"We have also planned demo tours in Germany. 
Meanwhile, "The 915iS model is getting close to 35 hours of test flights. We are doing testing at outside temperatures above 30 degrees celsius (86°F) to make sure the installation also works well in hot climates."
"We keep adding safety features," Niklas continued. "The newest one is that you forget to retract the gear — easily done with the 915iS since climb rate is 2,000 feet per minute — and fly above the maximum gear-extended speed, you will get a warning on the Garmin screen and blinking red lights. The same blinking feature is added when the gears are in transition or if you forget to extend your gear (in addition to the built-in 
What a weird season, or non-season, if we think about all the airshows we should be attending …but are not! However, entrepreneurs do what they must and pilots remain as interested in flying as ever. Given both forms of determination, I expect those who tour with their airplanes will largely be warmly welcomed — although those still deeply worried about Covid may not venture out to the airfield. The good news, the concerned folks don’t have to attend yet those keen on pursuing their love of flight can at least check out a new airplane. You can stand physically distant if you wish and, of course, you can wear a mask although you may elect not to go aloft given a fairly small cabin. Nonetheless, I suspect most flyers will welcome Blackwing CEO Niklas Anderberg, as he takes his beautiful and very fast Light-Sport Aircraft around a series of airports in Europe.
Although a mirror reflection of the greater global economy, many pilots are stunned that airshow after airshow has fallen to the virus. It seems like two or three years ago when, back in February 2020, Videoman Dave and I covered the 
Tom has run 
"I'm very impressed with F2. It feels like a bigger airplane, very solid in the air. More stable than I expected. Very easy to land." He's comparing to the CTLS that so many other pilots know.
"F2 feels more stable in the air compared to our CTLS, which offers a sportier feel." Pressing him for details, Tom recounted the following story from a recent flight. It involved F2's autopilot.
"As you know, with the 
In one of the nearby photos taken from the nose of F2, the vertical surface of the tailplane appears enormous, one to rival the very tall tail on an 
When the flight is over, F2 is reportedly easier to land. I asked how?
"A longer wheelbase reduces porpoising and a single beam landing gear absorbs rebound tendency. "We also think that beam gear will end up being more rugged."
Another helpful feature is the single throttle and brake lever (image below): forward is go; back is stop. Simple. Other designs have used this technique, good because the pilot's hand never needs to move during the critical touchdown and rollout phase of flight.
As we discussed the two planes, Tom said he thought I could do the same maneuvers with F2 that I'd done with the Icon A5 and I'd get a similar sensation.
"Departure stalls simply don't," Tom described. "With full flaps, it will 'nod' a bit, a kind of pre-stall but with neutral flaps the stick remains effective at all times."
Tom worked closely with Flight Design during development of F2, playing key roles. He closed saying, "I knew we could achieve those characteristics but I didn't know how well it would fly."
I could almost see his smile over the phone.
I look forward to experience F2, perhaps at the 
FAA representatives from both Aircraft Certification and Flight Standards have confirmed that — while nothing is certain at this time and that many more people inside the agency must have an opportunity to provide their expertise — all the requests by LAMA remain in consideration.
While LAMA repeated that some LSA do not need to get heavier or larger, nonetheless, growing the segment can be helpful for many business serving this market.
Other changes under consideration (to present LSA):
Some FAA goals have not changed:
History suggests coaxial rotors originated with Mikhail Lomonosov a very long time ago, according to 
I report this as a fascinating light aircraft but I cannot vouch for Micron-3. It presently has no American representation that I could discover.
I also have no information on pricing although I have contacted the company to request additional details. If they are forthcoming, I'll add to this article.
Generally, though, I can tell you 
In one way Nano is similar to the original Bensen Gyrocopter. Nano is a single seater. At first, all gyros were one-seaters but since European engineers took the concept and started to advance development, I've seen almost exclusively two seaters.
What's even more unusual is that Nano comes from a company call 
Nano is a simple gyroplane that has a partially-enclosed cabin and a fairly traditional configuration. Empty weight is listed as a modest 220 pounds.
Large-wheels enable take-offs and landings not only on runways but also from undeveloped fields.
