Aerotrek A220 Archives - ByDanJohnson.com

Aerotrek Aircraft Aerotrek A220

Website: http://www.aerotrek.aero/

Email: info@aerotrek.aero

Phone: (812) 384-4972

Bloomfield, IN 47424 - USA

U.S. Distributor is Aerotrek Aircraft

Website: http://www.aerotrek.aero/

Email: info@aerotrek.aero

Phone: (812) 384-4972

Bloomfield, IN 47424 - USA

Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft (ELSA); Personalize Your Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || July 28, 2018 4 Comments

You have more privileges than you may know with your Light-Sport Aircraft. One of the more misunderstood aspects of FAA's sweeping 2004 Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft regulation is ELSA or Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft. Some people call these "kit" LSA. While they can be sold that way, no percentage applies so a manufacturer could call an ELSA a kit by merely having the buyer apply a single decal. To gain its Special Airworthiness certificate, an ELSA must first be a bolt-for-bolt copy of the manufacturer's Special or fully-built version of LSA. However, once certificated, the owner can begin to make changes on his or her own. They can also become qualified to do all manner of maintenance themselves, assuming they so desire. An Airframe and Powerplant mechanic (A&P) or Light-Sport Repairman – Mechanic (LSR-M) can also work on ELSA as they can SLSA.

Aerotrek on Clamar composite floats attracted lots of looks at the company's display on the main entrance road of AirVenture Oshkosh.

Once certificated and in his possession the owner can change to ELSA status allowing him or her to do almost anything …change avionics or even swap engines. This also means they can add floats to their ELSA and that's the subject of this article. Before we talk about Aerotrek on floats, let's clarify that an ELSA can also be returned to Special LSA status assuming it is either restored to originally certificated* status or if the changes made are endorsed in writing by the airframe manufacturer. A SLSA can be used for paid flight instruction, can be rented, and can perform towing; an ELSA cannot, therefore an owner may wish to return to SLSA status before selling to increase the aircraft's utility and possibly its selling price. For much more detail on SLSA and ELSA directly from FAA, click on this link to view or download their PDF file.

Aerotrek on Clamar Floats

"I do not sell Aerotrek 220s or 240s on floats," said Rob Rollison of Aerotrek when interviewed at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018. He refers to the taildragger or tricycle gear versions of the design.

"I deliver on wheels but for $300, an owner can add the float option, which provides mounting brackets attached to specially-reinforced fuselage points.” Adding floats is then a matter of taking the newly certificated Aerotrek to a qualified installer who can work out the hardware and bracketry to mount straight (no wheels) or amphibious floats. Most sellers know of a few businesses who specialize in such work. A proper installer does more than supply the hardware and perform the installation. They also do critical measurements and calculations to establish the correct angle of incidence. On floats you cannot rotate for takeoff as you do on a landplane so whomever does this install needs to evaluate each aircraft based on its weight and balance in order to assure the right mounting position. This specialized skill is one obvious reason why Rollison does not sell on floats and why you must shift to ELSA status after taking delivery of your Aerotrek. To learn more about Aerotrek aircraft through many articles and videos, please visit their dedicated page here. * "Certificated" implies the earning of an Airworthiness Certificate. It does not mean "certified." Light-Sport Aircraft are technically not certified by FAA; they are "accepted" after the manufacturer has demonstrated full compliance to ASTM standards.

You have more privileges than you may know with your Light-Sport Aircraft. One of the more misunderstood aspects of FAA’s sweeping 2004 Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft regulation is ELSA or Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft. Some people call these “kit” LSA. While they can be sold that way, no percentage applies so a manufacturer could call an ELSA a kit by merely having the buyer apply a single decal. To gain its Special Airworthiness certificate, an ELSA must first be a bolt-for-bolt copy of the manufacturer’s Special or fully-built version of LSA. However, once certificated, the owner can begin to make changes on his or her own. They can also become qualified to do all manner of maintenance themselves, assuming they so desire. An Airframe and Powerplant mechanic (A&P) or Light-Sport Repairman – Mechanic (LSR-M) can also work on ELSA as they can SLSA. Once certificated and in his possession the owner can change to ELSA status allowing him or her to do almost anything …change avionics or even swap engines.

