As alert readers may have noticed, Mini-Max shares something with the 
"When I asked why Wayne moved to Tennessee from Indiana, Scott recalls, Wayne replied, 'Winters were too brutal. So I put my snow shovel in the back of my pickup truck and headed south. When they no longer recognized what that shovel was, I figured I was safe. That was Tennessee.'” It sounds just like my memory of the man — logical, simple, decisive.
More Wayne wisdom from Scott: “Keep things simple, design around common materials and lengths.” ••• “Some of the simplest designs are some of the hardest to design.” ••• “Sometimes, you need to stop sanding and paint.”
And finally, one of my favorites: “Wheelpants are like lipstick: They make it look better so the airplane must perform better.” Logic like that is hard to beat. Thanks, Wayne (and Scott, for remembering)!
Videoman Dave wrote, "In 1984, while attending the Sun 'n Fun convention, I watched as a little single seat ultralight aircraft took to the air in some very gusty, cross-wind conditions. These were conditions that had grounded most of the other ultralight aircraft on the field," yet off into the air went this very light and surprisingly compact ultralight aircraft. Dave refers to Wayne's Mini-Max of course.
Build time is between 250 and 350 hours. Mini-Max can be built in a small area such as a single car garage. No special tools or equipment needed because much like the Fisher aircraft that had Wayne's hand in them, Mini-Max plans were full-sized; you work directly on very large sheets of paper. This helps newbies but also ensures greater accuracy as builders work to put all the "popsicle sticks" in exactly the right locations.
The Mini-Max line of aircraft has a strong following on the Internet. "Thousands of kits have been sold and are flying throughout the world," said Dave.
Cruise is an honest 55 to 60 miles per hour and stall speed is roughly 25 miles per hour.
At the time of production of this video 
The grand finale to this series on Vintage Ultralights during the month of April 2020 focuses on an airplane that can be very inexpensive if bought used. However, even new models are quite the bargain brand new — $6,195 for a complete Mini-Max kit, not including engine, instruments, or paint — from Team Mini-Max LLC. The big difference is you must build a new one. For some this may be pure delight. Others want to fly sooner or don’t care to tackle the building effort. As alert readers may have noticed, Mini-Max shares something with the third in this series, Fisher’s Koala. That also-mostly-wood aircraft was designed by Mike Fisher and Wayne Ison. The last man was the principal of Team Aircraft in Tennessee. Ison passed away in August of 2014 at the age of 90. Wayne had a gentle yet determined way about him that I recall well.
During this coronavirus mess, Sweden has been in the news because authorities did not fully lock down the country. Some closures were recommended and certain folks (older, immune-deficient… you've heard all this repeatedly) were encouraged to self-isolate. Yet pictures show restaurants, streets, and other public venues with plenty of people. Sweden has had deaths, of course, every one of them tragic. Yet it will provide a good baseline with which to judge the effectiveness of lockdown procedures from draconian to… well, Swedish.
However, the greater freedom enjoyed by Swedes allowed an impressive flight only a few days ago.
The two pilots from the south of Sweden set two new world records and have filed for FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) recognition.
Niklas (pilot and CEO of Blackwing) and Fredrik reported their record attempt…
"On Tuesday, April 14th, weather conditions were excellent in Landskrona to try to set a world record," they said. "We flew in cold air, which made the conditions of 10,000 feet for our turbocharged Blackwing 600 RG almost optimal," said Anderberg.
While laying claim to two new world records, to gain proper recognition of their achievement, the performance must now be checked and approved by the International Aviation Sports Association, 
For the official record in Class UL aircraft RAL2T (Movable Aerodynamic Control / Landplane / Flown with two persons / Thermal Engine), previously recognized record holders include:
"The quality and finish of his aircraft and kits has to be seen to be appreciated," Dave added. I completely agree. I have often told Randy how I admired the factory finish of the airplanes he presents to interested pilots at airshows. A stickler for getting it right, Randy demurs my admiration but anyone who has closely examined his models at an event knows I am not exaggerating.
