Summer is fast approaching and for much of the northern hemisphere, that means seaplane flying. For all pilots, covid fear is dissipating and summer skies beckon.
In this LSA Update…
A new enterprise bought all rights and assests from bankruptcy estate of Atol Avion Oy, which filed for bankruptcy on January 2, 2021.
Aurora, a two-seat amphibian, has been under development for nine years. Scandinavian Seaplanes forecasts serial production will start by the end of 2021. A core team familiar with Atol Avion has been hired to work for company and this will enable the official transfer of the nearly finished type certification project with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency, the Union's counterpart to FAA).
The Polish company's top-of-the-line 
Get factory 
Summer is fast approaching and for much of the northern hemisphere, that means seaplane flying. For all pilots, covid fear is dissipating and summer skies beckon. In this LSA Update… Learn about the return of Finland’s wood-and-composite LSA seaplane, now rebadged as Avion from new supplier Scandinavian Seaplanes Check out another award for Ekolot’s handsome and deluxe Topaz See a very fresh video of the impressive ScaleWings SW-51 in flight Watch a video version of our recent FAA regulation update on Mosaic As the globe slowly emerges from the dark cloud that was Covid, the light aviation industry is doing admirably to move forward with developments and improvements. Come along for the read — check out these stories. Atol is Back …with Avion According to main man Anssi Rekula, “Finland is a true [paradise] of seaplane flying with 188,000 lakes, 45,000 miles of river and 4,000 miles of seafront.” That is surprisingly similar to the United States even though America is 29 times larger by area.
Here's the simple response: light aircraft with modern (read: powerful and efficient) engines tend to perform admirably well in high elevations, higher heat, and high humidity. If you fly almost any of these aircraft in high density conditions you already know they perform sprightly.
In contrast, I logged hundreds of Cessna 150 hours from my days as a flight instructor, and — with a similar amount of power as most LSA but also quite a few more pounds — that aircraft definitely does not perform as energetically.
So, a higher power-to-weight ratio is good, but do limits exist?
“I was very impressed with the performance of the CTLS GT with the Rotax 914 Turbo," said Flight Design test pilot Nico Stambula. "CTLS GT Turbo climbs like a rocket and easily reaches 140 knots at altitude." Stambula added that the 914 intercooled engine maintains consistent temperatures. In addition, this is a very smooth flying package."
The first CTLS GT will be shipped to an owner in South Africa, which has both high temperatures and high elevations. Flight Design believes the new model "should be just great for operating in those more challenging conditions."
With the addition of the Rotax 914T option, the long-running CTLS extends its range again. Various models are available as a European 600 kilogram (European) Ultralight, an ASTM-compliant Special LSA, or as an EASA-certified aircraft. Models are available with the Rotax 912, the 912iS and now as a turbocharged performer as the CTLS GT 914T.
Someone was bound to ask why engineers didn't use the newest 141-horsepower Rotax 915 iS, so I queried the company on this question.
Since the start of Light-Sport Aircraft, Flight Design has been represented in America by Tom Peghiny, proprietor of 
Don't feel too conspicuous. It's happening to me, too, along with nearly everyone else. [
ScaleWings reported, "Aircraft serial number #001 took off at 11:37 am into a light cloudy sky." The all-important first flight went without problems.
"Chief Test Pilot Jirko 'Jiri' Hybler praised the balanced and highly maneuverable handling of the aircraft, managing crosswinds of more than 10 knots with superior control," continued ScaleWings. "Within the first flight hours all systems were checked to prove their functionality."
The company reported test flights included cycling up and down of the all-electrically-driven landing gear. First flight went exactly to plan and 35 minutes later, the aircraft landed safely.
"This first flight of the serial aircraft configuration of the SW-51 Mustang is an important milestone for our team," ScaleWings said.
The SW-51 aircraft program was launched in 2013, followed by a successful first flight of a “proof of concept” prototype just one year later in 2014. Since then ScaleWings has been working on both production processes for the aircraft and preparing the company's production site in Krosno, Poland.
The ScaleWings SW-51 Mustang is a true-to-scale high performance replica modeled precisely upon the original North American P-51 Mustang aircraft dimension but fully built from carbon fiber.
No question, SW-51 deserves the closest possible examination. This is an amazing construction.
SW-51 is an intricate eye-catcher featuring more than 100,000 details such as simulated rivets, screws, fabric and more that were meticulously handcrafted into the manufacturing molds. Even when you physically touch them, rivets and screw heads feel real. They're not; it's a marvelous illusion.
