As many prepare for the opening of Sun 'n Fun in only three weeks, I attended a meeting relative to the area known as Paradise City or the Light Plane Area, though some simply call it the Ultralight Area. Whatever you call it, dramatic changes are underway and you should pay attention. *** Our meeting was arranged by 23-year area chairman Dave Piper with brand new Sun 'n Fun boss John "Lites" Leenhouts (yes, everyone calls him "Lites," a nickname he picked up in the Navy*). Also attending were operations boss Wayne Boggs plus convention director Laura Vaughn and exhibit director Bonnie Perkins. Dave assembled this group so we could discuss changes to come. *** For 2013, the LSA Mall will relocate to the entrance to Paradise City, that is, right alongside Doolittle Road, the paved road that runs east/west just inside the main gate, connecting the Florida Air Museum with Paradise City and on down to Choppertown (see map). The LSA Mall started just inside the main gate for 2008 and 2009, then moved to a prominent spot in the Southeast Exhibit Area for '10, '11, and '12 (see aerial view). A move to Paradise City will likely be the permanent location for the LSA Mall and it will become a beacon for the Light Plane Area. *** Why is this important? — For those that remember, the former Ultralight Area was once one of the most dynamic on the Sun 'n Fun grounds. Flying goes on all day (except during the main airshow... but see below!) and after the main event ended a wave of people flooded the Ultralight Area where flying went on until sunset. The variety of airplanes was incredible but the main draw was how close you could get to the action. *** Then came Light-Sport Aircraft, along with a flock of new business people, many of whom didn't know the charm of Paradise City. They looked at other exhibit locations that were perceived to offer higher traffic (perhaps correctly, perhaps not). Paradise City suffered for a few years but has begun to revive. In 2011, people standing along the fence line right near the Paradise City runway looked somewhat like the old days. |||| Game Changer — Most visitors to the area didn't notice that the runway had been greatly improved, with a major ditch at the west end smoothly covered to allow a safety overshoot. The same will happen to the big ditch on the east end, probably in the next year or two. The runway was always long enough for Light-Sport Aircraft and now it appears much more user friendly. But even those costly changes are not the really big news. *** At the mid-February meeting, operations boss Wayne Boggs said the Paradise City runway can remain in operation even while the main airshow is happening, except for a short closure while the military jet teams like the Thunderbirds or the warbirds perform. This means LSA and other light recreational aircraft can operate from Paradise City nearly all day long. LSA vendors can offer demo flights to prospective customers without those people having to leave the Sun 'n Fun grounds. This is the best news for Paradise City in years and I'm excited about its potential. * Talk about a short field landing expert — Lites holds the distinction of performing more landings on an aircraft carrier than any other naval aviator in U.S. history with 1,645 cable-arrested landings.

Light-Sport Aircraft are the newest category of aircraft as defined by FAA, the government regulatory agency for aviation. The new breed of aircraft - 109 models in just five years of astonishingly rapid development - offer affordable purchase prices, low cost of operation, spacious interiors, the latest instrument innovations, energetic performance and lively handling. Every one of these new airplane meets new industry standards. Any Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) must fit within the following parameters: A maximum of two occupants, a maximum take-off weight of 1,320 pounds (seaplanes can weigh 1,430 pounds); a 45-knot clean stall speed; a 120-knot top speed at maximum continuous power; a single, non-turbine engine; and fixed landing gear (though amphibious floatplanes can have "repositionable" gear). Some are called Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA) if they are fully manufactured and ready-to-fly. A manufacturer can also offer a kit aircraft based on the SLSA; it's called an Experimental LSA or ELSA. Balancing the many positives, one of the challenges of beginning a new sector of aviation is that potential customers want to be sure about any new airplane they wish to buy. Since these LSA are not government certified, how do you know what you're buying? It's a reasonable question and through three steps we'll try to provide some basics of the process. Thanks to Tom Gunnarson for the following simplified explanation (written before Tom joined the FAA). How Does This Work? Step One - The ASTM standard for the design and performance of LSA describes the minimum standards a manufacturer must meet for the design, construction, flight envelope, strength, and controllability of an LSA. A manufacturer must document every step and have test results to back them up. A manufacturer must also produce a set of manuals including aircraft operating instructions, maintenance and inspection procedures, and a flight-training supplement. The manufacturer must also establish and maintain a quality assurance program and a continuing operational safety plan. Step Two - Once an aircraft meeting the LSA definition and complying with all ASTM standards is produced and all documentation is prepared, the manufacturer (or agent, if the aircraft is imported) can request an airworthiness inspection of the aircraft from the local FAA office-either a Manufacturing Inspection District Office (MIDO) or Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Before the inspection, the manufacturer meets with the MIDO or FSDO to review the compliance documentation. Step Three - The airworthiness