Then and today, most Rans models have been made available in both tricycle gear and taildragger configurations. 
Kit assembly time for these fairly simple aircraft was between 100 and 125 hours. "Rans' manuals and instructional building guides lead the industry in completeness," expressed Dave. "No special tools or jigs are required to build the planes and they can be built in a single car garage."
Cruise speed in S-4/5 is 55 to 60 miles per hour while stall, using optimal flaps, is 25 miles per hour.
The MX model abandoned the weight shift idea — this was too foreign to lots of potential customers. Instead, it used stick-and-rudder two-axis controls, but with a difference. The joystick connected to the elevator and rudder while the rudder pedals were connected to spoilerons on top of the wing.
The Coronavirus madness is far from being a U.S. problem. Naturally, we tend to focus on our own part of the world …as we must. Yet even far-away countries are also struggling — to protect citizens and to keep their economies afloat. It simply has to improve as the present situation cannot last.
Despite the challenging situation, progress continues in the distant nation of New Zealand. As in many nations, wide-ranging business support has also been rolled out, softening the impact of the lockdown and allowing New Zealand to move forward with minimal long-term disruption.
"Along with much of the world," Paul continued in early April, "New Zealand is feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic with a state of emergency declared. With this four-week lockdown all non-essential companies are required to close or work from home."
However, he added, "This will also be the year we fly our much-anticipated Wave." Interest is indeed keen as proven by more than 120,000 views of the video shown at the bottom of this post.
Aircraft design and its accompanying release documents and part traceability often takes longer to create than the production of aircraft components and assemblies.
"While our technicians and workshop staff are safe at home with their families, our designers are using this time and working from their homes to finalise the remaining aspects of the design, prepare work and plan the actions required once we are able to get all staff safely back to work," observed Paul.
On a positive note, he reported the 
"Not currently being reliant on sales and having investors with long term vision makes Vickers a stable and strong company in this environment," explained Paul.
"This is our eleventh year working on Wave," noted Paul. "I am often asked why is it taking so long? The answer, you don’t want an aircraft to be rushed. It has to be right the first time, no shortcuts, no compromises and always safety first. Not once have I compromised on any of Vickers' core values, nor will I. Wave will be ready soon, but not before it is fully completed. It has taken the time that has been necessary to design and produce a truly incredible aircraft."
Earlier 
To gain perspective on the history of this well-regarded design, I reached out to an old friend who had extensive early experience with the original company located not far from his home.
"Right after Sun 'n Fun 1980, four prototype Mirage ultralights showed up at Skylark airport in East Windsor Connecticut," recalled Ken Godin, now known for his 
"Immediately after seeing these bright colored flying toys at Skylark, I rode my motorcycle to Windsor Connecticut where the Ultralight Flight Inc., facility was quartered. Ultralight Flight was housed in a old building of about 2,000 square feet that used to be summer housing for migrant tobacco pickers.
"I met Frank Riley, the president of the company, Fred Bell, the vice president, Dan Bell (Fred’s little brother) who was in charge of the shop," Ken remembered. "There were three other silent partners, attorneys in the Hartford area. Fred Bell’s sister, Diane, had a sail loft and sewed all of the wing and tail coverings. Another employee, John Dempsey, was the guy with the ideas and skills to design and test an airframe."
"Within a couple of hours of seeing the planes at Skylark, I had a new job in the 'machine shop' of Ultralight Flight. I made pretty much all the tooling to cut, drill, and bend aluminum tubing, make plastic bushings, and a wire jig for upper and lower wing wires and control cables for the Mirage.
Sun 'n Fun 1980 proved to be a big show in the then-new ultralight area. Interested spectators and business people sought dealerships in the new sector.
"Within a couple of months after the show, we had tooled up and set up a dealer network across the country that produced sales of 10 to 20 birds a week," Ken noted with enthusiasm! "We had a pretty well oiled machine and could really pump out kits."