Schoeller's unique treatment combines with a high quality chrome-like finish, allowing SW-51 to almost-identically mirror the original's aluminum appeal. Without a doubt, this is an unprecedented execution beyond anything I've ever seen.
The aircraft is designed for up to 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds) gross weight, while it is currently being flown in a category limited to 600 kilograms (1,320 pounds) in accordance with prevailing European standards. The numbers show SW-51 could fit nicely into FAA's proposed Light Personal Aircraft but it could also stay a Light-Sport Aircraft. A fixed gear, fixed pitch prop version has been in discussion for some time.
With first flight in its logbook, ScaleWings said, "We will produce and deliver 5 aircraft in 2021 and 12 aircraft in 2022."
SW-51's configuration features a 
"SW-51 Mustang costs less than 10% to acquire, less than 1% to maintain and it burns less than 15% of the fuel of an original North American P-51 Mustang aircraft. That's a big savings but this is not an inexpensive kit.
Look out, Icon A5! Here comes Wave and it should be quite exciting.
Designer Paul Vickers (see video interview below) has a history in boat-hull design. This history forms a logical path to a LSA seaplane with its boat hull and water control features. Paul employed that experience but has widened his history to encompass a flying boat, the Wave.
From the images that accompany this article, you may see a artist's sense of style, an engineer's focus on efficiency, and a creator's close attention to detail. I think these fresh photos convey those qualities quite well.
In one image you notice the Rotax 915iS hiding inside its shapely engine nacelle.
Over the years, Wave has evaluated different engines. At one time, they contemplated 
First flight is ahead — though this is one of those nailing-jello-to-a-wall stories. First flight is something a designer never wishes to rush. Yet after all the time spent working on this design, the desire to see Wave go aloft must be tremendous — not even considering what pressure those waiting for the design may be exerting.
Paul and his Vickers team have worked hard, not only to make a dashing design but creating one that is easier to build. Vickers reports their total part count is a fraction of Icon's for the A5, which should translate into quicker, easier, surer building and that in turn may help the New Zealand company keep their prices well below A5's. Wave is composed of around 400 parts where Vickers said 1,800 or more parts is more common. Each part adds a material and labor cost.
In another photo, you can see a door leaning up against the hangar wall. Reportedly, Wave will use an aft-sliding door to enter a rather spacious compartment.
Wave also planned to use a novel arrangement of main gear — called "CrossOver" gear — such that it could handle the expected duties without needing to be retracted. Until the company gets first flight in their logbook, they're concentrating on the essentials so it's too early for confirmation of specific features.
Despite the uncertainties, Paul Vickers planned the design so meticulously that the first flight aircraft looks highly finished and not the sort of roughed-out prototype that often flies as a "proof-of-concept." If Paul achieves what I think he might with this impressive aircraft, the POC first-flight example might end up being very similar to the production aircraft that will follow.
Here in early summer 2021, new information was discovered that shines additional light on what is ahead.
I am privileged to have recent information in which I have very high confidence.
While we do not know everything yet — neither does FAA itself — we are getting a clearer picture. Nonetheless, you should remember this is a proposal still in deliberation. It is not a completed regulation. We will know definitely what FAA recommends only when the NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rule Making) is released. My best guess for that is EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 …about one year in the future. The final rule, after assessing all comments, is not expected until the end of 2023.
LAMA, represented by myself and Roy Beisswenger, had numerous fruitful discussions with FAA. We went to many meetings and made several trips to FAA headquarters in Washington, DC. In most of these meetings we found FAA people interested to advance LSA in the aviation world and interested to hear what changes we wanted. LAMA was satisfied with those discussions and, indeed, FAA incorporated into the proposal every LAMA request. All LAMA's "asks" are captioned in 
Lots of other avenues are available. For example, EAA has an endowment from the late-aviation philanthropist James Ray that allows the Oshkosh organization to give scholarships for around 100 pilots per year. LAMA is working with EAA right now to add more scholarships; these will be specific to Sport Pilot and must occur in Light-Sport Aircraft. EAA chapters around the country can participate.
Regarding youth coming into aviation, my earlier work shows key numbers. Here's part of what I wrote…
Setting up the LSA Mall takes some extra hands, so LAMA has used various great volunteers over the years. One young fellow joined us a few years back. His name is Jatniel Acevedo and he is the subject of this article, but not because he's a volunteer, helpful as that has been.
