Day One of the third running of DeLand Showcase is complete. As Videoman Dave and I scoured the show grounds looking for good stories, we spoke to a few vendors reporting that 2018 has been a good year. Our video news gathering exercise brought a pleasant discovery. Many companies are reporting a solid year of sales. The light aviation industry is composed of many small companies. None are corporations the size of Cessna or Cirrus so they don’t require hundreds of unit sales to break even. A U.S. importer delivering 20 aircraft can experience a good year from sales and other services they offer. When several companies report noteworthy sales success it suggests the market is healthy and customers are buying airplanes they want to enjoy. In parallel, the used LSA market also appears active and a virtuous circle begins to take form. The show itself enjoyed the great organization we have come to expect from director Jana Filip.
Now think of Merlin's price tag. It can be held to less than $50,000 today even with a four-stroke ASTM-compliant engine that provides an abundance of power for Merlin. That amount is approximately the same as $36,000 in 2002. Using the potent (and also ASTM-compliant) 
Merlin goes a further step beyond. The holes already have special, colored rivets that hold the parts in place. A builder removes them, does the under-skin work as needed — wiring, linkages, fuel lines — and re-rivets. I watched some of this occur and it is fairly amazing as a process. I might even attempt it and I'm not a builder.
With dedication and especially with some professional assistance as is possible today, a builder can finish the project in as little as two weeks.
Is that work effort worth it, considering you can hold the price below the once-expected price of a LSA? Only you can answer that question but Erwin's 
Tomorrow's forecast:
Chip continued, "The crisp performance hasn’t changed [with the HKS versus the Rotax 582]. In fact, the early tests are showing near-identical takeoff and climb, but with higher cruise numbers, compared to the Merlin with the Rotax 582 two-stroke." The Rotax engine outputs 65 horsepower while the HKS has 60. Two-stroke engines also spool up quicker than a four stroke. However, the HKS offers higher torque, useful during launch and climb out.
The four-stroke, horizontally-opposed, two-cylinder HKS and its gearbox "weighs a bit more" than the two-stroke option, Chip noted.
“We moved the battery aft, and the whole airplane gives up about twenty pounds of payload,” Chip said, “but the HKS burns less fuel so its flight time is longer at any given weight.” Another positive: HKS can run on avgas or premium mogas.
“We will bring a Merlin from our build program that isn’t yet 100% completed,” said Chip. "That will give people a chance to see how easy it is to build their own Merlin.” The fully enclosed Merlin claims to be one of the quickest-build 51% kits available.
I went to observe a customer building his own Merlin to see how easy and quick it really was. I came away suitably impressed.
"So complete and builder-ready is the Quick Build Kit that most major assemblies and skins are already tacked into position for shipping (using colored soft rivets)," Chip explained, "requiring the builder to actually do some disassembly to bring it to the 51% stage."
“There is no 'Slow Build' option,” deadpanned Erwin in his characteristic humor.
“Precision matched-hole technology means that the holes punched are not just pilot holes; the accuracy is so high that holes in the skins match the holes in the ribs and bulkheads at final size, so next to zero drilling is required," Chip said. "This precision saves dozens if not hundreds of assembly time hours.” My own eyes proved to me that this precision matched-hole technology works as advertised.
A key phrase for this website is "Affordable Aviation" (in fact, we bought AffordableAviation.com for future use). Our focus is on aircraft that can work within the budgets of many recreational or sport pilots. Reading about bizjets or self-flying drones in major magazines may be interesting but those of us who love to fly prefer flying machines we can genuinely afford.
A kit-built aircraft is one way to make airplanes more affordable, and more personal. The great news is you have many wonderful choices. What you may not have is time and that's why this article covers Merlin PSA.
How much time must you invest to get airborne? Would you believe a mere two weeks? Many kits ask for months, even years of your labor plus a place to do this work. If you love the craftsmanship, that may be fine but if you build so you can fly, why not have the process be easier and swifter?
To see for myself, I went to observe a Merlin PSA under construction.
Matched-hole construction pilot holes must still be drilled to the finished size before riveting can begin. With precision matched-hole methods, Chip notes the holes are punched to the correct rivet size, ready to be attached with temporary clecos. Multiplied by thousands of rivet holes, this represents large time savings.