The Age of YouTube & Video Pilot Reports

By Dan Johnson || September 18, 2015 Leave a Comment

Videoman Dave almost literally bending over backwards as he checks the Garmin VIRB camera on the SkyReach BushCat.

Ron Waechter poses beside his "Ferrari Red" Aerotrek as used for the VPR.

We look over the shoulder of SportairUSA's Bill Canino while flying the 180-horsepower Zlin Outback. Note the very light camping gear in the foreground; it all packs down small for bush duty.

Onboard the "see-through" Aeroprakt A-22 with U.S importer, Dennis Long.

When this website went live a few months before the Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft rule was announced at Oshkosh 2004, it began life as an archive of several hundred pilot reports I had written for a number of print magazines in aviation. That launch seems a long time ago ... it has been eleven and a half years. (Development started only a few years after the World Wide Web emerged and ByDanJohnson.com went live in April 2004.) One year after going live, I began to add news via a blog, which I called "Splog," for Sport Pilot web log. Videos started in 2008 and by 2015, news and video have become the primary content items. You might be surprised to hear ByDanJohnson.com predates YouTube, which began when three former PayPal employees created a video-sharing website. The Internet domain name YouTube.com was activated on February 14, 2005 and the website went public in November of that same year. Google subsequently bought it but even Google is only 17 years old; it went live on September 4th, 1998. New as it is in the world of aviation the SP/LSA rule is actually a couple months older than YouTube. I don't know about you but I find that rather amazing. For about seven years, Videoman Dave and I have been making 5-10 minute videos about Light-Sport Aircraft, light kit aircraft, ultralights, and light GA aircraft. We have partnered on more than 400 of these and many more are coming. See most of them here, organized for easier location, or find all of Dave's 1,000+ videos on his YouTube channel. Some of these are approaching one million views and the group generates more than 1.5 million minutes of viewing every month. Along the way we began to make what we now call Video Pilot Reports or VPRs. In the age of YouTube, this is the equivalent of detailed pilot reports or aircraft reviews I used to write for several aviation magazines. I find it exciting to return to the roots of this website albeit in the electronic form that dominates culture today. The videos are watched around the globe although I regret my Chinese readers cannot currently view these YouTube-hosted videos; perhaps things will change in that fast-evolving country. Making VPRs is significantly more work than doing the interviews that make up the bulk of our video library. These are longer videos, up to 30 minutes or so, sometimes broken into two parts. As we work on these videos, we are attracted to locations like Mt. Vernon, home to the Mid-West LSA Expo. We like the airport run by the very capable and popular Chris Collins as it is far easier to achieve these video productions. The airplanes are readily available and — after we've found camera locations and mounted them — we can in literally five minutes or less climb on board and be in the air. No other event, with the possible exception of Sebring, offers such swift access to the runway. Also, the airport itself is large and wide open and the surrounding area is accessible for in-flight maneuvering without having to stray too far away. That is hugely valuable. The work effort begins as we mount a number of cameras. We use up to seven Garmin VIRB cameras plus Dave uses his larger camera to shoot takeoffs and landings from the ground. To provide many views, VIRBs are mounted outside in multiple locations and we use three or more inside, two of which capture audio from our cockpit communications. The effort is broken into three segments. Shot on the ground before entering the cockpit we cover ... How and where the airplane is built, its construction and materials, the powerplant, gear, canopy, and other major or distinctive features. We present a basic description and may compare the subject to other aircraft. After entering the cockpit, we cover such "human factors" as entry, cockpit layout, visibility, seats and rudder pedal adjustment, ventilation, instrumentation, switches, and control systems along with any special characteristics of the subject aircraft. Finally, we roll out to the runway and go aloft for a 30-60 minute flight exploring taxi, ground steering and braking, takeoff techniques and measurement, evaluate initial and en route climb. We will do a full regimen of stalls including power-off or landing approach stalls, power-on or departure stalls, and accelerated or stalls in turns. We will evaluate handling qualities in dutch roll coordination exercises, do steep turns, turns-over-a-road, aileron- or rudder-only turning, and high and slow speed handling. We will measure high and low speeds and finally return to the airport for some landings, attempting to investigate (if conditions permit) normal, short, and soft field techniques with flap use and slipping as recommended. So, VPRs have become a valuable part of this website and the enterprise of Videoman Dave. I leave you with this thought: Every minute of the day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week ... 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube. We are pleased to be part of that tsunami of content and hope you continue to watch and enjoy. As the Frito Lay company used to advertise about their Dorito-brand snack chips ... Consume all you want. "We'll make more." Even better than Doritos, all our videos are free.• In October Dave and I are traveling to the Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California and immediately afterward to the Copperstate show south of Phoenix where we will add many more videos to the library. • We offer our videos for free but they are definitely not free to make. Your support of Dave's YouTube channel and this website are essential if we are to keep making more.