I was introduced to Jat by my wife, Randee Laskewitz, who is essential in the operation of the LSA Mall. We've worked together on the Mall for a decade and a half but I have to give credit where it belongs. As I zoom around the grounds collecting great airplane content for you readers, Randee and the volunteers hold down the fort. Jat is a valuable member of the team.
Randee and I have observed him for several years and have come to be very impressed with him and his aviation-oriented family. The video will provide more detail about this lifelong experience in aviation.
Jatniel attends the 
FAA personnel casually (not officially) reported some 70,000 tickets bought on Saturday alone. I have no idea about such numbers historically, but by any measure, that's a darn fine performance, the equivalent of a major football stadium stuffed full of fans. I am so relieved for Sun 'n Fun. Inc., and I'm sure my relief is but a drop in the bucket compared to that felt by Team Sun 'n Fun.
If Oshkosh goes similarly, then I think it will be fair to say recreational aviation is nearly back to normal. Fortunately, in the Year of Fear that may be ending, tons of builders worked on kit airplanes, loads of LSA owners got out and flew their birds, and Part 103 ultralights probably set a record for shipments and kept sport pilots up in the air.
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Then, he described a plan to go slowly at a return to manufacturing the vintage aircraft as a Special, fully-built LSA. Another bravo, including for taking the time to get it right. Readers should understand getting semi-tractor trailer loads of inventory, tooling, jigs and more will take some time to get set up properly.
It was 14 years ago on the EAA Sport Pilot Tour, not long after the first emergence of Light-Sport Aircraft, when 
Early LSA enthusiasts knew this aircraft as the Jhilivan (or Kappa) KP-5. It was 
Once up on the wing, you can simply stand on the floor in front of the seat and sit down. Unlike its predecessor from Kappa, Skyleader 600 has both seats side-by-side; KP-5 had a slimmer cockpit width and staggered the right seat aft a few inches to give more room and a wider view. While the current configuration is more commonplace and will probably please more buyers, I rather liked the staggered seating; it gave the pilot in command great visibility out both sides.
Another nice bit of engineering is the far-extending Fowler-style flaps (nearby photo). This flap construction is more complicated than simple hinged flaps but the Fowler design allows lots more airflow making the surface much more effective. When the flaps extend, the elevator trim automatically adjusts to reduce pitch changes when deploying the large flaps. Of course, this level of sophistication is more costly than simpler constructions.
Evolution Aircraft enjoyed a banner year in 2020, despite all the covid anxiety.
It turns out that open-cockpit trike flying was embraced by many last year and Larry noted that the enthusiasm is continuing into 2021. This husband-and-wife team appears set to have another good year in 2021. Contratulations to Amy in particular and Evolution more broadly.
Just today, I learned that 
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—The 
—The much-beloved Rotax 503 will not be returning to the market. The Austrian company discontinued the popular two-stroke engine years ago, meaning many who still want one must search among used engines. The good news: many have only a few hundred (or less) hours on them; a good used engine is both a bargain and a worthy powerplant for your light aircraft kit. Now, though, a very similar engine is coming from Russia, of all places. It's called the 
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Before longtime proprietor John Williams began producing his own design, he manufactured components and sub-asssemblies for another hot ultralight of the day, 
To make harder-working wings, John did something rather unusual at the time. He built a cantilevered wing with conventional aluminum structure. The result: that single place aircraft worked great with a 20-foot wing span. When I flew it, the wings seemed so short that I felt I could reach out with my arms and almost touch the tips.
John also noted that the tauter wing structure made the aircraft more responsive in handling. Tornado could and still can do loops and rolls with ease …in experienced hands, of course. I don't want to encourage anyone to do aerobatics without proper instruction.
Titan went further on their website. "Combined with Titan Aircraft's renowned reputation for high quality products, superior aircraft performance, and outstanding customer support, Tornado is sure to provide the pilot and kit builder a very pleasurable experience and a fantastic resale value."
Obviously, Team Titan is proud of their achievement and, in support of those claims, more than 800 are flying, John reported at Sun 'n Fun 2021.
"I do spend more time with our T-51 these days but every time I take someone up in Tornado, I always get out with a smile on my face." As he said the words, his smile broaded with the memory.
"Our kit has an estimated build time of 150-300 hours and includes all required materials, components, and fasteners," said John. Kits do not include engine, propeller, and instruments leaving that to customer preferences. "Our completion rate is around 90% because the build is fairly quick and easy — and because customers are motivated to get flying," John added.
