sparviero but Pegaso drew lots of admiring looks at Aero 2023.
Let’s take a deeper look at an aircraft that can help imagine what we’ll see as Mosaic emerges from FAA rule making in the second quarter of 2025.
Promecc Pegaso
Promecc Aerospace specializes in the design and manufacture of European-style ultralight aircraft predominantly using carbon fiber construction. As is more common in Europe, the company behind Pegaso and Sparviero has a larger operation involved in professional aviation.
The company’s first design, Sparviero, which translates to Sparrowhawk in English, was introduced in the early 2000s.