UPDATE Note (10/15/22): I urge all readers to take special note of two comments below that greatly add to the respect I intended to show John Ballantyne and Chuck Slusarczyk. I hope you’ll take the time to read both. —DJ
A Tribute… to Two Heroes
of Recreational Aviation
CHUCK SLUSARCZYK — On September 29, 2022, the sport aviation industry lost one of its best-known innovators, Chuck Slusarczyk (“Slew-zar-chick”). He was 81 years old.
A pioneer in both hang glider and ultralight aircraft industries — founder of Chuck’s Glider Supplies which became known as CGS Aviation — Chuck had worked at NASA Lewis in Cleveland, Ohio.
After striking out on his own, he designed numerous hang gliders and, later, the award-winning CGS Hawk.
Chuck was an inaugural inductee into the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame. His aircraft are on display in three aviation museums including at EAA and Sun ‘n Fun.Honoring Two Important Light Aviation Pioneers — Chuck Slusarczyk and John Ballantyne
UPDATE Note (10/15/22): I urge all readers to take special note of two comments below that greatly add to the respect I intended to show John Ballantyne and Chuck Slusarczyk. I hope you’ll take the time to read both. —DJ
A Tribute… to Two Heroes
of Recreational Aviation
CHUCK SLUSARCZYK — On September 29, 2022, the sport aviation industry lost one of its best-known innovators, Chuck Slusarczyk (“Slew-zar-chick”). He was 81 years old.
Chuck Slusarczyk (1941-2022) sits in CGS Hawk #1 before it was placed into a museum.
A pioneer in both hang glider and ultralight aircraft industries — founder of Chuck’s Glider Supplies which became known as CGS Aviation — Chuck had worked at NASA Lewis in Cleveland, Ohio.
After striking out on his own, he designed numerous hang gliders and, later, the award-winning CGS Hawk.
Chuck was an inaugural inductee into the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame. His aircraft are on display in three aviation museums including at EAA and Sun ‘n Fun.
His love of aviation was broad, including his hobby of building and competing in regional and national indoor model flying competitions, where he won numerous awards and set national records.
Chuck had a keen sense of humor and was always the life of the party leading sing-a-longs around the campfire playing guitar and harmonica. A dedicated family man, Chuck loved to make up stories and tell jokes. In the light aviation community, he became a legend who will be fondly remembered for a long, long time.
JOHN BALLANTYNE — On October 4, one of light aviation’s pivotal leaders, John Ballantyne, passed away. He was 76 years old.
John Ballantyne (1946-2022) flying his Quicksilver Sport. John received numerous honors and awards.
A pioneer of hang gliding, ultralights, and Light-Sport, John was the founding president of the EAA Ultralight Division 1982 and wrote the original FAA recognized ultralight pilot/instructor training program while at AOPA Air Safety Foundation. He was inducted into the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame in 2010.
John was the founder and past president of the United States Ultralight Association, honored with the John Moody Award for outstanding contribution to ultralight aviation in 1995. Four years later, he was given the highest international microlight award, the Colibri Diploma. Only three other individuals have ever received a Colibri Diploma.
John was a FAA Commercial pilot, CFI Instrument with glider privileges; was a USHGA Master-rated hang glider pilot and instructor; aided the AOPA Air Safety Foundation; and served on the Board of Directors for the National Aeronautic Association for over 10 years.
He is the only individual to have received an FAA Commercial and Flight Instructor certificate by flying a trike (weight-shift control). John’s diplomatic style and warm smile will remain in the minds of many sport flying enthusiasts for many years.
Soar Forever,
Chuck and John
UPDATE Note (10/15/22): I urge all readers to take special note of two comments below that greatly add to the respect I intended to show John Ballantyne and Chuck Slusarczyk. I hope you’ll take the time to read both. —DJ
A Tribute… to Two Heroes
of Recreational Aviation
CHUCK SLUSARCZYK — On September 29, 2022, the sport aviation industry lost one of its best-known innovators, Chuck Slusarczyk (“Slew-zar-chick”). He was 81 years old.