"Tornado models combine friendly low-speed handling characteristics with agility and high performance," Titan observed on their website. Tornado I is designed to a +6g / -4g load limit capability at 750 pounds gross weight. With a Rotax 503 engine, cruise speed is in excess of 95 mph. The stall speed in landing configuration flying solo is 30 mph.
The Tornado SS comes with a longer & taller fuselage, a 33% larger back door, a full-sized rear seat, and has four more inches of headroom over a standard Tornado II. Most use the 
The subjects of today's post from Lakeland, Florida, VL3 from JMB Aircraft plus Tarragon Aircraft — along with a handful of other designs (see this 
Of course, such high-tech construction also pushes up the price. Neither of these airplanes are in the range of what I'd call "affordable" for readers of this website. In fact Tarragon is carving out a space near the very top of where LSA are priced. In their booth, I heard staff quote numbers north of $300,000. It's a breathtaking aircraft with a breathtaking price to match.
In addition, as with VL3, Tarragon must be built and registered as an Experimental Amateur Built aircraft. As this requirement does not exist in Europe, I don't know how well configured they are to assist builders but the U.S. representatives are likely to handle that. If this aircraft interests you for purchase, you'll want to talk to the fellows repressenting it in Illinois. 
On a beautiful evening, almost 200 light aircraft businesspeople attended the DeLand Showcase annual reception. Smiles were plentiful as these vendors enjoyed a return to normalcy and an airshow routine that fuels their enterprise so they can better serve their pilot customers.
Hurray for 
Can aviation lead us back toward normal? Globally, governments have ordered their citizens to stay at home and all the rest, as you’ve heard ad naseum. Some places — Florida, as a sunshining example — is more open than others but much of civilization remains restricted. 
Yet no one can dispute that C42 — once rebadged as Cyclone for American buyers — has for many years been THE success story in Germany. This southern German company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
Our favorite British aerojournalist, 
Now in its "C" model configuration, C42 is one of the most successful European microlights (a category between Part 103 ultralights and LSA, but closer to the latter). Comco Ikarus has evolved the machine into a fine airplane.
In England, C42 is sold by 
Aft of the cockpit there’s a frangible cover which the BRS rocket fires through, and a very large quickly removable panel on the port side, through which the fuel quantity can be seen and a lot of the interior structure visually inspected. The rear baggage bay can hold up to 100 pounds, weight and balance allowing.
C42C's tail consists of a strut-braced tailplane and separate elevator, a slightly swept-back vertical stabilizer, which carries a broad-chord rudder and a small ventral fin tail bumper. Wings, tail, flaps and control surfaces are all covered in XLAM (a type of sturdy, dimensionally-stable fabric sailcloth) with Tanara Teflon thread (which is impervious to UV light) used for the stitching.
Less obvious changes include a significant revision of the wing structure with more use of carbon fiber. C42C's cockpit roof has been completely redesigned and the doors are now hung on redesigned hinges.
A sturdy hydro-pneumatic tricycle undercarriage offers nosewheel steering via the rudder pedals and carries 
After fastening my four-point harness, I raised the throttle into its correct position and familiarized myself with the cockpit. Throttles on both sides fold flat to aid ingress and egress.
C42C's instrument panel is large and could easily carry just about every possible permutation of instrumentation, from very basic analog to the latest 
A central column braces the instrument panel and carries push/pull plungers for the choke; cabin heat and carb heat; a transceiver and transponder; and a toggle switch for the intercom. C42C's fuel selector is located at the base of the central column by the pilot’s right leg; easy to see and reach. Large map pockets are built into the doors.
A center stick features a comfortable foam grip with buttons for electric elevator trim and a bicycle-type brake lever with integral park brake. The large handbrake-type flap lever is set into the roof, in front of a red T-handle for the BRS.
With my solo loaded weight about 200 pounds below gross, a paved runway, and a brisk headwind, I anticipated a stellar take off and climb characteristics and I was not disappointed! The prop was pitched for cruise but you’d never guess. I reached 1,000 feet above the runway before the airfield boundary.
After shooting the air-to-air photos, the camera ship departed and I took a look at C42C's general handling. All controls were nicely harmonized and authoritative. The roll rate in particular is much more sprightly than the C42A, while the stick forces felt lower than I remembered, no doubt due to the spades mounted on the ailerons. A short center stick does not provide much mechanical advantage but the spades help. Control around both pitch and yaw axes was equally effective, and keeping the slip-ball centered took only small amounts of rudder. The electric pitch trim is effective and nicely geared.
