Fun flying in northern climates might begin to slow but in the southern half of the U.S., flying for fun is entering its best season.
As if to prove the point, coming up soon:
In Mount Vernon, Illinois, 2023 will be the 15th running of the Expo, and I have zero doubt it will happen again in 2024.
At that time the 
Activities include two full days of educational seminars and workshops, an aircraft show, contests, social activities, as well as a Zenith barbecue dinner on Friday evening plus a fried-chicken dinner with awards presentations on Saturday.
On September 15, educational seminars begin in the morning and take place throughout the day featuring various airframe, engine, and avionics seminars by suppliers such as Dynon and Garmin avionics, Corvair and Viking auto engine conversions, and more.
EAA Director Charlie Becker will speak about government issues affect sport aircraft owners and builders, including MOSAIC, task-based phase 1 flight testing, LODA, BasicMed and fuel issues. Representatives from the insurance industry (Avemco and Sky Smith Insurance) will be on hand.
This year Aero Showcase will broaden its focus from only Light-Sport Aircraft to include general aviation brands to offer a wider scope of aircraft and products.
"You can be sure to see new and existing brands on the market from several popular manufacturers and companies," stated Aero Affinity directors Alex Rolinski and Doma Andreka. "Come examine aircraft you have never seen up close during our event."
Aircraft already committed to display at Aero Showcase 2023 include: Tecnam models, Aventura II, Scalewings Mustang SW-51, Fusion 212, Montaer, Bushcat, JMB, Aerostar, BD5, Bristell Aircraft, Extra 300, Heron Engines and more.
See and enjoy aircraft demonstrations at a very sport-flying-friendly airport plus enjoy sky diving throughout the day. DeLand is one of the world capitals of sky diving and it is very active place yet one that meshes perfectly with airplane operations after decades of experience. Longtime airport manager John Eiff is very supportive.
"We will have aircraft for immediate purchase, so you can fly home after the show," said Aero Affinity. "Onsite financing approval, maintenance services, and pre-buy inspections are also available."
DeLand has not one but two good restaurants including one located directly adjacent to Aero Showcase. "We'll also have an ice-cream truck and refreshment options as well," added Aero Affinity.
"Rod bought Phil out in 2005 and continued the adventure at Jabiru," wrote Mick Halloran, now Executive Director of Jabiru. "After thirty-five years of inspiration and perspiration, Jabiru stands as Australia’s premier aircraft manufacturer, with one of the world’s best affordable touring aircraft and even more remarkably, one of the few light aero engines in continuous production. Rod built a team that has delivered (at the time of writing) 2,124 aircraft and 7,223 engines, has a customer list that spans the world and a complex international supply chain." Mick summarized, "It’s a global enterprise run from a couple of sheds in Bundaberg (Queensland, Australia, on the country's east coast)."
"Rod is responsible for the design of an original aircraft, an original engine, and has run an aircraft manufacturing company for 30+ years," Mick continued. "Any one of those, would in itself, be an incredible achievement. All three is quite extraordinary."
"Two months ago, I took over the business," he wrote. He reported previous roles in the "big corporate world," at companies such as British Aerospace and Lockheed Martin. He worked in the USA and Europe as well as Australia, "on everything from the original design of the Joint Strike Fighter."
"The last few years have left [Jabiru] with a mature design in the Gen4 engines and a timeless aircraft design with the J430/230/170 series." Scott Severen is working with Jabiru to prepare for Mosaic aircraft as the J430 has long been a four seat design in Australia.
"Jabiru is one of the great Australian success stories. My job is to eventually leave it better than I found it, which is no small challenge given what Rod and the team have achieved," concluded Mick. "I am looking forward to the challenge, but most of all I look forward to meeting all of the good people who are the buyers, flyers, and fixers of Jabiru."