inspection consists of a general airworthiness inspection along with a records inspection and document review. LSA must have a completed Statement of Conformance form along with traditional registration and markings. Unique placards include 'Light-Sport' and a passenger warning stating, 'This aircraft was manufactured according to LSA airworthiness standards and does not conform to standard airworthiness category requirements.' When the designated airworthiness representative (DAR) or FAA inspector finds everything in order, he or she will issue an airworthiness certificate and operating limitations. The aircraft is then ready to supply to a customer. Is FAA Pleased? Since FAA wrote the rule allowing LSA to be industry certified - saving itself much time and money and putting this burden on industry participants around the world - you could assume FAA was favorable. They are! In an official FAA news publication, author Susan Parson wrote, "One of the reasons for the rapid growth of the LSA is the industry's use of industry consensus standards developed through ASTM International. This approach allows for more rapid design changes and for quicker incorporation of changes and features resulting from safety findings. It is also consistent with a national policy that directs U.S. government agencies to use voluntary consensus standards in lieu of unique-to-government standards wherever possible. This practice helps eliminate the cost of developing separate government standards and decrease the cost and the burden of complying with agency regulation. FAA and industry will continue to develop and upgrade ASTM LSA standards as circumstances require. "Because regulation of the LSA industry is so different, here's a quick review of how the consensus standards process works. It's important to understand that the industry has been asked to take more direct responsibility for developing and maintaining standards for design, manufacturing, and continued airworthiness. Industry chose ASTM International to facilitate the development of standards for LSA. ASTM established the F37 Committee on Light-Sport Aircraft in 2004. Any interested person - worldwide, professional or user - can join the F37 Committee. Several FAA employees participate on the committee in the standards development process, but FAA has only one official voter. The Committee revises existing standards or develops new ones in response to demand, regulatory requirements, or ASTM protocols. "Here's where it gets a little tricky. ASTM provides its approved standards to FAA, but FAA does not "approve" ASTM standards. Rather, the agency "accepts" them and publishes its acceptance in the Federal Register. The agency also updates the LSA standards matrix on the FAA Web site's Light-sport Aircraft page. "A final point: ASTM standards are not regulations. However, SLSA are required to be manufactured according to the accepted consensus standard. That means that the SLSA manufacturer must monitor and correct safety-of-flight issues through the issuance of safety directives. The manufacturer must also have a continued airworthiness system that meets the identified consensus standard. The owner or operator of an SLSA must comply with each safety directive applicable to the aircraft, unless he or she uses an acceptable alternative means of compliance or obtains an FAA waiver from the provisions of the safety directive." The Big Question| Is It Working? To know if the idea of industry consensus standards is working, why don't we consult the top man in the FAA. Doesn't it seem likely that the boss would be well informed? Via three major public speeches in the last year FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has maintained a positive view of Light-Sport Aircraft and the industry which produces them. At a speech given in Oshkosh, Wisconsin during EAA's largest-in-the-country airshow, Babbitt complimented the LSA safety record. That was the event called AirVenture in July of 2009. Babbitt repeated similar congratulatory remarks in a public speech at Sun 'n Fun 2010, the country's second largest airshow. Again, just a couple months ago Babbitt tripled-down at AirVenture 2010. According to Aviation Week reporter Fred George, "More than 300 EAA members stuffed the 'Meet the Administrator' forum at Oshkosh on Thursday, July 29th, welcoming FAA administrator Randy Babbitt with unusually strong applause. He said he was 'so impressed' with the success of Light Sport Aircraft in the aviation industry. According to Babbitt, the LSA safety record is 'marvelous.' He said that the government / industry partnership in developing the LSA standard was a prime reason." Another reporter heard it similarly. Mary Grady, writing for leading aviation Internet publisher AvWeb, observed, "FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt... took some time to express his satisfaction with the sport pilot / light sport aircraft experiment. Regarding LSAs, he said the safety record is 'marvelous,' and people in the industry 'have done what they said they would do.'" Should You Go for It? So, after five intense years of effort by this new industry, the top FAA man recently chose the word "marvelous" to describe how well the grand experiment is working and this term is consistent with his earlier remarks. While a new industry strives to organize itself better and better, those who have worked long hours to build the new segment feel satisfied they've done well, according to experts. Therefore, customers examining the impressively large and widely diverse flock of Light-Sport Aircraft can be reasonably assured they are buying worthy aircraft. Talk to an aircraft representative, ask plenty of good questions, and get independent advice as you carefully consider any purchase. Once you decide to go for it, you can expect fun in the sky at a price you can afford. In smiles per mile, Light-Sport Aircraft truly deliver!