"This went on for about a year when Dempsey came to the table with his idea for a much advanced aircraft, the Phantom. With a full length boom-tube fuselage, a double surface wing with upper and lower battens and full span ailerons as opposed to the Mirage’s spoilers, we all felt it had great potential. Our dealers loved the ideas. So, while we were banging out Mirage kits, Dempsey went to work on the Phantom. I was able to do a lot of work with him. As he finished a new control surface or fuselage component, I would build the production tooling for the part.
"About nine months later, when all of the load testing and checks and measures were done, we brought the new Phantom out to Skylark Airport for test flights. It was a pretty awesome time. It was an amazing flying machine, going well beyond Mirage.
"Just as we were finishing the production set up for the Phantom, we moved the facility a couple of miles away to a brand new building. Our shop more than doubled in size, to 5,000 square feet. We built all new custom workbenches for our purposes. Everything was set up well enough that our production team was making 20-30 kits a week for a couple of years. During that time we phased out the Mirage.
At the time of production of the following video The Ultralight Flyer would estimate the value of a used Phantom from the 1980s to be worth between $4,500 and $6,500.
More than 1,800 Phantoms were produced, said current builder, Phantom Aeronautics.
Beside going over the aircraft carefully as described in earlier installments of this Vintage Ultralights series, The Ultralight Flyer recommends that the buyer contact 
Lazair entered the market in the early 1980s and was sold in kit form. Kits took between 500 and 1,000 hours to build as they were basically a raw materials kit. The fuselage and tail section use aluminum tubing with bolt and rivet construction.
Power was originally supplied by two modified Pioneer Chainsaw engines of approximately 5.5 horsepower each. The Series 2 and 3 models used two, single-cylinder, 9.5-horsepower Rotax engines. These engines were mounted on the leading edge of the wings.
Climb rate on the Lazair Series 2 and 3 ultralights was approximately 450 to 500 feet per minute. Cruise speed was between 35 and 45 miles per hour. Stall is around 25 miles per hour.
From comments to 
"Pioneer engines are under powered," galactica one noted. "The Rotax 185s are good engines, parts are available, and performance is adequate. They should be upgraded to around 30 horsepower total," the commenter added, as "two engines in the 15-horsepower range would give Lazair proper performance."
The commenter's summary: "Total cost would be around $10,000 to fix it properly." With such an investment, you could claim one of the most intriguing aircraft anyone will see. It will definitely draw looks everywhere you fly Lazair.
Of course, I refer to 
Bristell with 
Representative U.S. Sport Planes, led by industry veteran Scott Severen, has demonstrated this baggage capacity with photos showing a 
Since I first saw the F2 in mock up, Flight Design has redesigned the intake for two reasons: "to reduce drag as we confirmed the older version was very functional but draggy; and for aesthetic reasons," said the company. "Flight Design team designer and Head of Airworthiness, Christian Majunke, designed conceptually. He also designed a rather novel installation of the coolant and oil radiators," elaborated Flight Design USA representative, Tom Peghiny.
Also new panel is an SLSA panel with twin G3X screens, a Garmin GTR 225 Com, Garmin GTX 345 ADSB in and out transponder, Garmin GMC 507 autopilot control head (with dual axis autopilot), and Garmin GMA 245 intercom.
Pilot controls remain essentially as they were on the CT-series but note the combined single lever throttle and brake system.
"Our F2 prototype number 002 arrived at port in Miami in preparation for display at Sun n Fun 2020," said Tom. Like most vendors, Flight Design USA hoped to go forward with the Lakeland show but will now unveil the new model at Oshkosh 2020 (assuming it remains on schedule).
"After completing all SLSA required flight testing including the demanding ASTM 3180 anti-spin requirements, production has started on the first aircraft from production tooling in Germany, Ukraine and the Czech Republic," concluded Tom.
At Sun 'n Fun 2020, Deon expected to introduce Whisper to American kit builders. Alas, as with the rest of this group, you probably won't see it until July in Wisconsin.
