Levil Technology (Toucan) Archives

Levil Technology (Toucan)

Sun ‘n Fun 2021 / Reflections 2.0… Powrachute, Gyro Technic, Stick-On Autopilot, Duc Props

By Dan Johnson || May 9, 2021 4 Comments

We continue with further coverage from the first major airshow in almost two years… THANKS to Sun 'n Fun 2021 for helping present these interesting aircraft and more. This article has news …about two aircraft in a category I refer to as "alternative aircraft" …about an easily-mounted autopilot you can actually afford …and the success story of a French prop maker now well established in the USA. Alternative aircraft is my umbrella term for weight shift aircraft (trikes), powered parachutes, gyroplanes, carriage-equipped powered paragliders (not the same as powered parachutes), Light-Sport motorgliders, and Light-Sport Lighter-than-Air flying machines. These unorthodox, not-mainstream aircraft have maintained a steady share of sales; around 100 new such aircraft enter the U.S. market every year.

Counting all types, the "alternative aircraft" sector may account for a quarter or more of all LSA sales. Alternative aircraft have attributes that drive customer inquiries: better affordability and unique flying qualities. Not interested in alternative aircraft? That's hardly surprising as most American pilots were trained in conventional, three-axis, tractor-engined aircraft, usually with a control wheel and rudder pedals. Most of those pilots will stick with a familiar configuration and therefore the LSA market caters to that large pilot community. Others yearn for something different or something more affordable.

Looking Further Sun 'n Fun 2021

Powrachute Powerhouse — Powered parachutes (PPCs) grew nicely last yet after a dip in 2019 registrations, but nearly all of that came from the Powrachute brand. This Michigan producer — which does significant work for Evolution Trikes and manufactures parts for other producers — nearly doubled its registrations from 2019 to 2020. From its heyday back in the '90s, powered parachutes have become a "mature" segment within recreational aviation. You can get a Sport Pilot certificate in a PPC in just 12 hours (assuming an apt student). Cost of a 912-powered rig is less than $40,000 for a well-equipped 100-horsepower Rotax 912-powered Airwolf; the engine alone is nearly half the total, making this machine "affordable." Even if you are most tuned into fixed-wing flying, those facts may get your attention.

Here's your cockpit …with a great big view. Pretty simple, huh? Even the joystick is only for taxiing; otherwise you fly with your feet.

Other active PPC developers and producers include SkyRunner and it’s gnarly, large, and “twin-engined” combo powered parachute and ground vehicle; several sales are underway to the U.S. government and military. Infinity Powered Parachutes has also been active at airshows, including last year's Midwest LSA Expo. If a $38,000 aircraft with perhaps the broadest viewing platform in aviation catches your interest, how are you going to learn to fly one? As powered parachute manufacturing has matured the training market has tightened …yet gotten better. Roy Beisswenger's Easy Flight — which sells the Powrachute line including Airwolf (pictured nearby) — offers a premium course in two locations: Illinois in the summer, or Florida the rest of the year. Roy knows what he's teaching …heck, he wrote the book on it, a veritable PPC Bible.

For More Info: Powrachute — A video interview with Galen Geigly of Powrachute will follow.

• • • • • • •

Gyro Technic's VX1 Gyroplane — In the rush to build ever-slicker models, the gyroplane industry has dedicated itself almost exclusively to two-seat aircraft. Some are now side-by-side though much more common is tandem, fore-and-aft seating. Enclosures have become common.

While the idea may have been invented many years ago in the USA, Europeans adopted the type in the 2000s and took the idea further. They also worked out flight characteristics to make these contemporary machines easier to fly. My experience with them (see this AR1 video pilot report) suggests they are almost like flying a three-axis airplane although with a few obvious differences. Gyroplanes distinguish themselves by flying cooperatively in windier conditions. Most modern gyroplanes may be two seaters …but not all.