Sebring No-Show Bargains Will Attend Sun ‘n Fun

By Dan Johnson || February 22, 2014 Leave a Comment

Photographed before snow invaded the Midwest, you see the very distinctive BushCat in Safari-wear.

Aerotrek is available in trigear or taildragger for a modest price.

The unique offering from Adventure Aircraft is going through flight trials (see video).

Not long ago, I posted about Kitfox tending to business and expressing regret that they chose to stay home in Idaho versus making the trip to the Sebring LSA Expo 2014. Team Kitfox was not the only one, however. In addition, AeroSport didn't bring their BushCat, nor did Aerotrek bring their A220 or A240, nor did Quicksilver show with their SLSA candidate, Sport 2S, or their joint venture Electric Motor Glider (a very cool project from the west coast about which I will do a further update in the future). The reasons for these no-shows were varied but the good news is that they'll be at Sun 'n Fun. Oh, and one more thing about all four aircraft mentioned below: each of them offers a purchase value that defies the current mindset about the cost of modern LSA. BushCat by SkyReach is one of those SLSA that easily answers the lament, "These LSA have become too expensive." Too many pilots say this without considering their other choices. Sure, if you want all-carbon fiber with huge glass panels, autopilots, and endless bells and whistles, you'll need to be prepared to pay for those goodies. They'll cost you a literal fraction of what the same gear on a new Type Certified aircraft will cost (for example, a new Cessna 172 lists for more than $400,000!). Yet if you need to watch your budget but desire a capable aircraft, BushCat offered in the USA by AeroSport has an answer. President Daniela Knoll wrote, "Unfortunately we had to cancel our flight to Sebring. The brutal temperatures we have been having in the Midwest are just horrendous." At the extreme temperatures the Midwest has seen this winter problems can arise with engines and other hardware so AeroSport made a decision based on safety. "We plan on being able to make it down for Sun 'n Fun as we also have a booth reserved," finished Daniela. Be sure to check out this modestly priced aircraft with its numerous unique features that make it stand out from the herd. Another no-show that wanted to be at Sebring was the also-reasonably-priced Aerotrek. Proprietor Rob Rollison wrote, "As much as I appreciate every opportunity and venue to display and promote our Aerotrek aircraft, [we are fortunate to be] sold-out until late-August 2014." Rob has been a steady participant at Sebring, and said, "Over the years the Sebring event has been very worthwhile because it is an event focused on LSA-type aircraft. So, even though we skipped Sebring for the first time this year, we have every intention of being there next year." Rob hasn't been sitting around idly though. He added, "At Sun 'n Fun 2014, we are increasing our aircraft display area. We'll be right across from Cessna at the East end of the Main Area." Why buy such a large space? Well, some ideas aren't ready for public distribution yet but a primary one we can talk about is the effort to create, as Rob put it, "a sort of an annual 'Aerotrek fly-in' for as many of our aircraft owners as can make it to this great event. So, we need lots more room for lots more planes at our display. One more company that was absent at Sebring but will be present at Sun 'n Fun is Quicksilver Aeronautics, and their joint venture with Adventure Aircraft and their Electric Motor Glider or EMG (see video below). Quicksilver, the producer of more than 15,000 kits over the years, has been head-down to earn their SLSA approval from FAA. The company was audited in December and is tweaking final elements to gain agency acceptance. They hope to roll out their new SLSA-version of the ubiquitous Sport 2S at Sun 'n Fun. The EMG is a fascinating project from LSA maintenance gurus Brian and Carol Carpenter. Their website has a great deal of info on their project but the goal is no less than a Part 103 electric-powered motorglider ... one that can accommodate other powerplants so as to remain versatile while electric power continues its furious pace of development. Thinking of aircraft like EMG, Chip Erwin — who debuted his superlight (Part 103-legal) and low priced Zigolo at Sebring — may show at Sun 'n Fun with the electric power version of this charming aircraft from Italy. You'll have lots to see at Sun 'n Fun 2014; I hope to see you in the Sunshine State! Here's a compilation video of the new EMG project:

Aerotrek Moves Up, Up, and Away (like Santa?)

By Dan Johnson || December 24, 2013 2 Comments

Aerotrek's A220 taildragger fitted with Alaskan Bushwheels' Airstreak 26-inch tires.

Wheel penetrating skis allow snowy operations.

Aerotrek has attracted owner participation on its Sun 'n Fun display space.

Thanks to U.S. Sport Aircraft for loaning Santa a SportCruiser this year.

You may have missed it. If so, this article provides another look at a LSA provider that I consider something of a "sleeper" ... and if you do not know that term, it's meant to be positive yet refer in this case to a company that does its thing well if somewhat quietly. I am writing about Aerotrek Aircraft and its two models, the taildragging A220 and the trigeared A240. These airplanes may look familiar — itself a good thing as they are based on a very well proven original design — yet they have seen steady updating and improvement that makes a distinct airplane as we head into 2014. Proprietor Rob Rollison has shown a very steady hand at the tiller and recently updated his company's news. "Sales of our Aeropro planes continue to be good — sold out until late-August 2014," wrote Rob. "We will show 10 planes delivered in calendar year 2013." However, his company also sold one to Mexico, so that one will not show up on our third quarter 2013 market share report to be published next week. Two more Aerotreks are aboard an ocean freighter so will be counted as 2014 deliveries. Another pair are reported complete but will not be shipped until after the new year. This suggests Aerotrek will continue a steady climb up from 2013. (Spoiler alert: Aerotrek will rise into the Top Ten this year.) "From European producer Aeropro's view, they completed 14 planes to ship to Aerotrek in 2013," Rob noted. He added that the conservative manufacturer might have shipped even more but has devoted resources to planning installation of Rotax's 912iS fuel-injected engine for possible future sale. "Also, the UK market is presently very good," so some production has been diverted to England. Undeterred by these non-U.S. demands, Rob hastened to add, "Aeropro continues to be great to work with." Earlier in 2013 for the bush piloting enthusiast Aerotrek began offering the 26-inch Airstreak tires as an option for their A220 taildraggers. Since we're now in the snow season at least in the northern climes, the Indiana importer also has wheel-penetration snow skis available for the taildragger. Aerotrek buys these from Summit Aircraft in Oregon. The first installation went on Karen Smith's A220 in Canada with more presently being installed on an A220 in eastern Pennsylvania and in Alaska. Early adopter Karen gave the skis a great report. Having referenced a female owner/pilot, it's worth adding that in 2013, three A220 taildraggers have gone to women pilots: Karen in Ontario; Patty Yould in Alaska; and Brenda Richards in San Jose, California. Welcome to all three adding to the guys that have bought and enjoy Aerotrek LSA. It's all good for Aerotrek it seems so this last bit is worth observing: the company will not be at Sebring 2014, their first absence if I recall accurately. Rob wrote, "I hate missing [the upcoming event]," but because he has committed to enlarging his space at Sun 'n Fun and has long run his business carefully plus with deliveries already quoting well into 2014, he made the tough decision. "I expect to display at Sebring again in 2015," he assured. The new Aerotrek space at Lakeland Linder airport is a big corner location near the east gate out to the runway, "almost in sight of Paradise City and across from Cessna." Why does the company need such a large space? Well, Rob is keeping one idea a secret for now but another is this: "Starting at Sun 'n Fun 2014, I'm planning to start making this sort of an annual 'Aerotrek fly-in' and see if we can get a dozen or more of our aircraft owners joining us." He's done well at attracting customers in the past and, given steady sales success, believes he will need "lots of room for lots of planes!" Good for Aerotrek! As this goes to pixels on Christmas Eve, let me wish our readers a very Merry Christmas! All of us hope all of you can enjoy a fine holiday with your families. We sure appreciate your regular visits to ByDanJohnson.com and we want your holidays to be warm and wonderful.