Bruno will be aided in his approach to the U.S. market by longtimer, Ed Ricks, who once helped the Paradise Aircraft people with their 
The FireStar is a high wing, strut braced, taildragger in a pusher configuration. To some aviators, "taildragger" is a negative. However…
If you prefer new to a used aircraft, the modern Part-103 compliant Kolb Firefly won't cost you as much as you might think. However, the Kentucky factory is busy building these aircraft, so a ready-to-fly model might be a few months coming. Part 103 ultralights are quietly out-selling many other types and for good reasons: they are proven, inexpensive, and involve almost no FAA regulations.
Power for used Firestar will likely be supplied by the Rotax 377, 447, or 503 two-stroke aircraft engines, however, a variety of engines from 28 to 55 horsepower have been used.
As it turns out, the Sorrel Hiperlight SNS 8 was originally designed at the request of Ron Schettler, the first Canadian Distributor of 
SNS 8 is offered in kit form. It features a two piece 4130-welded steel fuselage, which can be separated for ease of storage. The aircraft can be covered in pre-sewn Dacron sail cloth envelopes or by the use of standard aircraft covering materials. Building times are in the 150 to 400 hour range, with the conventional fabric covering taking longer to complete.
Thunderbird Aviation was established officially in 2002 by Ron Jones. He reported, "[We] offer aircraft that appeal to a wide range of interests …from an ultralight, to a two-place Experimental, to a fully aerobatic yet cross-country-capable machine, and soon to come will be the SLSA Version."
Beside a Rotax 377 or 447, other engines that have powered the Hiperlight SNS 8 are Hirth, Kawasaki, and half-VW conversions.
Meanwhile, I have been producing more content here on ByDanJohnson.com so everyone sheltering-in-place can at least fantasy fly their favorite flying machine. I will also continue with the "Virtual 
Changes for 2020 include a reshaped and longer cowling, Blackline propeller with new spinner, fully integrated landing light, and an additional NACA inlet to improve cooling. Other aerodynamic improvements include new landing gear legs with internal brake lines and new low drag wheel fairings. This all leads to significantly reduced drag and an increase in maximum speed. The company reports, "[These] aerodynamic modifications have made the CTLS 2020 nearly 10 knots faster!"
A new 
"Our F2 Light-Sport Aircraft model is fully ASTM-compliant after fine tuning," noted the company. "Our first airplanes will be delivered to customers in June 2020. Careful engineering allowed us to bring this complex airplane under the maximum allowed take-off weight (of 1,320 pounds or 600 kilograms)."
For European consumption, Flight Design is pursuing CS-23 approval (similar to FAA's Part 23) for their two seat F2, however, this model will be able to fly at 650 kilograms (1,430 pounds) of maximum takeoff weight when it is granted a CS-23 certificate. "We think this will be ideal for modern flight schools and private pilots," the company stated.
Construction of Flight Design's newest uses a new composite supplier, Hexcel.
Late in 2017, a Flight Design review concluded that prepregs could deliver a more consistent final product by ensuring constant material quality and processing parameters and could produce a lighter and stronger aircraft at a more competitive overall cost. The low-temperature cure could be done outside an autoclave. The latter reduces tooling costs and can boost build rates. Following careful analysis, the company went with Hexcel. Prepreg materials — "pre-impregnated" composite fibers have an epoxy material already present — were first used for the F2 prototype.
Flight Design began to review the market for available material options with a key part of its strategy to find and qualify a prepreg system that is not traditionally used in higher cost autoclave production for aerospace applications.
Already in operation since March 1st, Flight Design will "offset" the carbon emissions from the fuel burned by their airplanes during the first 2,000 hours of operation. They'll do this by employing the 
Offsets will come from cash contributions by Flight Design to programs that meet internationally-accepted standards. Funds will be deployed to planting more trees and other actions that consume CO2.
The look it presents when assembled but not covered is that resembling construction of a geodesic dome, except flat. It looks like a daunting build but you just put piece after piece in place, right on the drawing, until all the "popsicle sticks" are in place. The process is not unlike color-by-the-numbers as little kids do.