Those older American gyroplanes — think: Bensen Gyrocopter — were nearly all single seaters. Maybe that was best then, when stability was different than today. Then I discovered the VX1 at the Midwest LSA Expo. Hmmm, a modern gyroplane with all the present-day knowledge but in single seat form. Intriguing. It doesn't look like other modern gyros and the video below will explain. Lots of buyers want a second seat for a friend or their spouse yet more often than not aircraft are flown solo. A single seat aircraft has some advantages and the pilot can merely enjoy him or herself without have to assure their passenger is comfortable. Single seaters can also cost less partly because they don't need as much engine. Combine these attributes with some of the finest, beautifully-accented machine work you'll ever see and Gyro Technic truly has something in their VX1. Finally, the Minnesota company is rare in that it also makes its own rotor blades and can supply other producers.

For More Info: Gyro Technic — see video below

• • • • • • •

Levil's Sticky-Backed Autopilot —Ruben Leon, the leader of Levil Aviation, nearly always wears a friendly, excited smile on his face. He also seems to always have some new development of interest and Sun 'n Fun 2021 proved this theory once again. Levil Aviation greatly empowered the role of tablets in the cockpit today by pioneering the first iPad-compatible wireless avionics suite in 2009. Today's iLevil Sport ($795) is a portable unit bringing AHRS, GPS technology, and data recording. Compatible with both iOS and Android, this friendly user device can connect with a wide variety of apps in the market. You might pair iLevil Sport with ADS-B receiver Astro Link ($599) to have real-time weather and traffic. Link both to your iPad and have a full-fledged panel for less than $2,500 that can compare to panel-mounted digital instruments costing two to ten times more in LSA. Astro Link boasts a low power consumption, has no need for remote antennas, and Levil said, "It captures the weather and traffic information even where other devices won't reach."

Carlos of Aircraft Automation (center) shows the Super Eco stick-on autopilot to a prospect.

A few years ago, by collaborating with TruTrak, Levil was a partner in developing the Eco, a simple autopilot that some have called an "anti-servo tab." This is a simple, carbon fiber, electric tab that can literally (and advisably, to avoid drilling holes) be stuck to your aileron and elevator to produce a low-cost ($2,700) autopilot. The cockpit control for the unit is itself a fairly capable instrument. "Autopilot HSI AP2000 controls the airplane by the sole use of trimtabs," said partner Aircraft Automation. "[This] makes it extremely reliable, light, safe and easy to install. It also serves as a nice backup instrument for your EFIS [or iPad]."

"Super Eco is supplied with two model airplane servos, wiring harness, pushrods, and respective trim tabs for the roll and the pitch axis," said Carlos of Aircraft Automation. "Since Trim Tabs are used for primary control there are no mechanical links with flight controls, pilots can override the trim tabs easily. Control links and cables are free to move with no additional friction since there are no conventional servos installed. The aircraft will be automatically return to trim should the autopilot disconnect."

For More Info: Levil Aviation

• • • • • • •

Duc Prop Success Story — Industry observers have seen this unfold before. An international company enters the U.S. market but comes to recognize the complexities of a large, mature aviation culture as exists in America. To do it right, you really need true U.S. presence. A few years ago, Duc Hélices set up shop in Sebring, Florida as Duc Propellers USA. Up against many solid players lead by Sensenich providing vigorous competition, Duc has worked hard and it's working. Duc took the challenge in hand and found in Gaetan Fouozing (photos) the right manager for the job. The company has gone from sales in the low hundreds of thousands into a low multimillion dollar enterprise. Plus, these days, Gaetan is the man. He does it all.

Of course, he is a sales and service outlet for Duc Hélices. Manufacturing occurs in Frontenas, France. According to Gaetan, the French enterprise is humming at its still-new headquarters with new space and new personnel. Good for Duc! For more about Duc props see this 2019 review or this video. Of course, think about it. Whatever the powerplant, a prop is needed. Rotax power. Continental power. Viking or Aeromentum power. Electric motor power, single engine, twin engine, multicopter …they all need props (or rotor blades) — and in the case of the multicopters, they'll need six, eight, 10, or more, a gold mine for a prop maker. Duc also makes rotor blades for gyroplanes and specialized blades for eVTOLs. To reach all this action in the USA, you gotta be here. Duc is home in America.

For More Info: Duc Propellers USA — A video interview with Gaetan Fouozing of Duc Props USA will follow.