A pioneer in both hang glider and ultralight aircraft industries — founder of Chuck’s Glider Supplies which became known as CGS Aviation — Chuck had worked at NASA Lewis in Cleveland, Ohio.
After striking out on his own, he designed numerous hang gliders and, later, the award-winning CGS Hawk.
Chuck was an inaugural inductee into the EAA Ultralight Hall of Fame. His aircraft are on display in three aviation museums including at EAA and Sun ‘n Fun.
This weekend perhaps thousands of light, sport, recreational aircraft owners will take their ultralights (or other light aircraft) into the sky for a kind of “virtual” airshow, except it isn’t computer simulators. It is only virtual in the sense that nearly all aviators will help create an “airshow” without seeing another aircraft. “Analog” might be a better term than virtual.
“The genesis of WUFI dates to 2014 after an impromptu three-way conversation between Koen Van de Kerchhove of Belgium, and Bill Esker and Paul Lindamood of the United States. The initial discussion took place on the 
The trio of organizers suggested that a “virtual” fly-in could be very feasible, and even though such an event would not allow aircraft to convene at one place, it would allow pilots all around the globe to take part by sharing the same sky, on the same day. “So in an abstract but very tangible way, a world fly-in was possible,” explained Mike, Administrator of WUFI 2022. “Thus, the World Ultralight Fly-In was born. And the slogan, ‘One Day, One Sky’ was coined.”
Since 2015 the fly-in has been held every year, with thousands of participants representing all areas of light aviation. In those seven years, numerous articles have been published around the globe highlighting the unique flying event.
“One sky, where boundaries of country and language disappear, and all pilots are truly equal in their collective love of the majesty and exhilaration of flight,” organizers state.
Most vendors appeared to conduct numerous demo flights for interested pilots. I often saw multiple airplanes at any one time preparing to get a new aviator in the seat for a flight. The surrounding area is wide-open and the weather simply invited more flying, every day of the event. (Rain finally did come but not until the end of the final day.)
After our exchange, Chris ended with… “This is so fun!” If you know Chris, you can probably visualize the smile on his face as he said that. It makes me smile, too.
For the majority that could not attend in person, the entire talk is featured below. In particular, I think you may enjoy the Question & Answer portion starting at 32 minutes into the video. See the list of questions below for specific times — in case you know most of this but simply wanted to ask a certain question.
I’ve been predicting for months that if FAA was to stay on schedule — a schedule they set — the agency had to announce Mosaic at Oshkosh 2022. If they did not announce then, FAA would not meet their original Congressionally-imposed deadline of December 31, 2023.
With their goal of getting a good pilot job, flight students that visit schools today want to pursue their training in something more contemporary. They definitely need experience with digital avionics as that’s what they’ll encounter in a professional cockpit.
“LSA are the future of flight instruction [airplanes],” stated Chip Griewahn. Before he sold the business, he operated a very successful flight school in the Savannah, Georgia area called 
M-8 Eagle is actually a second-generation aircraft. Engineering talent left 
First, 
Yet M-8 Eagle’s interior may be even higher quality and it’s definitely more spacious; Eagle’s cockpit is almost four inches wider than 182 although a Skylane boasts two aft seats that Eagle lacks (at least under present LSA regulations).
Flight Controls
Trim
Interior
Exterior
Performance
Stability and Safety
It would be amazing to see three new ones of any sort, but all three of these are modern. They all use contemporary materials yet they have all been shown to qualify for FAA’s simplest regulation.
“DAR Solo is a single seat, single engine, high wing ultralight sport aircraft,” Tony said. “The aircraft is based on mixed construction: aluminum wings and composite airframe. New advanced technologies have been introduced and the result is a remarkable aircraft of extra low weight and good flight performance.”
