Development happens fast in light aviation; Mosaic will further quicken the pace.
Welcome to Light-Sport Aircraft where the swift thrive and those that can't move fast enough fall behind. LSA is a market full of seasoned competitors. They've learned their trade well, surviving and some even gaining during the Covid upset. Any new creation coming to market will be measured against tough standards.
This distinctive seaplane in biplane configuration earlier announced their 
With great efficiency, the two aircraft were unpacked from container (nearby images), assembled, and had their approval inspection done. This happened in days, thanks to advanced planning and full preparation.
New Zealand's Wave has completed its air trials after a lengthy development period. Deliveries have yet to begin.
Meanwhile, longtime market leader — still with the largest fleet flying, more than 600 aircraft — Progressive Aerodyne's Searey appears to have gone dormant. Another popular choice is Seamax and it, too, has experienced difficulties. As in most small industries, the light airplane business can be a tough taskmaster.
Despite the prices of these LSA seaplanes, running past $400,000 in some cases, aircraft manufacturing is a low-volume business that demands high quality components and careful manufacturing plus having to meet a high standard for FAA approval. Getting all that right is quite challenging.
XP suggests more power and the Rotax 915iS does not disappoint. A boost from 100 to 141 horsepower spinning a 5-blade e-Prop propeller is certain to make Super Petrel XP a hot performer off water or land.
The cockpit has been modernized and optimized. I particularly like the centered main panel — with room for an iPad on the sides — and the extended throttle quadrant. The twin headset storage niches are a clever use of space (arrows).
A top attraction is the aft-hinged full canopy that replaces doors and a windscreen in older models (a nearby image shows both). Rodrigo Scoda is pleased with the wide-open visibility the new construction brought.
Since the U.S. team is ready and raring to go, you can make your way to 
From my friend William Burgher at 
A few days ago a couple Super Petrel XPs arrived in Florida. In no time, Roger Helton‘s team had the pair assembled and had earned their Special Airworthiness Certificates, from two different FAA inspectors no less. Development happens fast in light aviation; Mosaic will further quicken the pace. Welcome to Light-Sport Aircraft where the swift thrive and those that can’t move fast enough fall behind. LSA is a market full of seasoned competitors. They’ve learned their trade well, surviving and some even gaining during the Covid upset. Any new creation coming to market will be measured against tough standards. You think the pace of development is fast now? Wait as Mosaic approaches and company after company announces new products to take advantage of the “Christmas in July” list of new privileges FAA offered in the summer release of their Mosaic proposal (view list at bottom). The regulation is currently in review by the agency and according to their own statements, it should go live by second quarter 2025 (2Q25).
As most readers now know, Mosaic LSA can be larger and therefore they can carry more. While these airplanes remain more than a year from first deliveries current LSA models are expanding their capacities in preparation.
This change comes from a gross weight increase to 1,570 pounds. How can they do that before Mosaic arrives? Aren't they limited to 1,430 pounds as permitted on LSA seaplanes or floatplanes? No, they're not.
This 
As A5's Rotax 912iS burns less than five gallons of fuel per hour, the company said, "This equates to an additional two hours of endurance or the ability to carry more baggage or heavier passengers."
“In response to feedback from our owners and prospective customers, we elected to undertake further research and development to test the airframe and fully understand what we needed to do to increase the useful load,” said Jerry Meyer, Icon's CEO. “The solution is a reinforcement of our commitment to innovation, and a 60-pound increase is significant, especially in the LSA category.”
“The 4-blade propeller is a huge upgrade to my Icon A5,” said Santiago Masdeau, an A5 owner based in South Florida. “I’ve flown more than 100 hours with the original 3-blade and now I have around 20 hours on the new carbon fiber 4-blade. Immediately, I noticed less vibration and noise, better acceleration, and improved takeoff distances. I’ve also experienced an increase on my cruise speed at 5,000 rpm and lower fuel burn. The entire experience is better, and it looks amazing, too!”
A 2024 A5 Limited Edition starts at $409,000 with the 
Icon's announcement of these improvements to the 2024 Icon A5 LSA comes on the heels of the FAA granting a Type Certificate for the A5 in Primary category. The company believes that type certification will allow Icon to expand its market potential around the world, especially in countries that have not yet adopted ASTM standards. The type certified version of the 2024 Icon A5 starts at $434,000.
WOW!
BADLAND AIRCRAFT / F-SERIES
HIPERLIGHT
CARLSON SPARROW
In this edition of “LSA Update,” I'll cover an update about…
1️⃣ Jabiru and their AirVenture activities; 2️⃣ Beringer's new SensAir system that works with your smartphone; 3️⃣ an impressive father-and-daughter partnership forming a new dealer for Seamax; 4️⃣ a preview of the new Dragon powered paraglider single-place quad; and, 5️⃣ competition successes for E-Props and Polini engines.