Here are two videos on the Gyro Technic VX1 — an interview with developer Denis Schoemaker plus a fun flying video. https://youtu.be/TeaN91fQz4k https://youtu.be/ekG3DEWFhN8

We continue with further coverage from the first major airshow in almost two years… THANKS to Sun ‘n Fun 2021 for helping present these interesting aircraft and more. This article has news …about two aircraft in a category I refer to as “alternative aircraft” …about an easily-mounted autopilot you can actually afford …and the success story of a French prop maker now well established in the USA. Alternative aircraft is my umbrella term for weight shift aircraft (trikes), powered parachutes, gyroplanes, carriage-equipped powered paragliders (not the same as powered parachutes), Light-Sport motorgliders, and Light-Sport Lighter-than-Air flying machines. These unorthodox, not-mainstream aircraft have maintained a steady share of sales; around 100 new such aircraft enter the U.S. market every year. Counting all types, the “alternative aircraft” sector may account for a quarter or more of all LSA sales. Alternative aircraft have attributes that drive customer inquiries: better affordability and unique flying qualities.

“Affordable” Aviation and One Company’s Effort to Help Pilots Own a New Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || November 24, 2020 17 Comments

As regular readers know, I promote ByDanJohnson.com as the home of "affordable aviation." I even own the domain name AffordableAviation.com.

Yet "affordable" is one of those very personal words. What each of us can afford — or chooses to afford — is different than almost everyone else. Therefore, an especially wide range of choices is good. I have written a lot about very inexpensive aircraft (see many in this series of articles) and you can find lots more from $8,000 to $180,000. Yesterday, a premium supplier of Light-Sport Aircraft made their new entry more affordable.

Lower-Priced Colt

Texas Aircraft Manufacturing announced they are now offering an entry-level Colt Special LSA with a single Garmin G3X Touch flight display at a much-reduced price. The company's first offering listed for $167,000.

“As we come out from under Covid-induced flight training restrictions, operators of several flight schools have come to us asking for an affordably-priced, all-metal, Garmin-equipped training aircraft,” CEO, Matheus Grande, stated. “Our solution is the highly-advanced and very-affordable entry-level Colt SLSA, which is priced at $139,900, below the cost of the fully-equipped Colt-S and Colt-SL models.” Their Texas Aircraft Colt SLSA standard package includes:

10.6-inch Garmin G3X Touch configurable touchscreen display with built-in Synthetic Vision
Single Garmin communications radio
Garmin ADS-B Out transponder
Analog flight instruments
Synthetic leather upholstery
Left-side only toe breaks
All-white exterior paint with no graphics

“When you couple the Garmin G3X Touch display with Colt’s attractive pricing, and low operating costs, flight schools now have a truly modern, all-metal, training aircraft that sets a new industry standard for comfort, safety, and ruggedness,” added Texas Aircraft Manufacturing’s Chief Operating Officer, Caio Jordão. “At our low price, flight schools can now afford to put a state-of-the-art trainer with touchscreen avionics on their flight line for the same hourly rental cost of a much less capable legacy aircraft.” “Today’s students want to train on the same avionics they will be using later as they advance into more complex Garmin-equipped aircraft,” he said. “The G3X Touch-equipped Colt-S will give students a leg-up as they advance through their training.”

So, is this a no-frills LSA? While it does have less equipment than the standard Colt, the main change is the single Garmin screen. I currently use a neighbor's RV-12 with a single screen in it and I find this no restriction. I can also refer to an iPad in the cockpit and paired with a sender from Levil or other air data device suppliers, I can effectively have two large screens …one of which I can take home and use to watch movies. Is $139,900 a bargain? Certainly, if your budget is for something less, say $40,000, this will not interest you. Yet a flight school operator racking up lots of hours on their older airplanes may welcome this offer.

Nonetheless, new is nice and Colt is one beautiful machine made in the USA of all metal, just as many buyers want. What are your options? If a partner purchase won't work for you — perhaps you don't have any local prospects or perhaps you simply prefer not to share your airplane with anyone else — then Texas Aircraft has secured financing. Learn more about their program in this article. If that still doesn't work for you, the good news is you have many options to find something in your budget but you can't fault Texas Aircraft for bringing down the cost of brand-new, shiny Light-Sport Aircraft.

