You’ve heard of the Risen, Alberto Porto’s sleek, fast retractable that makes the most of its Rotax 912 power. With more than 180 mph on tap with the 912 iS, the Risen seems the perfect two-person traveling machine. It’s also one, like the Sparker, that would fit well into the new MOSAIC rules.
Well, Porto and Andrea Venturini are going to find out just how well it travels this summer. They’ve announced a “unique, record breaking flight across the Atlantic Ocean.” Only this Risen will be using the latest Rotax 916 iS, the turbocharged, 160-hp engine so many airframers are now fitting in place of the 915 iS.
For Porto and Venturini, “the plan is to cover 3200 kms or about 2000 statute miles across the Atlantic Ocean with a fuel consumption of just over 50 gallons of fuel at speeds up to 230 mph.
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Day 4 at AERO: A Few More Conventional Aircraft But Also a Few Surprises!
I’ll take the opportunity in this installment to take a look at some of the lighter aircraft to be seen at AERO Friedrichshafen this year.
ICP Ventura 2 and Ventura 4
Italian airframer ICP had several aircraft on display including the Ventura 2 ultralight powered by various permutations of Rotax, and also the Experimental, which as well as being fitted with a Rotax can also be powered by a Lycoming of up to 180 hp. The Venture 2 is a side-by-side two-seater, while the Ventura 4 is, as the name suggests, a four-seater specifically designed to meet the requirements of amateur construction and suitable for the Experimental category. ICP claims that a first time builder can reasonably expect to finish the aircraft in between 700 to 800 hours, while a more experienced builder with practical build experience can complete the aircraft in around 400 hours, excluding paint and upholstery. ICP also had the Savannah SR on show, and this machine bore quite a strong resemblance to the Zenith 701.
Day 2 at AERO: The Show Gets Busier and So Does Our Correspondent!
Day Two of AERO at Friedrichshafen, and after a slow start footfall-wise yesterday there were considerably more visitors thronging the massive Messe today.
Aura Aircraft
The day started with a visit to the Aura Aircraft press conference, where the French airframer announced that it was signing a deal with the Deutsch aeroclub to use its Integra E electric two-seater as a glider tow plane. As a very experienced tug pilot and having been Tug Master at two different gliding clubs. I found this initiative both extremely interesting and very exciting. Noise and pollution are two very hot topics in Germany—and indeed most of Europe, and while all the gliding clubs are keen to promote the sport as being both green and sustainable, critics will always point to the noisy, gas guzzling Piper Pawnees and Robin DR400s and observe that it isn’t as green as they claim.
This initiative is certainly very laudable and could have significant implications for the gliding community.
Day 1 at AERO: Affordable Aviation at Friedrichshafen
Editor’s Note: Correspondent Dave Unwin is at the AERO show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, this week and will be reporting on news from the show. Here’s his first report.
Europe’s top general aviation event, AERO at Friedrichshafen, Germany opened on Wednesday, April 17, and runs through Sunday. It is no exaggeration to say that AERO has grown to become one of the biggest and best GA events on the planet—and certainly the biggest outside of North America.
This year is the 30th time the event has been staged and the organizers claim that more than 680 exhibitors from 36 countries are attending, which may well make the 2024 AERO the biggest ever.
The amount and diversity of aircraft on display was truly breathtaking, from a full-scale Me163 replica, powered by a small jet engine typically fitted to self-sustaining sailplanes, to the very latest bizjets. Unsurprisingly, there were several electric aircraft on display, and Bristell—in partnership with H55—had flown its final prototype of the electric Bristell B23 Energic to the show.
A First Look at Sun ‘n Fun — LSA, We Got ‘em!
Editor’s Note: Here again let’s take a quick look at some of the LSAs we’ve seen so far at Sun ‘n Fun and welcome Mark Timney to our contributors for this show.
The first-day crowd at Sun ‘n Fun 2024’s Paradise City was a little smaller than usual according to long-time attendees, but what the event’s light sport area might have lacked in numbers it made up for in aircraft evolution.
Of particular note: A sleek, new low wing from Italy’s CFM Aviation that could set the bar for tomorrow’s MLSAs; Magni Gyro’s long awaited M26 Victor; and, a speedy new ultralight flexwing from FlyLight called the ‘Nine. ‘
The hustle and bustle of opening day prevents a detailed report on these aircraft at this time… only an entry-level tease of what Sun ‘n Fun is offering up this year.