Not only was Jabiru one of the first approved SLSA (#22) but also one of the most prolific with SLSA #22 J250-SP, #23 J170-SP, #40 Calypso SP, #67 J230-SP (redesignated as J230-D in 2013), and #142 J170-D. The "SP models came from an earlier U.S.-based manufacturing arrangement. The "D" denotes the manufacturing now conducted in Australia.
When you are an early entrant you have time to get the details right and flesh out the operation.
Now in the capable hands of Scott Severen, who runs 
The France-based company with a permanent U.S. operation has numerous products in support of airframes including the unique 
In the last few years Seamax has substantially upgraded their U.S. representation with full-time facilities adjacent to the prestigious campus of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. From this ideal location they can cover the Eastern U.S.
Now, Seamax is pleased to announce a new dealer based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The seaplane maker now offers support, training, and sales for several Midwestern states. The new business is called Central Seaplanes and they become the official sales agent and brand representative for Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.
The Oklahoma dealer recently acquired two fully-equipped Seamax M-22 aircraft to their fleet and. One M-22 is equipped with IFR gear, which allows a pilot in training to log instrument hours at competitive rates.
Central Seaplanes, LLC is a father-daughter, veteran-owned business represented by Kira and Todd Lang.
Todd is a former fighter pilot with 40 years of aviation experience and 11,000 logged hours with CFI, CFII, and MEI instructor credentials. Currently, he is an international Boeing 767 Captain for a major U.S. airline. Todd also holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Embry Riddle.
Kira has an Associate degree in aircrew safety systems technology, a Bachelor's degree in aviation management and a Master's degree in aviation and space science. She is currently finishing her doctorate. Kira received her Private Pilot certificate when she was 18 years old.
Kira said she has always dreamed of starting her own business with her dad. She has a passion for aviation and has thrived in the industry. She intends to dedicate her time to the success of Central Seaplanes and their association with Seamax aircraft.
This quad — a term describing the four wheeled carriage some powered paraglider enthusiasts prefer — “is a new concept,” said Erin Thorson about designer Dan Feldman's work. Dragon will make its official debut at AirVenture 2021. Thorson is a 30+ year A&P and former Air Force aviator.
"Considerable research and thought have been put into producing a high quality seated powered paraglider that meets all FAR 103 requirements," wrote Erin. Dragon PPG is aimed at taller and heavier PPG pilots. The design features a roll cage for protection. Such a configuration is common in powered parachutes (different aircraft, if you aren't familiar) but quads have previously been very light weight construction that mainly aimed to provide some structure to accommodate wheels, and not much more.
Based on Rotax 503 power, Erin described thrust of the engine as "incredible!" Dragon was weight tested at 4Gs assuming a 220-pound pilot. Commonly, powered paragliders prefer the lightweight, higher-revving Polini engine (see next news item).
"Last week, Eric Dufour, a world-renowned paragliding pioneer and well respected paramotor instructor, personally flew the Dragon PPG and loved everything about it," wrote Erin. "I have witnessed the Dragon fly; it is a rocket!"
“The propeller is a very important equipment to succeed in this kind of competition,” the company wrote. “
In second position was Jeremy Penone using the super-tested Thor 250.
In third, winning the bronze medal, was Marie Mateos also using the new Thor 303. Marie reached a new goal with Thor 
FAA personnel casually (not officially) reported some 70,000 tickets bought on Saturday alone. I have no idea about such numbers historically, but by any measure, that's a darn fine performance, the equivalent of a major football stadium stuffed full of fans. I am so relieved for Sun 'n Fun. Inc., and I'm sure my relief is but a drop in the bucket compared to that felt by Team Sun 'n Fun.
If Oshkosh goes similarly, then I think it will be fair to say recreational aviation is nearly back to normal. Fortunately, in the Year of Fear that may be ending, tons of builders worked on kit airplanes, loads of LSA owners got out and flew their birds, and Part 103 ultralights probably set a record for shipments and kept sport pilots up in the air.
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Then, he described a plan to go slowly at a return to manufacturing the vintage aircraft as a Special, fully-built LSA. Another bravo, including for taking the time to get it right. Readers should understand getting semi-tractor trailer loads of inventory, tooling, jigs and more will take some time to get set up properly.
