EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 is one for the history books. Initial reporting from the big member organization suggests 2021 was a return to normal attendance and exhibitors were not far behind.
One can always find a few empty spots and wonder if they failed to sell yet it is equally likely a company bought the space but could not attend or exhibit for a variety of reasons. To my eyes and by the numbers, Oshkosh 2021 looked to be a home-run success.
Stories will continue but here I want to address two very different views of AirVenture. On one hand vendors widely reported solid sales. On the other, FAA clarified some questions but raised others. Many frowns were reported when agency boss Steve Dickson held his “Meet the Administrator” session but let’s look at the bright side first.
LSA – SP Kits – Ultralights
Sold Well at Oshkosh
I did no survey and even if I had, what a vendor reports and what actually follows are rarely identical.
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AirVenture Day 5: Complying Part 103 Helicopter? …Not a Gyroplane? YES! …and Well Priced
As EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 winds down to a conclusion, a chance conversation brought the handsome aircraft below into clearer focus. I already knew about Mosquito and received a briefing to fly one captured in this 2013 video. I did not grasp how the producer evolved after original developer John Uptigrove‘s unfortunate demise in 2018.
What appeared in Composite-FX‘s display in the Fun Fly Zone were beautifully done flying machines that looked heavier and much more complex than John’s original Mosquito. They are neither, fortunately.
Owner Dwight Junkin and friend George Boynton replaced John’s open-cockpit Mosquito with a composite fuselage using long experience with such constructions. Dwight’s Florida company ultimately took over John’s work, moving the contents of the Canadian’s workshop to his base in Trenton, Florida.
In truth, not only is Composite-FX’s XEL a compliant Part 103 helicopter, it is modestly priced and truly belongs with six other affordable flying machines in my AirVenture 2021 opening article.
AirVenture Day 0: Say Good-Bye to Rotax Two-Stroke Aircraft Engines
As AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 starts, we have arrived at a long-awaited beginning to the world’s biggest airshow.
AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 opens Monday July 26th and I am on-site to capture all the best news I can find for light aircraft.
Regretfully, my Canada-based YouTube partner, Videoman Dave, was denied entry by Homeland Security — his occupation was “deemed not essential” — so I’ll be flying solo to write daily articles and record video.
End of an Era?
As a company news release issued just before Oshkosh shows, we have also arrived at the end of an era. Rotax announced that the Austrian engine manufacturer will cease production of their last two-stroke powerplant, the twin-cylinder, 65-horsepower 582.
Indeed, as light aviation enthusiasts prepare for the coming Mosaic regulation that will dramatically alter the landscape, a clearer dividing line is revealing itself. Many light aircraft have embraced Rotax’s four stroke engines, overwhelmingly their 9-series models including carbureted 912 ULS, fuel-injected 912iS, turbocharged 914, and the newest 915iS.
Streaking through the Sky — JMB Aircraft’s VL3 Gets Clean and Goes Fast
The age of Light Personal Aircraft is not far off in the future but is that where “fast-glass” LSA are headed?
Certainly, some LSA producers have ambitions for four seat cruisers or tougher bush aircraft or larger load-carrying aircraft to satisfy pilots that want more capability from their aircraft.
Those goals are fine, of course, but they are not what stimulates leaders and engineers at JMB Aircraft, a restless bunch that loves flying their screaming machine as fast as they can.
How fast is it? I went aloft with dealer Kyle Schluter to find out.
I also learned about the fuller product line and what Sport Pilot certificate holders can do to own and fly one of these impressive aircraft. (Article updated 7/17/21)
Orange Lightning in the Sky
Maybe it doesn’t look familiar but VL3 has already been seen by Yankee pilots under the brand name Gobosh and with the model designation 800XP.
LSA Update — Finland’s ATOL Avion… Ekolot Topaz Wins Another… Fresh SW-51 Video… New FAA Reg Update Video
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 (updated 6/15/21)
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.