One More Thing

I love using the old Steve Jobs line that held so many in suspense at the end of one of his wildly-popular Apple product presentations. "One more thing" became a phrase that would set the Mac Fanboy hearts pumping. "What could it be this time," they would wonder? More About LSA Costs — What I'd like to invite is your read of AVweb writer Paul Bertorelli's article, titled, "LSA or Legacy? Costs Compared" Paul always does a credible job, as you'd expect from a longtime professional journalist. His writing style is approachable. He's not afraid of some controversy. No wonder people love reading his stuff. Paul's LSA-related article is one of specific interest to ByDanJohnson.com readers (and, no, I'm not just saying that because he quotes me near the beginning of the article). In case you don't follow the link, here's a few key comments: Compared to New GA — "[New LSA] would be cheaper to buy … relative to new, standard-category [conventionally-certified] airplanes … with similar or greater capability." Purchase and Maintenance — "Are LSAs cheaper to own than equivalent legacy [used] airplanes? The answer depends on how you crunch the numbers, but if investment costs are tallied, the answer is no. If operating costs alone are considered, light sport airplanes look attractive against both legacy airplanes and definitely any new standard-category aircraft."

Cessna 150 image: Barrie Aircraft Museum

Contrast with Cessna 150 — "Consider the last model year of the Cessna 152, 1986. Find them in the low- to mid-$40s to as much as $90,000 for a fully restored [that is, similar to new] airframe." Annual Expenses — "If anything is a constant in aviation, it’s that’s bigger, faster airplanes burn through money at a faster rate and the near-ruinous annual is always in the offing. In that respect, legacy two-seaters and LSAs are definitely less money hungry, starting with annuals." Satisfaction — "Owners who bought new or recent used Light-Sport Airplanes seem satisfied with the purchase and operating costs and report no unpleasant surprises, nor regrets in having made the purchase. These owners were a mix of step-down buyers and bucket listers who always wanted to own an airplane and found the ability to do that in an LSA." Good info. Thanks, Paul!

As regular readers know, I promote ByDanJohnson.com as the home of “affordable aviation.” I even own the domain name AffordableAviation.com. Yet “affordable” is one of those very personal words. What each of us can afford — or chooses to afford — is different than almost everyone else. Therefore, an especially wide range of choices is good. I have written a lot about very inexpensive aircraft (see many in this series of articles) and you can find lots more from $8,000 to $180,000. Yesterday, a premium supplier of Light-Sport Aircraft made their new entry more affordable. Lower-Priced Colt Texas Aircraft Manufacturing announced they are now offering an entry-level Colt Special LSA with a single Garmin G3X Touch flight display at a much-reduced price. The company’s first offering listed for $167,000. “As we come out from under Covid-induced flight training restrictions, operators of several flight schools have come to us asking for an affordably-priced, all-metal, Garmin-equipped training aircraft,” CEO, Matheus Grande, stated.

Remember this name: Levil — Offering Multiple Solutions for Pilots of EAB and LSA

By Dan Johnson || December 31, 2017 4 Comments

Ananda Leon talks to us about the new Levil Beacon.

I don't really know when the Leon family sleeps. They must, of course, but their steady output of high-quality, reasonably-priced products that pilots need must make for many long workdays. Recently, our friend Jim Moore of AOPA wrote about Levil's BOM (Broadcasting Outer Module — and here's our video about that). BOM is an innovative, self-powered device that you merely hang on the wing and without further installation, it offers a wide variety of information to an iPad or Android tablets (several of them at once), transforming these relatively-low-cost consumer devices into full-blown ADAHRS instrument panels. Pilots flying Type Certified Cessnas and other GA aircraft love this solution as it is effective and cheap, and does not violate their airplane's Type Certificate. BOM offers LSA and Experimental Amateur Built pilots a way to keep their investment far lower while largely keeping up with our most deluxe Light-Sport Aircraft running Dynon, Garmin, or MGL's fine panel-mounted instruments.