I find it remarkable. Many of you do not. I'm writing about the arrival of video reports on ByDanJohnson.com and how that addition has been received. In a phrase: You're Lovin' It! *** When Ultralight News YouTube channel first approached me in 2009 about doing videos I was hesitant. I may have been unsure but you spoke clearly and you know what? I like doing them as much as you like viewing them. I recently uploaded several more (we have 122 as of this writing, all free) and I have another 15 to upload plus Ultralight News has many more in process. *** No kidding, but I've had several people come up to me at airshows and say, "Oh, Hi! You're Dan Johnson. I've watched all your videos." I try to respond graciously with my thanks for their interest. And... wait a minute! What was that? "Which video did you watch and did it answer questions for you," I ask? *** "I watched all of them," the person will say. "Say again! You watched all of them? We have more than 100." The answer: "Yes, I watched them all." *** Knock me over with a feather. That's quite a few hours of watching LSA videos. And, we keep adding more. I never expected video to become such a big part of my life or ByDanJohnson.com. You can read how I felt at the start. *** I don't tell this story because I think our videos are a form of fine art, though it's clear they have a large audience. I tell this story as a way to thank Ultralight News for their dedication to this form of communication. He and I have now shot over 150 videos but the history is far greater, posting 500-plus videos to YouTube. I know what I do as we create these short videos, but I watch the finished version with keen interest because they add so much more to them including flight scenes, factory footage, airshow footage, still shots, web addresses, personnel titles, and more. *** Videos appear here, on other websites, on YouTube (the world's second most visited website), and now in a special all-video website called AircraftReporters.TV. This exposes LSA products and services to potentially millions of people. On YouTube alone, the "UltralightNews" channel has logged far more than three million views. *** We also write articles for print publications even as we publish online. So, when you see us approach an aircraft, it means we'll be creating in three forms of media: Ink, Pixels, and Video. We love every minute of it. Hope it shows! Thanks for your viewership.

Flying with Juice As an airplane approaches, a whirring sound accompanied by a barely discernible whine and a mild propeller buzz exhibit a Doppler effect as the plane passes overhead. What is that curious noise? We are intimately attuned to internal combustion engine sounds - some experts claim they can identify the brand and size of an engine simply by listening to it run. We're less aware of electric motor noises because we quickly tune them out. Electric motors run everywhere in our lives - in our refrigerators, our computers, in our ceiling fans, and numerous other appliances. Most motors - it's incorrect to call them an "engine" - are exceptionally quiet, and that's a good thing. One wonders if relatively quiet electric motors on aircraft will invade our piston-powered world, especially given noise sensitivity at many airports. Some say, "We're about to see if electric works." I say, "We're seeing it right now!" Two years ago, I wrote about ultralights - literally Part 103-compliant ultralights - operating remarkably well on electric power.1 In the ensuing months, more projects have been announced. With a whole issue of Light Sport and Ultralight Flying we might cover the entire field. To give a picture of the state of development, I'll update coverage of four aircraft including projects from two of the original players. Our four include the ElectraFlyer X, a ground-up new design from electric power pioneer Randall Fishman; the prize-winning Electra One, Light Sport and Ultralight Flying Pilot's Report a nifty single-seater with a retractable single main wheel; the Pipistrel Taurus and variations on the theme from a company moving fast; and several projects from the prolific Shanghai company, Yuneec. The electric phenomenon is global. Our examples hail from USA, Germany, Slovenia, and China. ELECTRAFLYER ELECTRIC AIRPLANES Our first example is first in other ways. Randall Fishman brought a product, not simply to airshows but to market way back in '07. In electric airplane terms - much like "Internet time" - it seems like ancient history since airshow visitors saw his ElectraFlyer Trike. Fishman has stayed active in the game with two follow-on developments, though the real story may be the way his company can supply electric propulsion hardware to builders of any airplane. His subsequent single-seat ElectraFlyer-C, essentially a modified Moni motorglider, can fly under power for up to 90 minutes (or 60 minutes if landing with the equivalent of a legal, day VFR fuel reserve). A portable 110-volt charger can recharge the batteries in about 6 hours.A more powerful 220-volt charger can do the job in 2 hours if a suitable outlet is available. Estimated "fuel" cost for such a flight is less than 75 cents, Fishman reports. Batteries could last 10 years, assuming typical use and recharge cycles. Given a power supply cost at about $7,500, that's $750 per year plus recharges, call it $1,000 even. At $4 per gallon, that's 250 gallons worth and at 5 gallons per hour, that's 50 hours of flying per year. Any greater