It was 14 years ago on the EAA Sport Pilot Tour, not long after the first emergence of Light-Sport Aircraft, when 
Early LSA enthusiasts knew this aircraft as the Jhilivan (or Kappa) KP-5. It was 
Once up on the wing, you can simply stand on the floor in front of the seat and sit down. Unlike its predecessor from Kappa, Skyleader 600 has both seats side-by-side; KP-5 had a slimmer cockpit width and staggered the right seat aft a few inches to give more room and a wider view. While the current configuration is more commonplace and will probably please more buyers, I rather liked the staggered seating; it gave the pilot in command great visibility out both sides.
Another nice bit of engineering is the far-extending Fowler-style flaps (nearby photo). This flap construction is more complicated than simple hinged flaps but the Fowler design allows lots more airflow making the surface much more effective. When the flaps extend, the elevator trim automatically adjusts to reduce pitch changes when deploying the large flaps. Of course, this level of sophistication is more costly than simpler constructions.
Evolution Aircraft enjoyed a banner year in 2020, despite all the covid anxiety.
It turns out that open-cockpit trike flying was embraced by many last year and Larry noted that the enthusiasm is continuing into 2021. This husband-and-wife team appears set to have another good year in 2021. Contratulations to Amy in particular and Evolution more broadly.
Larry Mednick is a happily married man now but he remains a restless designer, always striving for a new variation on the exquisite theme he started with Revo ten years ago.
Since the 
Finally comes RevX. Larry said about Rev that it is a delightful trike that he has thoroughly enjoyed since it was released four years ago. However, it is a calm weather flyer. I see nothing wrong with that but the lightweight airframe of Rev means it is somewhat more vulnerable should conditions pick up strength.
Enter RevX. Larry said three attributes distinguish the newest in his "Rev" line. RevX still folds in six minutes flat and, yes, Evolution has video to prove it (plus see our video below). That system was developed with Rev but when Larry says it folds up he also means it can be transported this way. Rev and RevX both fold quickly while still supporting the structure completely. Most trikes fold up (although few do so as fast) but once folded the wings are not perfectly supported by structure that was purpose-designed to do so.
RevX also brings full suspension to the Rev-type design. This was not reasonable on Rev as it tried to stay within the tight constraints of Part 103's 254-pound empty weight (before emergency parachutes or floats, for which extra pounds are allowed).
Third, RevX shares with Rev the wide-open visibility of having no structural forward strut. Many trike observers think that forward strut is no visual impediment, but they may not have flown a fully-open trike like Rev or RevX. Evolution designed their structure so that the forward strut was not necessary and double value is achieved when the forward strut need not be removed to facilitate fold-down.
However, in exchange for some building effort RevX buyers will get a quite capable trike with impressive performance.
"Another big change is that the wing on RevX is 25% smaller than on Rev. The RevX wing is 12.0 square meters (129 square feet) with a 28 foot span, where Rev's Part 103 wing is 15 square meters (161 square feet) with a 31.5 foot span," clarified Larry. The higher wing loading makes for crisp handling but more windspeed capability than the more lightly loaded Rev.
A smaller but still single-surface wing is paired with the much more potent 
"The single surface RevX wing has a limited speed range," Larry explained. "Pilots will see stall at 28 mph, normal cruise at 45 mph and the wing maxes out at 58 mph," he noted but the handling of a single surface wing is superior.
As you'll see in the video, not only is Larry a gifted trike pilot but the machine seems willing to allow handling to delight most trike pilots.
A good marketer Denney's Kitfox once employed a whole staff of sales people following up on loads of leads that the then-new design was generating. Even now, decades later, Kitfox, doing business as 
"I've been involved with autos and motorcycles my whole life," Chris detailed, "but I had a passion for aviation. When the chance came to acquire the Kitfox Lite, I jumped." With other family members, Chris established his company and set to building Kitfox Lite as a series of differently configured models… F1 UL base kit, F2 Flyer, F3 Speed, F4 Monster, and F5 Fujita. Each model step comes with addition features or equipment." Yet, as Badland advises, "Every model is 100% Part 103 capable." In fact, the aircraft at Oshkosh 2019 (nearby photos) weighed a mere 235 pounds, generously under the Part 103 limits of 254 pounds empty.
Chris seems determined and proud to protect this ultralight vehicle. "It is our honor to carry the tradition of this Dan Denney design into the future," said Chris.
"Expect to spend anywhere between $11,700-$28,500 for a brand spanking new Badland kit," said Chris, the owner of Badland Aircraft. "You can expect to spend another $2,000-$4,500 for the firewall forward parts unless you have an engine laying around."