Now, Enter Beacon

BOM and other Levil products are great and have seen great acceptance by LSA and EAB pilots. Yet every airplane owner has an FAA mandate to follow: ADS-B Out. If you want to fly into many kinds of airspace by 2020 you must have some device to work with FAA's long gestating NextGen airspace control system. Adding ADS-B Out can be very costly, anywhere from a few thousand dollars to potentially many thousands on more complex, certified aircraft. Conventionally-certified airplane owners have little choice but to invest more, however, LSA and EAB pilots now have a new solution at the best price I've heard. Consider Levil's Beacon. The video below features Levil's Ananda Leon explaining the concept of Beacon. She also gives some Levil history and speaks to her own significant capabilities including creating software that makes these little devices do their magic for you.

Manufacturing Levil's Beacon using robotic equipment to place many tiny components efficiently.

Beacon is a largely self-contained solution. That's excellent as the cost of adding ADS-B Out capability involves both hardware purchase and installation expense or effort. Most ADS-B Out devices are some kind of box installed in the cockpit. That box must then be "plumbed" to gather data from other devices or boxes and then connected to an antenna located outside the cockpit. No wonder the cost can run into the thousands. No matter the expense, FAA is demanding you install this or stay out of airspace you may wish to enter. Beacon is a welcome light in this darkened space. Presently priced at $1,395 retail, the small antenna has all the elements needed to perform its function. You only need to bring power to it and connect it to a GPS antenna (which you probably already have on your LSA or EAB). All the hardware pieces are contained in this small antenna, and I watched its production to see this is carefully built to withstand the rigors of weather, vibration, and time.

Levil packs a lot into what looks merely like an antenna.

Beacon has an internal GPS chip and all the other hardware elements needed to supply ADS-B Out to FAA remote towers so other airplanes and ATC can "see" you — just as you can presently see them with the ADS-B In capability you may already have. I admire this family-run business of Levil. Founder Ruben Leon left Venezuela before things got to their present, depressing state. He walked away from a business, leaving it to employees, escaping the troubled country to make his way in America. Restarting from scratch, it appears Reuben and Levil Aviation are succeeding grandly but what's important to you is their fine products at great prices. Check out Beacon to address the requirement for ADS-B Out without having to mortgage your house to afford it. Thanks Levil! https://youtu.be/T0-jO9HPrBE

I don’t really know when the Leon family sleeps. They must, of course, but their steady output of high-quality, reasonably-priced products that pilots need must make for many long workdays. Recently, our friend Jim Moore of AOPA wrote about Levil’s BOM (Broadcasting Outer Module — and here’s our video about that). BOM is an innovative, self-powered device that you merely hang on the wing and without further installation, it offers a wide variety of information to an iPad or Android tablets (several of them at once), transforming these relatively-low-cost consumer devices into full-blown ADAHRS instrument panels. Pilots flying Type Certified Cessnas and other GA aircraft love this solution as it is effective and cheap, and does not violate their airplane’s Type Certificate. BOM offers LSA and Experimental Amateur Built pilots a way to keep their investment far lower while largely keeping up with our most deluxe Light-Sport Aircraft running Dynon, Garmin, or MGL’s fine panel-mounted instruments.

Levil Aviation Makes iLevil 3 Do Even More

By Dan Johnson || January 13, 2017 Leave a Comment

In the new world of BasicMed — got that shortened phrase in your vocabulary yet? — more pilots seem likely to return to the air. While some worry about what this means for sales of Light-Sport Aircraft and light kits that can be flown without a medical, I'm not worried. In fact, more pilots returning to the skies means more prospects for LSA airframe manufacturers and sellers, including pilots selling a LSA they already own. Welcome back to blue skies, aviators!

One company deserves to be in the focus of those returning pilots as well as the legions of current recreational or sport pilots (...that is, those of you who haven't been sweating the medical requirement because you have been flying your LSA and light Sport Pilot-eligible kits). I refer to a company that is a neighbor of mine here in Florida: Levil Aviation.

Levil makes those little boxes that are capable of making your iPad much more useful. Without Levil, these screens do some great work, no doubt. Yet they can do much more! Now, Levil Aviation has a new-and-improved iLevil 3 that I want to describe for you.

iLevil 3 boasts all the same features of units past (dual band ADS-B, WAAS GPS, AHRS*) and adds the following — an ability to accept a standard SD memory card which will record and save all of your flight information. This information can then be transferred into an Excel spreadsheet to present a clear picture of your flight (position, airspeed, altitude, attitude, and more).