Moving onto an examination of the stick-free stability around all three axes reveals the directional stability is definitely soft to the left and neutral to the right, while spiral stability is slightly positive from the right and neutral to the left. The longitudinal stability is quite strong; a 10-knot displacement from a trimmed speed of 70 knots resulting in a long wavelength low amplitude phugoid that damped itself out after three lazy oscillations. Importantly, C42C is not divergent around any axes.
Slowing down to explore the slow speed side of the flight envelope revealed no unpleasant traits. As the speed reduced past 60 knots, I moved the flap lever to +2, which lowers the flaps to their maximum of 40° and causes a significant change in pitch trim, although this is easily trimmed out.
With full flaps and a reasonable amount of power C42C showed no desire to stall. At modest stall entry and with the nose just above the horizon, C42C mushed and wallowed while the sink rate increased. No stall warning is provided but you feel a mild aerodynamic buffet. Hold the stick on the backstop and it hunts slightly in pitch while sinking. Adequate aileron control is available post-stall.
When I used a more aggressive technique C42C stalled with a slight wing drop. At test weight, the wing drop came around 32 knots. Performing a departure stall I retracted flaps to the take-off setting of +1 (15°), opened the throttle and pitched up …and up …and up! It feels as if I’m lying on my back before the wing finally gives up and the nose falls through.
Comco Ikarus reports a glide angle of 11:1 (a Cessna 150 is about 9.5:1), while minimum sink rate is around 400 feet per minute.
As I’d anticipated, this C42 is considerably quicker than the earlier models, and because the air is as smooth as glass I was relaxed as the ASI needle slipped into the yellow arc. C42C was still accelerating at 5000 rpm. Top-of-the-green arc is 82 knots at 2,000 feet and 4800 rpm. At about four gallons per hour, you can comfortably plan for 300 nautical miles with a 30-minute reserve. That’s about 25 nautical air miles per gallon.
As I got back to base, I did a few take offs and landing, and for the first time I found the roof-mounted flap lever slightly intrusive; you’re constantly swapping hands. It’s not a big deal, but writers have to complain about something.
Consider this. Even today, in 2021, you can buy a complete Aventura kit for something north of $50,000. While that will be a basic machine and while you'll spend hours building it — an activity many find highly satisfying — you must put that pricing in perspective.
Go online and look for a seaplane, any seaplane you can find. First, you won't find many as demand for amphibian versatility has remained strong for decades. Second, even a worn-out legacy GA airplane with an engine approaching overhaul mounted on rather banged-up floats will cost dramatically more than the same airplane on wheels. Really! Go look for yourself; I'll wait.
Indeed, the most basic kit Aventura can cost little more than fifty grand — for the whole aircraft, engine, boat hull, everything — where floats alone for a Cessna 172, for example, may cost the same.
Of course, a fully-built Light-Sport Aircraft meeting all FAA acceptance requirements will cost more. Aero Adventure — as with every other company selling a Special LSA — must …provide full part tracking in perpetuity …keep all customer records and be prepared to contact them if any safety actions are required …keep many parts separated from components for non-FAA-accepted aircraft (kits), keep up with ASTM standards and assure continuous operational safety monitoring …maintain factory "best practices" involving such detail as a written log of torque-wrench calibrations …and take many other actions intended to ensure these "sanctioned" aircraft remain airworthy machines for their owners. If you think all this is easy, you don't understand the task.
All that monitoring and mandatory activity costs money and will be reflected in Aventura SLSA's selling price. However, I'm willing to bet you lunch at my favorite restaurant that this will still be the most reasonably priced aircraft among seaplanes. Care to take the bet?
Aventura SLSA will be offered for sale for the first time at the upcoming 
Bulgarian designer Tony Ilieff is on a mission to find new representatives for his handsome light aircraft after concluding earlier representation in Canada. Built carefully — that is, without lots of weighty options — Solo can fit the Part 103 category. Given accelerating interest in Part 103 aircraft in recent years, I'd bet someone will step up for this opportunity.
"Ho hum," you yawn. "Don't we already have lots of Part 103 choices?"
While candidate Bernie Sanders criticized stores selling numerous brands of deodorant, choice serves highly-individualized interests. We don't all want the same things.
