Dan Johnson, Author at ByDanJohnson.com

Centenarian Enjoys Flying His Evektor LSA

By Dan Johnson || November 20, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

photo courtesy Jim Lawrence... companies seeking professional work should contact James Lawrence Photography

Guy Reynolds in beloved Evektor Sportstar. photo provided by Bart Rogers. Also read Jim's Lawrence's article on Guy's 99th birthday flight.

Reynolds and his aviation support group. photo provided by John McVey of the Martinsburg, West Virginia Journal newspaper.

Some see a centenarian in Guy Reynolds; others see a fellow pilot. photo provided by John McVey

This intricate model of air traffic patterns was built by Guy Reynolds while he worked for Thieblot Aircraft. It was featured in NBAA's Skyways magazine in August of 1959. Thanks to aviation historian Bart Rogers for providing this and other information about Guy's background.

On November 30th, Guy Reynolds will celebrate his 100th birthday by taking a flight in Light-Sport Aircraft. Putting a finer point on it, he'll take this flight in his LSA. Are you surprised that a centenarian has an LSA? Admit it... I was. However, Guy is no ordinary guy. He bought his Evektor Sportstar back at the beginning of LSA and he's been flying it about 100 hours every year. That's probably more than you fly your LSA. Impressive even for a young 50-year old pilot, this fact is, well... astounding for a 90-something pilot. Before you question the wisdom of this flight, let me assure you Guy is a pretty together fellow. We spoke on the phone and other than being a bit hard of hearing, he sounded great. I accept that he's 99+ because he said so but he sounds like a younger person. He was savvy enough to voluntarily give up flying with anyone other than another pilot at age 95 because, "I might have a stroke or something and don't want to endanger anyone." So, quit your worrying. Guy is simply a fellow pilot who loves flying and doesn't want to stop. Though he's now given up his medical, he's healthy enough to have gotten one when he was 93 years old. Facilitating Guy's continuing interest in flying his Sportstar, he is supported by a group of fellow local pilots. Inspired when he witnessed the Navy's USS Shenandoah airship in 1923 followed by a first flight in a Ford Tri-Motor in 1928, Guy started flying in the early '40s, got his license in 1945, and logged time on a dozen aircraft models. He stopped in 1952 due to other responsibilities and did not return to the aviation family until 2005 with the advent of Light-Sport. He likes low-wing airplanes, researched articles, and selected the Sportstar. "It's nice to fly, comfortable, has plenty of leg room and is low in cost," observed Guy. Like many who switch from heavier general aviation aircraft he finds it a bit sensitive and would prefer wing tanks for ease of filling. (Newer Evektor models answered this request.) His aviation buddies provide a stool to make getting up on the low wing easier and they carry it along on short cross country flights. This news came to me through longtime Evektor dealer, Jeff Conrad. "Guy was our very first Sportstar customer," reported Jeff. "He purchased Evektor Sportstar, N322PG. This aircraft was licensed the same day as N400EV, April 8, 2005. So it shares the distinction of being [among the first] SLSA in the world." For those that may have forgotten Sportstar enjoys the distinction of being SLSA No. 1 accepted by FAA. "I've never regretted the purchase," said Guy. "I delivered Mr. Reynold's aircraft during Sun 'n Fun 2005. Best I can remember it was April 13-14th. The Bill of Sale was dated March 29th with registration March 31st." Given these dates, Guy's Sportstar may have been the first end-user delivery of an SLSA, Jeff speculated. For T. Guy Reynolds. Jr., LSA was a dream fulfilled and he wasted no time. "When Guy bought his Sportstar he was 93 years old," noted Jeff. "Since then he has accumulated 800 hours as he approaches his 100th birthday. He is surely the oldest living Sport Pilot and still flying!" In his century of living, Guy has done many interesting things. "He's an engineer and an inventor," said Jeff. On our teleconference Guy's friend and local aviation historian, Bart Rogers, spoke of Guy's work in devising early traffic patterns. "I worked with the three main New York airports plus Chicago and Atlanta," recalled Guy. Bart told us about an intricate "sculpture" Guy created to illustrate possible approach entry patterns for the New York airports. The flight paths were represented with thin string. "It was quite a work of art," added Bart (photo). This was all back in the age of the DC-3. He also worked on a then-CAA experiment to put swiveling gear on a DC-3 "so it could land catywampus" in cross-wind conditions as Guy described the effort. So, you may go have a flight on November 30th and I hope it will be pleasurable and enjoyable for you. Yet until you repeat such a flight on your 100th birthday — should you be so fortunate — you'll have nothing over Guy Reynolds. I hope for great weather on that momentous day plus spectators who can appreciate how one pilot celebrates 100 years of living by going aloft in his Light-Sport Aircraft. Hearty congratulations to a fellow aviator! Jeff Conrad was the importer for Evektor in the first few years of Light-Sport Aircraft and remains a dealer today. He joins companies like AB Flight and Dreams Come True, the latter run by Steve Minnich in Dayton, Ohio.

On November 30th, Guy Reynolds will celebrate his 100th birthday by taking a flight in Light-Sport Aircraft. Putting a finer point on it, he’ll take this flight in his LSA. Are you surprised that a centenarian has an LSA? Admit it… I was. However, Guy is no ordinary guy. He bought his Evektor Sportstar back at the beginning of LSA and he’s been flying it about 100 hours every year. That’s probably more than you fly your LSA. Impressive even for a young 50-year old pilot, this fact is, well… astounding for a 90-something pilot. Before you question the wisdom of this flight, let me assure you Guy is a pretty together fellow. We spoke on the phone and other than being a bit hard of hearing, he sounded great. I accept that he’s 99+ because he said so but he sounds like a younger person. He was savvy enough to voluntarily give up flying with anyone other than another pilot at age 95 because, “I might have a stroke or something and don’t want to endanger anyone.” So, quit your worrying.

Mid-November 2012 LSA News Wrap

By Dan Johnson || November 16, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Michael Coates receives EAA's August Raspet award for the Pipistrel design team.

Good to Go in China Things are happening in China. "So, what's new," you say? "We've been hearing about China for months." Things may move slowly in China but this week, Airshow China is happening in the southern city of Zhuhai and my colleague, Jan Fridrich is present. He reports that some LSA are displayed including Triton's Mermaid and SC3D (based on the SportCruiser), Flight Design's CTSW, Colyaer's Freedom, and some other aircraft he is working to identify. Watch for a followup article. Triton is the new China-based factory run by Chip Erwin. ••• LSA leader CubCrafters gained Type Certificate approval in China for their Part 23-certified Top Cub. General Manager Randy Lervold said they have taken no steps with the LSA models but that they expect to pursue that in the future. Meanwhile, though the company announced the sale of two Carbon Cubs in Europe, they are taking a similarly measured approach using Permit to Fly privileges for now. "We're feeling our way along," said Randy about both China and Europe. However, he mentioned a commonly-expressed feeling among American producers that the USA opened its doors to European LSA but that restrictive regulations in other countries is less welcoming. Yes, you might bring an LSA to Europe but costly government approvals are offputting, perhaps explaining Cessna's choice of using Primary Aircraft rather than pursue EASA's particular form of LSA. Read more about private aviation in China. Jubilee Jubilation LSA market leader Flight Design is beginning to celebrate 25 years in business. To commemorate the occasion, the German company will build a special Jubilee edition of several models in a very limited series of 25 airplanes adding a personal touch, a unique equipment list, a special two-tone leather interior, including leather instrument panel treatment, and a handsome 25th Anniversary theme exterior paint design (photo) along with purchase incentives. "Each 25th Anniversary Jubilee airplane will have an upper management 'Godfather' assigned to personally monitor its build process to ensure our extraordinary level of quality is attained throughout every step and detail of manufacturing," said Flight Design CEO Matthias Betsch. America-bound models will come with the new fuel-injected Rotax 912iS engine and Dynon SkyView avionics featuring dual 10-inch displays and more. Contact the company for the complete equipment list. Happy Birthday, Flight Design! Hitting 100 and 25 Speaking of success stories... consider Pipistrel. "This really important news kind of snuck up on me as a surprise," observed U.S. representative, Michael Coates, "but I have just noticed that our multi-year cooperation with Pipistrel has resulted in selling our 100th aircraft recently!" According to Pipistrel boss Ivo Boscarol, "Michael is not just a great distributor and salesman, but also a true partner to Pipistrel through the last 15 years." He added, "We owe a large part of Pipistrel's success to Michael Coates and his entire team of local and international dealers from Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America." Michael reported selling 20 aircraft in the USA at Oshkosh 2012 and in the two months afterward, a performance any LSA producer would love to claim. As a side note, given the announcement from Flight Design, Pipistrel was organized in 1987 thus completing its 25th year in 2012. Congratulations! Troubles at the Top Even aircraft giants can have problems. Cessna issued work orders for more than 200 Skycatchers in an effort that has to cost the big Wichita company well over $300,000*. Can you imagine how that would affect a smaller company without the ability to write a six-figure check? Size has benefits, as those couple hundred customers will be professionally handled. Cessna issued a Mandatory Service Bulletin to repair problems with the wing structure of the first 228 Skycatchers delivered. Mechanics must add a rib and other reinforcement at the wing/fuselage junction where Cessna found some cracking on its factory evaluation aircraft. The action does not ground the airplanes; indeed, the work only has to be done at the next 100-hour or annual inspection. However, this is a big modification. Skin on the Skycatchers' leading edge must be removed and replaced and new parts must be installed in the wing structure. Cessna says it will take about 32 hours to make the upgrade and the company will pay for the work. Skycatcher serial numbers 002 to 229 are affected. * Roughly $300K is calculated at 32 hours each at a minimum of $40 per mechanic hour for $1,280 each times 228 Skycatchers. Ouch! YouTube LSA Sensation Thanks to some new measuring tools from Google, the owner of YouTube, video channel Ultralight News reported some big numbers: 5,000,000+ and 13,777,529. The first is views of the channel's videos on YouTube, on which I am honored to collaborate (and you can see those on our LSA Videos page). The bigger number is minutes watched! Making this all the more amazing is that the minutes count only started on September 1st, just nine weeks ago. No matter how you tally it up it, that's nearly 230,000 hours of watching light aircraft fly on the world's number three website in barely more than two months! That sums to more than 3,000 hours per day... representing a lot of attention to recreational aircraft. Go, Ultralight News channel! You can support this work of video outreach by subscribing at The Light Sport and Ultralight Flyer. Worthy Video In closing and speaking of video, I watched an encouraging interview of new EAA Chairman and CEO Jack Pelton done by Jim Campbell of Aero-News.net at the recently concluded NBAA convention. In his usual style, Jim asked a few tough questions and got solid responses from a clearly relaxed and ready man who once ran Cessna. As everyone in aviation knows by now, the Oshkosh member organization has seen major turmoil with the abrupt departures of longtime president Tom Poberezny and short time president Rod Hightower. Many hope Pelton can bring some calm and this video appears to show he's up to the task. Take a watch for yourself.