For those of you who enjoy X-Plane on your computer or device, iLevil 3's data is saved in FDR format allowing users to replay their flight in X-Plane Flight Simulator. Cool, huh?

The central Florida company sees this recording feature becoming a useful tool in this industry, for example, in a flight school environment to recreate a training flight in a safe, calm environment. Or, those doing flight testing in a new aircraft can now have access to valuable information with minimal effort and costs.

Levil Aviation marketing man Larry Rivera added, "Available on the iLevil3 AW model (the bolted-on unit; see photo, lower right) is a new optional GPS source meets the position source performance requirements for ADS-B out in the experimental aircraft market (according to FAA regulation 91.227)." Further the newest AW model can communicate with currently installed transponders (mode-S), to activate extended squitter, meeting the 2020 ADS-B mandate on experimental and Light-Sport. Levil recommends using one of Trig Avionics' transponders for this capability.

Levil general manager Ananda Leon said, "We always strive to enhance our current products by looking for ways to add functionality and usefulness to the instruments we manufacture. As a company that is owned and operated by pilots for pilots, we try to add features that we feel would make the overall flying experience safer, informative, and fun."

Levil Aviation was the first to manufacture a standalone AHRS* unit for iPad, eventually developing and introducing the iLevil all-in-one avionics products for iOS and Android leading to the release of the iLevil 3.

*AHRS is an abbreviation for "attitude and heading reference system" using sensors for three axes to provide attitude information including roll, pitch and yaw.

In the new world of BasicMed — got that shortened phrase in your vocabulary yet? — more pilots seem likely to return to the air. While some worry about what this means for sales of Light-Sport Aircraft and light kits that can be flown without a medical, I’m not worried. In fact, more pilots returning to the skies means more prospects for LSA airframe manufacturers and sellers, including pilots selling a LSA they already own. Welcome back to blue skies, aviators! One company deserves to be in the focus of those returning pilots as well as the legions of current recreational or sport pilots (…that is, those of you who haven’t been sweating the medical requirement because you have been flying your LSA and light Sport Pilot-eligible kits). I refer to a company that is a neighbor of mine here in Florida: Levil Aviation. Levil makes those little boxes that are capable of making your iPad much more useful.

TruTrak with Levil — ECO Autopilot & AEP

By Dan Johnson || August 19, 2016 6 Comments

You've probably heard of TruTrak, the leading autopilot maker for light aircraft of many descriptions. You've probably heard of Levil, certainly so if you employ and iPad or other tablet to assist your flying. Now consider ECO a new autopilot that boasts some great qualities: lighter weight, easier installation, lower cost ... but that's not all. ECO also allows something called AP or Automatic Envelope Protection and that's where Levil enters the autopilot picture. This video will provide many more details on this cutting-edge technological development.

You’ve probably heard of TruTrak, the leading autopilot maker for light aircraft of many descriptions. You’ve probably heard of Levil, certainly so if you employ and iPad or other tablet to assist your flying. Now consider ECO a new autopilot that boasts some great qualities: lighter weight, easier installation, lower cost … but that’s not all. ECO also allows something called AP or Automatic Envelope Protection and that’s where Levil enters the autopilot picture. This video will provide many more details on this cutting-edge technological development.

Levil Tech — Tablet Avionics & AeroGlass (0714)

By Dan Johnson || August 19, 2016 1 Comment

Our video with Levil's Joe Marszal starts out with something absolutely new at AirVenture 2014. You can see Dan Johnson modeling and using AeroGlass, which might be called "Google Glass for pilots." The developer had a blow-out event and Levil, makers of GPS and AHRS systems for iPad and Android tablets, partnered up with the AeroGlass folks to power a fascinating heads-up display that can be used in a Light-Sport or homebuilt aircraft. Some great info is contained on this video.

Our video with Levil’s Joe Marszal starts out with something absolutely new at AirVenture 2014. You can see Dan Johnson modeling and using AeroGlass, which might be called “Google Glass for pilots.” The developer had a blow-out event and Levil, makers of GPS and AHRS systems for iPad and Android tablets, partnered up with the AeroGlass folks to power a fascinating heads-up display that can be used in a Light-Sport or homebuilt aircraft. Some great info is contained on this video.