This simple aircraft may look quaint today, but in the early 1980s, Koala was a rather advanced ultralight. Remember, other designs were generally aluminum tubing gusseted or bolted together. To pilots of conventional aircraft, Koala looked more familiar, somewhat like the ubiquitous Piper Cub.
The charming, highly-affordable, all-wood Koala was designed by Mike Fisher and Wayne Ison in the early 1980s. Yes, the same, one-and-only Wayne Ison associated with Team Aircraft, another builder of light weight, low-cost, nearly-all-wood designs. We will present an article and video on Team's MiniMax later on on the Ultralight April 2020 Vintage series.
FP-202's all-wood construction makes it a straightforward build and repair can be easier partly because of the many small parts. As Videoman Dave puts it, "The building process is very similar to that of building wood model aircraft."
From the beginning Fisher and Ison designed Koala to fit 
We can have you in a plane for the price of a used Harley motorcycle, said 
Hawk was the first ultralight to be fully enclosed, meaning it had a floor, meaning you could not foot-launch it. The rule was still in place when Chuck first debuted Hawk but that one aircraft lead us into the brave new world of wheel-launching.
That "CGS" abbreviation usually put before Hawk was from Chuck's even-earlier business: Chuck's Glider Supplies. He once made hang gliders, lots of them, and that's where Chuck and I first met. Gosh, we were young and handsome in those days. We were also stronger. I would actually attempt athletic feats like running a hang glider off a mountain cliff or stumbling my way into the air grasping my Quicksilver (which, for the record, also started off as an unpowered glider).
The point of this series of short (5-minute) videos is to identify aircraft almost anyone can afford. I should not have to say it, but please don't assume a $5,000, decades-old ultralight will compare well to a modern LSA. The good news is that, in some ways, such a low-cost aircraft might even be more fun assuming you use good judgement about when and where to fly.
Over 40 years have passed with many Hawk aircraft still safely flying today. Some are offered for sale on various outlets. Both Dave and I have flown CGS Hawks — 
My words and Dave's videos give recommendations for aircraft that we have flown, owned, and/or built. As Dave notes, 
In recent months many light aviation enthusiasts have been asking about progress on FAA’s proposed rewrite of the Light-Sport Aircraft regulations. Following a lengthy teleconference in 2019, the 
FAA is moving forward on the rulemaking project yet everything remains in progress while the agency gathers internal assessments. What follows is as accurate as possible at this time but changes will occur.
FAA generally agreed with our back-calendar estimate that the NPRM may be forthcoming in late 2021 or early 2022. This was based on the perceived amount of work remaining.
The NPRM must be released about that time to allow FAA to have a finished regulation by the end of 2023. The 2023 date is a deadline set by the U.S. Congress as part of approving FAA’s budget — called the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.
While changes in wording are inevitable, it is the big changes on which we will focus here. Please remember, MOSAIC encompasses more than LSA, but LAMA’s focus remains entirely on matters of interest to the LSA producer community, to other businesses that serve that market, and to the recreational pilot community.
FAA functions under the Department of Transportation.
Repeating, FAA will not specify a particular aircraft weight (as it does not do so for Part 23 certified aircraft of today). Instead, FAA may employ something called the Power Index (basically a formula) to determine the size of an aircraft. Nonetheless, aircraft weight will increase, perhaps rather dramatically. Indeed, weight may rise to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms).
If FAA will not set a specific weight, how do we know weight will increase and what can provide wise limits?
FAA may use “Power Index.” (Words like "may" are frequently used because this regulation is only a proposal at this time, however, FAA personnel have seen what we are reporting here and offered clarifying suggestions to our language.) For those more technically oriented, at the bottom of this post is an engineering analysis by 
A number of pilots and aircraft developers, surprised by the large potential increase in weight, have wondered what will keep these aircraft from becoming very large. If FAA will not specify a weight, what will prevent LSA 2023 from becoming heavier aircraft beyond the scope of LSA and the Sport Pilot certificate?
