If you flew better than 9,000 hours solely to give trike instruction, you would tend to develop ideas about how an aircraft can better fit the type of flying lessons you want to give. That’s exactly what Wild Sky owner Denny Reed reports.
Denny has an enviable position to some. Imagine any fixed wing instructor saying, “I wish the aircraft would do some operations differently for my teaching. I can’t find one that exactly matches what I seek, so, you know what? I’ll just design what I want.”
Yeah, sure. Most of us never have that chance. Instead, we learn to adapt to the aircraft. As an example, what if you wanted the throttle in a different place, or any number of possible changes.
In a long career that has included talking to CFIs from around the world, I have never met a fixed wing flight instructor who set about making the airplane he truly wanted.Staring At Goat — Wild Sky’s Brutus Off-Field, Outback Weight Shift Trike Light-Sport Aircraft
If you flew better than 9,000 hours solely to give trike instruction, you would tend to develop ideas about how an aircraft can better fit the type of flying lessons you want to give. That’s exactly what Wild Sky owner Denny Reed reports.
Denny has an enviable position to some. Imagine any fixed wing instructor saying, “I wish the aircraft would do some operations differently for my teaching. I can’t find one that exactly matches what I seek, so, you know what? I’ll just design what I want.”
Yeah, sure. Most of us never have that chance. Instead, we learn to adapt to the aircraft. As an example, what if you wanted the throttle in a different place, or any number of possible changes.
In a long career that has included talking to CFIs from around the world, I have never met a fixed wing flight instructor who set about making the airplane he truly wanted. Denny Reed decided precisely that. Then he went and did it.
Goat Theory
Reed and his company are based in Arizona. In this part of the great American West, lots of folks want off-field capabilities. Like most states, Arizona is full of rich experiences and many or most of them cannot be reached with, let’s say, your local flight school’s rental Cessna 172.
To make the airplane fit the terrain Denny wanted to access — creek beds, desert landscapes, mountainous terrain and more — he knew he needed a very durable, strong, and well-performing trike.
When I think of trikes, I think of Evolution‘s wonderful, deluxe Revo but I would never try landing it on some rocky creek shore. Or perhaps I think of North Wing‘s terrific soaring trike called Solairus. It does what it is designed for very well, but again, skip the rock-strewn creek bed.
You need a much tougher carriage but if you have a problem in the outback, you might also want a machine that you could inspect or repair easily in the field. Is a simple yet strong trike possible? Sure, but…
“When you chase strength and when you chase simple, you get ugly,” observed philosophical trike designer Denny Reed with a smile on his face. “When we first showed it, I was real proud of it but one of the first comments we got was, ‘It looks like a post-war Russian tractor.'” Denny laughed aloud as he related the story.
That’s why Goat looks as it does. If it seems a riot of tubes going every which way, consider the thought Denny put into it.
“Every notch, every cut, every bend, every tig weld seems like it has a story,” he said while not ignoring the wisdom of and guidance from other aviation designers, “We nonetheless wanted something that said off-road, crawler, racing.”
After a few iterations, he was happy and production began. Customers were waiting.
Wild Sky Builds Goat
for Quality not Quantity
Even after investing more than $100,000 in welding jigs alone, Wild Sky only expects to build 13-14 aircraft per year to maintain the quality they seek. However, Denny keeps the overhead low and commented, “I think we deliver a lot of aircraft for the money.”
The entire frame is welded chrome moly with a ceramic coating.
Like most trike builders, Denny does not attempt his own wing. That type of construction is its own art and science that one company has proven to do better than anyone else. The company, another trike builder called North Wing, manufactures wings for trikes for other carriage manufacturers. After more than 30 years in the business, North Wing owner, Kamron Blevins largely owns the space. (He also builds wings for Evolution among several other trike aircraft suppliers.) A couple foreign trike builders make their own wings — AirBorne comes to mind — but I cannot name another U.S.-based wing supplier.
North Wing is it …because they do it very well.
Built to Last — I love this statement from Denny as he created Goat, “We bent it. We broke it. We scared the crap out of ourselves. Literally. We spent five years and over $1 million prototyping with some of the best minds and pilots we knew.”
Prices start at $36,500 (in summer 2020; subject to change). Of course, you can spend more, but with that modest starting cost for this tougher-than-nails trike, Goat qualifies as an “affordable aircraft” as this website promotes. (Of course, “affordable” means something different to every single pilot, but at about the cost of an average new car, I’d say this was a very fair asking price.) More pricing details are available here.
Rather than asking you to read all the ideas that went into Goat, check out the video below and let Denny tell you in his own words what he had in mind.
“I enjoy teaching,” Denny said, returning to what is obviously a favorite topic after he described details of how he builds Goat.