When AirVenture Oshkosh ends, you can almost hear a national sigh as if to denote the flying season is over. EAA’s magnificent summer celebration of flight leads to Labor Day and into fall. Fun flying in northern climates might begin to slow but in the southern half of the U.S., flying for fun is entering its best season. As if to prove the point, coming up soon: 15th annual Midwest LSA Expo, Zenith’s 32nd Annual Homecoming event follows the Expo, with even larger crowds, Aero Showcase’s second event is scheduled and being promoted, and down under — where Australis is exiting winter (yeah, weird, huh?) — big changes for Jabiru Midwest 2023 I’ve taken to shortening the event name to “Midwest (Year)” because I say or write it so often. This show — as you might expect, in the Midwest USA — has become a foundation of my aviation calendar. I only missed one year due to a hurricane in Florida where I live.
The short answer, I told them, is yes. A good many LSA were initially designed and subsequently tested to higher weights than the 1,320 pounds permitted under present FAA rules. What will happen to these 1,320-pound LSA when higher weight Mosaic LSA come out, some asked? Will these current LSA become obsolete?
I believe they will not, because any LSA you buy today will work just as well under Mosaic. It may not carry as much or have some other attribute, but neither will current LSA cost more as will larger and better equipped Mosaic LSA.
However, many — perhaps a third, maybe half — of all LSA on the market today have actually been constructed and tested to carry somewhat higher weights. Several models come to mind that could operate within ASTM safety margins at 1,600 or 1,700 pounds. A manufacturer would probably need to re-declare
Inflation is on almost everyone's mind these days …globally, by the way. So let me trot out the old expectation for Light-Sport Aircraft from a couple years before the LSA rule finally emerged.
A leading candidate in 2005 was Flight Design's CT, which sold for around $60,000, though it was rather sparsely equipped by today's LSA standards. At the time, that was widely considered an acceptable cost for a new LSA.
Today, dollar inflation makes that figure around $100,000 but that's before adding glass cockpits, airframe parachutes, and autopilots, much less retractable gear or adjustable props. Leather interiors and fancy paint jobs add more as do major shipping expenses if imported. All these facts help explain why LSA are often $150,000 today and can easily exceed $200.000.
Nonetheless, a certain number of buyers will go for models I'll call "Mosaic LSA." For example, a buyer considering a new LSA now could pay $150-175,000 for a well-equipped top brand and after Mosaic comes out, get a new certificate that permits carrying more weight. Others will choose to sell their 2022 LSA for a 2025 Mosaic LSA.
The good news then? Buyers looking for lower purchase prices can choose a late-model used LSA, while early adopters upgrade to the latest and greatest Mosaic LSA.
That's ten excited pilots and several vendors that found attending worth their time and expense. We did not canvas all vendors but I'm aware of of a pair of Flight Design F2 sales, one or two Montaer MC01s with 915, and two Fusions, one with a 915 and the other with 912iS. I also understood good sales prospects for BushCat and Aero Adventure, so in all, a solid event.
The weather was about perfect, though breezy both days. DeLand puts on a kind of day-long airshow with skydivers parachuting down almost continuously all the while aircraft are taking off and landing. With no control tower, regular DeLand pilots interact easily with the skydiving operations. It gives Aero Showcase visitors a visual treat numerous times per day.
Planning a Repeat
https://youtu.be/zsJvxSGid8I
I'll get to Speed Cruiser, 'er… Journey in a minute but first a bit about a new collaboration forming at the DeLand, Florida airport. You know the place, where the DeLand Showcase ran for five years. In case you missed the news, DeLand Showcase is no more. Director Jana Filip departed to join Sun 'n Fun so the event she expertly ran will now give way to something new, from someone else. More on that later.
Although the DeLand Showcase prematurely ended its five-year run, the DeLand Airport remains a beehive of recreational aviation activity. DeLand (KDED) is home to one of the largest sky diving industry and operations facilities in the world (some 35 businesses employing around 600 people). It is home to 
When B.O.T. formed in Liechtenstein (a tiny but wealthy country near Switzerland) they had specific goals for their design:
Flight Qualities
True, most LSA are not recommended for aerobatic flying or training. However, one of the main reasons for that is that Rotax does not want their LSA 9-series engines used for aerobatics. If the engine manufacturer does not permit that, we're done talking. It cannot be used that way. The airframe maker can also stipulate no such operations.