Good to Go in China Things are happening in China. “So, what’s new,” you say? “We’ve been hearing about China for months.” Things may move slowly in China but this week, Airshow China is happening in the southern city of Zhuhai and my colleague, Jan Fridrich is present. He reports that some LSA are displayed including Triton’s Mermaid and SC3D (based on the SportCruiser), Flight Design’s CTSW, Colyaer’s Freedom, and some other aircraft he is working to identify. Watch for a followup article. Triton is the new China-based factory run by Chip Erwin. ••• LSA leader CubCrafters gained Type Certificate approval in China for their Part 23-certified Top Cub. General Manager Randy Lervold said they have taken no steps with the LSA models but that they expect to pursue that in the future. Meanwhile, though the company announced the sale of two Carbon Cubs in Europe, they are taking a similarly measured approach using Permit to Fly privileges for now.

SeaRey Passes FAA Audit, Becomes SLSA #129

By Dan Johnson || November 9, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Adam Yang receives an airworthiness certificate from Orlando MIDO's Al Kimble.

Progressive Aerodyne's certification team celebrates winning SLSA certificate #129. Designer Kerry Ritcher stands to the left and company owner Adam Yang to the right of the SeaRey. General Manager Joe Friend is to the left of Kerry and Consultant Abid Farooqui is in the green shirt. (Also see update)

Many thick three-ring binders holding hundreds of documents are reviewed with FAA audit personnel.

CEO Adam Yang (dark glasses) and President Kerry Ricther take 982 Sierra Romeo for its maiden SLSA flight.

Consider this an entry to the "They-said-it-couldn't-be-done" department. As regular readers know, FAA has been conducting audits with LSA producers... tough, top-to-bottom reviews of every detail in the voluminous ASTM standard set. Last April another company had no less than six FAA personnel in their building for three full days, each armed with a laptop and literally hundreds of questions. Passing one of these grueling tests is a fairly major accomplishment. Then consider FAA amped up the task by saying any new model or first LSA from a new company would probably get one of these thorough inspections before they could enter the market. Progressive Aerodyne hosted such an FAA team to examine their first SLSA candidate and — surprise! — they came out with a certificate. No followup is needed. So the heartiest of congratulations go to Progressive Aerodyne and their SeaRey. Yesterday they were issued their airworthiness certificate after a visit from five FAA personnel from both Washington, DC and the local Orlando, Florida MIDO (Manufacturing Inspection District Office). After working with another consulting company for more than a year, Progressive Aerodyne CEO Adam Yang switched gears and hired Abid Farooqui of SilverLight Aviation. In four and a half months SilverLight's staff worked with the Progressive Aerodyne certification team (see update) to complete the job on what was by any measure a very demanding schedule. The independent engineering company coordinated closely with Progressive Aerodyne's staff lead by SeaRey designer, company president, and co-founder, Kerry Richter. "[We] will start production of the compliant airplane immediately to meet the long expected market desire," said Yang. [After] selling the same model kit of the two-place amphibian airplane for the past twenty years [our team] has been working diligently for a few years to meet relevant ASTM standards and FAA regulations." He added that the internal group and its consultant strictly followed the ASTM standards and FAA regulations in achieving this "first-article" certificate with only minor findings that were corrected quickly resulting in the MIDO office issuing the coveted pink card. With the arrival of SLSA #129, Progressive Aerodyne has proven that even with intensely watchful oversight from FAA officials, it remains possible for the Light-Sport Aircraft industry to maintain the blistering pace of new model development. The Tavares, Florida company headquartered appropriately on a lake will now make the transition from building the side-by-side seaplane kit to adding fully manufactured aircraft. This is no small task as the business model for kit assembly and builder support is radically different from constructing ready-to-fly airplanes to a series of internationally-recognized standards. SeaRey is a popular seaplane with 600 kits sold and more than 500 flying. Owners make a loyal and tight group dedicated to their flying machines. The aircraft features a roomy cockpit with sliding canopy and full dual controls. It is powered by the Rotax 912 ULS and offers retractable gear in keeping with Light-Sport Aircraft rules for amphibians. You can read our full-length pilot report on the kit version. Update 11/9/12 — Given their accomplishment, it's worthy to list additional members of the Progressive Aerodyne certification team: Alan Chandler (prototype builder and assembly manual author); Stan Proctor (quality assurance); John Bernard (electrical systems); Bryce Richter (machinist); Dan Saunders (SilverLight engineer); Stacey Farooqui (SilverLight documentation manager)

Consider this an entry to the “They-said-it-couldn’t-be-done” department. As regular readers know, FAA has been conducting audits with LSA producers… tough, top-to-bottom reviews of every detail in the voluminous ASTM standard set. Last April another company had no less than six FAA personnel in their building for three full days, each armed with a laptop and literally hundreds of questions. Passing one of these grueling tests is a fairly major accomplishment. Then consider FAA amped up the task by saying any new model or first LSA from a new company would probably get one of these thorough inspections before they could enter the market. Progressive Aerodyne hosted such an FAA team to examine their first SLSA candidate and — surprise! — they came out with a certificate. No followup is needed. So the heartiest of congratulations go to Progressive Aerodyne and their SeaRey. Yesterday they were issued their airworthiness certificate after a visit from five FAA personnel from both Washington, DC and the local Orlando, Florida MIDO (Manufacturing Inspection District Office).

Grand LSA News Wrap-Up… Pre-Oshkosh

By Dan Johnson || November 7, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Cessna's Discover Flying team and their numbered Skycatchers: From left... Ed Honey (dispatcher); Conor Dancy; Luis Acosta; Jen Scanlan; Ben Alimena; Zoe Cunningham; Chris Rogers; Luke Patterson; and Taylor Breum.

Breezer Aircraft USA moves to the Sun 'n Fun campus.

One of each: the new Rotax 912 iS is installed on one side while the familiar 912 ULS remains on the left of Lockwood's AirCam.

Yowie! This airplane can almost jump off the ground. See it at Oshkosh. photo by Randee Laskewitz

The popular and versatile Lotus Floats have a new home and improved service.

Allegro gains support of more leaders in North Carolina.

CESSNA'S DISCOVER FLYING I met new business leader for the Skycatcher LSA, Tracy Leopold, at Sun 'n Fun 2012 where she confirmed the Wichita giant's support for their lightest aircraft, now being assembled in Independence alongside other Cessna models. As summer began, Tracy's Skycatcher group amped up their game with a program called Discover Flying Challenge. *** After hiring eight university graduate flight instructors — plus a ninth to act as dispatcher — the team took off in all directions and will reunite again at AirVenture 2012. Meanwhile, the youthful team is visiting Cessna Pilot Centers and non-CPC FBOs plus fly-ins and air shows all the while doing what college grads do these days: updating Facebook and Twitter feeds and blogging about their activities. *** "We wanted to do something different, something that would get the attention of the next generation of pilots while at the same time getting the Skycatcher in front of the public," explained Tracy. Keep up with the 8+1 at Big C's Facebook page. It's great to see Cessna's dedication to their littlest airplane and we wish them huge success at finding more, younger pilots. |||| BREEZER AT LAKELAND In early July, Breezer Aircraft USA, announced they entered into a five-year lease with Sun 'n Fun to move their flight training and related aviation services to the SnF campus at the Lakeland, Florida airport. Breezerites will headquarter in Hangar B, familiar to airshow attendees as part of the indoor displays. *** This is part of the vision that airshow boss John "Lites" Leenhouts has for making SnF into a seven-day-a-week, year-round destination, instead of just a once-a-year event. *** Along with their flight training ops, Breezer USA plans to offer builder's assistance for their Breezer II kits and will offer Rotax maintenance. They'll be joining Pilot Mall and the Seaplane Pilots Association on the SnF campus. Breezer USA chief Mike Zidziunas — pronounced by most folks as "Mike Z" — said, "We've been working on this plan for many months." At a "Fire Hub" event in late June, he was pleased to forecast the arrangement "...any day now." *** Mike Z also plans to work with students of the Central Florida Aerospace Academy at Sun 'n Fun, to have a hands-on program allowing students to obtain their A&P Certificate by the time they graduate from high school. Mike Z is an A&P with a Light Sport Repairman Rating, a certified Rotax Mechanic and importer of the Breezer II Light-Sport Aircraft. Contact Mike at 941-915-8883 or send him an email |||| FIRST U.S. ROTAX 912 iS INSTALLATION? So far as I know the very first Rotax 912 iS got installed and it will work side-by-side with its older brother, the ubiquitous 912 ULS. How's that? They are both installed on an AirCam (one of my favorite flying machines and the aircraft I used to obtain my multiengine rating). Proprietor Phil Lockwood and his Lockwood Aircraft team are completing the new installation, which other manufacturers have observed is a significant project. This should provide a superb test bed as AirCam can operate exceedingly well with either engine. *** One of Phil's top lieutenants is John Hurst, an electronics guru who has been hard at it for a year to totally redesign the Lockwood website. On my recent visit to Sebring to plan for the 2013 Expo, he gave me a brief review on my iPad (it works best in landscape mode). The navigation is vastly improved but of great interest to many mechanics or homebuilders are exploded-part drawings that themselves explode into detail views. You can zoom in so far that every nut and bolt seem to jump off the screen. The Lockwood bunch are like the Energizer Bunny, always moving and improving. I don't know how you do it, guys and gals, but keep on flyin'. |||| JUST AIRCRAFT'S EXTREME(ly) COOL AIRPLANE Speaking of flying, you never know what Troy Woodland might be cooking up at Just Aircraft. How about something, umm... genuinely extreme? Come to think of it, they haven't settled on a name for their new aircraft and Extreme rather fits the bill (even if it has become a bit overused). *** Their newest creation, which we just saw at Just in prototype form, is looking good and standing tall... quite literally on its huge tires and what seemed to be mile-long gear legs. Troy's business partner Gary Schmitt showed me a video of them drop testing the Extreme (or whatever it may be called) four-plus feet without any obvious damage or deformation. To those that have no experience with such tests that may not sound too high, but I've observed such tests in my days with BRS parachutes and I'm here to tell you that is huge! Commonly such test are done at two or even one foot. *** The giant tires and gear combine with automatic leading edge slats. Not fixed slots, these slats hinge sideways in two sections — inner and outer wing elements — to allow the bird to take off in something like two fuselage lengths. To assist, the flaps are elephant-ear sized, dropping to 40 degrees, which means the tail feathers also had to be enlarged. All this is a work in process and I'm spilling the beans a bit so don't hold me or Just Aircraft accountable, but what a so-cool project! *** The two section slats allow the inner section to slap closed before the outer, which means control stays effective even at ridiculously slow speeds. All this is great for the shortest imaginable takeoffs and landings and that's a good thing given Just's truly extreme factory runway. Right outside the factory is a parking lot leading to a 400-foot grass runway on a slope inclined enough that you could nearly foot launch a hang glider. Crazy? Not at all, as I witnessed young pilot John von Kaenel take off and return like it was any runway (well, assuming good preparation and technique). Hopefully attendees can watch demonstration flights of the extreme new Just at AirVenture 2012. |||| LOTUS FLOATS FINDS NEW HOME After years in the aircraft float business, the developer of inflatable Full-Lotus floats decided to focus on non-aviation products. Design rights, inventory and production tooling were sold to Aircraft Floats Manufacturing, Inc. (AFM), The Canadian company will continue producing the standard line of Full-Lotus floats and has started deliveries of floats as well as replacement parts for maintenance and repairs to existing owners. The company will soon start introducing type-specific rigging instructions for a variety of popular aircraft designs, something not previously offered by Full-Lotus. *** The one-of-their kind Full-Lotus floats are a lightweight, robust, air-inflated system introduced in 1985 for ultralight aircraft and since adapted for general aviation use. The design uses multiple bladders inside a tough vinyl casing with polycarbonate protective shell. "The result is a float system that can be beached on rocky shores without worry and that can bump most submerged objects at taxiing speed without damage," reported AFM. Inflation provides a shock-absorbing capability unique to aviation floats. *** AFM's new production facilities are located on the Huronia Airport (CYEE) in Midland, Ontario, next to Zenair Limited, the well-known kit aircraft manufacturer. Visit AFM's website, call 705-526-4537, or send email. |||| LSA AMERICA / ALLEGRO MOVES Wrapping our tour of LSA news, we look at another move for the U.S-based producer of the Allegro Light-Sport Aircraft. LSA America, which has already made one landing in Halifax County, North Carolina, "prepared for another flight today that will bring the company to the Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport," reported owners Doug and Betty Hempstead. The company will move from its current location in Littleton officials said at a recent groundbreaking ceremony at the new location. *** Halifax County Board of Commissioners Chairman James Pierce told the audience the company plans to build a 16,000-square foot manufacturing facility at the airport. "While the Littleton site works well, the airport needed to promote the business side. The [new] location is a great business opportunity." Pierce noted that LSA America's move is important to the community because it will create 34 jobs within two years. "We're excited about the opportunity to partner with LSA." You gotta love when politicians boost aviation so congratulations to Doug and Betty... and that's our news for now. We're traveling to Oshkosh for much, much more, so stay tuned to ByDanJohnson.com!