Better News on Proposed LSA Regulation — Clearing the Air on FAA’s Latest Information
In about one year, FAA may announce their new regulation for Light-Sport Aircraft.
This rule, sometimes called MOSAIC, proposes wide changes for the light aircraft segment, including an entirely new term: Light Personal Aircraft (LPA).
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.
FAA’s New Light-Sport Aircraft Regulation — Progress Update for July 2020
The end is near! Or, is it?
The reference is to the long-running effort to revise the FAA regulation affecting Light-Sport Aircraft. The new ruleset has been discussed back into 2017 and started to take shape in early 2019. Almost two years later, what is the status?
I have reported on this earlier: May 2019 • July 2019 • January 2020 • and April 2020. For additional detail, go back and check those articles. In this newest report — based on LAMA‘s work with the aviation regulator — I will describe the newest development although a short review of the history is useful.
When I ask if the end is near, I mean to ponder if FAA is done with their work. Even some in industry believe FAA is about to release what’s call an NPRM: Notice of Proposed Rule Making.
Back to the Future… Let’s Go to Oshkosh (OK, from last year) for a Full Tour of Light Aircraft
It’s almost July and any active pilot knows what that means: Oshkosh! Except not this year. ☹️
I interrupt the ongoing battle with Covid-19 to take you on a nostalgic tour of Oshkosh-19. View this excursion by video below.
Hey, when you can’t go to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2020, why not simulate from the safety and comfort of your home or backyard? Just like Netflix urges you — “Watch It Again!”
This brief virtual tour of aircraft and people from AirVenture last year may have you wishing you were starting to pack your bags for the big show this year …sigh!…
Oshkosh Redux
Sometimes called “Disneyland for Airplanes,” if you like things that fly — whatever form they take — you can probably find it at Oshkosh. Like a kid in a candy store, everywhere you look offers sweet temptations.
Oshkosh is so sprawling you can’t see it all but this post along with the video below tries to capture objects of interest to readers of this website and viewers of Dave’s “The Ultralight Flyer” YouTube Channel.
More Details on Swedish Light-Sport Aircraft “Speed Monster” Record Attempt
Our most-read story of 2020 was this breaking report on Blackwing’s assault on the world speed record for the Microlight category.
Since we published that article, Blackwing Sweden CEO Niklas Anderberg offered more details and — because this was a popular read for many visitors — it is worthwhile to tell you, as famous radio broadcaster (and aviation enthusiast *), Paul Harvey, used to say “…the rest of the story.”
— In His Own Words —
“On April 15th, a personal dream of mine came true,” wrote Niklas earlier today. “We pushed the turbocharged Blackwing aircraft to a new speed record in FAI‘s Microlight RAL2T Category.”
“A few weeks earlier,” he continued, “we started high-speed taxi tests. We noticed immediately that this aircraft is something special. The turbo-charged engine (Rotax‘s new 915iS, a 141-horsepower turbocharged and intercooled entry) in combination with a single power lever [controlling] the hydraulic MT propeller, accelerated like nothing I have tried before.
Open Cockpit or Enclosed, SilverLight’s AR-1 Impresses — SLSA Gyroplanes Are Coming!
For years, more than a decade, the U.S. gyroplane producer community tried to persuade FAA to allow fully built Special Light-Sport Aircraft gyroplanes into the USA.
“No dice,” said FAA! With perspective, it turned out only a small group was opposed but so strong was their hand at the time that FAA leadership could not break the logjam. Now, that appears to be solved. I write “appears” as we won’t know for certain until FAA releases their NPRM on the program widely known as MOSAIC. Best guess, this won’t come for at least a couple more years but the plans inside FAA are maintaining support at the highest levels of the agency and that gyroplane logjam definitely appears to be loosening. Amen! That was a long time coming.
Maybe you don’t care. Maybe you aren’t interested in rotor-winged aircraft. I didn’t think I was either until I flew a few of these and most recently got some worthy instruction from Greg Spicola, who does gyro flight instruction and transition training for SilverLight.