“All composite parts in DAR Solo are made using carbon, aramid, and fiberglass in vacuum molds with controlled temperature,” noted AeroplanesDAR.
Originally, Tony said DAR Solo was designed to be sold as an airplane kit. “That’s why the airfoil shape and manufacturing assembly have been carefully chosen and modified to be easily handled by customers. Thanks to modern engineering, Solo can be assembled on a regular workshop table. Kit customers receive all important parts ready for final assembly. Such features are required for a product that will be sold as kit set intended for private manual assembly.”
In addition to the new representative in the USA, AeroplaneDAR has established dealers in various countries. “We are placed in different parts of the world through our friends and representatives: United States, UK, Austria, Germany, Russia, Australia and Brazil,” wrote AeroplanesDAR.
This is the 14th running of the popular show in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. It’s what I call an intimate, sector-specific show. By that I mean it is all the sort of aircraft I cover on this website… Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot-eligible kit aircraft, and ultralight aircraft.
Thursday is regarded as one of the slower days of the three-day event — some vendors only attend on Friday and Saturday. Yet at least two airplanes and maybe three or four were sold on opening day. It was a nearly perfect day to go for a demonstration flight and many did.
I have written about Swan in various articles and the Romanian 
“Swan 103 is specifically designed to meet all requirements for the FAR Part 103 category,” stated AVI Aircraft. Swan 103 was to be displayed in an exhibit hosted by “AVI Aircraft’s USA representative, Mr. Tom Bartlett, who will also facilitate all sales of AVI Aircraft airplanes to the USA.”
The last two-stroke offered by the big Austrian engine manufacturer — builder of the ubiquitous 9-series four-stroke engines — was the Rotax 582. Producing 65 horsepower and earning a good reliability rating over many years, the 582 has been a dependable powerplant for the lightest powered aircraft that are larger and heavier than genuine Part 103 ultralights.
At Midwest 2020, Chip also introduced an engine he called Hybird. No, not hybrid (I had to correct my spellchecker three times on that one; it did not like Chip’s alteration of the letters).
An engine built in the thousands per month makes a solid foundation yet it isn’t factory ready to be mounted on an airplane. That requires some added components.
Why did Chip venture down this path? Wasn’t developing an airframe and its many aspects enough challenge? The departure of HKS from the aviation market was one driver.
To install on the Merlin, Aeromarine LSA offers a complete package of firewall-forward components for $10,750, including engine mount, Merlin cowl, Aeromarine carbon propeller and spinner, radiator, and all fittings.
This is the 14th year for the 
While I cannot speak for every attendee, I can tell you that vendors return year after year for a very good reason: they sell airplanes. Pilots can thoroughly examine an airplane and perhaps make their decision. The result: both aircraft sellers and aircraft buyers go away with bigger smiles than when they arrived. That spells success.
They’ll return better than ever for 2022. When the KR group first attended, these aircraft may not have seemed very similar to Light-Sport Aircraft or Sport Pilot kit aircraft. As we await FAA’s Mosaic regulation, KRs may qualify to be flown by someone using Sport Pilot privileges, like most other aircraft that regularly attend Midwest.
Who can you expect to see at Midwest LSA 2022? The following companies have indicated they will show but last-minute changes may alter the exact list (aircraft and engines are shown first; other exhibitors follow).
“FAA said the regulation text is being actively worked on and should be finished by September,” reported 
When Van’s broke the news that their latest RV-15 model was a high wing, plenty of pilots snapped to attention. This company has produced one winner after another; here is their latest. Its bare aluminum glistened in bright sunlight and drew crowds through every day of Oshkosh 2022.
Does Van’s know something you don’t know? Oh, very probably they know far more than you know but the question digs at who knows what FAA is doing. Here’s one company that may have a better handle on that than most others.