CESSNA’S DISCOVER FLYING I met new business leader for the Skycatcher LSA, Tracy Leopold, at Sun ‘n Fun 2012 where she confirmed the Wichita giant’s support for their lightest aircraft, now being assembled in Independence alongside other Cessna models. As summer began, Tracy’s Skycatcher group amped up their game with a program called Discover Flying Challenge. *** After hiring eight university graduate flight instructors — plus a ninth to act as dispatcher — the team took off in all directions and will reunite again at AirVenture 2012. Meanwhile, the youthful team is visiting Cessna Pilot Centers and non-CPC FBOs plus fly-ins and air shows all the while doing what college grads do these days: updating Facebook and Twitter feeds and blogging about their activities. *** “We wanted to do something different, something that would get the attention of the next generation of pilots while at the same time getting the Skycatcher in front of the public,” explained Tracy.

Tecnam Offers Bargain-Priced Echo Classic Light

By Dan Johnson || November 6, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Tecnam's new Echo Classic Light offers a respected LSA at prices comparable to those expected in 2003 when the SP/LSA rule was introduced.

Major Italian producer Tecnam today announced the launch of the P92 Classic Light microlight. This is the seventh-generation model in Tecnam P92 range of airplanes, which this year celebrated 20 years of production. The company reports that over two decades of service, "P92's worldwide fleet now stands at nearly 2,000 aircraft with 200,000 flown hours. The P92 Classic Light is the 13th variant and follows on from the launch earlier this year of both the P92 Tail Dragger (video) and P92 SeaSky Hydroplane. In concert with the international announcement, Tecnam North America confirmed it will launch the new P92 Echo Classic Light priced at $74,999 through to the end of 2012. For those that recall the original promise — of a fully-built LSA for about $60,000 — this price meets that expectation if you only factor in the time value of money, that is, $60,000 in 2003 (the year before SP/LSA) is $75,459 in 2012 dollars. Tecnam responded to market demand for a no frills, basic, aircraft that will still retain the great flight characteristics for which the brand is known. "The predominantly metal aircraft yields a day VFR aircraft that can legally be flown away from Hanover County Airport, Tecnam North America's home base, at this price with no hidden charges or surprises," stated Phil Solomon, CEO. Basic configuration info: Rotax 912UL 80 horsepower engine, which can use standard grades of automotive fuel; special light weight seats that are fully adjustable in flight; steerable nose gear with center handbrake; single 11.9-gallon fuel tank (a second tank of equal size is optional, totaling 23.8 gallons); all required day VFR instrumentation for flight outside of controlled airspace; gross weight of 1,102 pounds giving a standard useful load of 496 pounds and payload of 424 pounds. Performance specs: max cruise of 103 knots; endurance of 3 hours (with standard single tank); stall is 44 knots, clean; takeoff run is 459 feet and landing is 328 feet; The Echo Classic Light comes with a standard two-year / 200-hour manufacturer's warranty. "A limited number of upgrade packages will be available at competitive prices," Solomon added. By example, buyers could add the TruTrak primary flight display for $1,700; the second tank at $1,400; or navigation and strobe lights for $2,650. "We have built our reputation at Tecnam on producing airplanes that offer outstanding value," said Paolo Pascale, Tecnam's Managing Director. The basic Echo Classic Light package is certainly a worthy airplane from a company renown for excellent flight characteristics and handling. Those who decry the high price of Special LSA need look no further for proof manufacturers like Tecnam heard you and are responding.

Election Day (Non-Political) LSA News Wrap

By Dan Johnson || November 6, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Dynon's new D-1 Pocket Panel.

ASTM's LSA committee celebrated 10 years of work.

Sun 'n Fun's Paradise City runway has new improvements and the area will have a new look (red "V" shows the new road route, approximately).

What a Month! October was a busy month starting with the first-year LSA event Heart of America Sport Aviation Classic outside of Kansas City. The next week featured AOPA's Summit in Palm Springs California. After a brief stop in Phoenix for a conference, the ASTM meeting followed in Atlanta, and the month finished with the big NBAA convention in Orlando. It was good to finally get back in the office and see how the month went... and, IT WENT GREAT! October was THE biggest month ever for ByDanJohnson.com. My sincerest thanks to each of you for your regular visits propelling us to this new mark. I'm pleased we're delivering the content you want and we'll continue to do so. Watch for more videos and news stories as we head toward Sebring in January. Spruced Up Spruce What's the big event on Tuesday November 6th? Ha! ...trick question. How about this? Major supplier Aircraft Spruce will launch a completely redesigned website today... yes, election day. So, pull your nose out of your smartphone, iPad, computer, or TV and do something more fun rather than watch election returns. ••• Aircraft Spruce's new website includes many new features such as improved product search and navigation, however, for those that suffer during change, the old site will run in tandem with the new site for 60 days. You can browse and order on the new website plus offer Aircraft Spruce feedback as to what you like or don't like. Aircraft Spruce has more than 80,000 different products so online is where you'll find it all. For those who prefer to flip pages the company's free 900-page catalog remains available or simply pick the phone and dial, 877-477-7823. ••• Also... for the convenience of western Rotax enthusiasts and mechanics California Power Systems now offers CPS Rotax classes. Welcome, New President No, not Romney or Obama (haven't you heard enough about them?). Welcome to new Dynon president Robert Hamilton. I met Robert at the AOPA Summit in San Jose, California in fall of 2008. He was just getting involved with Dynon then and was doing his due diligence of sounding out various industry players. We visited for an hour and I viewed someone likely to do well. Indeed, four years later, Dynon moved him to the top spot in a company which itself has leapt from... well, nowhere in 2003 with their first product debut to the leading avionics supplier of non-certified aircraft. They've even made inroads to Type Certified cockpits with their little D-1 Pocket Panel that GA pilots carry along in increasing numbers. Congratulations to Robert and Dynon! Happy Birthday, ASTM The group of folks, mostly volunteers, who have written the ASTM standards used to "certify" Light-Sport Aircraft celebrated their 10th anniversary in Atlanta at the end of October. The people who did, do, and will labor to make these industry-devised standards are woefully under appreciated yet they have achieved so much in a short 10 years that they've spawned an offspring and an fascinating one it is at that. The LSA bunch goes by the moniker F37, one of ASTM's many committee working on standards for industries of every description. Now, the standards body has established a new group called F44. The irony? These are the people who make what we know as Part 23 or Type Certified aircraft. In an FAA initiative with the slogan, "Half the [certification] Cost; Twice the Safety," the aviation agency will turn over the prescriptive part of certification rules to a standards body... and this is because the method has worked so well for LSA. I find it intriguing and somehow satisfying to hear government will let industry lead and I hope the industry and agency find their goal of cutting the cost of new airplanes while keeping them safe to fly. All New Paradise City at Sun 'n Fun After a lengthy delay while various government agencies squabbled about exact plans (gee... sound familiar?) earth is being moved on the grounds of Sun 'n Fun's campus. "You'd be amazed at all the activity," related longtime Paradise City area chairman Dave Piper. "The culvert at the East end of the Paradise City runway is in place (right arrow) and the old ILS berm that created a hump in the middle of the space is gone." It'll all get new sod before Sun 'n Fun 2013. The paved road (Doolittle) that ran along the northern border of Paradise City now dips deeply down into the area creating a new dynamic and an easier entry to the former Ultralight Area. I'll have more on this as it develops but I'm excited to see renewed energy in this area that offers so much to LSA and light plane enthusiasts. The 1,400-foot runway is now much more usable with long overruns and flying is promised "all day long" even during most of the main airshow.

What a Month! October was a busy month starting with the first-year LSA event Heart of America Sport Aviation Classic outside of Kansas City. The next week featured AOPA’s Summit in Palm Springs California. After a brief stop in Phoenix for a conference, the ASTM meeting followed in Atlanta, and the month finished with the big NBAA convention in Orlando. It was good to finally get back in the office and see how the month went… and, IT WENT GREAT! October was THE biggest month ever for ByDanJohnson.com. My sincerest thanks to each of you for your regular visits propelling us to this new mark. I’m pleased we’re delivering the content you want and we’ll continue to do so. Watch for more videos and news stories as we head toward Sebring in January. Spruced Up Spruce What’s the big event on Tuesday November 6th? Ha! …trick question. How about this? Major supplier Aircraft Spruce will launch a completely redesigned website today… yes, election day.

The Gigantic NBAA Show… and LSA?

By Dan Johnson || November 2, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Strolling around 1,073 exhibitors at the National Business Aircraft Association's show in the Orlando Convention Center is something like walking on another planet, at least for a recreational / Light-Sport Aircraft enthusiast. The displays, while not as lavish as in years past, are elaborate and expensive; several were two-story-high affairs with lunch being served to jet buyers on the upper deck. Surreal as it was, I found something surprising: quite a few of the people I talked to knew about Light-Sport and those that did relaxed their facial expression after hearing me identify my work as "fly for fun." I felt it brought out the joy of flight in people who mostly pursue aviation as business transport or working aircraft. Higher salaries do not equate to a higher passion for flight.