“After 9,200 hours and 300 students, we have a perfect safety record.” He added, rightly so, “I’m very proud of that.” He related stories of students who spoke with him years later saying, “I understand why you were so hard on me during training, Denny.” So it’s no surprise that he reported getting “a hundred applications a year for trike school.”
Here’s two videos: a newly-produced one from Videoman Dave shot in 2020 plus my own short take on Goat from 2019.
If you flew better than 9,000 hours solely to give trike instruction, you would tend to develop ideas about how an aircraft can better fit the type of flying lessons you want to give. That’s exactly what Wild Sky owner Denny Reed reports.
Denny has an enviable position to some. Imagine any fixed wing instructor saying, “I wish the aircraft would do some operations differently for my teaching. I can’t find one that exactly matches what I seek, so, you know what? I’ll just design what I want.”
Yeah, sure. Most of us never have that chance. Instead, we learn to adapt to the aircraft. As an example, what if you wanted the throttle in a different place, or any number of possible changes.
In a long career that has included talking to CFIs from around the world, I have never met a fixed wing flight instructor who set about making the airplane he truly wanted.
The founding administrator, Jana Filip, made the official announcement, “The 2020 DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase is being rescheduled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.”
“DeLand Showcase is but the most recent aviation event to have to give way to such concerns,” Jana stated.
DSAS staff promised an update “as soon as more data is available.”
For 2020, the next airshow is Mt. Vernon Airport’s (KMVN) 
“We have also planned demo tours in Germany. 
Meanwhile, “The 915iS model is getting close to 35 hours of test flights. We are doing testing at outside temperatures above 30 degrees celsius (86°F) to make sure the installation also works well in hot climates.”
Although a mirror reflection of the greater global economy, many pilots are stunned that airshow after airshow has fallen to the virus. It seems like two or three years ago when, back in February 2020, Videoman Dave and I covered the 
Tom has run 
“I’m very impressed with F2. It feels like a bigger airplane, very solid in the air. More stable than I expected. Very easy to land.” He’s comparing to the CTLS that so many other pilots know.
In one of the nearby photos taken from the nose of F2, the vertical surface of the tailplane appears enormous, one to rival the very tall tail on an 
When the flight is over, F2 is reportedly easier to land. I asked how?
As we discussed the two planes, Tom said he thought I could do the same maneuvers with F2 that I’d done with the Icon A5 and I’d get a similar sensation.
FAA representatives from both Aircraft Certification and Flight Standards have confirmed that — while nothing is certain at this time and that many more people inside the agency must have an opportunity to provide their expertise — all the requests by LAMA remain in consideration.
Some FAA goals have not changed:
History suggests coaxial rotors originated with Mikhail Lomonosov a very long time ago, according to 
In one way Nano is similar to the original Bensen Gyrocopter. Nano is a single seater. At first, all gyros were one-seaters but since European engineers took the concept and started to advance development, I’ve seen almost exclusively two seaters.
Nano is a simple gyroplane that has a partially-enclosed cabin and a fairly traditional configuration. Empty weight is listed as a modest 220 pounds.
What countries are flying your aircraft? “Today they fly in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic and the next three are going to the USA, followed by two to Germany and two more to Poland.”
He wanted an aircraft that resembled the famous World War II F4U Corsair fighter. One glance at the nearby photos or the two videos below tells you he did very well. Here’s a bit of history about Corsair’s 
“The general layout — a low inverted gull wing — has been successfully used in several aircraft already,” explained Jörg. “The Chance-Vought Corsair surely is one of the more famous aircraft with this concept.” Jörg notes the main advantages to this configuration are a low interference drag between wing and fuselage as well as an ideal landing gear position, “which allows as well a nearly perfect angle for take off and landings.”
Jörg said, “We selected the Verner Scarlett 3 VW, a four-stroke, three-cylinder radial engine, [which was] purposefully designed as a light aircraft engine.” The Vernor produces 42 horsepower at 2500 rpm using a displacement of 96 cubic inches (1.6 liters).
If you like the idea of a lightweight, Part 103 aircraft (no license, no N-numbers, no medical) that is certain to turn a lot of heads at any airport you visit, Corsair is definitely a distinctive and interesting ultralight.
Indeed, when investigating insurance for a taildragger, you will have to prove you have some experience or get training from a suitably-experienced instructor — and you won’t find many able to help you.
Nonsense!
Why are single-place aircraft growing in popularity?
Cool as taildraggers may be, the last couple generations of pilots overwhelmingly learned to fly in tricycle gear aircraft. Most don’t care to advertise their lack of history with “conventional gear.”
Or, if you prefer, land TriFly like any Cessna; that works well, too.
To select another aircraft type means going out on a tree limb. This is especially true with what I call “alternative aircraft” — weight shift trikes, powered parachutes, motorgliders, and gyroplanes. It would include lighter-than-air, too, if we had more than 
That’s great. Swan 120 is reportedly a well-flying aircraft; I have not had the chance yet.