amount of annual flying is almost free because you've already covered the cost of the batteries. In a combustion engine aircraft, you would have to keep buying your favorite fossil fuel. Having worked out the specs and issues with his Trike and ElectraFlyer-C, Fishman is completing work on an original 2-seat development, the ElectraFlyer-X. The beautiful new model has a smooth motorglider look with a high-aspect-ratio wing powered by Fishman's proprietary 50-hp motor, motor controller, and battery solution. For the record, both his ElectraFlyer Trike and the C flew on 28 horsepower. "The ElectraFlyer-X cruises at 80 mph and has a top speed in straight and level flight of 100 mph," reports Fishman. "At the slower speed, duration is 1.5 to 2 hours." Fishman's electric motor reliably starts up instantly. The electric powerplant barely vibrates and you needn't contend with smelly fuel or oil. Other than prop noise, the Fishman system is quiet. Until the ElectraFlyer-X comes to market, you can buy, today, an ElectraFlyer Trike for about $20,000 for trike, wing, and batteries with a 45-minute duration. Prices change, so check with Fishman's Electric Aircraft Corporation for the latest information. At press time, the Moni-based ready-to-fly ElectraFlyer-C was for sale at less than $50,000. This is a oneoff design, so you should act soon if interested. For more detailed specifications and info, contact: Electric Aircraft Corporation 118 Pine Street, Suite 3, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010. Phone: 561.351.1190 | e-mail: randall@electraflyer.com | Internet: www.electraflyer.com. ELEKTRA ONE FROM PC-AERO Our next example reveals quality German engineering. For that and its innovations, Elektra One shared in the Lindbergh prize (see the "Winning the Berblinger Prize and LEAP" sidebar) awarded in April at the European Aero 2011 event. Elektra One was designed by PC-Aero. "Using existing technology, it is possible to fly with a 1- and a 2-seat aircraft without CO2 emission for more than 3 hours, without noise and for lower operation costs in comparison with conventionally powered aircraft," says Calin Gologan, president of PC-Aero. "This is the future of leisure aviation as a bridge to the next step: electric transportation." Romanian aeronautical engineer Gologan reports several advantages of electric powerplants for light aircraft (and these apply to any electric-powered aircraft): environmental protection through elimination of CO2 emissions; low noise; long range (depending on how much battery can be carried); low operating costs. Gologan expects to achieve more than 3 hours flight time, delivering more than a 250-mile range. He thinks cruise can hit 100 mph (a figure supported by Fishman's experience). Noise generated is significantly restrained in cruise by keeping the propeller speed at 1,400 rpm. The developer predicts emission-free flying and sees environmentally sound machines drawing little grid power by using solar panels on the hangar for very low cost recharging. (Also see photo of Pipistrel's rolling solar hangar that makes a similar claim.) PC-Aero's goal is a total system of aircraft, hangar, and power selling for less than |100,000 (about $142,604). Remember, this includes the cost of hangar and "fuel." According to the manufacturer, here are a few specifications of the single-seat Elektra One: maximum weight 660 pounds; 28-foot wingspan; maximum engine power 16 kW (21 hp); empty weight (without batteries) 220 pounds; maximum battery weight 220 pounds; payload 220 pounds. The magic isn't solely the powerplant. The innovative Elektra One uses a modern composite glass and carbon structure, and a single, retractable main wheel. Gologan says the Elektra One has an advanced aerodynamic design and propeller efficiency of 90% driven by a highly efficient electric drive. Addressing media at his PC-Aero company's booth at Aero 2011, Gologan explained that he began work on the Elektra One three years ago with the goal of optimizing it as a cruising machine. Reportedly this is why he gave the airplane a relatively short 28-foot wingspan. Elektra One's wing has a unique profile, with a half-span sweep and some remarkable characteristics. "Test flying showed that I had developed a highly tolerant wing profile," says Gologan. "It can fly at angles of attack as high as 40°, where you can still use the ailerons and still not stall. The wing also provides good gliding characteristics shown by a 25:1 glide ratio." Power for the first Elektra One was supplied by a 13.5-kilowatt (about 18-hp) electric motor built by Geiger Engineering, which also makes Elektra One's propeller and battery controller. The airplane has a single, manually retractable landing gear, two small wingtip wheels, and a variable-pitch propeller. Gologan claims the Elektra One is only 20% as noisy as a typical general aviation airplane. He said it would cost just $49 per hour to operate. The Elektra One will be certified under Germany's ultralight regulations; a 2-seater is in the works. Certification of the larger model "will not be a problem, because for years my work was as a certification engineer," Gologan says. He expects certification by the end of 2011. His ultimate goal is a family of electrically powered airplanes. Principally a designer and engineer, Gologan's plan is to hand marketing and sales duties to NeoWings, a firm based in Augsburg, Germany. For more detailed specifications and info, contact: PC-Aero, Buchenweg 