The Nine trike, which Great Britain’s Flylight sells through Blue Collar Aviation (BCA) in the US, is distinguished by its 56 mph hands-off cruise speed.
Top 50: Just Aircraft Escapade > Highlander > SuperSTOL and More…
Here we go again… in a great way, I hope. Returning to our Top 50 Video series, we come to Just Aircraft and their jaw-dropping SuperSTOL. At airshows in recent years, lots of pilots spoke with excitement about STOL competitions. Just’s SuperSTOL was often part of the conversation.
Videos highlighted in our Top 50 series are the most popular 50 selections from a library of about 1,000 videos appearing on Dave Loveman’s Light Sport and Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel. They represent the “Best of Dave & Dan” videos as determined by your views.
Just Aircraft has a long history of building close to 1,000 aircraft, the company said in early 2024. A large share of these, around 800, were SuperSTOL kits. The lines are a bit indistinct because SuperSTOL is at heart a Highlander kit hopped up on steroids (or the airplane equivalent). These days, Highlander remains a good seller for Walhalla, South Carolina-based Just Aircraft, said main man Gary Schmitt on a recent phone call.
First One in the USA — Flying TL’s Luxurious, Mosaic-Ready Sparker Aircraft
Some pilots can hardly wait for Mosaic. It takes all kinds, of course.
Many aviators want to use Sport Pilot’s no-medical aspect to fly a Cessna or Piper that they can buy inexpensively (or already own). That makes sense. These affordable aircraft are familiar and proven, even if they are products of the 1950s with mostly analog instruments and powerplants that burn 10 to 15 gallons per hour of 100LL.
Another group, owners of modern LSA, wants a little more weight than allowed by current regulation. Still others may want to fly at night or in IFR or to use an economical LSA for some form of aerial work.
Then we have what I’ll call the Mosaic LSA crowd. These are pilots with larger budgets — perhaps they sold a Cirrus or Bonanza and have equity to put toward a new aircraft. These experienced pilots are accustomed to well-equipped aircraft with generous cruise speeds.
The Early Bird Gets the… Jenny — Enormous Vintage Appeal, Rapid Build, and a Modest Cost
Think about this. If you land your Timber Tiger Jenny at any GA airport and taxi up to the ramp, you might have trouble getting out of the cockpit for all the admirers that will assemble around you.
Take a close look at this example built by John Youngblut. You are quickly charmed by fond images of an earlier period in aviation. Then you look deeper, noticing its shaped wood struts, leather trim, and classic analog guages. This draws you in further and I watched people get closer and closer as they examined the detail.
All that leaves out how well it flies, which developer Nick Pfannenstiel reported was the #1 appeal of the airplane. So after enjoying an easy, relaxing flight in your Jenny, you land to be swarmed by people who believe they’ve just witnessed a piece of history fly into their lives.
Jenny began life as a Curtiss, was recreated in scaled down form by Early Bird Aircraft (Gen 1) and kits are now manufactured by Timber Tiger Aircraft, which has reimagined again in slightly larger scale, better fitting modern Americans.
Kitplanes For Africa… Where Bushplanes Are Big — Really Big — and Capable
I first ran into Stefan Coetzee and KFA at Aero Friedrichshafen, my favorite light aircraft show in Europe. I was caught by the clever name. Easy to say, “KFA” sticks in your mind like a catchy tune.
Kitplanes For Africa sounds like a company making aircraft that should have superior bush capabilities. It was a handsome aircraft and I felt readers would enjoy it but they had no American representation at the time so I filed the discovery away under: “Promising.”
The bigger and more accurate picture is that KFA is yet another light aviation success story for South Africa*.
Almost half-way around the world, South Africa fell out of many conversations once the apartheid struggle finally ended in the 1990s. Yet despite years of ugly headlines, the country’s interest in aviation has been strong and building. Companies are producing lots of aircraft. (The Aircraft Factory alone produces 20 Sling aircraft each month, and has plans to increase to 30, employing almost 500 personnel.)
KFA was begun roughly when apartheid ended, so it shares no history with that difficult period.
TL Sport Aircraft
TL Sport Aircraft offers a range of LSA including the popular low-wing Sting, high-wing Sirius, tandem Stream, and now the bold new Sparker, a Light-Sport Aircraft made for Mosaic’s new larger aircraft rules.
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