Is Rian well informed in that position? Yes he is. Along with the rest of the committee’s mostly-volunteer members, he gets access to information as FAA is willing to provide more. The agency is currently in an ex parte quiet period when it generally does not disclose details about a regulation in development. Yet if the consensus standards are to be ready when the regulation becomes active, ASTM standards writers must have some idea where the rule is headed. Rian is also a smart, thoughtful guy with years on F37 and he is motivated at the helm of Van’s.
In short, if I was airplane shopping or if I was another manufacturer evaluating what Mosaic will bring… well, I’d pay a lot of attention to any new aircraft coming out of Van’s.
As Van’s reported, “We decided RV-15 needed “room to load two full-size mountain bikes in the baggage area without having to completely disassemble them.” That should give you a better sense of the interior volume available.
Coming up with a new model that meets an RV expectation must be a daunting exercise for company personnel. RVs are revered for both their performance and their exquisite handling. I’ve had the pleasure to fly four different Van’s models and each exhibited handling that was amazingly similar and simply wonderful in its control responsiveness and crispness. Any new Van’s model has some mighty big shoes to fill.
The Oregon company took special pride in this 15th model. “We built almost every single part of this airplane in-house … every piece of metal that’s on this airplane we processed ourselves,” reported the company on a promotional video.
As RV-15 is a prototype, many factors could change but to start, Van’s engineers put a 220-horsepower, 4-cylinder Lycoming up front swinging an 80-inch prop. Takeoff roll is back-country short and the big engine should haul at least 900 pounds of useful load, or 600 pounds of payload with 50 gallons of fuel one board. Cruise is targeted at 140 knots. Many of RV-15’s final specifications appear to match what experts expect in a Mosaic LSA.
The company is well aware that most pilots licensed in the last few decades have been trained in tricycle-gear aircraft. No question this makes for an easier trainer but nosewheel aircraft are no good in back country …or are they?
Brazil’s Answer to Mosaic
It doesn’t hurt to have the head of your FAA-like organization making such statements when a manufacturer and a flight school can announce a major acquisition.
SAFE also wanted a manufacturer willing to create an electric version to let SAFE reach the goal of zero carbon emissions by 2025. The 60 aircraft delivery will occur over a 10-year timeframe.
SAFE and Montaer are in discussions with prominent electric motor suppliers such as Rolls Royce, Honeywell, and Brazilian WEG (which developed the electric propulsion engine system used in Embraer’s EMB-203 Ipanema). On this topic, the entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Montaer, Bruno de Oliveira said, “SAFE’s project is a beautiful and ambitious one, and for us at Montaer, it’s a great opportunity. It represents a big milestone to be able to bring the best of electric aviation technology to Brazil. By the next year, our first electric aircraft will already be a reality.”
After debuting their 912 model at Sun ‘n Fun 2021, Montaer recently announced their 141-horsepower model equipped with the turbocharged, intercooled Rotax 915iS. A 915-powered MC-01 for the U.S. market will also be equipped with two 10-inch Garmin G3X Touch instruments plus a G5 backup unit. An autopilot and ballistic parachute can be added as optional equipment.
Montaer MC-01 with the Rotax 915iS will be unveiled and debuted at the Aero Showcase at DeLand on October 21 and 22 this year (link below)
The good news, as I reported in the article, is that what emerges in one year will be a regulation that might actually go forward. Let me explain a little more fully.
Remember, this started during the Trump administration when the directive to federal agencies was essentially, “If you want a new regulation, get rid of two first.”
Then we have the Special airworthiness category… us.
Pilots do need to keep in mind that while we wait on FAA’s effort to split the drones from the Specials, industry must also respond. ASTM is charged with preparing standards that match the regulation’s requirements. Manufacturers must create aircraft for the revised regulation.
This is a valid question. While prices on a used Cessna 172 or Piper Cherokee have soared higher in the last couple years, they still represent an economical way to own an airplane. Others may be interested in a kit-built plane somewhat larger or faster than today’s LSA. More used LSA are coming to the market with lower prices but they are being snapped up by buyers almost as fast as they come on the market.