The one and only LSA I saw was the Sky Arrow, now from Magnaghi Aeronautica, and that Sky Arrow was just a model on a stand. Yet they showed this charm and simplicity clustered among complex displays of the landing gear legs they make for the airline industry. That a major aerospace supplier like Magnaghi is pursuing Light-Sport Aircraft speaks to the enduring quality of our enjoyment of flight. I visited only briefly with new Magnaghi friends but it's always pleasant to see familiar faces.

A dozen rows over — I found myself wishing I had a Segway to get around this enormous hall stuffed with more exhibitors than even AirVenture draws — I stumbled across a friend and fellow ultralighter, Jim Sweeney. These days, Jim is employed full time by the WingXPro developer, Hilton Goldstein. A true techy, Jim provides customer service to WingXPro users and in the few minutes we spoke, his iPhone rang a few times. Hilton's products work on the iPad and I'm telling you NBAA 2012 was covered up with iPads. Nearly every exhibitor featured the popular tablet either as a principal component of their products or as a means of presenting information. If I'd tried to count them all, I'd still be there doing it. Clearly, Hilton Software was right to pay for a booth.

My main reason to attend NBAA #65 was to visit the folks at what most LSAers think of as "XM Weather." I got educated. XM is merely the delivery mechanism (a good one, but only the conduit) and it is the company that bills you for your in-flight weather... so it's the brand we all know. The source for that valuable info is a company called Baron that probably also supplies your local TV weather station with both data and possibly the weather antenna they use. Baron's team of top meteorologists and technicians do the heavy lifting behind the scenes so you can avoid thunder boomers painted on your EFIS. XM-Baron is confronting the ADS-B promise of "free" weather and I wanted to hear why pilots should still pay a monthly fee. I'll go into that in more detail in another post, but the simple explanation is that free weather is like free advice... generally worth about what you paid for it.

Strolling around 1,073 exhibitors at the National Business Aircraft Association’s show in the Orlando Convention Center is something like walking on another planet, at least for a recreational / Light-Sport Aircraft enthusiast. The displays, while not as lavish as in years past, are elaborate and expensive; several were two-story-high affairs with lunch being served to jet buyers on the upper deck. Surreal as it was, I found something surprising: quite a few of the people I talked to knew about Light-Sport and those that did relaxed their facial expression after hearing me identify my work as “fly for fun.” I felt it brought out the joy of flight in people who mostly pursue aviation as business transport or working aircraft. Higher salaries do not equate to a higher passion for flight. The one and only LSA I saw was the Sky Arrow, now from Magnaghi Aeronautica, and that Sky Arrow was just a model on a stand.

Airport Mogas for Light-Sport Aircraft Owners?

By Dan Johnson || October 30, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA).

U-Fuel offers a turnkey fuel system that can supply mogas to airport operators.

Zero ethanol (E0) fuel is available at some stations today.

Two publications — GA News' "The Pulse" and AvWeb reported on a letter from Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) urging FAA to help airports encourage auto gas supply. While his reasoning has a political quality (no surprise in this election-charged atmosphere), the point for LSA enthusiasts is that this could help increase availability of Mogas at airports. Since the Rotax and Jabiru engines that power the vast majority of LSA actually prefer automotive fuel as experts say it burns cleaner and provides a more efficient use of fuel — plus it costs significantly less! — congressional pressure on FAA could be a game changer. The downside is that many in aviation's more influential ranks are focused on withering supplies of 100LL Avgas and for unexplained reasons, some continue to resist supplying Mogas at airports. Waxman's letter refers to a report by FAA's Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee report released in February 2012. "This report outlines steps to identify, test, and certify an unleaded 'drop-in' replacement fuel by 2018," the Congressman wrote, "but it does not identify any efforts to reduce the use of leaded fuel before such a replacement fuel becomes available, even though, according to the report, it may be 11 years or more before the new fuel will be phased in." So, no action for six years and possibly no replacement until 2023. That doesn't sound very promising for all those aircraft that can't run on less than 100LL While our LSA can run on 100LL, they'd just as soon be fed Mogas (even the lowest priced "regular" 87-octane is sufficient for the 80-hp engines) so more airports with auto gas would be beneficial. Waxman also wrote, "Airports face significant barriers to offering fuel alternatives, which include lack of pilot education, uncertainty about liability coverage, and concerns about the supply of high octane unleaded fuels that are ethanol free." The reference to ethanol-free ("E0") fuel is worthy as many older engines need non-alcohol go-juice. As the Aviation Fuel Club — which was specifically referenced in Waxman's letter — has observed, airports might find a lucrative source of additional revenue by offering E0 fuel to non-aviation buyers, such as marine enthusiasts, outdoorsmen who enjoy off-road vehicles, vintage car and motorcycle hobbyists, and many others for whom the ethanol fuels are incompatible. Going to the airport to buy E0 fuel would also bring more folks within sight of aviation. Regretfully, Waxman's letter many not get much near-term action. Along with many other government agencies, FAA seems to be obsessing over the impending sequestration that could cause budget cuts and the $15-billion-dollar agency already feels underfunded and overburdened. As I've reported, FAA wants to audit LSA producers but lacks the resources needed to do this swiftly, which may cause long delays in new models coming to market (putting a damper on one of the most dynamic aspects of the LSA movement... new model development). Fuel ranks higher on the agency's priority list, I'm sure, but while FAA rule-writers are already looking many years down the line for a 100LL replacement, here's a way the agency could take action sooner, with little budget strain, and it could help LSA operators a great deal. Let's hope they see the wisdom of this and that FAA helps LSA fans get lower-priced, better fuel (that has less environmental concerns than does leaded 100LL) at an airport near them. It's all-too rare that Congress does something worthwhile so here's one action that shouldn't increase the deficit and requires little federal spending. With all eyes on the election and that often-referenced "fiscal cliff," do you suppose anyone in DC sees the wisdom of mogas at airports? I hope so!

Two publications — GA News’ “The Pulse” and AvWeb reported on a letter from Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) urging FAA to help airports encourage auto gas supply. While his reasoning has a political quality (no surprise in this election-charged atmosphere), the point for LSA enthusiasts is that this could help increase availability of Mogas at airports. Since the Rotax and Jabiru engines that power the vast majority of LSA actually prefer automotive fuel as experts say it burns cleaner and provides a more efficient use of fuel — plus it costs significantly less! — congressional pressure on FAA could be a game changer. The downside is that many in aviation’s more influential ranks are focused on withering supplies of 100LL Avgas and for unexplained reasons, some continue to resist supplying Mogas at airports. Waxman’s letter refers to a report by FAA’s Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee report released in February 2012.

Russian “Beetle” Four-Wheeled Weight Shift

By Dan Johnson || October 29, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

From the Now-for-Something-Completely-Different deparment...

Weight-shift chauffeur?

News from Russian sport aircraft producers is rare. Though the old USSR had a vast military aircraft complex that hasn't translated to recreation aircraft the way it did in the formerly Soviet Czech Republic, where many of our LSA originate. However, that doesn't mean efforts are absent. We've seen some uptake of LSA (like Pipistrel) into Russia but here I'll portray an unusual Russian development. It may not find a U.S. market but I find it intriguing. The designer, Anatoly Geralevich Szukov, calls his work the result of "garage aviation," a surprisingly American term (think: Apple computer coming from Steve Jobs' garage) for a very different project... from Russia. Instead of meaning a source of innovation, however, Szukov uses the garage term because his development allows people to store their aircraft in a normal garage. Szukov's U.S.-based contact didn't provide an English name for Szukov's company (though if you read Russian you might deduce it). Szukov's "Bug" line of trikes are commonly powered by a Russian injected VAZ 21083 78-hp engine though he offers other powerplants Americans would recognize such as the Rotax 582. Besides the Ruskie engine, Bug's distinguishing characteristics are four wheels, side-by-side seating (almost never seen in a trike), and a variety of chassis bodies. Oh... and catch that highly unusual ring-wing design. Why four wheels? The company states, "Classical, traditional three-wheeled chassis ultralights [have been] used for many years. However, land-based vehicles with three-wheeled chassis and front wheel steering [are] unstable on uneven ground and in turns, and are prone to rollover." Szukov identifies his trikes as "BUG-41" (a single seater), "Bug-42" (a two seater), "Bug-43" (surprise! ...a three seater). He also refers to "Bug-44," (photos) which is apparently all of the preceding based his four-wheeled "trolley" or chassis. Szukov's website says four wheels adds only about 37 pounds including the steering mechanism and provides much better ground stability. He also feels it is more intuitive to a beginner than traditional wrong-way trike steering and that the added structure is safer when involved in an accident. "Four-wheel carts [compared] to the three-wheeled device significantly improved stability at launch and landing," he wrote. "Significantly, this property of trikes is shown at takeoff and landing on unprepared sites, especially in rural areas." Szukov adds his belief that the four-wheel carriage increases comfort, allows easier and safer training, and lowers the center of gravity, resulting in increased stability and safety compared to classic trikes where the passenger is above the pilot. The Bugs share many advantages with more conventional trikes, or weight-shift LSA in FAA parlance: easy transport, smaller hangar use, versatility, low cost, and more. Szukov sees a good future for his creations in many parts of the world, and indeed, trikes have found markets in many emerging countries. If you want to find out more, the Russian language website has challenges but Google Translate will do a fair job. Otherwise you can write the factory or their Atlanta, Georgia-based Russian contact, Victor Vaiovod.

News from Russian sport aircraft producers is rare. Though the old USSR had a vast military aircraft complex that hasn’t translated to recreation aircraft the way it did in the formerly Soviet Czech Republic, where many of our LSA originate. However, that doesn’t mean efforts are absent. We’ve seen some uptake of LSA (like Pipistrel) into Russia but here I’ll portray an unusual Russian development. It may not find a U.S. market but I find it intriguing. The designer, Anatoly Geralevich Szukov, calls his work the result of “garage aviation,” a surprisingly American term (think: Apple computer coming from Steve Jobs’ garage) for a very different project… from Russia. Instead of meaning a source of innovation, however, Szukov uses the garage term because his development allows people to store their aircraft in a normal garage. Szukov’s U.S.-based contact didn’t provide an English name for Szukov’s company (though if you read Russian you might deduce it).

Long, Winding Approval Tale — SLSA #128

By Dan Johnson || October 24, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

A most remarkable thing happened recently. No, I don't mean the sudden resignation of EAA president Rod Hightower. I refer to a recent (September 27, 2012) approval of a brand new Special LSA. Why is that noteworthy, especially as it is #128 on our SLSA List? Everyone in the business of LSA and most other alert readers have followed the long, winding, still-evolving path of FAA approvals in the fall of 2012. Specifically, FAA has released an order that says any new model from an existing LSA supplier or any LSA from a new company must be blessed by FAA headquarters in Washington DC. The Aircraft Certification branch must be informed first and an inspection judged necessary cannot be done by a DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative... the people who have approved all other nearly 3,000 LSA in America). Under the new dictate, any new-model approval must be done by an FAA Air Safety Investigator. In short, it ain't easy.