In addition to the Power Index concept, here are methods to describe and constrain unlimited weight as learned in LAMA's last conference with FAA:
At present, FAA has given no specifics on speed, but reading between the lines, LAMA expects maximum flight speeds could be 140-150 knots.
Pilot & Mechanic Certificates — Related to FAA’s ultimate decisions about what a Sport Pilot is allowed to fly and for what flight missions, what about mechanics? Specifically, what changes are coming?
FAA is examining what type of mechanics (LSR-M or A&P) can do what kind of work on specific systems of aircraft.
As an example, will a LSR-M be allowed to work on an in-flight adjustable prop, retractable landing gear, or electric/hybrid propulsion systems?
These questions are still being evaluated, but FAA acknowledges that the issue may work itself out through the industry consensus standards process as it has for similar maintenance issues.
However, matters regarding operation of LSA falls under Flight Standards, the people who manage Part 61 (airmen certification) and Part 65 (mechanics).
Because MOSAIC is such a wide-ranging rule, various other FAA departments will address areas of their expertise. Note that this is a central reason why the regulation will take all of the next two years to fully develop.
FAA is evaluating what type of mechanics (LSR-M or A&P) can do what kind of work on specific systems of aircraft but maintain their focus on the consensus standards process to sort out maintenance issues.
This report is current and was reviewed in March 2020. It is as accurate as we can make it at this time, but it bears repeating one more time: this is a regulation still in process. Many changes may occur. Despite that caveat, the report shows where FAA is generally headed with MOSAIC. Keep your seat belts fastened!
If the Ip value worked out to be less than 1.2, it was proposed at one point that the aircraft would fit within the definition of a Light Sport Aircraft. This formula would only work for airplanes, not applying to rotorcraft, powered parachutes and weight shift control trikes.
Earlier, an Excel spreadsheet escaped from the FAA that allowed a user to plug in different values for maximum gross weight, wing area, and maximum horsepower and it would instantly calculate the Power Index value.
Industry people played around with the spreadsheet, putting in different values. Soon they found that no matter what value they put in for the weight of an aircraft, it never changed the Ip. This became a topic of vigorous discussion.
However, there is a very simple explanation for the lack of sensitivity of the formula to weight. And in fact, the explanation comes from algebraically simplifying the equation itself. When you do that, you find that even though weight appears in the original equation, it quickly drops out since it is in both the numerator and the denominator.
So let’s start with the original equation:
Ip = {(W/S)/(W/P)}1/3
If you divide by a fraction, that means that you are multiplying by the inverse of that fraction. (The inverse meaning that you switch the numerator and denominator.) Doing that, you get this:
Ip = {(W/S) * (P/W)}1/3
That means that the weight is being divided by the weight, which works out to 1. The equation then solves to:
Ip = {P/S}1/3
That means that weight has no influence on the Power Index. Instead, the power index is essentially a ratio between the power of the engine in horsepower and the size of the wing.
Now that the equation is simplified, we can do something else interesting. Let’s solve for Max Power:
Ip = {P/S}1/3
Ip³ = P/S
Ip³ * S = P
In other words, the larger the wing, the more power you can use. That certainly makes sense from a safety point of view.
Solving for Max Wing Size:
S = P/Ip³
That says the same thing. The more power you have, the larger your wings need to be. Let’s see what that looks like with some real world numbers.
If you have a 100-hp motor (for example, the very common 100-hp Rotax 912ULS) then for an Ip of 1.2, your smallest possible wing size is:
S = 100/1.4³ = 57.87 square feet
As an example, the wing area of a Flight Design CTSW is 107.0 square feet indicating that it is considerably larger than the minimum 57.87 square feet defined by an Ip of 1.2.
This probably means that an Ip of 1.2 is unlikely to be the only way that a light sport airplane will be defined with MOSAIC. Perhaps a smaller number will be used or perhaps it is only going to be one way of defining a light sport airplane (see above constraints). Perhaps a minimum stall speed (above) may also be included. That way a maximum gross weight won’t be cooked directly into the regulations, but will still end up being a consideration for airplane designers.