However, as Chris puts it, "$35,000 will get you one of the baddest bush-style ultralights in existence." Referring to the F5 Fujita he asked, "Who wouldn’t love a full titanium airframe, 21-inch bush tires, 8-inches of suspension travel, a 60 horsepower ultralight that can take you anywhere you want to go? The deluxe model is not ready at this time, but Chris said they were moving with the project.
"A ready to fly base model F-1 starts at $18,900 and runs to the top of the line F-5 built with full titanium welded cage, 58 horsepower yet still 100% Part 103 Ultralight legal," said Badland. "[This is] our dream machine, with every option to make you feel on top of the world; for $37,000 we’ve got you covered."
"With the folding wings and the ability to park it in a 20 foot by 8.5 foot enclosed car trailer or a single car garage, you’ll appreciate the versatility."
What I examined at Oshkosh 2019 looked good with many quality machined parts and an attention to detail you could see in several places. Badland may be new but Kitfox Lite is known and accepted. I think we'll be seeing more of Badland Aircraft.
Many pilots expect the first appearance of a new model at the biggest airshows, but here's one of those times when the sector-specific shows win. It's all about timing and the new Aeroprakt A32 just won it's SLSA approval (#147 on our 
First blush: This is a great flying airplane, reflecting Aeroprakt's experience producing more than 1,000 of the predecessor 
When deploying or retracting flaps, the pitch change is very minor. True, two notches is only 20° of flaps but deploying them made quite an aerodynamic change, just not a pitch change. On one landing I made with no flaps, I had to raise the nose significantly high to put A32 on the ground.
A32 uses a full flying stabilator, a change from A22 and it was more responsive than the former. It will take a bit longer to get used to but it is a powerful surface. On takeoff, importer Dennis Long demonstrated how immediate the stabilator will lift the nose off the ground. In fact, that's his preferred takeoff technique: power to full, almost immediately pull aft on the Y-stick, control the nose so it sits a few inches off the runway, and let A32 then fly herself into the air. I followed his method and it worked wonderfully well.
A32 uses the identical wing from A22 from the fuselage root out. However, the many clean-ups of the fuselage — and they are many, which you will see more fully in the Video Pilot Report to follow after editing — make the new model more efficient. A pilot literally has to work at getting it back on the ground …and that's a good thing.
I reduced power to 3000 rpm abeam my touchdown target and then began to retard speed, lowering one notch of flaps after we got in flap speed range (<93 mph). On base leg I had both notches in and was monitoring my speed carefully. Using 60-65 mph was fine on base turning final but I moved it to 55-60 on short final and was ideally at 50-55 over the numbers.
With two notches of flaps and with a modest headwind, A32 landed very short. You have excellent visibility on landing as you do in flight in A32 Vixxen. It lacks a skylight but otherwise offers a wide view all around. I could even watch as the main gear touched down (when Dennis was controlling the aircraft).
Takeoff and landing has been quoted at "under 100 meters" (300 feet) and I believe it. No question it was short, assuming, of course, decent technique.
A32 Vixxen was easy to fly with a joystick that provided enough feedback yet offered crisp response. In flight, I found the aircraft very well behaved and suitable for less experienced flyers, naturally assuming proper instruction and transition training.
In all, I think Aeroprakt has a winner. Dennis Long equipped this particular example with most available options, including the 
This Shark is one I've long admired since meeting its creator, Jaro Dostal many years ago at the German airshow 
A special "Mako" Shark is now available, reported an enthusiastic Jon. "The Rotax 915-powered Shark will enhance high altitude performance, increase cruising speed, and rate of climb" he said. "The first prototype is expected to be completed this summer." The factory is now taking orders. The nearby images show new, larger cowlings to accommodate a turbocharged, intercooler-equipped 135 horsepower engine.
If you are enticed, here are two ways to acquire Shark.
Order a new aircraft — "The factory will now take €4,000 (about $5,000 but this can change) non-refundable or €15,000 (about $19,000) refundable deposit to hold a production slot. Upon receiving the deposit, the factory will assign a production slot and an expected delivery date. Progress payments will be requested at various intervals.
"The current factory backlog is between 18-24 months for a ready-to-fly aircraft or approximately 5-6 months for a kit," wrote Jon. However, he added, "With the factory ramping up to three from one aircraft per month, the wait is expected to decrease."
If you want the current final price and options list, contact Jon via email (see below).
If you can't handle the long wait or don't want to send chunks of money overseas, another way exists to own a Shark and no building is required.
"Shark UL 025, our current demonstrator aircraft, is up for sale," wrote Jon. "It is ready for delivery in April 2018 and has all the options, has been superbly cared for and is fully up to date with the latest features." How much? "We are asking €150,000 (about $188,000) plus delivery charges. Please contact me (via 