In addition, FAA has become comfortable with the endorsement process as used for Sport Pilots flying LSA. This means that a Sport Pilot can get further training — to fly into Class B airspace as one example — and his or her instructor need only correctly endorse their logbook; no test is required. This implies that a Sport Pilot who demonstrates the necessary skills may be permitted to upgrade to more seats or retractable gear. This is a very positive development and we hope it finds its way into the NPRM.
Pilots will get more privileges and mechanics will be allowed to work on more aircraft after they obtain proper training. Neither is ELSA going away with its advantages.
Of course, no such industry agreement happened. Each company examined their lines and chose individually to go forward with their designs. Honestly, they’ve all come out so recently they could not have coordinated such a broad launch in a single year even if they tried.
Then consider entry. No question — while low wings models have a sexy look, a shape that people equate with modern aircraft, they are much more challenging to enter. Given that LSA buyers are often in their 60s or older, ease of entry is a selling point.
I remember when Rotax first held a press conference in Oshkosh 2017 showing a display version their previously-announced 915iS. As soon as the company speakers concluded their remarks and their staff assembled behind a display-only 915iS on a stand, one man bolted out of his chair and began examining the then-new powerplant very carefully. That man was Mike Blythe the founder and chief designer at The Airplane Factory (TAF). It was immediately clear he had a design in mind and this engine fit the bill.
The Airplane Factory is enjoying a nice run with their 
“Sling handling characteristics combined with the inherent stability of the classic high wing design,” said Mike Blyth. “Added to this, all the latest modern-day design safety features, including ballistic parachute recovery system, low workload Garmin glass cockpit, efficient and 141 horsepower Rotax 915 iS turbocharged powerplant and Airmaster constant speed propeller.”
“For the first time we have a substantial portion of the aircraft, being the center fuselage, produced in composite fiber,” wrote Mike. “This has allowed us to design an aerodynamic aircraft which is beautifully shaped, light and extremely strong.”
Under U.S. regulation Sling HW has to enter the U.S. as a kit-built aircraft although a few fully-manufactured examples can enter the country to help with marketing and educating the pilot population. But when Mosaic becomes reality, perhaps by early 2025, TAF will be able to sell you a Sling HW fully ready-to-fly.
Archon developers and sellers Dave Hertner and Bill Canino reported that younger pilots aren’t necessarily enamored of the WWII fighters. Those aircraft flew more than half a century before they were born.
Designed by a Greek policeman working largely by himself on a modest budget, Archon is a clever bit of engineering. It is built surprisingly light and, as shown in the accompanying photos, weighs significantly less than most LSA types. The design has flown around 700 hours Dave and Bill told me, The aircraft in the nearby photos has 400 hours on it and — get this! — all of it wth about 40 horsepower.
Archon can be fitted with Rotax 912 or 915; the airframe is robust enough for 80 to 141 horsepower. “With our SF-1 Archon kit you can build your own modern fighter aircraft,” said Dave and Bill. They added that the original Lockheed model was designed “to project air dominance,” according to the U.S. Air Force. Fittingly, Archon is the ancient Greek word for “ruler.”
“The rapid build kits manufactured for SportairUSA may be reserved today, for delivery mid-2023,” said SportairUSA.
“All kits are produced for SportairUSA by Fisher Flying Products, a Canadian company with decades of experience in kit aircraft manufacturing,” announced the partnership. “The majority of components are preformed aluminum. The kit includes all necessary hardware and material to build an SF-1 Archon, except the engine, avionics and paint.”
More Good FAA News
Composite FX and their $60,000 ready-to-fly XEL model (kit for $47,000) completely changes that thought experiment. Not only does this handsome aircraft perform impressively in experienced hands but many can afford it.
The mainstream media seems mesmerized with electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) and the promise of “air taxis.” Development projects have attracted hundreds of millions of investment dollars …more than the entire LSA industry has spent to develop 157 models over 18 years.