3, 87484 Nesselwang, Germany. E-mail: calin.gologan@pc-aero.de | Internet: www.pc-aero.de. PIPISTREL'S PROJECTS When I finally met Pipistrel designer Tine Tomazic, the engineer seemed highly confident in his work. Tomazic works closely with Ivo Boscarol, general manager and founder of Pipistrel. Perhaps the company's assuredness is justified, since it's already a big NASA efficiency competition winner to the tune of $165,000. No wonder Pipistrel has created the unusual G4 (see photo) for the 2011 NASA/CAFE prize of $1.65 million. "Can electric perform better than conventional powerplants?" asked Tomazic during a presentation. "Absolutely!" he said, answering his own question. Tomazic's enthusiasm is infectious. Indeed, Pipistrel is underway with a very impressive 4-seater called Panthera that is proposed to fly 200 mph on a combustion engine, a hybrid engine, or an all-electric version. For most companies such claims would sound boastful. Pipistrel might pull it off. Their Taurus Electro G2 is already for sale and performing well with electric-only power. As Tomazic puts it, "For the first time electric power outperforms its gasoline-powered counterpart in our Taurus." He observes that the Taurus Electro G2 can use a shorter runway, climbs faster and performs much better than the gasoline-powered version when it comes to high altitude operations. All this is possible, thanks to the specially developed emission-free Pipistrel 40kW electric power train. Of course, G2 - a motorglider - is a specialty aircraft and perhaps electric power will not outperform a combustion engine in, for example, the Bye Aerospace electric power conversion of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Pipistrel's airplanes are far sleeker and lighter for their mission than the dated Cessna design. Pipistrel's custom-developed Lithium batteries come in two configurations, capable of launching the Taurus to 4,000 feet or 6,500 feet respectively. Remember, this is a self-launching sailplane; getting to an altitude where soaring lift can be found is the whole point. The batteries are monitored constantly by Pipistrel's own battery management system complete with data logging and battery health forecasting. The Taurus' electric motor weighs only 24 pounds while developing the equivalent of 54 horsepower. As Pipistrel's designers upped the power of their propulsion unit, they also developed a new propeller, which they believe has increased efficiency. Pipistrel has also invented a new set of onboard, networked avionics that provides a "fly-by-wire power train management with built-in multi-layer protection logic," says the company. Engineers add, "This represents a great improvement over the system used in the Taurus Electro prototype, where everything was handled by the pilot." Pipistrel has been pushing the envelope and feels they have achieved "the absolute pinnacle of today's battery technology, combining low weight, high power and high energy density to levels that seemed impossible as recently as '09." When a battery cell is performing poorly, the system is able to signal the need for maintenance. The proof of Pipistrel's admirable engineering may reveal itself at the NASA/CAFE Challenge in July '11. For more detailed specifications and info, contact: Pipistrel Aircraft, Gori_ka cesta 50a SI-5270 Ajdovina, Slovenia. Phone: 213.984.1237 | e-mail: info@pipistrel-usa.com |Internet: www.pipistrelusa.com YUNEEC'S DEVELOPMENTS Huge amounts of media and public attention were focused on Yuneec's smooth, handsome e430 at AirVenture in the summer of '09. The 2-seater took Oshkosh by storm. It appeared practical and workable, though it isn't on the market at this time. "With the e430's flight times of between 1.5 and 3 hours (depending on configuration), electric flight now becomes a realistic power source for sport aviation," says Yuneec engineers. "Charging times of 3 hours for as little as $5 make electric a genuinely low-cost way to fly, and with only two main moving parts in the motor (the bearings), the reliability and maintenance are like nothing seen before." Use of a 6-battery setup in e430 results in 1.5 to 2 hours of flight and with such an installation, payload remains a respectable 400 pounds even with a 45-foot wing span. The long wings ensure efficient electric cruising while adding a safety factor. Yuneec says a 10-battery setup could fly 2.25 to 2.5 hours, though the up-front investment would be significantly higher. The rub in electric aircraft is concentrated in the purchase cost of batteries plus their weight. It is in this area that development is needed so it's fortunate for aviation that auto companies are spending billions in parallel development. The good news is that electric airplane developers can take advantage of battery technology improvements as they arrive. A 45-foot wingspan gives the e430 a 25:1 glide ratio and flight tests produced these results: Takeoff in 265 feet at 40 mph; climb rate 1,320 fpm; cruise speed 55 mph; top speed level flight 93 mph. As initially developed by Flightstar in the USA, the e- Spyder took its first flight in July '09. Yuneec supplied the eSpyder's electric power. Flightstar initially mounted the twin lithium polymer battery packs on either side of the design's robust main fuselage tube, though they were subsequently hidden in a slide-out drawer under the cockpit floor pan, an excellent location for several reasons. Flightstar's stateside experience realized