Try not to yawn. This is important. To see why, read “What does this mean…” below. *** EASA, roughly the equivalent of FAA for the European Union, finally released its CS-LSA, or Certification Specification for Light-Sport Aircraft. While not exactly what the industry hoped for, it at least represents acceptance of the ASTM certification standards. That reduces uncertainty for LSA producers in the European theater. For American producers hoping to sell across the Atlantic, CS-LSA presents an expensive choice. With the dollar low and the euro high, Made-in-the-USA aircraft could enjoy a price advantage if they could sell into Europe. *** If you’re an LSA manufacturer who must read this stuff, here’s the link to EASA’s “decision” and other documents. I plowed through this dense material but I also asked my counterpart in LAMA Europe to give me his view. *** Jan Fridrich is already known to you as the man who laboriously studies FAA’s LSA database to produce the figures I use to create our LSA market share reports.

After a prolonged absence, mogas is returning to airports thanks to steady efforts by a consortium lead by Dean Billing and Kent Misegades. The numbers appear small today, even if they function to help you find cheaper and cleaner mogas as an alternative to 100LL. About 3% of airports presently offer mogas. But these numbers will go only one direction assuming recent fuel trends continue. While all fuel is getting more expensive, mogas remains much less costly than avgas. Since Rotax, Jabiru, and Lycoming accommodate automobile fuel blends now, since 100LL has a questionable future, and since the price of 100LL has always been substantially more than mogas, how cannot we expect mogas at airports to increase? *** The folks at Fly Unleaded have a growing list of airports offering the auto go-juice. The list is maintained by GAFuels co-author Dean Billing. While the number offering 100LL slowly drops, the mogas suppliers continues to grow.

While some producers add four seaters (or more) to their LSA line, others have taken a different approach. The number of attractive new single-place models at Aero was surprising as most pilots seem to believe two seats are the minimum. *** However, for years AOPA surveys have shown the average occupancy of a GA aircraft — most of which have four seats and several models have more — is, wait for it… 1.6 persons. Given all those extra seats the 1.6 figure means a significant number of all flying is done solo. So, why pay for the extra seats when you fly solo frequently? Cost of acquisition and operation can be dramatically lower in a single seater, and you have no one else to please (or worry about) except yourself. *** I’m sure I didn’t see them all — Aero features a huge display of aircraft — but here’s a few of the new single seaters I discovered.

In that rarified air of the executive suite, well… at least in the boss’ office of LSA companies, something seems to be happening. Think about this question for a moment: What do the following LSA have in common? — Skycatcher, SeaRey, Paradise P1, Remos GX, and PiperSport. Give up? OK, it was something of a trick question. The answer: All the companies supplying these LSA have gone through major management changes in 2011. *** The most widely reported departure was that of Jack Pelton, who held the titles of President, CEO, and Chairman at Cessna. Along with him went other notables like Tom Aniello and John Doman; the latter man was VP of piston sales for years; he’s at Flight Design now. So besides Cessna’s very deep cuts to employment (previously media reports have said that more than 50% of workers were laid off), now top management has also changed.

I’ve observed aviation for more years than I’m comfortable admitting. As an aviation journalist I’ve often had a front row seat. I’ve talked to a ton of pilots (one of the great joys of my life is to have met so many fine folks). Over those years, I’ve distilled the kind of pilots we are to one or the other. Yes, just that simple: this kind or that. *** I believe you either fly to “Get Up,” or “Go Long.” Go Long flyers include all those who want to go some distance in their flying machine. Flying your own plane is a great way to travel. Speed is a big part of why flying is useful but that quality is merely one aspect of the enjoyment. *** Me? Sure, I like to Go Long. I’ve logged hundreds of hours of cross country flying, to all corners of America and some out of the USA.

Most of what our media reports about Iran is bad: Islamic militants. Contested elections. Brutal suppression of dissent. Nuclear ambitions. What we don’t hear is about the country’s light aircraft producers. Then consider Malaysia. Do you think of that country relative to aircraft production? Do you think of it in any way? My guess is most Yankee aviators haven’t given either country much thought (except maybe in a negative context). *** Yet here is Free Bird. An article appearing on Iran’s PressTV began, “Iranian aviation researchers have designed and built an all-composite ultralight aircraft to meet the country’s training, border control, surveillance and recreational needs.” The researchers are evidently employees of manufacturer H. F. Dorna Company, which “was established in Tehran in 1988 as a private company specializing in design and manufacture of light-sport aircraft.” *** Managing director of H. F. Dorna, Yaghoub Entesari, was reported as saying, “[Free Bird’s] full composite structure conforms to ASTM technical standards and falls under the micro-light category under Iranian law.” Free Bird is said to fly more than 500 miles with a maximum airspeed in level flight of more than 150 mph (which is beyond FAA’s LSA rules).

Rotary wing aircraft have not been my focus. But I could hardly miss a flock of streamlined gyroplanes at Aero 2011 and I wondered why we don’t have these in the USA? To get an answer I went to Powered Sport Flying publisher and Internet radio producer, Roy Beisswenger, who covers the gyro scene in America… *** Roy explained, “While gyroplanes seem to be languishing in the USA, they are becoming a thriving part of the sport aviation market in Europe. The main reason focuses on the regulatory path in many European countries, which gyroplane manufacturers can follow to produce ready-to-fly ships. In contrast, the FAA specifically does not currently allow gyroplanes to be certified as Special LSA. Instead, U.S. manufacturers are required to offer either Part 27 aircraft (the rotorcraft equivalent of Part 23) or Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) kits. This has hampered the introduction of several fine designs from overseas because European manufacturers are forced to produce only partially-built gyros for the U.S.

As the battle rages on regarding a replacement fuel for 100 LL avgas, sport aviation enthusiasts already have another, cheaper fuel option. The best news is they potentially have an enormous support group (even bigger than Facebook, if you’ll permit that comparison). Here’s what blogger Kent Misegades wrote… *** “Consider these numbers:  According to GAMA, there are approximately 165,000 piston-engine aircraft registered today in the United States. Since 1982, some 65,000 autogas STCs have been sold by Petersen Aviation and the EAA. A growing part of the GA fleet, America now has around 2,000 new SLSA (and many thousands more ELSA) registered. Nearly all of these use engines designed to run on autogas. Fuel is sold at approximately 3,500 FBOs on the 13,000+ airports registered in the country. Autogas is currently sold at just 100 of these airports.” (Talk about your missed opportunities! —DJ). *** “By contrast, in 2006, the U.S.

Weight shift instructor and FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) Terri Sipantzi wrote an excellent editorial about the FAA’s plan to start inspecting new SLSA or new companies producing LSA. Terri’s piece was well written and accurate. He quoted me but I find it surprising to be the only one publicly talking about this matter even though FAA has said (at AirVenture 2009) that they would be doing more inspections. This is not new information. I am merely beating the drum louder as FAA gets closer to doing what they said they would do. *** Yet Terri left out an important point… Industry could provide such oversight. In fact, I believe industry oversight could be the more effective method to increase compliance and potentially therefore safety, which — to put a fine point on it — is the ultimate goal of certification schemes. All these parts — standards, certification oversight, manufacturing best practices, quality control systems, third party audits — have one purpose: Safety.