Many components — the entire horizontal stabilizer and elevator, for instance — come significantly pre-assembled. Every fifth hole has a temporary rivet securing the part. The temp rivet is color marked and after the builder rivets the surrounding holes, he replaces the temporary. This idea is widely used on the Merlin PSA quick build kit.
In addition, a Merlin QBK airframe includes spars and sub-assemblies that are factory riveted together (photo). All parts in the QBK are pre-fabricated and pre-drilled but major portions are delivered in fully finished form. Even paint priming is already done in many areas. For first-time home builders, the combination makes for a far easier set of tasks. It also helps assure builder and FAA that the job is done correctly.
Merlin QBK also includes composite gear, wheels, brakes, control and fuel systems. The overall basic airframe costs only $16,500.
You will need the firewall-forward package involving an engine mount, nose cowl, throttle, oil tank, exhaust, propeller, spinner, air filter, radiator, plus related hardware and fittings. Add another $3,800 (now $20,300).
Your choice of powerplant presently includes Rotax 582: 65HP Electric Start, B Drive, Oil Injected for $6,950 or a HKS 700E 4-Stroke for $12,000 ($27,250 to $32,300). An electric propulsion option remains in testing but is coming.
Instruments, interior, options, and paint will add more but Aeromarine LSA owner Chip Erwin reports you can get airborne for around $35,000. With the Rotax 582, that expense looks achievable and those who prefer four strokes could still finish for $40-45,000. Such investments purchase quite a bit of airplane for a sum many can afford.
While recognizing they are very capable airplanes, many lament the cost of carbon fiber speedsters with glass cockpits and autopilots. 
The first U.S. Merlin PSA is powered with the 65 horsepower 
Licensed as an Experimental Amateur Built aircraft Merlin PSA easily fits within the LSA parameters of weight and speed. Therefore, it can be flown with a Sport Pilot certificate — or by a higher certificated pilot exercising the privileges of Sport Pilot, meaning no medical is needed.
A complete kit including Aeromarine-LSA's builder's assist program is only $34,900. You need to invest some labor hours but you will be guided and the effort is said to be quite rapid. An all-aluminum design, Merlin PSA is available as a quick-build kit. Because it was created using 3D CAD/CAM equipment, Merlin offers easy-to-build, matched-hole assemblies that require no fixtures. "Build time is measured in days rather than months or years," said Chip. "Builders can enjoy a couple of weeks at our Builders' Center in Florida and fly their new Merlin PSA ... not 'taxi.' Fly." That's some promise.
As debuted at Sebring 2016, Merlin PSA is nicely equipped with a digital EFIS/EMS, GPS, radio transceiver, an ADS-B out-equipped Mode S transponder, BRS parachute system, electric trim, and the new 
I've also written about the $16,000 (or so) fully-built 
Let's jet down to Lima Peru and visit the project. Nearby images show the Zigolo going together and taking flight over Peru.
"Zigolo was built from a kit in only 15 days in the basement garage of the owner Marco Peter," said Chip. The finished aircraft was then transported to a small desert airstrip just south of Lima for the test flight.
"The mission was to finish the Zigolo build, test fly, and show Marco how to fly all in the short term of Nov 3 to 23, 2015. That's just 20 days less two Sunday afternoons off to watch the Packers," said Chip. He hails from Florida these days, but grew up in Wisconsin and those Packer loyalties run deep and last long. Even with time out for football, Chip reported, "This mission was accomplished with a day to spare."
First test flights were made by Chip with Marco making several flights in his new ultralight motorglider afterward but all in the short window of time. For another perspective on how Zigolo flies, 
The mission proved the Part 103-capable Zigolo can be built as quickly as advertised. What Chip didn't mention was the bargain price of the machine.