However, neither FAA regulations nor ASTM standards expressly prohibit aerobatics. We've already seen one entry that is capable of aerobatics — the FK-12 Comet biplane — but when that model uses a Rotax powerplant, going upside down on purpose is not permitted.
Has Magnus got a valid reason for pursuing aerobatics? Are they trying to invite owners to fly this way? A better rationale: With a capable aircraft, a qualified instructor can offer what some call "Upset Recovery Training." Others may say "unusual attitude training," but the purpose is to prepare pilots who may find themselves in unfamiliar — "upset" … "unusual" — situations, so they know how to exit that condition.
Instead, Magnus will use a ULPower engine. The latter has anticipated this use and the Belgian company recently declared that it meets all ASTM standards applicable to aircraft engines (specifically the F2339-19A standard for reciprocating spark engines for Light-Sport Aircraft).
Welcome to ULPower (see video below) and congratulations to Magnus for using this engine to further their idea of Fusion 212 being used for upset recovery training. The Hungarian company made it official as did ULPower.
"Magnus Aircraft is proud to announce its Fusion 212 airplane is approved for intentional spin. Starting now (April 2022), complete stall and spin awareness training, which is required for all CFIs as per FAR 61.183, can be [done] on the Fusion 212," wrote László Boros, CEO of Magnus.
U.S. representative, Doma Adreka added, "I am pleased to inform you about the spin test results of the Fusion airplane. Since April 4, 2022, all Fusions are approved for intentional spins, and with an ASTM-compliant ULPower 350iS engine, approved for upset recovery and basic aerobatics (+6/-3Gs). With these capabilities the Fusion is the first Special LSA approved for all of these maneuvers and advanced training."
"UL Power confirmed their ASTM declaration stating that the 350 and 520 engines are ASTM-compliant and can be used on SLSA," Doma added.
Officially, 
"Magnus successfully completed the comprehensive intentional spin and recovery test series," Doma elaborated, "so the Fusion 212 airplane is approved for upset recovery training (UPRT), intentional spin and basic aerobatics (+6/-3Gs), which is extremely important for flight safety. Fusion 212 is the first and only available Light Sport Aircraft for these maneuvers." (Note that Tecnam acquired the single-seat 
"Fusion 212 provides low operating costs ($50/hour) to training organizations and private owners. Fusion 212 is well known for its high structural load capacity and strength allowing maneuvers that expand the regular flight envelope." I quickly and willingly add that my two flights in Fusion have shown it to be an extremely solid feeling aircraft (
However, he fell in love with aviation while working for Magnus in Europe and later in the USA, first residing in Texas though he and his family have now relocated to Florida. Doma earned his pilot license in 2020 and is working towards his instructor ticket.
Today, he lives with is wife, Vicky and daughter, Lili Anna, in the Spruce Creek Fly-In community near Daytona Beach. "After almost five years in Texas we moved to Florida in 2021. We absolutely adore living here!"
With that kind of youth and enthusiasm, I expect we'll see Doma and Fusion at an airshow near you.
After we got the LSA Mall set up to receive a flock of airplanes, I was able to get around the sprawling Sun 'n Fun campus to see what else I planned to cover as the show begins. It starts Tuesday the 5th and runs through Sunday the 10th. I hope you can make it but if not, I'll be reporting on the aircraft that I think may interest you.
One extra treat — for me and for you: my YouTube partner, Videoman Dave has been able to escape Canada and turned up at Sun 'n Fun. We'll return to our usual drill of roving around doing video interviews. I'm happy as Dave is highly knowledgeable about the same kind of aircraft I report and we've learned to work well together, making somewhere approaching 1,000 videos. You are happy as 
Now represented in the USA, Bat Hawk travel traveled half way around the globe to get to Sun 'n Fun. This side-by-side two seater has well established itself in South Africa but will now test interest from Americans. Based on rave reviews from those with experience, the odds look promising.