A single make of car was a poor selection for subjects of the former Communist East Germany; the state-produced 
As noted, this company, in very different form and with a military mission, started almost 100 years ago in 1912 as the Bulgarian State Aircraft Workshops. In 1925 the company started producing airplanes under a name employing the letters DAR.
After the fall of communism, Bulgaria in the early 1990s was a place full of hope and enthusiasm. One of those enthusiasts was Tony Ilieff, an engineer working at the Sofia airport. In 1995 he and a small group of engineers started a small ultra-light aircraft company. Tony named the company “
Solo UL gives the owner somewhat higher weight — 260 kilograms or 572 pounds gross — that can allow more options. Solo has been designed be a bit heavier than a typical Part 103 entry, but you'll need an inspection and N-numbers, a pilot certificate, and you'll have to build it from a kit. Buyers, however, are often attracted to genuine Part 103 models that can be bought ready-to-fly.
Addressing a still-lighter segment of aircraft, Solo 120 got leaner to meet the German 120-kilogram class. As 120 kilograms is 264.5 pounds, this is close to the empty, dry weight of 254 pounds (115 kilograms) as allowed by FAA. With an available parachute, DAR 120 should easily qualify under the American regulation but the company posted on Facebook about a DAR 115 model they say meets Part 103. Another market, Russia, has a similar weight limit.
Interest in Part 103 ultralights has been heating up according to my best information. As I seek to ask every single one of the 58 producers of Part 103-compliant aircraft about their recent sales successes I expect to learn more. Information flowing from Tony is start of what I expect and hope will be many more examples.
Even though I am just getting started with the Par 103 List and my survey of the industry, I am already ready to make a risky prediction, something I rarely do, as my crystal ball does not always turn out to be accurate.
My prediction — We may see more units delivered by the Part 103 industry than all Special LSA registered in the USA over the last year.
Solo from Aeroplanes DAR is a single-seat, single-engine, high-wing ultra-light airplane. All Solo models are constructed with mixed materials involving aluminum wings and composite airframe. During development Aeroplanes DAR introduced new technologies and unique practices.
"Creating such a light, affordable aircraft required an absolutely new approach to the design," said Tony. "Combining metal wings and composite airframe was a key to minimizing weight and to have excellent flight performance." Composite technology gave Ilieff a possibility to integrate different parts; for example, the central fuselage beam and vertical stabilizer are one single part (see nearby drawing).
"Our leader in the lightest category, FAR 103, is DAR Solo," wrote Tony. "Solo complies with FAR 103 rules." He reported Solo has been in production since 2008.
"We made several modifications through the years; the Solo we produce now is the fifth generation."
Other national markets offer light aircraft regulation roughly similar to Part 103 rules: Britain has SSDR for slightly larger (than 103) aircraft and Sub-70 for very light machines. Germany has its 120-Kilogram Class for which the Solo 120 is designed. Russia has an even closer-to-Part-103 variant called the 115-kilogram category. Other nations, including China, Korea, and Brazil, also have variations on the 103 theme. All feature less regulation, which contributes to lower prices of these machines.
"We have discontinued with a Canadian dealer and our sales in USA are still minimal," said Tony while also noting that four Solo aircraft are presently flying in America. "We are looking for a dealer in USA."
As reported earlier, prices are good enough that the Canadian dealer offered Solo for only $18,900 — though that is no guarantee prices will remain as they were. However, this figure shows Solo to be affordable to many buyers.
Aeroplanes DAR's Solo has been certified as a European-style ultralight aircraft by one of the bodies sanctioned by Germany's LBA (their equivalent of FAA). All three models — Solo 120, Solo UL, and 23 Duo, which functions as a basic trainer — remain in production in 2021.
Solo is powered by engines from Polini featuring a single-cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled, carbureted aircraft powerplant.
On Solo UL, a Thor 250 DS produces 36.5 horsepower through a two-blade wooden prop. For those interested to earn a bit of extra weight, a Galaxy GRS 260 emergency parachute fits this light aircraft well.
The somewhat lighter Solo 120, which meets German 120 kilogram rules, is powered by a Polini Thor 200 EVO producing 28 horsepower through a two blade wooden prop. For the lighter aircraft a Galaxy GRS 240 emergency parachute system is available.