electric motors are user-friendlier in nearly every way, but a pilot would have some new learning to do. For example, experts advise never allowing lithium polymer batteries to drain completely. Fortunately, the Yuneec controlling hardware installed on the eSpyder provides warning systems to help you manage this task. Yuneec and Flightstar say batteries will last for at least 500 cycle charges and Yuneec says this equates to more than 250 hours of flying. That many hours with a Rotax 912 would cost about $5,000 in fuel alone, plus oil, spark plugs, overhaul costs and more. So, as we've seen with some other entries, batteries for electric motors represent a similar net flying cost as a gas engine with fuel, but without the noise, smell, or mess. For more detailed specifications and info, contact: Yuneec International Ltd., 388 Zhengwei Road, Jinxi Town, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. Phone: 011.86.512.5012.1243 | Fax: 011-86-512-5012-1255 | e-mail: sales@yuneec.com | Internet: yuneeccouk.site.securepod.com/index. THE END OF ELECTRIC? This may be the end of this article, but it won't be my last about electric airplanes. I will create an entire section about electric motor aircraft on my Website: www.ByDanJohnson.com . Batterypowered airplanes are in their infancy, but we will all be hearing much more about this idea as fuel prices continue their inexorable rise. An electric airplane could be in your future - and for less cost than you might think. With or without your purchase, electrics will most assuredly be sharing our skies. Listen for them! 1See "Pilot Report: Electric Aeroplanes," September '09 Light Sport and Ultralight Flying magazine.

INDUSTRY BITS — Flight Design has a new warranty program that should entice buyers. Called the XP (eXtended Protection) Warranty. The German company is extending the warranty without cost and even lengthening the Rotax engine warranty beyond what the engine producer offers. Of course, some conditions apply, but this is a strong move to assure buyers of their aircraft that Flight Design means to support customers in a professional manner. *** As part of its focus on premium service for its aircraft customers, Flight Design USA linked up with Dallas aviation dynamo US Aviation. This fast-growing aviation enterprise (and, yes, you read that correctly... growing) has a expanding presence on the Denton airport (DTO). They will now be an official factory-authorized service center for Flight Design. The Texas company offers such service for several LSA brands and has a dedicated facility for this work. |||| Dynon will be holding 3.5-hour classes at Sebring to help users of their SkyView Synthetic Vision glass cockpits better use these very capable devices. Darn it. At airshows, I don't have the luxury of time to attend such a long class. Yet, lucky me! The west coast company is holding a couple classes before Sebring near my home on the big Spruce Creek Fly-in airpark. More on this after I go through the class. |||| SeaRey is holding an owner/builder's workshop and open house at their lakeside factory near Tavares and Leesburg, Florida. The timing will appeal to folks on their way to the Sebring Expo starting the day after SeaRey's open house. Of all the LSA seaplanes, SeaRey has by far the largest number of actively flying aircraft (nearly 600). |||| ASSOCIATION BITS — EAA pulled the trigger a major restructuring, announcing the departure of several leaders including VP Adam Smith (formerly their museum director), ace aerial photographer Jim Keopnick, Young Eagles director, Steve Buss, and video chief, Rob McAllister. *** All totaled, the Appleton, Wisconsin newspaper reported online that EAA, "...fired or laid off nearly 30 people Thursday (January 12th) as part of a restructuring plan that eliminated some positions and created new ones." Interestingly, the paper also reported, "Miracle on the Hudson co-pilot Jeff Skiles... will serve as vice president in charge of chapters and youth education." Additionally, "...the organization [will] conduct a search for a vice president of marketing." And finally, "EAA also created a new vice president position to oversee its annual AirVenture event, but the position has not been filled." In a special emailing, Flying magazine reported, "EAA also reportedly eliminated its electronic publications department." *** My guess is some heads are shaking in Oshkosh. As I worked with many of these good people during the 2004-2006 period, I want to wish all departures the very best as they move forward. |||| SEBRING BITS — Aviation big shots will be plentiful at Sebring with visits from AOPA President Craig Fuller (back for his second year in a row; he spoke at the LAMA Dinner last year); GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce who will again meet with industry leaders; and EAA President Rod Hightower who will address the LAMA Dinner in 2012. Who knows? Maybe other luminaries will join the parade. *** Sebring has many new features this year as it switches management. One is a proper send-off to a group of LSA pilots who will fly across the ocean to the Bahamas on the last day of the show. Aviators Hot Line and a group of sponsors are preparing for the second LSA fly-out to the island nation. I went last year to find it riveting to fly out of sight of land and then to enjoy the magic of the Bahamas, which is a very airplane-friendly destination. Sebring is going to be very interesting this year...!