Nano uses an aluminum structure, composite body with carbon and kevlar materials. Sturdy-looking 20-inch main wheels allow more confident operation from turf runways or grassy meadows. A suspended 16-inch front wheel also helps negotiate uneven surfaces.
The metal rotor was developed by Fusioncopter, the company notes. Unlike bigger, two-seat gyroplanes that commonly use mechanical means, Nano uses a hydraulic rotor prerotation system to shorten takeoff roll.
It is powered by a popular powered paraglider engine, the Polini Thor 250DS with electric starter and dual ignition system and Fusioncopter reported that it outputs 48 horsepower.
What countries are flying your aircraft? "Today they fly in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic and the next three are going to the USA, followed by two to Germany and two more to Poland."
How long has the company existed? "Fusioncopter was founded in 2012. We made two prototypes of our FC-4 four-seat gyroplane, which needs more time for certification; it shares the same technology employed on JK-2 Nano that is just for fun flying."
When is the twin-engine model available? "I hope we will perform some flights this year but I do not think it will be commercially available for two years (or 2022)."
He wanted an aircraft that resembled the famous World War II F4U Corsair fighter. One glance at the nearby photos or the two videos below tells you he did very well. Here's a bit of history about Corsair's 
"The general layout — a low inverted gull wing — has been successfully used in several aircraft already," explained Jörg. "The Chance-Vought Corsair surely is one of the more famous aircraft with this concept." Jörg notes the main advantages to this configuration are a low interference drag between wing and fuselage as well as an ideal landing gear position, "which allows as well a nearly perfect angle for take off and landings."
Corsair is adjustable to pilots of many sizes. "The ergonomics have been optimized with the help of our local flying club," Jörg recalled, "[so Corsair] is suitable for pilots ranging from 5 foot 4 inches to 6 foot 8 inches (1,60 to 2 meters). Cockpit width is 23.6 inches (60 centimeters).
"Our seat is adjustable in four length/height positions and the incline is independently adjustable in 11 positions," he said (see in video). "Rudder pedals are adjustable as well and the stick has two positions." In other words a fairly wide range of pilots should fit in Corsair.
Jörg said, "We selected the Verner Scarlett 3 VW, a four-stroke, three-cylinder radial engine, [which was] purposefully designed as a light aircraft engine." The Vernor produces 42 horsepower at 2500 rpm using a displacement of 96 cubic inches (1.6 liters).
"The high engine torque allows the use of a rather big and efficient propeller," observed Jörg, again mimicking design parameters of the F4U Corsair. "We use a ground adjustable 63-inch (1,60 meter) carbon prop that can produce, depending on the blade pitch, up to 220 pounds of static thrust, more than enough for Corsair's empty weight!"
U.S. importer 
If you like the idea of a lightweight, Part 103 aircraft (no license, no N-numbers, no medical) that is certain to turn a lot of heads at any airport you visit, Corsair is definitely a distinctive and interesting ultralight.
Indeed, when investigating insurance for a taildragger, you will have to prove you have some experience or get training from a suitably-experienced instructor — and you won't find many able to help you.
How about if an aircraft went both ways? What if an affordable aircraft allowed you to fly with tricycle gear but permitted you to practice your taildragger technique yet still use the nosewheel's self-straightening capability if you start to get a little "sideways" (literally or figuratively)?
Kolb Aircraft has an answer.
Nonsense!
That's just plain wrong and here's proof: Go to a producer of Part 103 aircraft and ask about delivery time. You'll probably find a longer wait than you expected. 
Why are single-place aircraft growing in popularity?
Several good reasons account for Part 103 success but prices for these least-regulated aircraft remain surprisingly low
Cool as taildraggers may be, the last couple generations of pilots overwhelmingly learned to fly in tricycle gear aircraft. Most don't care to advertise their lack of history with "conventional gear."
To address potential customers telling him they were unsure about their success with a taildragger, Kolb main man, Bryan Melborn engineered a tricycle-gear version of FireFly. He inventively calls it TriFly.