A frequent comment I hear is that the price of recreational aircraft are too high. Some pilots have been stating this for 18 years, since a couple years before Light-Sport Aircraft emerged.
Throughout aviation history, airplane builders worked hard to shave pounds, ounces, or grams from their designs. If light is right, then ultralights do it best.
Fortunately for those trying to fly with a smaller investment, a number of vintage ultralights are available with many brands still enjoying good parts support. The right used ultralight might address the interest of a pilot who simply wants a fun, recreational aircraft to enjoy without taking out a loan.
Many other pilots prefer something new and today's Aero Adventure makes the follow-on to the Buccaneer, called the 
Yet for many, the Buccaneer XA could be a load of fun for just the right price. Plus, 
One of the top-rated ultralight aircraft, 'er… vehicles, of the early 1980s was the Buccaneer amphibian.
Dave wrote, "Over 40 years have passed, yet many of the aircraft — such as Buccaneer XA — introduced during this time, are still safely flying today, and being offered for sale on the used ultralight market."
In his series of short (5-minute) video clips, Dave provides information on the Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel's recommendation for aircraft that we have flown, owned, and/or built.
For those wondering if they should consider an older ultralight, Dave reported that to be included in his survey, all these aircraft must be supported by manufacturers that produce parts so that repair and continued airworthiness can be maintained.
In the video below Dave took a brief look at the Buccaneer Amphibian XA.
First introduced in 1984, Buccaneer XA was the first amphibious single-hull ultralight to enter the market. It featured bolt-together aluminum tubing for the main frame fuselage, with a center mounted fiberglass hull bolted to it. Buccaneer's wings, tail section, ailerons and rear fuselage were also constructed using aluminum tubing joined by gusset plates and bolt joints, then covered with slip-on, sewn-Dacron sailcloth "envelopes."
Buccaneer's hull and two wing sponsors are fiberglass, making the early design a genuine composite.
Power was originally supplied by the then-popular Rotax 277, a 28-horsepower, two-stroke engine. Later models were powered by the Rotax 377, 447 and 503 engines. All these were discontinued by 
You should also throughly inspect the airframe, wings, landing gear, and the control systems.
If the history of the engine is unknown Dave recommends that the exhaust be removed and the pistons inspected for wear and seizure.
At the time of production of this video (April 2020), 
"Two years of hard job, more than 20 years of specific experience in this sector, invested into this new project. This new plane represents the sum of our vision, the expectations and needs coming from our customers and the desires of the STOL market. Design and elegance, innovations and safety, improved aerodynamics and performance, enhanced cabin comfort with new cargo capacity, reliability and strength, functionality and the potential to deliver new adventures, all come together quite well mixed."
"It took a long time to decide a new name," said Pasquale. "Why Norden? Why a “globe” designed in place of the standard “O” and then an inverted N at the end? Basically, because we were inspired by the main cardinal point, the mythical North and because we always try to think different, so why not to invert the N at the end for example? Thinking differently, in fact, allowed us to open our mind, reaching new limits.
"Norden is a name used to identify the beautiful Nordic and Scandinavian countries — Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland. These incredible lands, with northern Canada and Alaska, are linked to the concepts of adventure and STOL operations. It is no secret that true bush flying was invented in the genuine Northern Territories.” Great distances and remoteness helped Pasquale find a name that could both inspire great "adventures" and "long trips."
He also reported, "The standard tailwheel can now be upgraded to T3 tailwheel suspension system or even Acme Stinger. The standard bungee system can be upgraded with a custom made shock absorber system produced by one our dealers, or even with a more professional Acme Shock Pro Series system, designed for tough operations."
Norden's new cowling design is sleeker and streamlined, taking in mind the faster cruise speed planned for this plane, but is big enough to offer plenty of space for engine installation thanks to a new rounded bowl and firewall area, providing a refreshed look to the front of the airplane.