Nonetheless, Ed Pitman of Pitman Air accomplished the daunting task. To my shocked inquiry, Ed (an old friend from my hang gliding days) wrote, "Yes, it is true, the FAA did it. Rather than send a team, [due to] 'lack of funds' they sent their top gun from the Seattle regional manufacturing office. FAA-ASI Michael Bramble is highly qualified (and pretty busy), having issued the first Boeing 787 Standard Airworthiness on September 17, 2012. Immediately afterward he went to nearly the opposite end of the aviation spectrum. Ed continued, "Then [he did] mine on Sept 27th 2012. Poor Boeing had more than 60 competed 787s waiting for that Airworthiness." Despite Bramble's obvious credential, it was still arduous gaining the new SLSA certificate in this environment. Ed went on, "He was constantly on the phone with DC and Oklahoma City. He spent several months going over my documentation against [the July 2012 FAA order called] 8130.2G CHG1 and I think he had a lot of coaching from DC." FAA may have worked hard to get this done but so did Ed.

"I worked on this for 22 months to make it happen," explained Ed. "I went to Australia [where the design is now owned] for a month in March this year to insure they had their paperwork and processes in order. I advised Bill Moyes in the beginning that because of the bilateral agreement between U.S. and Australia he could run everything from Sydney, but he chose to have me represent America for the Dragonfly." Thus, Pitman Air is the official manufacturer of the Dragonfly SLSA and ELSA Kits. Americans can still buy Experimental Amateur Built kits directly from Australia but they cannot tow hang gliders or teach in these machines. According to FAR 91.327 the SLSA models can be used for "Compensation or Hire" for both aero towing and flight training. However, Ed reports he is working to obtain a waiver from FAR 91.309 to solve remaining issues. One reason FAA is amping up their oversight of LSA producers relates to Continued Operation Safety Monitoring, government-speak for the proper follow through to make sure owners know of any problems and have a way to remedy them. Ed has been particularly diligent to this task.

Presently Pitman Air offers the 65-hp Rotax 582-powered Dragonfly but Ed reported that designer Bobby Bailey will start work in November to build the first Dragonfly 912 ULS... "so I can get that added to the list before spring." The magic of the Dragonfly is that it was specifically designed to aero tow hang gliders at the speeds hang gliders want to fly: 30-35 mph. Therefore Dragonfly was created with huge ailerons and a large tailplane that work at these speeds. It also has a special rig on the tail that permits towing of a weight shift aircraft. After tugging a one or two-person hang glider aloft, the glider pilot cuts loose the towline (which trails after the Dragonfly) and the tug pilot will dive back to the ground to get another glider. Nose down steeply, Dragonfly won't exceed about 55 mph. The purpose-built design has done workhorse tractor-like duty and some of the fleet of Dragonflys at the popular Wallaby Ranch a few miles south of Disney World reportedly have upwards of 10,000 hours on them. Congratulations to Ed for his incredible perseverance and to FAA's understanding that Dragonfly is a critical aircraft to modern aerotow-launched hang gliding.

A most remarkable thing happened recently. No, I don’t mean the sudden resignation of EAA president Rod Hightower. I refer to a recent (September 27, 2012) approval of a brand new Special LSA. Why is that noteworthy, especially as it is #128 on our SLSA List? Everyone in the business of LSA and most other alert readers have followed the long, winding, still-evolving path of FAA approvals in the fall of 2012. Specifically, FAA has released an order that says any new model from an existing LSA supplier or any LSA from a new company must be blessed by FAA headquarters in Washington DC. The Aircraft Certification branch must be informed first and an inspection judged necessary cannot be done by a DAR (Designated Airworthiness Representative… the people who have approved all other nearly 3,000 LSA in America). Under the new dictate, any new-model approval must be done by an FAA Air Safety Investigator.

LSA Not Durable Enough…? Nonsense! Here’s Proof

By Dan Johnson || October 17, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

John McBean and a great looking, high time Kitfox at AOPA Summit 2012.

This Kitfox has done plenty of duty and toured the USA but doesn't show the wear and tear. See our Kitfox video.

Kitfox models are available in either taildragger or nosewheel form for the same price, about $95,000 (in late 2012).

Again, I heard a common refrain. This time was at the recently concluded AOPA Summit 2012 in Palm Springs, California. I was speaking with some GA fellows, the kind — like so many — that know well of Light-Sport Aircraft but have opinions about them based on speculation or heresay. This time it was the familiar, "LSA are nice little airplanes, but they are too lightly built to hold up to the duty of a traditional flight school environment." I've heard this statement so many times I've lost count. Right before the above conversation, I had been visiting with my editor/publisher friend Ben Sclair of GA News fame and Kitfox Aircraft co-owner John McBean. Ben and I were admiring a handsome tundra tire-equipped, taildragging Kitfox that looked immaculate — as John's airplanes usually do. Truly, it looked almost new. It was not. I told the GA "experts" in the opening conversation that they needed to go look at this particular Kitfox to see how well a LSA can endure flight training. I hope they did so. The airplane pictured nearby has quite the credentials as shown on a sign placed under the chrome-plated main gear. It has logged 1,700 hours, the majority of which have been acquired in a flight school. The shiny bird has more than 5,000 landings, nearly all by flight students. Here it is coming up on an engine overhaul and yet you'd consider buying this aircraft thinking it might be a lightly-used factory demo. Absolutely, it bears no resemblance to used-and-abused flight school airplanes even though it is a taildragger. On top of the flight school pounding — students must be allowed to make mistakes if they are to learn, IMHO — this particular airplane has traveled from Washington state to San Diego to Vermont and to Exuma in the Bahamas... pretty much all four corners of this big country... and beyond. Of course, Kitfox N726KA has enjoyed careful maintenance by both Kitfox Aircraft and Stick & Rudder flight school owner, Paul Leadabrand. Yet that's no different from any quality flight school with a fleet of Cessna 150s or Piper Tomahawks. The all-too common GA belief is that if an airplane doesn't weigh 1,650 pounds, like the 150 and T-hawk, it must be built sturdily enough to hold up in training. I say, in the best tradition of VP Biden, "Malarkey!" Need more proof? I've already posted articles on an Allegro 2000, which has lived its whole life in a flight school that continues work even after a second 2,000-hour overhaul of its Rotax 912 engine. I've written about a Remos G3 with more than 20,000 landings and 3,500 hours, all in flight training. I know of a Flight Design CT2K that long ago had logged 13,268 landings. These may be anecdotal. Certainly some LSA have experienced problems in the harsh environment of primary flight training yet it is obvious that a carefully maintained LSA can indeed log thousands of hours of flight training. Does this mean these hardy trainers are costly? Nope. The Kitfox pictured here is available (in late 2012) for $95,000 with such desirable equipment as a 10-inch Dynon SkyView, Garmin radios, your choice of taildragger or nosewheel, and a white paint job. You can spend more but it isn't necessary. When John McBean and I reflected on the expectation of a $60,000 back in 2003 — the year before LSA were introduced to the market — his present-day Kitfox SLSA with equipment we couldn't imagine then (i.e., synthetic vision) is a virtue of aircraft pricing.

Flying the Airplanes of Sebring 2012… (Part 2)

By Dan Johnson || October 15, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Made-in-America Allegro

Slender, dual tapered wings help Allegro achieve a 12:1 glide ratio. photo courtesy LSA America

Dual Dynon SkyView 7-inch screens fit neatly on the Executive model. photo courtesy LSA America

Videographer Dave Loveman goes flying in the U.S. Allegro as part of our two-pilot, all-video flight reviews. Watch for this full-length video spring 2012.

LSA America builds the Czech-designed Allegro in America as one of the first companies (but not the last, I suspect) to cross the Atlantic. Ironically, this results in an aircraft less expensive than other LSA that come from Eastern European countries where we once thought low wages and high aviation skills would upset U.S. airplane manufacturing. Funny how life works out, and in only six or seven years. *** Doug and Betty Hempstead, who used to import Allegro from Fantasy Air, took a long and winding road to American production finally teaming up with another developer in Roseburg, Oregon. When the other company shut down the Hempsteads had to start all over again. Finally they succeeded in bringing the Allegro to U.S. manufacturing under the company name LSA America. The North Carolina company was visible at Sebring 2012 where I took an opportunity to fly a Made-in-the-USA Allegro. A full-length report will appear in the March 2012 issue of Light Sport and Ultralight Flying magazine (and will be posted here later) but following is my mini-review. |||| Allegro is light on the joystick while being lively in performance with the 80-hp Rotax 912 as its powerplant. Indeed, Hempstead believes the new Allegro gets performance out of 80 horses that other LSA need 100 horses to match. Such comparisons are difficult to evaluate accurately but Allegro is clearly a good performer thanks partly to its low empty weight. *** With very low stall — below 40 mph indicated — Allegro is an easy lander. Short field operation capability comes from deep 48-degree flaps and good slip capability if that's still not enough. On sinky days, a long 12:1 glide will be appreciated. *** A few other basic specs include: stall with flaps extended 40 mph; cruise at 75% power is 120 mph (104 knots); climb is better than 1,000 fpm (even with the 80-hp Rotax 912 engine). *** Allegro appears to be something of a Light-Sport Aircraft king of payload, an important factor for many shoppers. While many early LSA carried more than their empty weight, most lost that claim as their equipment lists grew more deluxe in response to customer demands. Bucking the bulking-up trend Allegro weighs a relatively trim 638 pounds with basic equipment, giving it a useful load of 682 pounds. With its smaller 17-gallon fuel tank, Allegro's payload of 536 pounds allows full fuel, two 200-pound occupants, and 34 pounds of baggage or gear. Fuel burn on the 80-hp engine can be below 3 gph in cruise at altitude. Allegro can fly 500 miles before the tanks run dry. *** Allegro's fuselage is constructed of a Kevlar-reinforced material to which are mated all-aluminum wings. The empennage structure and covering is also aluminum. This genuine composite is lean and clean helping to account for its flight efficiency. Bubble doors expand downward and aft visibility, which adds to skylight visibility. Dual throttles allow pilots to keep their arm comfortably in their lap and the center joystick is simple while easing access to either seat. *** Starting at $89,000, quite well equipped, Allegro is an American bargain you ought to consider.

Van’s Announces Fully Built (SLSA) RV-12

By Dan Johnson || October 13, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Something new from big kit producer, Van's Aircraft. Read my experience flying the RV-12.

Nearly 200 RV-12 kits are reported flying.

Forty years of Van's popular RV line of kits was celebrated this year.

Experimental Amateur Built kits and ELSA are all buyers could choose until yesterday. Watch our video about the kit project.

