There are a lot of sexy looking airplanes displayed at AirVenture, but a sure front runner for sleekest looking plane around is the Prime Veloce all-composite, two-place tandem retractable sport plane from Monopoli, Italy. This little speedster is powered by a Rotax 915 iS and is listed as capable of a 170 knot cruise speed. It stalls at 45 knots with full flaps and 57 knots clean.
There are about 70 Prime Veloce aircraft flying in the rest of the world and Blackshape Aircraft, out of Sheridan, Indiana, will be importing them to the U.S. They are hoping to market the Prime Veloce as a completed aircraft, counting on MOSAIC regulations to empower them to accomplish that task. This “mosaic-ready” aircraft will carry 26 gallons of fuel and should be capable of 1,650 feet per minute climb at maximum takeoff weight. Blackshape will list the aircraft, depending on configuration at about $330,000.
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Scissortail Aerosport Unveils Two-Place “MOSAIC-Ready” Gogetair G-750 At AirVenture
Scissortail Aerosport company, out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, imports sleek composite aircraft from Slovenia. Last year, they brought a sleek four place low wing to AirVenture that was well-received. This year, they imported an even sleeker and, dare we say, sexier looking, two place speedster that promises to be “Mosaic ready.” Named the GOGETAIR G-750, this little sportster trues out at 138 knots at 10,000 feet and stalls at 54 knots.
The two place Gogetair G-750 that Scissortail brought to AirVenture flies behind a Rotax 914 Turbo and a Woodcomp electric variable-pitch prop. Scissortail’s President, Shannon Hankins, states that the customer can also order a Rotax 915 and a hydraulically powered MT constant speed prop. The panel wears a Dynon HDX EFIS, but can be ordered with the Garmin G3X. This design features a fuselage roll safety cage and a whole airframe parachute. The Gogetair G-750’s most attractive trait, however is it’s eye-catching design, sporting swept wing tips and gull wing doors.
Cicaré 8 Kit Helicopter Debuts at AirVenture
It is hard to miss the sexy, sleek, Ferrari-red two-place helicopter on the Ultralight field at AirVenture. It’s new, it’s beautiful, and, as it turns out, it is a kit which can be completed in 200 hours, or even faster at a Cicaré builder assist facility. The two-place Cicaré 8 helicopter is appearing at AirVenture for the first time, made possible by Keith Barr, the President and CEO of the newly formed Cicaré USA corporation.
If the Cicaré name rings a bell, it is because of Augusto Cicaré, who moved from Italy to Argentina at age 19 to start and build what is now the storied Cicaré Helicopter Company. Cicaré has been designing and building helicopters for the Argentinian civilian and military since the early 1960s. Although Augusto died in January of 2022, his sons have continued the business, with great success.
The two place side by side Cicaré 8 was designed in Argentina in 2015.
Forty-Year-Old Ultralight Still Flying At AirVenture
At the 1993 EAA annual convention (long before they called it AirVenture) a young dreamer walked the ultralight grounds with hopes of someday building and flying an ultralight aircraft. On row 1 in front of the Ultralight Barn, Mike Ostrander spotted a well worn Quicksilver MX with a for sale sign. A short negotiation later, Mike, was the proud owner of an ultralight rebuild project. With the help of his father, he disassembled the Quick and brought it home to commence the resurrection. He also built a trailer for the Quick with the intention of avoiding hangar fees.
Mike’s yearlong restoration and construction efforts paid off when he brought his Quicksilver to Oshkosh in 1994. He brought home an honorable mention award in the ultralight category. On top of that, he won the EAA 1997 Reserve Grand Champion and another honorable mention in 2004. On the ultralight flight line at AirVenture this year, the Quicksilver still looks as new as the day he finished its restoration in 1994.
Building the Affordaplane, Part 4
With this, the last chapter of the Affordaplane build, I will describe how an engine mount was created to complete the last major step. As a quick recap of the previous chapters in this series, I was attempting to plans build a legal ultralight using common tools and store-purchased materials. For example: No welding allowed! So, now the biggest challenge confronting me was creating an engine mount needed for the engine installation.
First, what engine should be used in this project? This decision could not be made until we were nearly finished with the entire project. Why? The choice of engine is determined by how much weight remains after deducting the aircraft’s total weight from the 254-pound limit imposed by the FAA ultralight regulations. With the wings and tail attached to the fuselage, I weighed the entire structure. Without an engine, the scales read very close to 200 pounds.