You may have missed it. If so, this article provides another look at a LSA provider that I consider something of a “sleeper” … and if you do not know that term, it’s meant to be positive yet refer in this case to a company that does its thing well if somewhat quietly. I am writing about Aerotrek Aircraft and its two models, the taildragging A220 and the trigeared A240. These airplanes may look familiar — itself a good thing as they are based on a very well proven original design — yet they have seen steady updating and improvement that makes a distinct airplane as we head into 2014. Proprietor Rob Rollison has shown a very steady hand at the tiller and recently updated his company’s news. “Sales of our Aeropro planes continue to be good — sold out until late-August 2014,” wrote Rob. “We will show 10 planes delivered in calendar year 2013.” However, his company also sold one to Mexico, so that one will not show up on our third quarter 2013 market share report to be published next week. Two more Aerotreks are aboard an ocean freighter so will be counted as 2014 deliveries. Another pair are reported complete but will not be shipped until after the new year. This suggests Aerotrek will continue a steady climb up from 2013.

First Half 2012 LSA Registration Update

By Dan Johnson || September 5, 2012 Leave a Comment

BRM Aero's Bristell appears to be an up-and-comer.

Jim Lee has quietly been logging a slew of orders for his smooth motorglider.

Aerotrek continues to be a solid selling aircraft, and offers one of the lower price points among LSA.

We've been getting requests for market share information and I am happy to provide an update, thanks to my European associate Jan Fridrich who does the hard work of sifting through FAA's database. I remind you that his efforts are not merely tallying whatever FAA publishes. In fairness, Jan has to evaluate many pieces of information and judge accuracy of the entries. This isn't because FAA's registrars are bumbling fools that cannot enter data accurately. The challenges come from sheer number of brands (90) and models (127) over a mere seven years... unprecedented in aviation history. To that add the variations of Experimental Amateur Built (EAB), Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA), Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft kits (ELSA) and converted two-place ultralights to LSA status. Then factor in that some standard category or homebuilt aircraft meet the LSA parameters of weight and speed and such so some people consider them "LSA," when in fact they mean they can be flown by some possessing a Sport Pilot certificate. My onetime EAA associate Ron Wagner coined the phrase "Sport Pilot eligible" to describe these aircraft. So now we come to the first half of 2012. Cessna appears the clear and away winner of the registration sweepstakes with an impressive 71 registered aircraft logged in six months (11.8/month). Jan reports a good number of these are registered in Cessna's corporate name so they do not equate to deliveries though they are newly hatched LSA. In all of 2011 Cessna registered 11.2/month so Shenyang Aircraft in China is finding a steady pace of production. Following well behind but still leading the rest of the pack is CubCrafters with 28 more registrations in the first half (4.7/month), a faster pace than their 2011 performance of 36 (3.0/month), indeed greater than 50% more production than last year when they also came in second after Cessna. American Legend managed to slightly up their 2011 pace to register seven new LSA in the first six months of 2012, trailed by Flight Design with six, followed by a tie between Jabiru U.S. and SportCruiser at five each. One surprise is Phoenix, the sleek motorglider builder, whose U.S. importer registered four in 2012 but reports having sold 20. "We cannot keep up with orders from customers," Jim Lee reports, "even though the production rate has increased." Bristell registered three and was followed by a chain of companies registering two apiece: Arion and their Lightning, Renegade and their Falcon, World Aircraft and their Spirit, and Canadian Light Aircraft and their Bush Caddy. Quite a few more companies at least got on the log and I think it's fair to say the first half of 2012 represents an improvement over 2011. That's great and we'll hope for more progress in the Light-Sport Aircraft sector. Update 9/5/12 — Shortly after we released the nearby chart, we heard from Aerotrek that we had undercounted their registrations. Besides our regrets — we do strive for accuracy — we repeat the comment that FAA's database can be a confusing place. Aerotrek's Rob Rollison sent detailed information to support his registration of six new LSA (the earlier report was for two) in the first half of 2012. He reported three each of the A240 tricycle gear models and A220 taildragger models were registered. Aerotrek continues to enjoy positive developments. In defending his registrations, Rob wrote, "Every plane I receive from [manufacturer] Aeropro is already sold — we are sold-out eight months in advance at the present time (and it's been this way for over a year)." Contratulations to Aerotrek and Aeropro. We looked into the data more deeply and corrected the chart. DISCLAIMER: As always we remind readers that the information presented in the text above and in the nearby graph is derived from registrations as logged by FAA Registration Branch. Figures are not sales or deliveries though over time, these values will tend to be very close. Also, the registration database used for this report may no longer include aircraft that were removed from the registry, slightly altering the numbers. Such removals can occur when an aircraft is shipped out of the USA, is destroyed by an accident, or is taken from Special LSA category to another category like Experimental LSA. Every effort has been made to report the most accurate information available.