DAR Solo is available with a folding wing to reduce hangar costs. A folding system good for transport should be soon available, the company said. Folding wings allows the pilot to assemble the plane by him or herself and prepare it for flight within 30 minutes. Learn more on 
For far too long, the more bigoted aviators among us considered such an aircraft to be little more an overweight hang glider powered by a second-hand lawn mower engine and barely capable of flying fast enough to kill you. Noisy, slow, and smelly — they were considerably less than satisfactory. However, times change and this class of flying machine has changed more than most.
Designed by Frenchman Phillippe Prevot in the early '90s, the original Skyranger was an object lesson in KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Prevot’s intent was that anyone competent with basic tools could build it, as there was no bending, composites, or welding involved. It was to be covered in an equally simple material, Dacron sailcloth.
Easy to build, maintain and fly, more than 1,600 have been produced; nearly 300 are registered in England alone. Beside numerous minor improvements, fundamentally Skyranger has changed little: the ventral fin has been replaced by a taller fin and the wingspan has been reduced.
Flylight's main subcontractor is Aeros, based in Kiev, Ukraine. Aeros make some of the world's best hang gliders; they are experts in tube and fabric work. They've built Skyrangers for many years. Today, Nynjas are assembled in the UK.
Nynja's airframe is constructed primarily of straight, pin-jointed, aircraft-grade aluminum tubing, covered with a combination of non-structural composite sheets for the fuselage and pre-sewn polyester Xlam fabric for the wings and tailplane. An interesting feature (and one that flags up how speedy the Nynja is) is that the wings feature foam spacers that ensure the aerofoil retains its shape at higher speeds. All the primary controls are actuated by cables, as is the elevator trim. The tailplane is wire-braced and the strut-braced wings feature upswept winglets. An excellent option allows the wings to be folded back for ease of storage.
Earlier Skyrangers were powered by several different engines, including the Jabiru 2200, HKS and BMW R100, but these days the 
All three wheels feature snug fitting wheel pants. Nynja's main gear is supported by aluminium "half springs" bolted to a steel center tube and feature hydraulic 
Rolling out onto the runway I opened the Rotax up to full power. With 13 gallons of fuel on board Nynja was right on the 992-pound gross weight. It was cool and I checked a slight crosswind from starboard.
With a power-to-weight ratio of less than ten pounds per horsepower, acceleration was excellent and after what seemed a ridiculously short ground roll, the Nynja literally leapt off the runway and clawed itself skyward at an impressively steep angle. With the VSI indicating in excess of 1,200 fpm and a relatively low forward speed of only 62 knots, we crossed the airfield boundary already at more than 1,000 feet. At such an aggressive climb, Nynja's nose was quite pitched up, greatly reducing the field of view, but even lowering it to more a cruise-climb attitude still produced about 700 feet per minute of climb at 80 knots and 5,000 rpm.
With light weight, plenty of power, and crisp controls joining up with Al and Keith in the EuroFox cameraship was easy; collecting the pictures in this article didn’t take long.
For a high wing aircraft, the visibility is quite good, although as is a feature of practically all-high wing aircraft, it is a tiny bit blind in the turn. Another nice touch is the transparent panel in the roof, as if the aircraft is rolled into a very tight turn it is possible to look through the roof. The controls all seemed quite nicely harmonised and authoritative. The roll rate in particular is distinctly sprightly, while both pitch and yaw control were equally effective. Trim is effective.
Moving on to an exploration of the stick-free stability around all three axes, I get the impression the Nynja is strongly positive longitudinally, weakly positive directionally, and neutral laterally.
Slowing down to explore the low speed side of the flight envelope revealed no disagreeable mannerisms. Indeed, with flaps down and carrying a reasonable amount of power the Nynja showed no desire to stall at all, but a more vigorous approach to the stall with the engine off produced a more positive break at about 33 knots, combined with a slight wing drop which was easily controlled by the rudder. I increase power for a look at a departure stall and, as expected, this maneuver provoked a slightly more vigorous response, although the ensuing stall was easily recovered from with minimal height loss. Flaps up, the stall is still less than 40.
The claimed glide angle is a reasonable 9:1 at 55 knots, while minimum sink is modest at around 500 feet per minute at 45 knots.
Cruise is middle-of-the-range at 95 knots, achieved at 5,100 rpm, giving a true air speed of 101 knots at 3,000 feet with a fuel flow of about 4.75 gallons per hour, but the engine does sound somewhat frenetic. A much more comfortable cruise rpm is 4,000, which still gives an IAS of 70 knots (76 true) and a fuel flow of less than 2.6 gallons per hour and a still-air range of over 400 nautical miles, including Day-VFR reserves.