Buying Used: Aeronca Champ—A Plane That Deserves Your Respect
The Aeronca Champion might be the Rodney Dangerfield of light aircraft. The plane, which has historically played second fiddle to the Piper Cub, doesn’t get the respect it deserves, according to its fans. “Take all the light planes from that era and look at which offers the best characteristics… I would place the Champ at the top,” argues John Weigel, a Boston area pilot who twice flew a Champ from coast to coast. “I love the Cub,” he says, “but the Champ has no bad qualities. And if I’m taking someone up with me, I’ll take it over other similar planes every time.”
When compared to the Cub, as well as the Luscombe, Taylorcraft and Cessna 120 and 140, among other tailwheelers, the Champ is easier to get into, offers more comfort, has better visibility, more forgiving landing gear and is probably the better training/low-time pilot aircraft. All are good reasons to consider a Champ if you’re looking for a simple, relatively inexpensive and fun to fly aircraft.
Flight Review: The Sleek Sting S4
“Look at that groundspeed!” I exclaimed, pointing at the Garmin EFIS. “Our TAS is nearly 125 knots, which means we’ve got a 60 knot headwind straight on the spinner!” “Can you imagine being up here in a traditional microlight?” asked the Sting’s owner, John Palmer. “No, because not only would I be scared out of my mind at the prospect of having to land, but right now we’d practically be going backwards!” I said.
I’ve written before about just how capable and potent the new breed of light sport microlights is, and several of the aircraft I’ve tested recently are not only comparable to traditional GA types, but are demonstrably superior. An excellent representative of this new breed of speedy sport planes is the Sting S4, from Czech airframer TL Ultralights.
As I wait at Saltby for John to arrive in the Sting, I’m aware that it’s extremely windy, and that if I’d told someone that I was planning on flying a microlight in such conditions, they’d probably think I was mad—or suicidal.
Look Out — A Hybrid Merlin is Coming!
First introduced in Europe in 2013, the all aluminum single seat enclosed cabin Merlin LSA has sported a variety of engines, including a Rotax 582, a specially built four stroke V-twin and even an electric motor. In fact, the Merlin airframe has served as a test bed for all kinds of propulsion and aerodynamic innovations. At AirVenture 2023, Aeromarine chief designer Chip Erwin even showcased a Merlin model with twin propellors imbedded in the wings. Erwin promises an even bigger surprise at Oshkosh later this month: a common-sense hybrid propulsion system for the Merlin.
Erwin, who has done work for the Air Force Research Lab in Dayton, Ohio, has developed a parallel hybrid drive system for light sport aircraft that utilizes an electric motor to add to thrust generated by a
piston engine during takeoff and climb, but shuts down during cruise. He points out that a major limitation of all electric aircraft is the need to lug around a heavy battery capable of providing thrust for a limited period of time.
If It Flies Like a Duck and Floats Like a Duck, Maybe It IS a Duck
Article Updated July 17, 2024 — After this article was posted, Miguel Rosario reported, “Duck is still in tests. Now we will install a 912 ULS 80-horsepower engine, as requested by future customers.” He continued, “Molds are under construction for production, which we hope to start in three months” (approximately October 1, 2024). He finished, “I will keep you updated on all developments regarding Duck.” —DJ
You probably know Seamax. This longtime, performance-oriented LSA seaplane was one of the first to make a splash in the U.S. light aircraft market way back in December, 2007.
Today, regretfully, the Seamax company is going through some very difficult circumstances as noted in this State of the Seaplane Sector report. We don’t know the end of those stories yet.
Nonetheless, Seamax M-22 designer Miguel Rosario remains active. You can’t keep a good man down but apparently you can keep him on the water.
Paths to Affordability
It’s become almost folklore. The quest for affordability in the world of general aviation has been like trying to see the aurora on a cloudy night, or recalling a dog set loose on a squirrel in the forest, or even encountering Bigfoot. From the crash of the post-WW-II airplane buying frenzy, to the mid-1980s liability-fueled dissolution of the general aviation manufacturing industry, to the relative lack of affordability following what the introduction of LSA promised to be, we’re still here, waiting for a real solution.
Parallel paths toward increased affordability exist. One is hopeful and one is tangible.
On the hopeful side we have MOSAIC, which promises to increase capability and affordability within the LSA category by expanding Sport Pilot privileges and making a range of aircraft available to pilots limited to those privileges. Moreover, the MOSAIC-style LSAs could get a lot heavier and faster and more capable—including potential use at night and in instrument conditions.
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