Let me be honest. I’ve built one aircraft in my life. It was a Quicksilver MX series, a design that can be assembled by first timer with reasonable skills in only 80 hours or so. A lot depends on your skills and interest, your basic mechanical aptitude, the space you have to work, your tools, and how much time you can put into a project. Quicksilver is a super-simple kit. What if you desire something more complex?
I deeply admire those who have built some of the most beautiful aircraft I’ve ever seen.
As many a manufacturer has told me, even kit manufacturers — “A homebuilder can do an even better job than we can at the factory because they can spend all the time needed to get every detail exactly right. We have a business to run and even though we’re very good at what we do, we cannot justify the hours a homebuilder may invest.” Sounds right to me… even considering how many superlative factory-built kits I’ve seen.Building Your Own Airplane… Seem Hard? How About with Experienced, Professional Help?
Let me be honest. I’ve built one aircraft in my life. It was a Quicksilver MX series, a design that can be assembled by first timer with reasonable skills in only 80 hours or so. A lot depends on your skills and interest, your basic mechanical aptitude, the space you have to work, your tools, and how much time you can put into a project. Quicksilver is a super-simple kit. What if you desire something more complex?
Arion Lightning kit aircraft photo by Jay Schweitzer.
I deeply admire those who have built some of the most beautiful aircraft I’ve ever seen.
As many a manufacturer has told me, even kit manufacturers — “A homebuilder can do an even better job than we can at the factory because they can spend all the time needed to get every detail exactly right. We have a business to run and even though we’re very good at what we do, we cannot justify the hours a homebuilder may invest.” Sounds right to me… even considering how many superlative factory-built kits I’ve seen.
I flew with Marc Halcomb in this Lightning he built with Greg Hobbs.
Yeah, still, though, if I’m going tackle a project like a sleek and shapely Arion Lightning, I’m going to need expert help. Many builders love the idea of someone checking their work and suggesting an order of events before you start cutting a piece of metal. At Experimental Aircraft Build Center Arizona, Greg Hobbs, Jack Norris, and others are present and ready to give you advice or lend a hand if you feel uncomfortable.
When the job is done, you may find a level of satisfaction that is hard to duplicate with almost any other activity in your life. So, pack a bag, rev up your passion for aviation, and get ready to build.
Fortunately, Americans have many build center choices, but I was duly impressed with the Hobbs’ Build Center in Arizona. Come on along (video below) while we took a flight from Copperstate to their facility.
Build Your Dream
Aided mightily by the real boss, Greg’s longtime spouse Crystal, the pair have created a idyllic setting to build your own aircraft. Located about 30 miles northwest from Tucson or a hour and a half south of Phoenix, Arizona, Greg and Crystal built with their own hands a large hangar with all the space and all the amenities needed to get your airplane kit put together. Yours and several other projects all at once.
Crystal and Greg Hobbs photo by Jay Schweitzer
While you work at the project in time periods that work for you, the experience will be a eat-sleep-breath kit building from Day One. As Greg notes, entertainment and restaurants are a few miles away at the closest and people come to the Build Center not to go out for dinner or a movie but to build airplanes. So, build airplanes they do.
They’ll work with you 12 hours a day if you want, but “it’s whatever the customer wants to do,” clarified Greg. If eight hours maxes you out (probably understandable at first, anyway), you can collapse on one of the lounge’s comfy chairs and recharge your batteries.
I was told by several builders that Crystal puts out a good food spread and generally these two make you feel at home, even providing bedrooms so you can stay on the job as long as your schedule allows. “Most spend time, return home, and come back to finish the task,” explained Greg.
Building a Lightning — Greg observed, “All the primary fiberglass assemblies are preformed and fully fabricated including fuselage halves already bonded together with bulkheads installed; wings are substantially finished with fuel tanks installed; and all flight controls are installed.” The kit also includes cowls, the prop spinner, cockpit canopy frame, seats, and baggage floors.
Welded structures, such as the motor mount, spar box assembly, gear leg sockets, and various brackets, are finished and epoxy painted at the factory making them ready to install. Lightning’s landing gear is machined from 7075T6 aluminum and ready to fit.
An airplane like Lightning “goes together pretty fast,” said Greg, continuing to say that the process takes only about three weeks. If you try this at home, plan on more time, other builders told me. The help the Build Center gives is invaluable plus it’s more social than many projects.