In truth TriFly also comes with a tailwheel. That's some of the magic because Bryan reports you can definitely perform a three-point landing (main gear touching down in concert with the tailwheel) in TriFly. You can keep rolling out all the way to a stop without the nosewheel contacting terra firms. When the movement stops or you relax the joystick, TriFly will go back to tricycle mode and you can taxi back to your hangar or tie-down.
Or, if you prefer, land TriFly like any Cessna; that works well, too.
My personal experience with Kolb Aircraft — having flown numerous models over many years — indicates that great handling qualities are a Kolb trademark: light controls with good response, nearly perfect for most pilots. Performance in matters such as takeoff roll, landing distance, and climb rates are superb. As a Part 103 aircraft, speeds are limited by regulation but TriFly fills the envelope fully.
In every way, Kolb taildraggers are a delight to operate and, truly, you should not fear the taildragger. If you are unsure or if you don't want to meet the insurance demands for a taildragger then TriFly may be the perfect combination. You can have it both ways all in one machine with no adding or removing components.
To select another aircraft type means going out on a tree limb. This is especially true with what I call "alternative aircraft" — weight shift trikes, powered parachutes, motorgliders, and gyroplanes. It would include lighter-than-air, too, if we had more than 
That's great. Swan 120 is reportedly a well-flying aircraft; I have not had the chance yet.
Yet lots of potential buyers may prefer a two seater and as the video below shows, I did see a finished version of such at 
Radu owns a larger company, Avi, in Romania where he makes all sorts of industrial composite components for trains, aircraft, and backyard swimming pools. He's an aeronautical engineer with 25 years experience in composite construction. As with similar companies, the airplane portion of the business is a smaller segment of the overall enterprise although Berceanu is very passionate about aviation.
Unlike Swan 120 that qualifies as a 120 Kilo Class aircraft under German rules, a two-seat Swan 240 at about twice the weight must earn approval in a higher class. Peter observed, "Swan 240 [cannot use rules for] Swan 120 Europe-wide."
Instead, Swan 240 must qualify under EASA rules or those from the CAA of each European country. While rules in many countries are similar for light aircraft, they are not identical. "It is still not quite clear what max takeoff weight Swan 240 is allowed to have, 600 or 640 kilograms," clarified Peter. "The rules are different, which is one of the reasons why we still wait a little bit."
In the USA, Swan 240 would have to be a kit or go through the approval process for Light-Sport Aircraft (no small task).
Transport & Storage
"In 2000, we were frustrated with the lack of affordable modern avionics for sport aircraft," remembered Dynon, "and [we] decided to do something about it."
The result?
Dynon led a sea change in modern GA aircraft avionics, equipping over 20,000 sport aircraft and then venturing into the "certified" world of colorful EFIS screens for legacy airplanes.
Dynon's first D-10 started shipping in 2003 and they've moved forward smartly ever since.
Today, pilots forget that the first fancy computerized instruments for aircraft cost more then than an entire Light-Sport Aircraft today. Dynon almost single-handedly drove down the dizzyingly high prices to something sport pilots could afford and we embraced them enthusiastically.
Dynon went on to become titanium-strong pillar of the aviation marketplace.
"These [are] very fun machines; speedy, and capable of mild aerobatics," Sam said. LiteFighters offer the kind of flying a weekend warrior wants to do. "LiteFighter aerodynamics are driven by requirements," Sam explained, giving as examples: "low stall speed with gentle stall characteristics, high climb rate, great speed for the power, excellent maneuverability, and fun scale-sized airframe."
When Sam mentions "modular," he means that ScaleBirds designs are based on a structural core airframe with skins being "hung" on the outside primarily for aesthetic and aerodynamic purposes.
ScaleBirds is comprised of a small team from southeastern Connecticut. "Our experience is in art, design, engineering, robotics, manufacturing, and of course, aircraft," Sam observed. "We have been using all of our skills and developing new ones in order to deliver something new to the world of flying." These replicas are single seat sport planes, designed to be economical and fun.
"We have also done design work, and built parts for, a larger two-seat aircraft: a 63%-scale F6F Hellcat," Sam reported. "It will be completed as the first example of what we call the SportFighters series."