As we told you at its first U.S. appearance — see the second half of 
As the fun diminished the costs rose in proportion. One of the original ideas behind the whole LSA concept was affordability, but with some aircraft now priced up to $200,000 that particular principle seems to have been forgotten [though more modestly priced LSA do remain available]. Consequently, when Chip Erwin of 
It was the great Leonardo (da Vinci, not di Caprio) who observed that, "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" — and this seemingly simple machine is indeed quite sophisticated. Looking rather like a 1950's Slingsby T.38 'Grasshopper' primary glider, it features a traditional tubular structure with the wings and tail surfaces covered with fabric. It is currently powered by a two-stroke single cylinder Vittorazi Moster 185 engine that produces 25 horsepower yet only weighs a very impressive 25 pounds, although Chip also told me that plans to produce an electric-powered version are well advanced.
Lightweight and fun, the Zigolo is also extremely competitively priced. As previously mentioned, the Almost-Ready-To-Fly version (which — it is claimed — can be assembled in an afternoon) is $16,000. The classic kit is only $14,500, with a claimed build time of about 100 hours. I flew it the week following the show, becoming only the second Zigolo pilot in the US of A in the process. While having a quick poke round it at Aeromarine LSA's South Lakeland base before taking it up for a quick flip, I couldn't help but notice that some of the engineering and materials were perhaps not quite of the high standard I've come to expect from Chip, but in his defense his primary agenda had been to fly an aircraft into the show — and he did. Production kits will use AN bolts, and the other minor snags I noticed will be addressed.
As you'd expect the instruments are an object display in minimalism, being a single LCD unit for rpm, CHT etc., plus a very simple ASI. Intriguingly the Zigolo is offered with a choice of whole aircraft recovery systems as standard — either a rocket-propelled BRS or the pneumatic Comelli system. The empty weight is 210 pounds and it's 18 feet long, with a wingspan of 36 feet 4 inches and a wing loading of 2.8 pounds per square foot. Zigolo stalls at 19 knots, cruises at 36 knots while burning 1.6 gallons per hour and has a Vne of 52 knots, while the minimum sink rate is 276 fpm and the best glide a claimed 11:1 Anyway, that's enough facts and figures — is this thing as much fun to fly as it looks? Absolutely! Having strapped it onto me (well, that's what it feels like) Chip gave the pull-start an energetic tug and the little motor burst into life. With Chip's parting words ringing in my ears — "no stalls, spins or high-speed stuff — we haven't had a chance to expand the envelope yet" — I resolved to keep everything right in the middle and just buzz around while getting a feel for the thing.
As I'd expected, as you have three wheels, no brakes and a fixed tailwheel (a castoring unit is in design) the trickiest part is taxiing. It requires a certain boldness, as the only way to do a 180 is stick full forward, squeeze the trigger (to blip the engine), full rudder and deftly pirouette while blipping the engine to keep the tail up! Oh, did I mention the throttle? It's a trigger on the stick. [As Dave mentioned above, instrumentation is similarly basic, for one, using the elegantly simple Hall Windspeed Meter that never needs a battery or any maintenance. Very simple aircraft like Zigolo do not need fancy glass cockpits to operate as a motorglider — ideally going aloft for engine shut down to exploring soaring flight, an act that will be even easier with an electric motor in the works. However, adding 
Once lined up I realized that there really isn't anything to either check, set or adjust, so simply squeeze the trigger and off I jolly well went. The acceleration is reasonably good, and got better once I lifted the tiny tailwheel off the ground. As it slid into the sky I immediately saw the attraction of this curious contraption. The forward field of view is exceptional, the aircraft feels surprisingly stable and it's just — well — fun! As I know this is the sole Zigolo in the country and it has only a few hours on it I content myself with buzzing up and down the runway for Jim Lawrence's camera and making lots of take offs and landings. It's a real hoot, and I'd love to fly the electric version on a gentle summer's evening and spend a lazy hour simply floating about as the last of the day's thermals waft out of a warm wood. One of my favorite maxims is "never fly over anything you can't glide clear of" — and having an electric motor would definitely be nice, as with a best L/D of only 11:1 Zigolo won't glide too far.
Of course, all SSDRs have their limitations. Quite obviously, any wind much more than a gentle zephyr would make flying it most disagreeable. However, if you want a simple, affordable machine whose primary purpose is to simply allow people to experience the joy of flight then this could be just the thing. So can the Zigolo make sport flying truly affordable? I hope so. As the late but not overly lamented Spice Girls might have put it, I really, really, really want to zig-a-zig Zigolo!