We’ve been getting requests for market share information and I am happy to provide an update, thanks to my European associate Jan Fridrich who does the hard work of sifting through FAA’s database. I remind you that his efforts are not merely tallying whatever FAA publishes. In fairness, Jan has to evaluate many pieces of information and judge accuracy of the entries. This isn’t because FAA’s registrars are bumbling fools that cannot enter data accurately. The challenges come from sheer number of brands (90) and models (127) over a mere seven years… unprecedented in aviation history. To that add the variations of Experimental Amateur Built (EAB), Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA), Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft kits (ELSA) and converted two-place ultralights to LSA status. Then factor in that some standard category or homebuilt aircraft meet the LSA parameters of weight and speed and such so some people consider them “LSA,” when in fact they mean they can be flown by some possessing a Sport Pilot certificate.

Aerotrek Success Mirrors Other Positive News

By Dan Johnson || February 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

Aeropro's quality is evident throughout including the engine compartment.

Aeropro spooled up production during 2011 so growing demand can be met faster in 2012.

Even though their price can be half that of some top-end LSA, the Aerotrek models are well equipped.

Aerotrek may be one of those "sleepers." You know, the kind of company that does well, has few problems, and doesn't need to make a lot of noise to be successful. Aerotrek's tri-gear and taildragger models look great, fly well, and are priced so reasonably that sales are remarkably steady. The company ranks #12 in fleet size and came in fifth for 2011 registrations. The numbers aren't big but they could be bigger, said importer and longtime light aviation specialist Rob Rollison. *** Rob noted their last year registration was "way below what it should have been, but [the manufacturer] Aeropro wasn't able to ramp-up production quickly enough to keep up with increased demand for our planes starting in late 2010." He continued, "They also had production delays during 2011 as they worked to get UK certification but this was quite worthwhile, resulting in a few nice improvements to our planes." *** I can add that I know something about British certification and it is one of the most demanding systems in the world. If you satisfy the British CAA, you've achieved something. *** "We could readily have sold 16 planes in 2011," Rob said, "if we could have gotten more planes from Aeropro and had more reasonable lead times." However, Rob observes that the 2011 production ramp-up is bearing fruit. "For 2012, production has increased and there should not be any undue delays." *** In reporting these facts about Aerotrek, I want to speak to a new general level of activity for the LSA community. Several companies reported good sales at Sebring, the first time we've heard this since 2008. Several industry players have told me that their phones are ringing and website visits are up. Right here at ByDanJohnson.com, December was a strong month, January set an all-time record, and if February had 31 days like January, it would equal or exceed January. The pilot mood appears to be lifting. *** Aerotrek agrees. "We've sold seven planes in the last eight weeks," exclaimed Rob. "We will deliver a minimum of 14 planes in 2012. This isn't wishful thinking as 13 of those planes are already sold." While 14 deliveries in a year may not impress, this represents 25% of all the Aerotrek LSA registered in the U.S over six years. The USA accounts for about half of Aeropro's production. Other active countries include England and Australia. "Aeropro is... increasing production in a responsible manner, taking care to maintain high quality," noted Rollison. *** As part of the proof of Aeropro's quality, the company underwent a LAMA audit some years ago and is taking renewed action following FAA's 2009 industry assessment report. "I am taking steps to [produce] good annual internal audit reports and to provide those to FAA via LAMA, as was suggested." Rob refers to discussions in a series of joint GAMA/LAMA meetings where manufacturers and importers continue to hear how they should bring assurances to FAA and other entities that want to know LSA builders are fully meeting the FAA-accepted ASTM standards. *** The first delivery of a Special LSA happened in April of 2005. Over the past seven years, this start-up industry has achieved a great deal, while maintaining a safety level FAA finds "acceptable."