Some say this is looks like a… fill-in-the-blank, usually a reference to an ultralight such as Flightstar or Quicksilver. It is neither, having been developed over some years in the Southern Hemisphere nation but it is born of an earlier generation.
We're hoping to interview Bat Hawk America's Gary Saitowitz or one of his team at Sun 'n Fun and then I'll have more. Meanwhile, 
One company has focused for years on creating replicas for famous designs harking back to World War I, a time not long after the Wright Brothers first flew their Flyer on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk. We're talking century-old designs, created with slide rules and drafting pape and not much prior art on which to rely.
In 
If you read other aviation magazines or online sources, you may already be aware of some rather big news to those of us who love light aviation. Pipistrel has made a global name for itself as a builder of sleek composite aircraft, many of which can be used for soaring flight.
That same efficiency lended itself perfectly to adapting electric propulsion. Pipistrel has done this well enough to 
Replicas are big business in cars, boats, and, of course airplanes. Some like Airdrome cater to one era of history enthusiasts. Others cater to a later war period. Scalewings goes to great effort to make these designs as authentic as possible while building at around 50% of original scale. The task is impressive, enough so that most of us have no real idea of the detail that is goes into something like the model in the photos.
I have written about ScaleBirds, their P-36 project, and the radial engines they enjoy using. However, I probably cannot do them the justice they deserve. I hope you can swing by their space in the main or "core" are of Sun 'n Fun but 
One of my favorites to come along in the second decade of Light-Sport Aircraft is the 
Fresh news at Sun 'n Fun is that the gang at Aerosport — and now Aerosport South (see this 
I didn't get to visit with anyone from The Airplane Factory on set-up day to hear if they have any late-breaking news — so I'll go back, of course — but the sharpest paint job I found anywhere on the grounds was the handsome Sling 4 seen nearby. I have reported on Sling LSA and 
If AeroSport sounds busy (and they are!), 
No airshow is complete — at least for those of us interested in affordable, recreational aircraft — without Quicksilver, long the standard bearer of the genuine ultralight sector. The company has arguably the most proven aircraft in the light space (and I know I won't get much pushback for saying that). Quicksilver also has a SLSA model plus genuine Part 103 ultralights and models in between. Their kits are legendarily easy to assemble.
However, Quicksilver the company has bounced around several owners in the last couple decades. That has finally settled down now that the longest-running dealer of any light aircraft, Gene "Bever" Borne who, with his son Ken, now owns the rights, tooling, and inventory for all Quicksilver models except GT500.
In addition Bever is one of the most interesting people to speak with, given his southern drawl and a very keen sense of humor. We'll visit and see what's new with 
To close this preview article so I can go to bed and get ready to do this all again tomorrow, I want to extend a thank you on behalf of myself and 
Since to my similar talk a year ago — when I introduced the then-recently-devised term of Light Personal Aircraft …which is now gone! — lots and lots of pilots have written wondering if this or that general aviation airplane could be included as a LSA. Here's my response.
First, they won't ever be a "LSA." All Standard (not Special) Airworthiness Category aircraft will retain their original certification. A Cessna 150 won't become a LSA.
However, yes, it is possible that a Sport Pilot — or some higher rated pilot using Sport Pilot privileges — could fly a Cessna 150, Aeronca Champ, Piper Cherokee, or even a Cessna 172. The latter with four seats might have to be flown with only one passenger.
As before, none of this is official or certain. Accept it as an indication of FAA's current thinking. We won't know for sure until we see the NPRM and I predict we'll see that at Oshkosh 2022.
So, how could a Sport Pilot be allowed to fly a larger aircraft, or possibly one with four seats, or one with retractable gear? All that is up to Flight Standards, the group that makes decisions about pilot privileges and flight operations. Unlike the aircraft certification department that is giving more work to industry (who might then chose methods they prefer), Flight Standards is unlikely to hand over any work to the industry.