Honestly, I didn't expect much LSA news at AOPA's Summit in Palm Springs, California this week. Despite several LSA on display (Kitfox, Evektor, Flight Design, Arion, Jabiru, SportCruiser, Skycatcher, and CubCrafters), the AOPA event is not a common place for Light-Sport announcements. Certainly I didn't expect the world's largest * supplier of kit aircraft to offer a fully built Special LSA. Van's Aircraft, Inc.. reported, [We are] pleased to announce a new program to build completed, fly-away, RV-12s." The Aurora, Oregon company detailed a working agreement with Synergy Air to manufacture the airplanes in the U.S.A. Synergy Air is a well-established company providing instructional seminars, videos, and builder assistance to complete kit airplanes, located at the Eugene, Oregon airport. Van's noted, "Nearly 200 kit-built RV-12s have been completed and flown as ELSA and EAB aircraft, accumulating thousands of hours in the hands of typical pilots." Under LSA rules, the company famous for their line of RV models had to fully build one RV-12 in order to sell ELSA kits. However, until now, that's been the only factory built example though more than 300 kits have been delivered and almost 200 are operating today. "Production SLSA RV-12s will include the benefits of this real-world flight experience, rather than just factory testing done by professional pilots," observed the well-known kit producer. It gets better for those who have lamented the high cost of the top-of-the-line models. "Introductory price of the completed airplane is targeted at $105,000," stated Van's. Standard equipment will include the [not fuel injected] Rotax 912ULS engine; Dynon's Skyview EFIS, which includes a Mode S transponder and GPS); Garmin's SL-40 comm radio, Flightcom stereo intercom; 406Mhz ELT; Flightline interior; and LED lighting for night flight. Options will include wheelpants, ADS-B equipment, a two-axis autopilot, premium paint finishes, and Oregon Aero seats and interior. Synergy Air is building an initial production run of a dozen aircraft to define and codify the production process. "We plan to offer these 12 aircraft as 'Signature Edition' models that will include all options at an introductory price of $115,000, ready for fly-away delivery at the factory," said Van's. That makes a good deal an even better one for the first buyers. Van's said that it is working to establish a network of Service Centers to maintain and repair the RV-12. "We plan to begin accepting orders before the end of November 2012, and expect initial deliveries in early 2013. Those interested in reserving a delivery position may contact Van's by calling Gus Funnell at Van's Aircraft 503-678-6545 or via email. Many expected Van's might one day offer a fully-built model and now, finally, RV-12 in SLSA form is coming. Check their intro video below. * Van's Aircraft is widely regarded as the leader in the kit airplane industry, with a most impressive 8,000 RVs flying around the globe. However, Quicksilver Aeronautics has delivered almost twice as many of their much-simpler aircraft. Without question, though, Van's is the present-day leading kit supplier as the company reports producing kits for over 500 complete airplanes each year.

Honestly, I didn’t expect much LSA news at AOPA’s Summit in Palm Springs, California this week. Despite several LSA on display (Kitfox, Evektor, Flight Design, Arion, Jabiru, SportCruiser, Skycatcher, and CubCrafters), the AOPA event is not a common place for Light-Sport announcements. Certainly I didn’t expect the world’s largest * supplier of kit aircraft to offer a fully built Special LSA. Van’s Aircraft, Inc.. reported, [We are] pleased to announce a new program to build completed, fly-away, RV-12s.” The Aurora, Oregon company detailed a working agreement with Synergy Air to manufacture the airplanes in the U.S.A. Synergy Air is a well-established company providing instructional seminars, videos, and builder assistance to complete kit airplanes, located at the Eugene, Oregon airport. Van’s noted, “Nearly 200 kit-built RV-12s have been completed and flown as ELSA and EAB aircraft, accumulating thousands of hours in the hands of typical pilots.” Under LSA rules, the company famous for their line of RV models had to fully build one RV-12 in order to sell ELSA kits.

Future Shock: Ethanol – Mogas – Avgas

By Dan Johnson || October 10, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

The "Blend Wall" problem is clearly shown on this chart, showing the problem arrives in 2013. Chart compliments of Dean Billing; used at an Oshkosh forum.

Use this often-updated map to find mogas airports.

Some stations, like Midwest-based QuikTrip, offer ethanol-free fuel.

Do you support the idea of "energy independence" by using ethanol blended into your fuel? Are you aware that politics drives the use of ethanol? Do you know that ethanol is reaching what's called a "blend wall" — as soon as next year — and that this could have major consequences for ethanol-laced fuel? Sounds rather wonky, I know. Yet this matter affects the fuel for our aircraft engines in a very direct way. Although Rotax and Jabiru can handle 10% ethanol, the blended fuel can be very hard on engines not designed to handle the damaging aspects of water-absorbing alcohol in fuels. Pilots like their engines to last and to run consistently, so any ethanol presence in fuel can be serious. Outspoken zero ethanol (E0) advocate Kent Misegades wrote in GA News, "Ethanol producers have found themselves under more pressure than ever in recent months, with numerous efforts afoot to grant waivers or even repeal the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) production mandates that have resulted in the nearly complete adulteration of our nation's fuel supply in recent years." He relates recent events such as a drought in corn-producing states contributing to higher gas prices and increased cost of feed for livestock plus the fact that ethanol, a highly-corrosive substance, may not be pumped through fuel pipelines so it must be trucked or shipped by rail or barge. Fuel expert Dean Billing added to my understanding, "The federal government decided in late 2007 that the U.S. needed a huge push in bio-fuels to cut demand for fossil fuel-based energy. They thought they were putting together a program that would push demand and production of E85 (85% ethanol / 15% gasoline) and flex-fuel vehicles, which are the only cars that can burn the stuff." The main problem, as Dean explained is that a production table was written right into the law requiring gasoline producers to blend more and more ethanol into gasoline by a rising quota each year through 2022. If they failed to meet the quota, gasoline producers faced fines. "The gasoline producers have to blend increasing amounts of ethanol into gasoline through 2022. Since the law doesn't tell them how to blend the ethanol, and doesn't require them to make E85 — for which there is no market * — they make E10 ... all E10, all the time. However, it is easy to mathematically determine how much ethanol is needed to turn every drop of gasoline in the U.S. into E10 and we have known that limit for years. It was obvious years ago that with gasoline demand stagnant at about 135-140 billion gallons a year, it would take less than 14 billion gallons of ethanol to turn it all into E10 and we would reach a 'blending wall' when the table in the law reached that amount. Well, guess what? Next year, 2013, we hit the wall. With gasoline demand declining it will be easy for the 14 or so billion gallons of ethanol required by the quota table to turn all of our gasoline into E10. And every year after that through 2022, the ethanol quota rises. It should be obvious, even to a politician, that there is nowhere for this ethanol to go." * only about 2 percent of gas stations sell E85 What does this mean? Producers may get fined and they'll have to pass that cost along in higher fuel prices. Or, the law pragmatically fails and goodness knows what ethanol politicians might do. Combine this with the so-called "fiscal cliff," and flying costs could be significantly affected. Yes, our Rotaxes and Jabirus will run on ethanol but they prefer E0 where available just like they prefer mogas to 100LL avgas. Ethanol also lowers fuel economy and aviation doesn't need higher costs. Fortunately, some good news exists. Kent wrote, "Some states are working to increase the availability of ethanol-free fuel, which is good news for pilots. In Florida, where a mandatory E10 ruling for highway vehicles that took effect in early 2011 has had a disastrous impact on recreational boating, leading members of the state's legislature are working to repeal this onerous law." Stores like QwikTrip in the midwest are widely offering E0. Dean warns, "the federal RFS mandate is so overwhelming" that state actions may not help. However, he says states could "pass a law to prohibit the blending of ethanol in premium unleaded gasoline in order to protect their marine [and] aviation industries." I'll keep an eye on this problem and will report more in the future.

Do you support the idea of “energy independence” by using ethanol blended into your fuel? Are you aware that politics drives the use of ethanol? Do you know that ethanol is reaching what’s called a “blend wall” — as soon as next year — and that this could have major consequences for ethanol-laced fuel? Sounds rather wonky, I know. Yet this matter affects the fuel for our aircraft engines in a very direct way. Although Rotax and Jabiru can handle 10% ethanol, the blended fuel can be very hard on engines not designed to handle the damaging aspects of water-absorbing alcohol in fuels. Pilots like their engines to last and to run consistently, so any ethanol presence in fuel can be serious. Outspoken zero ethanol (E0) advocate Kent Misegades wrote in GA News, “Ethanol producers have found themselves under more pressure than ever in recent months, with numerous efforts afoot to grant waivers or even repeal the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) production mandates that have resulted in the nearly complete adulteration of our nation’s fuel supply in recent years.” He relates recent events such as a drought in corn-producing states contributing to higher gas prices and increased cost of feed for livestock plus the fact that ethanol, a highly-corrosive substance, may not be pumped through fuel pipelines so it must be trucked or shipped by rail or barge.

LSA Seaplane Invasion …Can It Happen?

By Dan Johnson || October 2, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Airmax SeaMax, a current SLSA seaplane from Brazil.

The all-metal Mermaid, an early entry and one that has achieved SLSA airworthiness.

Progressive Aerodyne's SeaRey, based in central Florida, is nearing completion of its SLSA project.

Icon's deftly marketed A5 LSA seaplane.

Colyaer's Freedom S100 plans a return to the U.S. market.

Finland's mostly wood airframed Atol amphibian.