On approach to landing, I nailed the ASI’s needle to 50 with just a smidgen of throttle and then chopped the power. After Nynja's main wheels touched firmly I lowered the nose and applied maximum braking; I actually locked the wheels up and we skidded momentarily on the damp grass. All total I used a little over 300 feet.
Overall, I thought the Nynja a great little aircraft that offers outstanding value for money. It is a lot of aircraft for the money.
What a cracking little aircraft! Fast, frugal and fun, the latest iteration of the seminal Skyranger might just be the best one yet.
While most light aircraft producers concentrate on either kits or fully-built, a few swing both ways. Some builders unwilling to experiment with two very distinct business models permitted others to contract build a fully-built version while they focus entirely on kit building. Few have managed to do well with both endeavors but Arion seems to have solved the challenges.
Arguably the shapeliest and smoothest aircraft in either the kit or RTF space is Arion Aircraft's Lightning series. Nearly everyone agrees these qualify as fast-when-sitting-still types. Even one of the many electric airplane wannabe producers, 
Yet aviation’s leading draw may be going fast as more is always better, right?
Indeed, one reason Arion makes a kit as well as their LS-1 Light-Sport model is because then they can access the excellent speed potential of this slick design.
Let the drooling begin over these beautifully-contoured flying machines that can race 135 to 190 miles an hour for a fairly modest investment.
Arion's LS-1 is a complying Light-Sport Aircraft that meets all the parameters and succeeded in passing a detailed FAA audit with flying colors a few years back.
Lightning XS is the Experimental model on which you can install a more powerful engine.
That these handsome aircraft are also 100% designed and manufactured in the USA may be sweet icing on the cake for many readers.
“Lightning LS-1 is designed and built around Jabiru’s powerful 3300 six-cylinder aircraft engine,” noted Arion. “With a displacement of over 200 cubic inches and a direct drive crank, this compact beauty outputs 120 horsepower to deliver performance rarely matched in a Light-Sport Aircraft.” Lightning has no trouble hitting the LSA speed limit of 120 knots (138 mph).
“[However, we] spent more than three years making the kit Lightning as efficient and fast as we could, so slowing down to 120 knots was a complete reversal of our thinking but one that had its benefits,” said principal and designer, Nick Otterback. “By changing the airfoil slightly and adding three feet of wing span, LS-1 stalls below 44 knots clean, giving our aircraft an impressive 52-knot approach speed.”
A Jabiru 3300 delivers solo climb in excess of 1,200 fpm and owners can expect 1,000 fpm at its 1,320 pounds gross weight. At cruise speeds of 120 knots, the Jabiru burns a miserly 5.5 gallons an hour. “These are real performance numbers a pilot can rely on; not on a perfect day at sea level or flying around solo, but all loaded up,” stated Nick.
Most companies list useful load, but Arion said the more meaningful payload can be up to 470 pounds. That will allow two big Americans plus some luggage, assuming weight and balance concurs. “Now standard equipped with 40 gallons of fuel, a Lightning pilot can go over 800 nautical miles with VFR reserves,” Nick added.
Lightning XS is sold in kit form. The taller XS with more ground clearance offers a redesigned forward fuselage structure that gives the builder the option to choose engines up to 180 horsepower.
Landing gear offering higher ground clearance permits bigger props on this new kit to allow the speedier model to hit speeds of 160 knots (184 mph) or more. Firewall aft, XS is much the same as the classic Lightning including its 42-inch wide cabin.
Yet the allure of going fast is great, quickly chewing up the miles en route to your destination. When contemplating a cross country trip of a lengthy distance, fast cannot be too fast. In addition to a higher TAS, we all yearn for a tailwind that will raise our ground speed by another 20 mph.
Lightning with the big Titan engine required a bulging nose cowl, Nick said. Taller landing gear for bigger props, bigger brakes, and 40 gallon fuel tanks are also among some of the features of this kit.
How fast does Lightning XS go? Early testing revealed max cruise at 165 knots (190 mph) TAS at 8,500 feet density altitude at full gross. Climb is a stunning 2,000 fpm. These figures may sound boastful but but reflect real-time experience as recorded by the no-nonsense Nick Otterback.
Most buyers may elect more than the basics but the fully-built Light-Sport Aircraft version of Lightning, called LS-1, is base priced at the genuine bargain of $115,000. Yet if you have time, the interest, and enjoy constructing a kit, Lightning XS has a base kit price of $39,900 with the 