They may, however, use endorsements. The endorsement method is a proven system within FAA and it has worked exceedingly well for Sport Pilots flying Light-Sport Aircraft.
If you are a student earning your Sport Pilot certificate, you might fly in a simple aircraft like a Quicksilver, so you'll emerge with an 87-knot limit. To fly a faster LSA, go get a checkout from an instructor in a faster aircraft. When he or she thinks you've got it, they'll endorse your logbook, sign their name and number, and off you go. That's it. No test or check ride. Indeed, this shows even Flight Standards is letting industry (instructors) make judgement calls.
Endorsements also work for flying into complex airspace. Get trained and endorsed and go enter the nearby Class D or C airspace. The same is true if a Sport Pilot wants to fly a retractable gear LSA seaplane. Train. Endorse. Repeat. The method works.
Could FAA use this method to graduate Sport Pilots into larger, faster, more capable Light-Sport Aircraft? I don't see why not; it already works. But, as with all the above, we'll see what FAA's final decisions are. When? My bet remains on Oshkosh 2022. Stay tuned!
I flew 
As head of Magnus Aircraft's U.S. operation, Doma is an ideal candidate. He has worked in the factory in Hungary for some years, as head of communications and marketing. As the Hungarian company sought to pursue business in America, the leadership sent Doma to Texas to help Fusion 212 earn its SLSA Special Airworthiness Certificate.
In 2021 alone Doma reported selling seven aircraft and expects to log a couple more before the year ends. That's a solid start to the refreshed Magnus America enterprise in the USA.
Although this sturdy aircraft may be optimized for aerobatics the images nearby show this is a comfortable traveling machine as well. Going gross country knowing an aircraft can handle turbulence is reassuring.
As Doma next plans to promote Fusion 212 in the uberactive aviation state of Florida, I'm sure we'll be seeing more Fusions and if some of them appear to be upside down… perhaps they are!
Watch for our 2021 video interview to learn even more. Until the new one is done this after-flight review contains a lot of information about Fusion. (Video shot at Sebring in 2018.)
I hope you can attend 2020's 
MC-01 by Montaer
SmithSilver by Tri-State Kite
Sparrow by Carlson
F2 by Flight Design
Vashon Ranger
VL3 by JMB Aircraft
Fusion 212 by Magnus
Rob Rollison the proprietor of the very successful 
Deon will have the InnovAviation FX1 we saw at Midwest 2019 (
"Duck and cover" was a phrase to describe the morning on Thursday, Day Two at 
Some, like Scott Severen of 
L600 importer Deon Lombard said he expecting his first with the 
A new-to-Americans Light-Sport Aircraft made its debut showing at AirVenture 2018. Here is the Magnus Aircraft Fusion 212.
It appears another SLSA snuck by my penetrating radar for such achievements. U.S. chief pilot Charlie Snyder told me that the first Fusion earned its Special Airworthinews certificate back in September 2017 thereby joining our 
Snyder and Foldesi exhibited their brightly painted low wing that uses mostly carbon fiber construction and a dual taper wing. Full dual controls are available at both seats. Toe brakes on each side guide a castoring nose wheel via differential braking. Rudder pedals are adjustable to accommodate pilot height differences. Leather upholstery is used throughout and cabin heat is provided.
Standard avionics equipment includes a single 10-inch 
“This low-wing monoplane [has a] symmetrical wing profile that provides it with superb aerobatic capabilities,” said Magnus Aircraft. However, the company advised, "While the aircraft has aerobatic capabilities … as a Normal Category SLSA aircraft, Fusion 212 is presently limited to a maximum of 60 degrees of bank and a maximum pitch up or down of 30 degrees when operating in the United States."
"Fusion 212 is available for special order with 3-5 months of manufacturing lead time. Snyder also said purchase is available from U.S. inventory. A base model Fusion is currently priced from $139,900. Magnus Aircraft, Inc., is licensed by the Hungary-based manufacturer to sell to the American market."