What's going on out in the marketplace? More than any time since the launch of Light-Sport Aircraft in 2004, I have not observed such a frenzy of activity for a particular niche, this time for LSA seaplanes. Next season, in 2013, we could see no less than nine entries; three brand new and that count does not include any LSA equipped with floats, possibly adding several more. Yet some major potholes appear in the runway... or perhaps that should be waves sloshing over the bow. One entry is a return of a LSA seaplane previously seen in the USA as the Freedom S100 (SLSA List #44) yet can it reenter the market without a full FAA audit? See Update at end. A new agency directive with the catchy name 8130.2G CHG 1 may require a FAA visit to Spain but who knows when that might occur, given the likelihood of an FAA budget cut through the political process known as sequestration, part of the so-called "fiscal cliff" the mainstream media drones on about endlessly. The order issued by FAA on July 2nd stops the issuance of an airworthiness certificate for any new model or a first model from a new company until FAA approves it. Since a visit to an overseas factory also requires negotiation between FAA and the visited country's national aero authorities, months of delay could result. Apparently undaunted by looming federal government inspection, a bevy of new LSA seaplanes are being prepared, a fact that further amazes me given the uncertain economic environment. Let's take a quick race through the nine possible LSA seaplanes. First are two models that have already achieved SLSA status: The Airmax SeaMax and the all-metal Mermaid, formerly by Czech Aircraft Works. The latter has rebirthed into a new entity that could soon arrive on the scene though because it's a new company we return to that FAA audit business. Company officials are ASTM-savvy, have been through an earlier audit, and may be ready... if they can get a visit anytime soon. Meanwhile the SeaMax, a fine and modern composite machine with strong performance, may be the only one fully ready now, presuming they make no major changes that FAA would consider a new model. If they do make major changes, all bets are off as Airmax is based in Brazil and we're back to the FAA visit delay problem. See Update at end. Next is the all-American SeaRey. This popular kit with some 600 sold and 500+ flying is close to being ready after a long period of preparation. FAA is already planning a visit in late October and the central Florida manufacturer is reportedly ready for the visit or will be by the time the friendly FAA team shows up with their laptops. The LSA seaplane market sometimes appears to be dominated by Icon Aircraft and their extravagantly-marketed A5 amphibian. Based on reported orders of more than 700 units (a figure only exceeded by Cessna's onetime 1,000 Skycatcher orders), perhaps that assessment is correct. However, the numerical fact of Icon's success is generating action in several other projects. In a recent announcement Icon said first deliveries could occur in 2013. I've written about a Finland-based seaplane called the Atol with many years of history. They might be prepared to face an FAA audit team, but we return again to a potentially long delay before FAA can visit the Scandanavian country. The mostly-wood seaplane has achieved some European certifications and that will help but not fully suffice. So that's six "existing" LSA seaplanes — SeaMax, Mermaid, SeaRey, Freedom, A5, and Atol. Then we come to three brand-new projects, which I've promised not to identify (yet). All would seem to be well down the FAA inspection waiting list offset by two important factors. First, all three are being hatched by knowledgeable folks who are highly conversant with ASTM standards and each may feel prepared to successfully complete an audit. Secondly — and perhaps even more importantly, given the FAA visit conundrum — all three are U.S.-based operations. At least one is getting major components from outside the USA but if production is properly done in America, such foreign sourcing poses no problem and because all three are U.S.-based, they could see an FAA visit in a "reasonable" time (whatever that may mean given the budget sequestration cited above). By any measure, the bringing to market of nine LSA seaplanes appears to have obstacles. Yet such challenges are precisely what inspire many entrepreneurs. Added to floatplanes like the Flight Design CTLS Floatplane or the Tecnam Eaglet on floats and several seaplane weight shift LSA plus factoring the entry of major manufacturer Wipline Floats along with other established float makers like Zenair and new re-entry, Lotus, one thing seems certain in our uncertain world: LSA enthusiasts should have no lack of water-borne airplanes... assuming the FAA doesn't overwhelm them with a tidal wave of paperwork or beach them with months-long audit delays. Update 10/3/12 — Some clarification is needed regarding the need for a mandatory FAA visit. The improved news? Not in all cases will a full audit be required. When Washington, DC headquarters' Certification Branch evaluates a change to an aircraft, they can elect not to conduct a full top-to-bottom audit visit, instead sending an FAA employee, an Air Safety Investigator from a regional office, for a somewhat less intensive review. This equates to less delay and less time involved to verify the change. A judgment of "new model" will still require the more thorough review. FAA also confirmed, again, that the intention remains to encourage industry to provide compliance oversight under details to be confirmed. As with all things in the LSA world, exact plans continue to be developed as the industry and its products evolve. Finally, the major FAA order announced at Oshkosh is still coming though it has been delayed from its predicted September release date. That order is not the same as the 8130.2G CHG 1 order referenced above. Confused? Don't feel badly. We are all still learning exactly how this LSA phenomenon will work, but I am encouraged by today's conversation that FAA does not want to prevent new development nor prevent LSA businesses from operating. That's a mighty healthy statement to make. —DJ

What’s going on out in the marketplace? More than any time since the launch of Light-Sport Aircraft in 2004, I have not observed such a frenzy of activity for a particular niche, this time for LSA seaplanes. Next season, in 2013, we could see no less than nine entries; three brand new and that count does not include any LSA equipped with floats, possibly adding several more. Yet some major potholes appear in the runway… or perhaps that should be waves sloshing over the bow. One entry is a return of a LSA seaplane previously seen in the USA as the Freedom S100 (SLSA List #44) yet can it reenter the market without a full FAA audit? See Update at end. A new agency directive with the catchy name 8130.2G CHG 1 may require a FAA visit to Spain but who knows when that might occur, given the likelihood of an FAA budget cut through the political process known as sequestration, part of the so-called “fiscal cliff” the mainstream media drones on about endlessly.

Light-Sport Aircraft… at Home and Abroad

By Dan Johnson || September 25, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Tecnam delivers a pair of P2008 LSA to a New Zealand school and club.

Pipistrel leader Ivo Boscarol gives the keys to the owner of a Russian flight school.

Russian president Vladimir Putin prepares to fly a trike.

Former hang gliding businessman GW Meadows (R) poses with Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson. Years ago Meadows took then-governor Johnson flying in a hang glider; the triathlon athlete apparently loved the experience.

Flight Design's new "European Adventure" program allows CTLS buyers to travel to Germany, pick up their LSA, and fly it around Europe in a guided tour.

You can enter a bid on this P92 Taildragger in the AOPA Foundation online auction.

My European associate and friend, Jan Fridrich, coined a phrase a few years ago: "Global LSA," he said, meaning the ASTM standards set could be used in any country and thereby create a worldwide market for recreational aircraft. Already a few accept the standards and many are considering or are already using some variant. So, in this post, let's review some international successes for LSA. Tecnam is one of the most prolific of all LSA producers and not just because they have multiple approved models. Recently, they sold a pair of P2008s to New Zealand. Waikato Aero Club CEO Richard Small said, "The new planes have a number of advantages over traditional aircraft. Manufactured from modern materials [Tecnam] planes are more fuel efficient and quieter. They also have full electronic flight display screens. Our pilots are thoroughly enjoying the upgrade." Pipistrel has logged sales globally as well and booked four orders for their new Alpha Trainer into Russia. "We selected the Alpha Trainer because Pipistrel has an excellent reputation," said Arkadiy Orlov of St. Petersburg Aviation Training Centre, "and the Alpha Trainer has showed itself as an outstanding price-performance trainer solution." Four Alpha Trainers were scheduled for delivery this summer. Speaking of the former USSR, did you hear about Russian president Vladimir Putin — who likes to perform various macho stunts — training to fly a trike with migrating Siberian white cranes? How often does a national president enjoy recreational flying? Along those lines, how about the Libertarian candidate for U.S. president, Gary Johnson? My friend GW Meadows recently posted photos on Facebook of him giving a tandem flight to Johnson some years ago and the triathlon athlete candidate has also flown paragliders. Back to the world of LSA, Flight Design has announced a fascinating new program where U.S. buyers of their CTLS can pick it up in Germany and fly around the continent with a guide and then have it shipped back to America... much like similar programs for automobiles. Company spokesman John Doman said, "Flight Design's carefully selected, experienced and multi-lingual tour guide pilots will seamlessly handle the local details, enabling you to quickly become comfortable in your new environment and focus on the fun of flying in your own aircraft above the historic and breathtaking landscapes of Europe!" Interested in a new P92 Taildragger? While not a sweepstakes giveaway, you might get a decent deal and help a worthy cause. AOPA Foundation's "A Night for Flight" online auction will generate proceeds to benefit the Foundation's mission to preserve general aviation now and for future generations. Bidding ends on October 13th. Tecnam has donated the right to purchase, at a substantial discount, a brand new Tecnam P92-TD Taildragger with a value of $153,000. AOPA said, "The difference between the final winning bid and the discounted cost of the basic aircraft will be donated to AOPA Foundation." Bidding starts at $119,000.

My European associate and friend, Jan Fridrich, coined a phrase a few years ago: “Global LSA,” he said, meaning the ASTM standards set could be used in any country and thereby create a worldwide market for recreational aircraft. Already a few accept the standards and many are considering or are already using some variant. So, in this post, let’s review some international successes for LSA. Tecnam is one of the most prolific of all LSA producers and not just because they have multiple approved models. Recently, they sold a pair of P2008s to New Zealand. Waikato Aero Club CEO Richard Small said, “The new planes have a number of advantages over traditional aircraft. Manufactured from modern materials [Tecnam] planes are more fuel efficient and quieter. They also have full electronic flight display screens. Our pilots are thoroughly enjoying the upgrade.” Pipistrel has logged sales globally as well and booked four orders for their new Alpha Trainer into Russia.

You Can Help Prove the Safety of LSA

By Dan Johnson || September 21, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

SP/LSA was announced 35 years to the day after Neil Armstrong touched foot on the Moon.

Airframe manufacturer audits are document and process verifications.

LAMA wants to encourage you to participate in FAA's survey.

While time consuming to complete, FAA's survey gives useful info to regulators and others; your participation might help LSA be compared more equally.

In light of recent developments, perhaps some ups and downs of FAA's involvement with Light-Sport aviation can offer perspective. First some background; then an appeal for your help on behalf of LSA. POSITIVE In the summer of 2004, precisely 35 years after the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, FAA gave birth to Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot. An agency of the government wrote a regulation obeying a 1995 law saying government agencies should relax the reins whenever reasonable. Presto! SP/LSA. In essence, the idea was to set aviation free from heavy-handed regs like Part 23 while also taming what some saw as the "wild west" of ultralight aircraft. This shrewd move propelled a rather fantastic 127 new SLSA models in only seven years... like nothing in aviation, worldwide, ever. For three years, LSA sales were firecracker hot! NEGATIVE A couple years after the birthing, FAA started evaluating the producers. Teams visited 14 manufacturers ad 16 importers and declared many were not fully compliant with the ASTM rules of certification plus applicable regulations. Manufacturers declared on an FAA form that they'd done all the testing and had built proper manufacturing systems. FAA demanded they prove it. Without judging the aircraft themselves audit teams worked to verify these airframe sellers had all the paperwork and quality assurance processes implied by their statement of compliance. Some paperwork was incorrectly completed or missing. Some processes needed improvement. FAA gave a list of things that ought to be done. Before FAA's assessment project report was released, the economy tanked, big time. Combined with FAA's implication that companies weren't compliant, some potential LSA customers got cold feet. POSITIVE Despite the manufacturer's lack of 100% complete paperwork, LSA safety remains reasonably good. FAA often uses the word "acceptable." Of course it can always be better; same for Type Certified airplanes. Any fatality is terrible, but such accidents haven't been too numerous. Paperwork issues aside, it's clear most LSA engineers have done their job well. NEGATIVE Due to the down economy money got tight. Producers' paperwork improved but evidently not fast enough for the agency. In July 2012, FAA issued an order (8103.2G CHG 1) to their offices that the agency would insist on doing a top-to-bottom audit of any company coming out with a new model, or of any new company entering the market. Whew! Talk about a chilling effect on new model development. Meanwhile, some LSA ordered and paid for by customers are sitting in hangars with delivery in question. LSA producers are bearing the blame ("You weren't fully prepared," a customer might say). This is sure to cause financial losses for some companies. POSITIVE To help show how safe LSA are, I want to encourage you to participate in an FAA survey. As LAMA board member Tom Peghiny wrote, "Data from the GA survey is used by the FAA, NTSB, and even Congress in their oversight of recreational aviation. It is crucial that owners in our segment (SLSA, ELSA and Experimental Amateur-Built light aircraft) make the effort to respond. Only by having accurate operational statistics can we know how our safety record compares to other parts of General Aviation." LAMA believes that LSA conduct more operations — defined as a takeoff or landing — per hour flown than, for example, business jets, which are flown for hours at altitude. Therefore comparing LSA and business jet safety based solely on hours flown is an unequal comparison. More data from the LSA user community could correct the statistics. Please go the following website and enter your information: www.AviationSurvey.org Use the N-number of the LSA you fly as your password. Let's make sure the LSA safety record is correctly compared! Please bear with the survey; it's long, clunky, and of crappy design, but the information is nonetheless important to transmit.

