Sebring is off and flying… well, like a homesick angel! It appears the sixth running of the show is as strong as it’s ever been. Tim Casey — head guru of Garmin‘s division for aviation portables plus avionics and radios used in nearly every LSA on the market — told me this evening, “I think traffic is nearly double last year [a record year for Sebring]. We completely ran out of literature on the second day!” The giant producer reported solid sales of equipment including their lovely new touchscreen Aera and their complete info glass screen package, dubbed the G3X. *** My pal, Jim Lawrence has been pumping out the blogs as you’ve seen right here (does this guy ever sleep?!) and more will come. In addition, my video partner, UltralightNews, has been working both of us hard to build up a flock of cool video clips. See the highlights here with a coming quick-take tour of the entire show grounds (see below)… followed in the weeks ahead by our continuing review of every Light-Sport Aircraft on the market.

If you like LSA or if you are following the development of this newest sector in worldwide aviation, you pretty much have to go to Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo. The sixth annual event opens in less than a week and it looks to be yet-another blockbuster affair. Here I’ll provide a few highlights, but I also expect to be surprised by some new presentations. *** The first airshow of a new decade may show a new hope for recovery in aviation. One of the biggest buzzes has to do with Piper Aircraft and their possible entry to LSA (as has been been widely reported). This matter is not settled yet but Piper will have an exhibit at Sebring (itself something new). *** We’ll also see the tandem high-performance MySky MS-1, a U.S. design that is moving closer to production; the new and beautiful P2008, the first to employ composite construction from Tecnam; and attendees can have a look at Rose Pelton‘s own Skycatcher, which will be on display in Cessna‘s space.

“Chinese New Year” invokes images of fireworks but here’s another take. We hear little or no recreational flying occurs in China, but that turns out to be wrong. According to an article in Wired magazine by by Michele Travierso, the Do-It-Yourself spirit exists even in that highly controlled country. *** A Chinese DIYer named Mao Yiqing has built a human-powered aircraft, which he calls Mozi (after the 5th century inventor of the kite), using his skills running Oxai, a company that builds RC planes. Mozi was built using many of the same techniques and materials — balsa wood, styrofoam and carbon fiber — as his model planes. *** Wired reports, “His workshop is covered with pictures of Eric Raymond, an American pilot who flew his solar glider across the United States and, in June, over the Alps.” Yiqing is preparing his plane, which weighs 84 pounds and has a wingspan of 81 feet, for a 4-mile flight across Dianshan Lake near Shanghai.

The Internet has transformed life in countless ways. Running an e-commerce website involves providing useful services, most commonly at no cost to visitors. In keeping with this new paradigm, several of the most popular features on ByDanJohnson.com are free — PlaneFinder 2.0; LSA Videos; SLSA List; FIRM List; LSA Market Info, Industry database; many articles; and, of course, “SPLOG.” *** Call it our Christmas present to you… SPLOG now welcomes Plane & Pilot magazine LSA Editor James Lawrence and his “Hangar Flyin” blog. Jim and I write often about LSA topics and you will now be able to read all of our posts in this one location …all archived back to the beginning of LSA. You can expect to read 200 posts a year or one every other day, keeping you aware of the latest and greatest in Light-Sport Aircraft *** Jim is an extraordinarily talented fellow. If you’ve looked at beautiful photos gracing aviation magazine covers or the pilot reports inside, you’ve probably seen Jim’s work.

No one doubts the leading position of Rotax engines among Light-Sport Aircraft. Of course, most European producers use the Austrian brand, but so do many U.S. builders even including Van’s Aircraft. However, despite their dominance, some GA pilots have scoffed at the brand, saying it isn’t a “real” aircraft engine partly as it didn’t match the 2,000-hour TBO (Time Between Overhaul) common to American brands like Continental or Lycoming. Well, that argument has evaporated. *** Rotax not only upped the TBO on its flagship four-stroke 912 engine, they even made it retroactive. Those following an optional Service Bulletin issued on December 14th can increase the life of the 912 they already own by performing what is essentially a detailed inspection; some older models may require some updates. (Click here for details.) The change applies to the 80-horsepower model, to the the popular 100-horsepower version and to the turbo-charged 914 model as well.

Before you clicked to ByDanJohnson.com, you may have been reading EAA’s Sport Pilot magazine. If your copy was the December 2009 issue, it the final edition of the magazine that started with the Sport Pilot movement. *** EAA surveyed to ask what members wanted from their publications. The organization dutifully recorded all responses and chose to make a dramatic decision. They elected to stop Sport Pilot and merge the LSA title’s most popular content into their flagship rag. *** At the same time, EAA started “Light Plane World,” an eNewsletter (also online) with info about ultralights and LSA. Edited by longtime Part 103 enthusiast Dan Grunloh, LPW is intended to provide more detailed info on ultralights and light planes than space will permit in Sport Aviation. You can sign up here to get LPW… or any other EAA eNewletter. *** As this chapter closes for EAA, I wish to bring special attention to a 25-year veteran EAA editor who was one of handful nurturing the light end of EAA’s aviation activities.