The ScaleBirds team report they offer full-service maintenance and overhauls for the Vernon engines. "We went to the Czech Republic and were trained in the operation and maintenance for these powerplants," Sam clarified.
The five-cylinerVerner Scarlett 5S is a modern radial aviation powerplant. "With specs and performance that put it right next to other 80-horsepower engines, the Scarlett 5S is still lighter than the other direct-drive engine options and without the cost and complexity of the higher-revving redrive engines of similar output," Sam said.
While the design team likes the round Vernors for some applications, "LiteFighters are designed for a variety of available aircraft engines from 65 to 140 horsepower. The in-line fighters like the P40 will be based on the Viking 130, AeroMomentum, and Rotax 912UL, while radial powered models will be geared towards the Verner 5Si or 7U engines," Sam explained. "This will not preclude other popular options such as Continental, VW, Jabiru, and various two-stroke options, the D-motor, as well as other auto conversions such as the Suzuki G engines with redrives."
Video watching is great while America remains sheltered at home. Here is a trio of ScaleBirds videos — two about the P-36 Hawk in recent and earlier states of development plus lots of talk about radial Verner engines, which ScaleBirds imports. Grab some popcorn and enjoy!
I interrupt the ongoing battle with Covid-19 to take you on a nostalgic tour of Oshkosh-19. View this excursion by video below.
Hey, when you can't go to 
Oshkosh is so sprawling you can't see it all but this post along with the video below tries to capture objects of interest to readers of this website and viewers of Dave's 
First, a gyroplane can be flown by a Sport Pilot. Other than 
Company leader, Abid Farooqui, notes that Rotax's newest powerplant requires use of an EFIS (Electronic Flight Information System, or digital screen avionics) for engine monitoring that can interface with 915's electronic engine monitoring. Analog gauges are not an option with use of this engine. The lowest cost and simplest EFIS is 
I will link to a video with much more detail but as one example, Rotax's powerful engine has a turbocharger. Those air boosters make air hotter so an intercooler is needed. The trouble with these components is they have to be securely mounted and a gyroplane like AR-1 is slim, so Abid did not want a big intercooler sticking out and upsetting the lines and low drag of his design. As the video below shows, he went to considerable effort to clean up the 915 installation.
To learn all about the many actions Abid took to install Rotax 915s into his aircraft, see 
Yes, you read that right and that figure includes everything needed although you may elect added-cost options such as glass avionics or a specialized paint job. While some models of LSA seaplanes appeal to the wealthy class at prices approaching $400,000, Aero Adventure makes …seaplanes for the rest of us.
Two years ago, Aero Adventure was focused on their 
While Alex and team previously hoped to debut the new model at 
Meanwhile, in my visit at the end of March 2020, I reviewed several items of the long work list required to achieve Special LSA status and it appears to me that Aero Adventure has nearly finished all work. They hired outside talent to assist them in assuring they fully meet the ASTM standards FAA requires before accepting a new model into the fleet. They've also completed the numerous manuals required before they can declare their compliance to standards.
Building the case for FAA acceptance has absorbed a lot of time and money, but Alex and crew have worked the rest of the effort, too. A major decision was made about representation of the enhanced line.
Bristell USA importer, Lou Mancuso, will represent the Aventura SLSA 912. He has already dipped his toe into the water (literally …ask him about it at an airshow) by offering the S-17 version of Aventura but he is stoked about the potential for the fully-built seaplane with a modest price. Aventura SLSA 912 will be north of $100,000 but significantly less than all other Special LSA seaplanes and far, far less than Icon's A5.
Lou has carefully built a solid reputation in the Light-Sport Aircraft world (see here 
No, of course not. Admittedly, though, a nosedragger is certainly not what most pilots think when they envision a Cub.
“Putting a nosewheel on a modern Cub type aircraft certainly surprised some people," noted CubCrafters' VP of Sales & Marketing, Brad Damm. "The overwhelming public response has been positive, especially among more than 300 pilots that had the opportunity to fly the airplane during the market survey phase."
“A nosewheel equipped XCub is a very easy airplane to fly that takes off shorter, lands shorter, and cruises faster than the tailwheel version," Brad added. "Once a pilot is in the airplane and experiences it, the advantages are obvious.”