The base engine for this plane will be the 
Years ago at the very beginning of Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot, 
Rainbow's 15-day Light Sport Repairman Maintenance Courses are taught in their new home facility in Kingsville, Missouri. These courses allow the students to obtain an FAA Light Sport Repairman Certificate with a Maintenance Rating (LSR-M), giving them the equivalent privileges of a Airplane and Powerplant (A&P) with an Inspection Authorization (IA), but limited to light sport aircraft.
Unlike the simpler, shorter LSR-I course, a person completing the longer, more involved LSR-M course may perform maintenance and inspections on anyone’s Special LSA or Experimental LSA and may charge for their services.
Rainbow's LSR-M class is an FAA approved workshop and an FAA certificate will be issued after successful completion. You do not have to own an aircraft. You do not need to be a pilot. You may charge for your services. The fee for the LSRM course: $4,195 or $3,995 (if paying in cash), which considering you can earn money afterward, represents a good bargain.
Classes before June this year are full, so the next opportunities are June 15 to June 30, 2020 and August 31 to September 15, 2020
"This, too, shall pass…" said my neighbor, Bill Chernish, who flies for Southwest Airlines. His industry is unusually battered by the coronavirus pandemic. His calm and forward-looking view is refreshing amidst the fear seen, well… everywhere.
For everyone around the globe, the word "coronavirus" or the clumsier "Covid-19" disease it causes, has been the major topic of conversations. Rarely have we seen one theme so dominate all the peoples of the planet. What comes afterward?
I have no crystal ball but two recent posts online gave me a lift. Perhaps you can feel similarly.
Delay, postpone, or cancel — that seems to be the question organizers of events faced in the current pandemic scare.
"Nevertheless," he continued, "it is still imperative for Messe Friedrichshafen (the exhibit operator's business name) to look to the future.
"Since the coronavirus forced us to postpone the Aero Friedrichshafen scheduled for April 1 to 4, 2020, we have considered many possible options for rescheduling the event to take place at a later date," Bosch explained. The result of these deliberations is that the next edition of the leading trade fair for general aviation will take place from April 14 to 17, 
Like tens of thousands of others, I so enjoy this event and was looking forward to the show that was to begin in just a couple weeks. I was able to back out of most booked travel and will start planning for the 2021 event.
Meanwhile, stay tuned here for more developments and we promise to keep uploading more light aviation content. That way you can still enjoy flying even if you're quarantined in your ______ (fill in your own blank).
—Thanks to good friend, Jan Fridrich, for making us aware of this news.
Relax, folks. We’re not going anywhere fast. Across all industries, shows and events have been “falling like dominos,” as publisher Ben Sclair put it when I called to discuss 
Later yesterday both the giant Florida theme parks Disney and Universal announced they will close Sunday through the end of the month. These Orlando-area businesses along with other theme parks draw 75 million visitors annually with a $75 billion economic impact, said officials, so even a few weeks of closure is a serious decision.
Earlier today (March 13), Sun 'n Fun leadership was head-down, in meetings, and consulting with others as they seek a direction amid the coronavirus turmoil. I am filled with empathy for the SnF crew. They are deep into planning plus physical actions with many people on the grounds for weeks as they prepare for the event. A lot of money has been spent that probably cannot be refunded.
The organization said, "With the full support of Polk County, the City of Lakeland, Lakeland Linder International Airport, and the FAA, at this time we are planning to postpone the 2020 Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo until May 5-10. We appreciate the unwavering support of our airport and community and hope everyone will make plans to join us here this May."
For many, this will bring a sigh of relief …even while the SnF crew is certainly overworked and stressed by recent events and having to reschedule a grand exposition.
Hopefully, by early May the scourge of this virus business will be behind us or fading fast and people will be anxious to attend the event and do something fun other than washing your hands constantly and looking at anyone sneezing or coughing with uncertainty.
C'mon on down and get a huge dose of healing Vitamin D — sunshine, that is! We will be on-site to report everything we can (see our next post for some aircraft to expect).