Aerotrek may be one of those “sleepers.” You know, the kind of company that does well, has few problems, and doesn’t need to make a lot of noise to be successful. Aerotrek’s tri-gear and taildragger models look great, fly well, and are priced so reasonably that sales are remarkably steady. The company ranks #12 in fleet size and came in fifth for 2011 registrations. The numbers aren’t big but they could be bigger, said importer and longtime light aviation specialist Rob Rollison. *** Rob noted their last year registration was “way below what it should have been, but [the manufacturer] Aeropro wasn’t able to ramp-up production quickly enough to keep up with increased demand for our planes starting in late 2010.” He continued, “They also had production delays during 2011 as they worked to get UK certification but this was quite worthwhile, resulting in a few nice improvements to our planes.” *** I can add that I know something about British certification and it is one of the most demanding systems in the world.

Lower-Priced LSA Coming to Sun ‘n Fun

By Dan Johnson || April 3, 2010 Leave a Comment

Price Cuts! -- Among good values being offered are great deals from Flight Design and Jabiru. Come to Sun 'n Fun, find them in the LSA Mall, and see if you find your magic price.

After a tough winter in most parts of the USA, spring evidently arrived early with 80-degree temperatures as far north as Minnesota... all before Sun 'n Fun. More good news: After its coldest winter since the early 1980s Florida is extremely pleasant now, warm with low humidity. *** Indications are the economy continues bearing down on Light-Sport aviation. Confronted with cautious customers, some aircraft producers have tightened their costs and are offering sharply lower prices in time for Sun 'n Fun. *** Flight Design announced its CTLS Lite, which makes two impressive accomplishments. By slightly trimming the equipment list and making other adjustments, the market leader was able to slice $20,000 off the price, coming in at $119,800. They also cut a most impressive 50 pounds from the empty weight. *** Jabiru USA offers two models discounted for a short time. Taking $11,000 off the price of their J-170 brings the base to $85,900. With some nice equipment, it remains less than $95,000. The company's more spacious J-230 is being offered for $97,900 base and pretty well equipped for $105,000. *** All these numbers can be made more affordable through partnering or finance, both of which have good support. *** Other observed bargains: SeaMax, a well-equipped, performance amphibian for $140,000 range; Aerotrek, still holding a line below $70,000 for their handsome A220/A240; the RANS S-6LS is a value at $63,000; SeaRey kits offer the lowest amphib cost among LSA; and a low-price leader is the X-Air LS for $59,995. *** I'm also sure I left out someone deserving, so come to Sun 'n Fun and find the deal for you. I've not seen a better time to buy an LSA.

After a tough winter in most parts of the USA, spring evidently arrived early with 80-degree temperatures as far north as Minnesota… all before Sun ‘n Fun. More good news: After its coldest winter since the early 1980s Florida is extremely pleasant now, warm with low humidity. *** Indications are the economy continues bearing down on Light-Sport aviation. Confronted with cautious customers, some aircraft producers have tightened their costs and are offering sharply lower prices in time for Sun ‘n Fun. *** Flight Design announced its CTLS Lite, which makes two impressive accomplishments. By slightly trimming the equipment list and making other adjustments, the market leader was able to slice $20,000 off the price, coming in at $119,800. They also cut a most impressive 50 pounds from the empty weight. *** Jabiru USA offers two models discounted for a short time. Taking $11,000 off the price of their J-170 brings the base to $85,900.