The Experimental Aircraft Build Center Arizona also helps builders create the Flying Legends Tucano and the ICP Savannah.
A Flying Legends Tucano being assembled at the Build Center.
The Build Center is 10 miles west of Marana’s municipal airport, which itself is 20 miles northwest of Tucson, Arizona or about 100 miles south of Phoenix. This is baking hot country but Greg and Crystal’s facility will keep you comfortable.
Find out more by visiting Experimental Aircraft Build Center Arizona. As you will see and learn, you need bring nothing but your enthusiasm. Greg and Crystal — along with partner Jack Norris — will provide everything. You get a sleeping room. Crystal prepares meals and several builders told me this may be the highlight of the whole experience. The Build Center provides all the tools, jigs, and work tables you need. Let’s get to work!
Let me be honest. I’ve built one aircraft in my life. It was a Quicksilver MX series, a design that can be assembled by first timer with reasonable skills in only 80 hours or so. A lot depends on your skills and interest, your basic mechanical aptitude, the space you have to work, your tools, and how much time you can put into a project. Quicksilver is a super-simple kit. What if you desire something more complex?
I deeply admire those who have built some of the most beautiful aircraft I’ve ever seen.
As many a manufacturer has told me, even kit manufacturers — “A homebuilder can do an even better job than we can at the factory because they can spend all the time needed to get every detail exactly right. We have a business to run and even though we’re very good at what we do, we cannot justify the hours a homebuilder may invest.” Sounds right to me… even considering how many superlative factory-built kits I’ve seen.
What pilot doesn’t want more power? Or speed?
However, as power went up, so did prices. The 915, 340 and 170 mentioned above carry significantly higher price tags, and honestly, not all light aircraft need that much power. Plus, bigger engines are heavier so some of the added power is used to lift the extra engine weight.
“This required a long, meticulous revision and optimization of the whole airframe,” said Pasquale, including fuselage, empennage, landing gear, nose cowl, fuselage skin, the cockpit interior, brakes and control surfaces. It became a reconfigured airplane from spinner to tailwheel.
Around the world outside the U.S., aviation fuels like 100LL are not widely available. 
What’s Up!?
“With quoting becoming almost automated for many aircraft, insurance underwriters found themselves having to find new ways to stay competitive,” she added. “This meant broader policies, more flexible training requirements, and of course, a lower rate.”
“Senior pilots have been greatly impacted in this hardening market,” Victoria continued, “specifically those in retractable gear and multi-engine aircraft. If a single engine piston fixed tricycle-gear aircraft can fit your aircraft needs, this will often result in a better rate and insurability on your aircraft insurance.” Her advice seems nearly written to boost the LSA industry.
I can think of three worthy methods to fly what you want: 1️⃣ Buy a used LSA, either Special or Experimental — many great choices are available and a growing number of professional sellers can help you connect to an especially good used model and then provide back-up after the sale. 2️⃣ Shared purchase or expenses — where you help an aircraft-owning friend with his cost of ownership in return for access (this is what I do). 3️⃣ Kit-built Sport Pilot certificate-eligible aircraft — especially if you are handy and have space, but even if you are inexperienced or don’t want to invest the time, many kits demand less hours and lots of them have Quick-Build options that sharply reduce the hours you must expend.
To make their aircraft affordable to more pilots, Texas Aircraft Manufacturing said it has arranged “a new financing program for its Colt-S and Colt-SL Special LSA.” Fly-Away Financing is the result of a partnership between Texas Aircraft and Hondo, Texas-based Community National Bank. According to the company, “Prospective aircraft buyers can now access an online form to calculate their down payment, loan terms and total monthly payments.” Contact 
“Imagine owning a brand-new, fully-equipped Colt-SL for about the same cost as a much older, less advanced, pre-owned aircraft,” says Texas Aircraft CEO Matheus Grande. “Our Fly-Away Financing offer doesn’t just make it affordable; Community National Bank has streamlined the loan approval process to make it as easy as possible.”
“With the variety of special Fly-Away Financing rates we can offer,” said 
This long, slender, cantilevered wings draws me in like a bees to honey. If it does the same for you, this is one sleek choice. Surprisingly, it won’t cost an arm and leg. In fact, the kit KR-010 is base priced at $39,000 plus a shipping fee(2). Elf is quite complete for this price tag but you can bid it up into the $40,000s by adding an airframe parachute and com radio.