Years back I eagerly awaited Buyer's Guides from several magazines. These were once the "database" used by many aviation writers to keep up with aviation's rather amazing outpouring of all manner of aircraft. Several magazines competed for the most detailed entries. *** Then in 1995, the World Wide Web was born. At first changes came slowly. As the new millennium arrived (when this website was started) the web sharply accelerated in usefulness. Today, it is ubiquitous, literally so in the hands of anyone with a smartphone or iPad. *** Printed airplane Buyer's Guides trying to list every single entry were hopelessly upstaged with web pages where the data could be enormously thorough and continuously updated. Indeed our SLSA List and our service-provider FIRM List are popular enough that we gave them their own top-of-the-page tabs. As the print publication community, in and out of aviation, struggles to incorporate the web and adjust their content to their strengths, Buyer's Guide appear to be an endangered species. *** The good news? Light Sport & Ultralight Flying magazine's annual Buyers Guide will appear in February (instead of its usual January release). Meanwhile we have the Plane & Pilot Buyer's Guide issue in their January/February issue for 2012. *** Listen, I love the internet for all its speed and depth. But this P&P issue is a winner. The title — probably the second-largest circulating non-member aviation magazine — has done exceptionally well for the Light-Sport community with their own LSA Editor-at-Large (also our contributor): James Lawrence, who has created generous LSA coverage. *** So, no surprise to see a nice LSA Buyer's Guide section plus another installment of Jim's "Light-Sport Chronicles." Read the Buyer's Guide now plus we've asked to reformat for ByDanJohnson.com later as we did with Jim's 2010 Review. *** Since not everyone is seeking LSA, P&P also has great Buyer's Guide sections for Piston Singles, Piston Twins, and Turbines. Rounded out with a headset guide and other informative articles, the west coast Werner Publishing team did well. |||| Got windshield wipers on your LSA? Unless you have a Terrafugia Transition on order, your LSA will not have windscreen wipers. Some bigger aircraft have them but lightplanes that don't use glass windows don't use wipers effectively. *** Pilots want to see where they're going and Dynon's SkyView Synthetic Vision is not the whole answer, cool as those big infoscreens are. *** Aviation mail order giant, Aircraft Spruce has a low-cost answer. "Rain-B-Gon rain repellent is a hydrophobic coating technology that forms a chemical bond and causes the raindrops to bead up and blow away from the windshield," explained Aircraft Spruce. "This new innovative technology is designed especially for plastic Acrylic and Lexan windshields, and has no alcohol which can harm plastic." Check thousands of aviation products at Aircraft Spruce.