“Engaging our customers has been hugely important,” said Patrick Horgan, President of CubCrafters. “We went into this process not entirely sure if the market wanted to accept a nosewheel-type personal adventure Cub." He reported the question has been resolved. "We’ve had people wanting to place deposits for this aircraft from day one. Our customers have made it very clear that they want us to build this airplane.”
CubCrafters said that a variety of pilots with varying skill levels invested hundreds of hours of real-world use during the market survey phase. The Yakima company said this experience led to many design improvements that might not have happened solely from company engineers.
Regarding retrofit, the nosewheel assembly "is a bolt-on effort that can be removed should the owner want to convert the airplane to a tailwheel configuration." XCub's tricycle gear option is available now on experimental XCubs through the company’s Builder Assist program
Following the company's also-Part 23 Cub, the nosedragger has been badged as “NX Cub” for aircraft delivered from the factory in nosewheel configuration. CubCrafters expects to achieve FAA Part 23 certification for NX Cub in early 2021.
In April, lots of readers were clearly pleased with the "Vintage Ultralights" series. Thanks to our cooperation with Videoman Dave and his popular 
"The UltraCruiser was designed as the first all-metal ultralight in 1998," reported 
"
In our strongest month ever, April 2020, 
"Things are even more confusing for the [second record for a] 50-kilometer closed-circuit course," said Stéphan. "In every record we attempt, our motivation is to show that our marketing brochure is very accurate without inflated numbers. Because nobody could believe the performance of the fixed-gear Siren with [100 horsepower] 912ULS, we decided to set a new record. The result was an astonishing 288 kilometers per hour (corrected for ISA). We could fly the Risen 914T and set a much faster record, because of retractable gear and an extra 15 horsepower of the 
Stéphan observed that I had written (in my 
I was told by several builders that Crystal puts out a good food spread and generally these two make you feel at home, even providing bedrooms so you can stay on the job as long as your schedule allows. "Most spend time, return home, and come back to finish the task," explained Greg.
Building a Lightning — Greg observed, "All the primary fiberglass assemblies are preformed and fully fabricated including fuselage halves already bonded together with bulkheads installed; wings are substantially finished with fuel tanks installed; and all flight controls are installed." The kit also includes cowls, the prop spinner, cockpit canopy frame, seats, and baggage floors.
Welded structures, such as the motor mount, spar box assembly, gear leg sockets, and various brackets, are finished and epoxy painted at the factory making them ready to install. Lightning's landing gear is machined from 7075T6 aluminum and ready to fit.
An airplane like Lightning "goes together pretty fast," said Greg, continuing to say that the process takes only about three weeks. If you try this at home, plan on more time, other builders told me. The help the Build Center gives is invaluable plus it's more social than many projects.
The Experimental Aircraft Build Center Arizona also helps builders create the 
What pilot doesn't want more power? Or speed?
The trouble with more power allowing more speed is that old auto racing line: "Speed costs money! How fast do you want to go?"
How about a not-so-expensive option?
U.S. importer 
However, as power went up, so did prices. The 915, 340 and 170 mentioned above carry significantly higher price tags, and honestly, not all light aircraft need that much power. Plus, bigger engines are heavier so some of the added power is used to lift the extra engine weight.
Zlin develop Pasquale Russo and U.S. importer Bill Canino think the familiar and proven Rotax 914 Turbo offered a "best of both worlds" proposition.
For 2020, Zlin introduced the Norden concepts. 
"This required a long, meticulous revision and optimization of the whole airframe," said Pasquale, including fuselage, empennage, landing gear, nose cowl, fuselage skin, the cockpit interior, brakes and control surfaces. It became a reconfigured airplane from spinner to tailwheel.
Careful weight reduction dropped the weight while keep their "hyper STOL" wing performance that can sustain speeds of barely more than 30 mph. "This is more typical for a powered paraglider than for a robust three-axis aircraft while maintaining interesting cruise speeds" Pasquale observed.
Around the world outside the U.S., aviation fuels like 100LL are not widely available. 