“Elf was designed by Jerzy Krawcyk of Ekolot by utilizing the early work of Slovenian-American Alex Strojnikun,” explained Kris. “Elf features removable cantilever wings, cockpit under bubble canopy with tricycle fixed landing gear. The power-plant is a two-stroke engine with aft-folding composite propeller blades and can be equipped with ballistic parachute.”
Wing Span — 35.2 feet
“But as these pilots gain experience, don’t we want them to keep learning? In my case, I’m a CFII, and my daughter has her Private Pilot certificate. She would like to have an instrument rating, but she doesn’t want to go rent an airplane if we are going to purchase an airplane. When I made the decision to purchase the Seamax, I probably would not have spent the money strictly for water fun. With the IFR option, we can go to the lake and have fun then shoot an approach when we come back.” (See Captain Lang’s impressive bio at the end.)
“I had a paradigm shift when I saw a Light-Sport seaplane with [the latest] avionics,” Lang noted. Since his children are now adults, he doesn’t need four seats. “In fact, some one-on-one time with my family members sounded nice,” he added.
“As a history fan,” Lang went on, “I’m also thinking about following Lewis and Clark’s trail, or the Oregon trail.” He sees the Seamax as about perfect for this kind of adventure. “It may have taken me 40 years but I think I have found my dream plane!”
He is right in that LSA are not “certified.” They are “accepted” by FAA as complying to the ASTM standards. Speaking of which…
Another correct response, yet all these accurate comments still don’t reveal the whole story.
Most western nations have kit programs of some kind but since their regulations have longer allowed fully-built aircraft, the European brands tend to slightly lead in SLSA deliveries while American producers thoroughly dominate kit-built aircraft sales.
“It’s an interesting year for Jabiru,” Scott declared!
“We are now offering all three kits,” Scott noted. He referred to the J170-D two door; the 230-D three door, and 430-D four place aircraft. “The kits are suitable for home assembly or with builder assistance in Tennessee,” Scott added.
You can call the title “clickbait” if you want, but I’ve long had a strong interest in space flight and SpaceShipOne certainly was far lighter than any manned spacecraft NASA has launched.
The members of the Able Flight “Class of 2020” are as follows (numbered according to photo, not in any order of importance):
Steven Curry (9) of Virginia. Steven served in the U.S. Army in both Afghanistan and Iraq. His plans to secure a Warrant Officer training slot to become a helicopter pilot ended when injuries from an IED required the amputation of his left leg below the knee. Steven with train at Aviation Adventures in Virginia.
Instead, I want to take you back in time, way back to January …a whole four months ago. What a different world we lived in then. Coronavirus was not on the minds of many Americans — nor, at that time, even on the minds of Chinese citizens, though leaders might have had some inkling.
Other than the pure thrill of logging a high groundspeed, going fast is only useful when you’re going somewhere. If perhaps your goal is aerial sightseeing then slow (and probably low) is the way to go. If you have to go fast, remember that old saying from auto racing: “Speed cost money; how fast do you want to go?” This equally applies to aviation.
Rule writers separated Light-Sport Aircraft as sub-87 knot and faster. At the time the rule was released, this made sense. America was still flying lots of what we now loosely call “ultralights.” These aircraft were simply built, half the empty weight of most LSA today, and flew slower, usually under 100 mph …87 knots.
For plenty of pilots, 100 mph is fine for most of their flying including regional travel. Those who yearn for speed or want to travel interstate or cross country want the fastest machine they can afford.
BRM Aero was early to begin work with Rotax’s new 
“Vne, Velocity Never Exceed, is an indicated air speed,” Lou started in a reply to a Facebook audience. “For example, When the 915iS powered Bristell Speedster is flying at 12,500 feet with a true airspeed of 170 miles per hour or 147 knots, the indicated airspeed is only 118 knots. The Bristell has a 157 knots Vne.” A good 
Our most-read story of 2020 was this 
“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 (
“On Tuesday the weather conditions were perfect. We decided to fly at 10,000 feet. The [FAI] criteria that the course could only be flown once made it even more intense. At the first turn, I climbed some 300 feet, and returning to altitude she accelerated to 219 knots (405 km/h). I felt extremely tense and had a hard time keeping the ball in the center. Overall I am happy that I managed to fly a pretty good course. On the straight course, we got 212 knots average speed. It was great to celebrate the success with my co-pilot Fredrik Lanz, and the rest of the Blackwing team.