Radu owns a larger company, Avi, in Romania where he makes all sorts of industrial composite components for trains, aircraft, and backyard swimming pools. He’s an aeronautical engineer with 25 years experience in composite construction. As with similar companies, the airplane portion of the business is a smaller segment of the overall enterprise although Berceanu is very passionate about aviation.
Transport & Storage
“In 2000, we were frustrated with the lack of affordable modern avionics for sport aircraft,” remembered Dynon, “and [we] decided to do something about it.”
“These [are] very fun machines; speedy, and capable of mild aerobatics,” Sam said. LiteFighters offer the kind of flying a weekend warrior wants to do. “LiteFighter aerodynamics are driven by requirements,” Sam explained, giving as examples: “low stall speed with gentle stall characteristics, high climb rate, great speed for the power, excellent maneuverability, and fun scale-sized airframe.”
ScaleBirds is comprised of a small team from southeastern Connecticut. “Our experience is in art, design, engineering, robotics, manufacturing, and of course, aircraft,” Sam observed. “We have been using all of our skills and developing new ones in order to deliver something new to the world of flying.” These replicas are single seat sport planes, designed to be economical and fun.
The ScaleBirds team report they offer full-service maintenance and overhauls for the Vernon engines. “We went to the Czech Republic and were trained in the operation and maintenance for these powerplants,” Sam clarified.
I interrupt the ongoing battle with Covid-19 to take you on a nostalgic tour of Oshkosh-19. View this excursion by video below.
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 
First, a gyroplane can be flown by a Sport Pilot. Other than 
Company leader, Abid Farooqui, notes that Rotax’s newest powerplant requires use of an EFIS (Electronic Flight Information System, or digital screen avionics) for engine monitoring that can interface with 915’s electronic engine monitoring. Analog gauges are not an option with use of this engine. The lowest cost and simplest EFIS is 
I will link to a video with much more detail but as one example, Rotax’s powerful engine has a turbocharger. Those air boosters make air hotter so an intercooler is needed. The trouble with these components is they have to be securely mounted and a gyroplane like AR-1 is slim, so Abid did not want a big intercooler sticking out and upsetting the lines and low drag of his design. As the video below shows, he went to considerable effort to clean up the 915 installation.
Yes, you read that right and that figure includes everything needed although you may elect added-cost options such as glass avionics or a specialized paint job. While some models of LSA seaplanes appeal to the wealthy class at prices approaching $400,000, Aero Adventure makes …seaplanes for the rest of us.
While Alex and team previously hoped to debut the new model at 
Meanwhile, in my visit at the end of March 2020, I reviewed several items of the long work list required to achieve Special LSA status and it appears to me that Aero Adventure has nearly finished all work. They hired outside talent to assist them in assuring they fully meet the ASTM standards FAA requires before accepting a new model into the fleet. They’ve also completed the numerous manuals required before they can declare their compliance to standards.
Bristell USA importer, Lou Mancuso, will represent the Aventura SLSA 912. He has already dipped his toe into the water (literally …ask him about it at an airshow) by offering the S-17 version of Aventura but he is stoked about the potential for the fully-built seaplane with a modest price. Aventura SLSA 912 will be north of $100,000 but significantly less than all other Special LSA seaplanes and far, far less than Icon’s A5.
No, of course not. Admittedly, though, a nosedragger is certainly not what most pilots think when they envision a Cub.
“Putting a nosewheel on a modern Cub type aircraft certainly surprised some people,” noted CubCrafters’ VP of Sales & Marketing, Brad Damm. “The overwhelming public response has been positive, especially among more than 300 pilots that had the opportunity to fly the airplane during the market survey phase.”
CubCrafters said that a variety of pilots with varying skill levels invested hundreds of hours of real-world use during the market survey phase. The Yakima company said this experience led to many design improvements that might not have happened solely from company engineers.
Regarding retrofit, the nosewheel assembly “is a bolt-on effort that can be removed should the owner want to convert the airplane to a tailwheel configuration.” XCub’s tricycle gear option is available now on experimental XCubs through the company’s Builder Assist program
In April, lots of readers were clearly pleased with the “Vintage Ultralights” series. Thanks to our cooperation with Videoman Dave and his popular 
“The UltraCruiser was designed as the first all-metal ultralight in 1998,” reported 
“
In our strongest month ever, April 2020, 
“Things are even more confusing for the [second record for a] 50-kilometer closed-circuit course,” said Stéphan. “In every record we attempt, our motivation is to show that our marketing brochure is very accurate without inflated numbers. Because nobody could believe the performance of the fixed-gear Siren with [100 horsepower] 912ULS, we decided to set a new record. The result was an astonishing 288 kilometers per hour (corrected for ISA). We could fly the Risen 914T and set a much faster record, because of retractable gear and an extra 15 horsepower of the 
Stéphan observed that I had written (in my 