In light of recent developments, perhaps some ups and downs of FAA’s involvement with Light-Sport aviation can offer perspective. First some background; then an appeal for your help on behalf of LSA. POSITIVE In the summer of 2004, precisely 35 years after the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, FAA gave birth to Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot. An agency of the government wrote a regulation obeying a 1995 law saying government agencies should relax the reins whenever reasonable. Presto! SP/LSA. In essence, the idea was to set aviation free from heavy-handed regs like Part 23 while also taming what some saw as the “wild west” of ultralight aircraft. This shrewd move propelled a rather fantastic 127 new SLSA models in only seven years… like nothing in aviation, worldwide, ever. For three years, LSA sales were firecracker hot! NEGATIVE A couple years after the birthing, FAA started evaluating the producers.

$30 Burger — LeaseBack — Aircraft Tour

By Dan Johnson || September 17, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

Four LSA and two GA planes made a breakfast outing.

A pretty Florida day in September enjoyed by a group of young aviators and friends.

Spruce Creek, near Daytona Beach, has an excellent cafe and great facilities.

A fun thing happened this weekend. Such pleasures occur regularly across the USA where we enjoy so much aviation freedom. This time I got in on part of the weekend fly-out. Plus, I want to celebrate a thriving LSA flight school, another one supported by an arrangement called "leaseback." I'll also highlight our newest video that I hope you'll enjoy. Successful LSA Flight School — First landings is a central Florida flight school dedicated to LSA. They use five of them in their school including two Remos GXs, two SportCruiser/PiperSports, and a Cessna Skycatcher. First Landings is run by young entrepreneur Adam Valencic and he and his cadre of youthful flight instructors are keeping his fleet busy, averaging an admirable 70 hours a month per LSA, he reports. First Landings is based at Orlando/Apopka Airport (X04). Any flight school would be proud to claim such numbers, so great job, Adam! Get additional contact info for First Landings or any of the more than 400 LSA outlets in America from our FIRM List. The mostly young pilots and friends that joined Adam on the breakfast outing enjoyed dining at Spruce Creek's Downwind Cafe. So, OK, it wasn't a $50 hamburger flight. Instead it might have been eggs benedict or the Pancake Challenge (which neither of two participants won though they gave a shot at devouring an enormous stack of the sweet treats). Given fuel for an hour's flying (call it $20) plus breakfast, the tab wasn't even $50 (except maybe for a couple of less fuel efficient GA planes that accompanied the LSA). Based on the smiles, it was clear everyone enjoyed the experience! Leaseback Pays Off — A Remos aircraft that joined the Sunday brunchers is one of two such that are leased back to First Landings. LSA investor Eric Strong says this is paying off for him and that he genuinely makes money on the arrangement, in no small part based on Adam's drive to make his LSA flight school business a success story. Earlier I wrote about a leaseback investor, Joe D, who supplies what is now three Flight Design CTLSs to flight schools under a similar arrangement. If the flight school is as successful as First Landings or Chesapeake (where one of the CTLS models is at work), the leaseback owner gains financially. The school get a new LSA. Students love the roomy, well-equipped aircraft. The airplane investor profits. Everyone wins! What Light-Sport aviation needs is more such deals. Video LSA Tour — Last but hardly least, you may want to catch our "feature length" (1.5 hour) video on all the aircraft exhibited at the recently concluded Midwest LSA Expo. Along with my trusty cameraman (of Light Sport and Ultralight Video Magazine), we give you a fast 2-3 minute vignette of every airplane visitors got to see. Next year (Sept. 5-6-7, 2013) you should attend if you live in the one of nearby midwestern states. For many more videos — all free and all shown without YouTube's intro advertisements — visit our dedicated video page.

Luxurious Quicksilver Dealership: Flying & Living

By Dan Johnson || September 14, 2012 Leave a Comment (Edit)

As happens at an Apple event, crowds line up outside the impressive showroom of Flying & Living.

Few (more likely, zero) recreational aircraft dealerships can boast a showroom like this.

With a circular observation tower and beautiful facilities, Flying & Living has a lot to offer.

Plenty of airplanes (and hot air balloons) await visitors from Mexico and abroad.

One of the most storied companies in the entire light airplane space is Quicksilver. Their iconic models have populated the skies more than any other recreational aircraft brand... yes, more than Van's (7,000+), Rans (4,500+), and Challenger (2,500+) combined! In fact, in 2002 and 2003, Quicksilver by itself outsold Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft combined! Now, that's a performance any aircraft company would love to match. Recently this company, which has what our nation's president might call "a good narrative," acquired new ownership, the fourth such transition in the five decades it's been in existence. Quicksilver Manufacturing became Quicksilver Aeronautics. Thanks to increased energy and fresh directions from Will Escutia and Dan Perez, the California company is attracting new retail businesses to become part of Team Quicksilver. One of the newest is Flying & Living LLC, located in Queretaro, Mexico. Here's another reason for envy from other producers. Brand-new, custom-built facilities owned and operated by Isaac Castro are simply spectacular (photos). About two hour's drive from Mexico City — the third largest metro area on Earth with a population of 21 million people — Flying & Living built a strikingly handsome facility that is very rare for sport aircraft retailers. Customers are sure to view this location as an ideal place to enjoy recreational flying. The company offers fixed wing flight with Quicksilver aircraft or in FireFy hot-air balloons Classroom and other quarters are highly inviting and form an excellent role model for other sport aviation facilities. Flying & Living has a large and growing fleet of Quicksilver aircraft housed in several new hangars. "We are very pleased to sign Flying & Living LLC with their very impressive operation. As the new owners of a company that Americans and aviation professionals in many other nations have loyally supported for several decades, we are gratified by the continuing support of dealers around the world," said Will Escutia, president of Quicksilver Aeronautics. "Since Quicksilver is one of the best-known brands in aviation, we are attracting new dealers in the USA and around the globe," stated operations chief Daniel Perez. He referred to the company's "15,000 aircraft flying in countries around the planet and with highly affordable prices and a superb safety record." Escutia and Perez will continue to operate Quicksilver Aeronautics in Temecula, California. The SoCal enterprise builds the MX series including the Sprint, Sprint II, Sport, Sport II, Sport 2S and the GT series including the single seat GT 400 and the two place GT 500. The GT 500 is the first aircraft approved by FAA under the Primary Aircraft category (1993). Quicksilver has dealers throughout the USA and the world with thousands flying in nearly 100 countries. Work is proceeding on Special LSA approval for the Sport 2S and the GT 500. Here's a well-known company we'll be watching closely.

Why Does the FAA Hate LSA Gyroplanes?

By Dan Johnson || September 9, 2012 2 Comments (Edit)

Greg Gremminger poses with "Angry Birds," his M-16 Magni Trainer gyro.

Magni's M-16 Trainer is an open cockpit tandem-seating gyro that sells for just $90,000 in kit form.

M-24 Orion is fully enclosed. Greg Gremminger says it flies more like a "sedan" drives than the "sports car" M-22 Voyager tandem models.

One of the longest suffering participants on the ASTM committee that writes certification standards for Light-Sport Aircraft is Greg Gremminger, the remarkably mild-mannered chair of the gyroplane subcommittee. Demonstrating patience like Job in the Bible, Greg has labored to change FAA's mind about granting Special LSA status to gyros. He has completely struck out but deserves loud applause for sticking with it so long despite such intransigence*. Regardless of the years-long challenge, at the Midwest LSA Expo in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, Greg managed to put a good spin on the present situation. Gyroplanes were an American phenomenon at one time. The Benson Gyro was as close to a household word as gyros get. Many others joined the parade over the years. Today, however, the main action is European based and the reason is probably that aviation authorities across the pond are more accommodating. While gyros were indeed part of the LSA regulation that arrived in summer 2004, they were never given SLSA status due, Greg reports, to intraagency squabbling. The Rotorcraft Directorate initially objected yet even though they've now dropped their resistance, gyros remain stuck in never-LSA land. The improved news? LSA Gyros can only be sold as Experimental Amateur Built kits in the USA. So, truly, they aren't LSA. However, they can be flown by pilots holding the Sport Pilot certificate with no medical. Greg also reports the FAA Kitplane Evaluation Team checklist for gyros recognizes that, for safety, it's best to allow the manufacturer to do the trickiest work. Short answer result? Greg can assemble a Magni Gyro M-16 Trainer in as little as 150 hours and a first timer will only take 300 hours without having to perform any demanding part fabrication. It's a bolt-together package with good instructions and Greg's business can help. The fully enclosed side-by-side M-24 Orion takes about 500 hours but even that is quite tolerable compared to many kit airplanes. So, while it would definitely be superior — and what FAA seemed to intend when the rule was issued — to have ready-to-fly SLSA gyros, the present situation at least allows rotary enthusiasts to get airborne. The M-16 Trainer sells complete, as a kit, for about $90,000 and the more deluxe Rotax 914 turbo-powered M-24 Orion sells for $106,000. Greg's Magni USA company can fully build but you'd need to operate in the Experimental Exhibition category, which comes with some very tight restrictions. Greg can also fully build for law enforcement or other "exempted" operators and the ready-to-fly prices are just a few thousand more than the kit price. Still, for most buyers Greg highly recommends the EAB 51% kits as buyers can then operate largely as they wish. If you're a fixed wing pilot like me, Greg assures me flying a gyro is quite straightforward. In fact, in some ways it's even simpler than a conventional aircraft. For example, you fly with your feet on the floor except during crosswind landings and given super slow touchdown speeds, crosswind landings are something of a rarity; just land into the wind and roll hardly any distance. I've been up with Greg before and found the experience exhilarating. I promised to go again and actually take some training. Both aircraft at the Midwest LSA Expo looked to be of high quality. Many of us have seen how well they handle winds. Plus, at these prices for well developed flying machines... gotta go gyro! * Given these comments, it is appropriate to observe that FAA deserves credit as the agency that allowed this experiment of freedom in aviation we call Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft. Secondly, many FAA employees are fine people with a genuine interest in airplanes and some are very supportive of the SP/LSA regulatory concept. Lastly, this whole initiative has potential to spread around the world and that alone is worth seeing the experiment through to conclusion.