Even those who are not Apple fans agree the trend-setting California company's focus on design beauty draws attention to their products. From their position near the back of the pack a dozen years ago, Apple has become the most valuable tech company in the world. Could this be due to their highly-refined sense of esthetics? More to the point of aviation enthusiasts, is artful design an ingredient in pleasing customers? *** I don't know what all buyers are thinking but beauty has long enhanced the appeal of most consumer products. It seems the so-called niche aircraft producers have gotten this message perfectly well. Especially this is true for those products that have emerged since Light-Sport Aircraft burst upon the aviation scene. *** Creators of new LSA seaplane designs in particular seemed to have found the religion of design esthetics. Icon leads the pack with their stunning — and extremely well presented — A5. Hot on Icon's tail (from a design standpoint though trailing far behind in orders taken) are the French Akoya and the Norwegian Equator, the latter an electric-powered aircraft still in development. *** In Europe, where gyroplanes seemed to have developed a high state of design prowess, several entries display art-book clean lines, smoothly integrating functional features into the overall design. In weight shift trikes, many solid designs exist but Florida's Evolution Revo took the lead in hitting design notes with perfect pitch. *** Are these advanced creations necessary because they are specialty aircraft? Perhaps. If you represent a smaller share of the aviation pie, maybe you have to run while others can walk. Regardless of the motivation, it is clear from the accompanying photos that all these companies took industrial design to a new level. In my opinion, all these shown here (and more examples exist) have broken new ground. *** So we come back to the market aspect of truly impressive design. Does it sell airplanes? Are customers captured by the shapely lines of these aircraft? As all are relatively new, only time will tell us for certain. Yet Icon's considerable success in garnering more than 700 delivery position orders is as significant as their ability to raise funds from investors. *** While I will not offer photos, the fixed wing aircraft crowd is hardly sluggish in handsome designs. The last three years have seen the debut of other beautiful aircraft including the FK Lightplanes LeMans that so captivated attendees of the German Aero show in 2011. Tecnam announced their sleek P2008 to American at Sebring 2010 after debuting the aircraft to Europeans a few months earlier. SeaMax is another seaplane with many design innovations complimented by smooth lines. You can never leave out such lovely birds such as the Phoenix motorglider with perhaps the most distinctive wings of any entry in the LSA space. European producer Pipistrel turns heads with their several designs that appear born of a sailplane background. Evektor's Harmony looks great benefitting from a longtime effort of CANI (Continuous and Never-ending Improvement). The list goes on and if I tried to enumerate all of them, I'd surely miss some. *** The point is that in developing an amazing 123 new SLSA in just six and a half years, this newest-of-all aircraft sector is also paying close attention to the appeal of beautiful design. They may not profit as incredibly as has Apple Inc., but they surely inspire pilots to give a closer look at some of the finest looking aircraft in all of aviation.

Twice in the past I've written about changes at the top of aviation leadership in 2011. We witnessed the departure of leaders in various market-leading companies. Likewise, aviation organizations have gone through a similar metamorphosis. In this third (and final?) installment, we'll explore changes in aviation media. *** In this week headed into the Christmas holiday I participated in the second-to-last edition ever of Roy Beisswenger's Powered Sport Flying Internet radio show. This is not sad as PSF Radio has had a decade-long run, which translates to well over 500 two-hour broadcasts. Thousands enjoyed the live performance but even more thousands listened to archived shows that you could capture off the PSF Radio website or from Apple iTunes as a podcast. Roy hinted that podcasts could continue but for now he'll concentrate on his magazine (Powered Sport Flying) and his Easy Flight powered parachute flight instruction business. Roy described the latter and its introduction of new folks to flying as one of his great joys. After the show produces its final broadcast next week, Roy will have more time to attend airshows and that will enhance his magazine coverage. Keep watching this light aviation entrepreneur. Hearty congratulations, Roy, on a job very well done with PSF Radio! *** In another December announcement, longtime EAA editor Mary Jones said she will move to part-time status with the big member organization. After 28 years, Mary's decision was facilitated by yet another change: the move of Flying magazine editor-in-chief Mac McClellan to Director of Publications for EAA publications. Mary developed a loyal and appreciative audience among the light and sport aviation community in her many years of writing and editing. She lead the association's Experimenter magazine and more recently Sport Pilot before both titles were retired (association decisions having nothing to do with Mary's capable leadership). Her latest position before stepping down was to lead EAA's flagship Sport Aviation magazine. Mary is not flying off into the sunset. She'll continue her work with EAA publications but on a three-day-a-week basis that will allow some other pursuits and bit more time to relax and not sweat the ever-present deadline pressure. Along with many others, I offer a most sincere thanks to Mary, a champion of affordable aviation. *** Our good friends at General Aviation News lost two stalwarts of their enterprise in 2011. Professional newspaperman and company patriarch, Dave Sclair passed away last summer and editor Tom Norton died more recently. Both losses were significant; Dave and Tom had decades of experience and encyclopedic knowledge of aviation. Fortunately, Dave's son Ben has done what I consider to be a magnificent job of taking over the reins of the country's only biweekly, and much-loved, aviation newspaper. *** Change is normal, inevitable, and indeed necessary in the natural development of business and in life. So while welcoming new chiefs, I salute each of the pioneers above and thank them for their dedicated service. Will the changes continue? Of course they will, though perhaps not at the pace set in 2011. We look forward to what 2012 holds. Aviation remains an exciting industry to observe. *** Merry Christmas, everyone!