This is not to doubt the technology these engineers are creating — from multicopters, to tilt wings, to ducted fans, to hybrid versions of all these. The truly intractable problems may be general public acceptance and regulatory accommodation.
The project is too new to even have a name yet so I’ll label it “eXE” for now. The electric XE model has batteries contained in two side compartments (seen hinged up for viewing in nearby photos). Another battery is positioned below the electric power components.
As regular readers (or YouTube viewers) know, Mosaic is not being created solely for Light-Sport Aircraft. The coming rule encompasses warbirds, homebuilts, LSA, and Unmanned Air Systems (UAS). The latter includes all manner of electric and/or hybrid aircraft. Incorporating these very diverse segments under one regulation was a big undertaking. Evidently it proved too big.
A couple months ago a big split was decided. The task of drafting regulations for such different aircraft is a large project, affecting many other regulations and touching different pilot communities.
The Bad News
Matt’s background in aviation includes stints at airline and GA maintenance organizations. Doing similar work back in Wisconsin where he grew up, he found a number of T-Bird owners in need of parts they could not obtain. Calls to Indy Aircraft simply didn’t result in a supply of parts to keep those owners airborne.
A persistent man, Matt finally corralled Bret and after six months of negotiation, he acquired all intellectual property, design rights, and a stock of inventory. The large trailer seen behind this first Wisconsin T-Bird made eight fully-loaded trips back and forth from Iowa to bring all the materials to Berlin, Wisconsin, about 20 miles west of Oshkosh.
Work remains to make the design a bit leaner and lighter plus Matt needs to update assembly drawings he showed me. The instruction set looked reasonably good but some parts have changed and some drawings need to be redone.
Here’s a 
A T-Bird TU — for “True Ultralight” — will follow. Matt is at work on this now. Using a paramoter engine as other Part 103 producers have embraced can contain empty weight to 227 pounds giving a generous remainder for essentials an owner may want.
I am onsite starting Sunday the 24th looking for stories and aircraft of the type commonly reported here: Light-Sport Aircraft, kit aircraft Sport Pilots can fly, and ultralights. I will do my best to report daily…
Chris noted, “With AirVenture upon us, I want to remind pilots not to overlook Midwest LSA Expo occurring September 8-9-10, 2022 — just a little over one month after AirVenture.”
“Aero Affinity Holding Corporation has partnered with the City of DeLand to reimagine a major shift and exciting changes for the DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase,” announced the new collaboration (
Biplanes convey a vintage look but they also make for good hangar mates since their wingspan is usually shorter. Dingo is surprisingly compact with wings not even 22 feet wide.
Comments from an early pilot outside the company included, “The first day was very windy [yet Dingo] handled it really well.” The next morning, calmer conditions allowed low passes and further exploring of flight qualities prompting an enthusiastic assessment, “Dingo is a real joy to fly and very well built.”
Along with engineering partners Tomas Trojanek and Jan Jilek, the design was initiated by Marek in early 2021. After the first 3D images were shown to the Future Vehicles team, they decided, “Something like this has a place in the sky!”
The control system features beautifully machined components (nearby images) connected to a control stick and rudder pedals with a unique foot stirrup up front. Full-span sheet-aluminium ailerons are mounted on the lower wings and a full flying stabilator is mounted on top of a T-tail. Dingo is flown with a right-hand joystick and left-hand throttle, similar to many tail draggers.
A rotationally molded fuel tank is cleverly located inside the mast-like structure that is the pylon for both the engine and upper wing, providing a bracing point for the upper wing wires and the upper seat mount. A series of cut outs in the pylon shows the fuel level.
Lately, more designers of Part 103 ultralights have realized that these low weight, reasonably-high-power engines made worthy choices for the lightest of fixed wing aircraft. Such engines were key to the development of Dingo.
The company may offer an airframe kit for around $15,000 (an estimate; please 