“The flight testing will continue in spring and summer. After 50 hours of flight testing, we can start taking passengers.
“JMB Aircraft is proud to announce some achievements from the past few months,” the company wrote recently. “After more than 100 hours of flight test with two planes, we manage with success to perform a V-dive test reaching an indicated 381 kilometers per hour and 425 km/h (229 knots) true air speed. This enable us to safely increase our VNE up to an indicated 340 kilometers per hour (184 knots).”
I suspect the LSA-like airspeed race isn’t over yet, especially given the previous record holder — Risen, from a formerly Swiss, now Italian company renamed as 
I am pleased to serve a need for news during a month when we should have been covering 
Several sources close to EAA leadership have said a decision will come in early May, however, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that. EAA is grappling with matters such as when hundreds of tents or thousands of portable bathrooms must be ordered, or finalizing the call to a not-small army of volunteers to begin the trek to Wisconsin. Such major plans must be started well in advance of the event slated for July 20-26th.
A prime motivator for E-Fan is Grazia Vittadini, Airbus’ Chief Technology Officer. She wrote, “When I first started my career at Airbus, the notion of electric flight was considered a far-off pipedream. Today, it’s a reality.” Yet that future may not involve their much-promoted E-Fan.
Now, a 
Even during the lockdown, 
While the following information covers only one quarter of the year and while it does not reflect much of the pandemic effects, we nonetheless found a few tidbits of interest. For the data hounds among you, we invite you to visit our market share and airplane registration database website called 
Among Special (fully-built) LSA registrations, 
Ernie was the man behind Carlson Aircraft along with his wife, Mary. This pair introduced Sparrow, a Part 103-capable single-place ultralight plus larger models like Sparrow II and XTC.
“In the next couple weeks, we will get our website up and running,” he forecast, but until then David invites a call or text to 574-214-3660 or theecoop@comcast.net.
In addition, for Carlson airplanes already built and flying, David and partners’ new operation will offer replacement parts. I’m sure that will be most welcome by those flying Carlson aircraft.
As alert readers may have noticed, Mini-Max shares something with the 
“When I asked why Wayne moved to Tennessee from Indiana, Scott recalls, Wayne replied, ‘Winters were too brutal. So I put my snow shovel in the back of my pickup truck and headed south. When they no longer recognized what that shovel was, I figured I was safe. That was Tennessee.’” It sounds just like my memory of the man — logical, simple, decisive.
Videoman Dave wrote, “In 1984, while attending the Sun ‘n Fun convention, I watched as a little single seat ultralight aircraft took to the air in some very gusty, cross-wind conditions. These were conditions that had grounded most of the other ultralight aircraft on the field,” yet off into the air went this very light and surprisingly compact ultralight aircraft. Dave refers to Wayne’s Mini-Max of course.
Build time is between 250 and 350 hours. Mini-Max can be built in a small area such as a single car garage. No special tools or equipment needed because much like the Fisher aircraft that had Wayne’s hand in them, Mini-Max plans were full-sized; you work directly on very large sheets of paper. This helps newbies but also ensures greater accuracy as builders work to put all the “popsicle sticks” in exactly the right locations.
The Mini-Max line of aircraft has a strong following on the Internet. “Thousands of kits have been sold and are flying throughout the world,” said Dave.
Cruise is an honest 55 to 60 miles per hour and stall speed is roughly 25 miles per hour.
At the time of production of this video 
During this coronavirus mess, Sweden has been in the news because authorities did not fully lock down the country. Some closures were recommended and certain folks (older, immune-deficient… you’ve heard all this repeatedly) were encouraged to self-isolate. Yet pictures show restaurants, streets, and other public venues with plenty of people. Sweden has had deaths, of course, every one of them tragic. Yet it will provide a good baseline with which to judge the effectiveness of lockdown procedures from draconian to… well, Swedish.
The two pilots from the south of Sweden set two new world records and have filed for FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) recognition.
While laying claim to two new world records, to gain proper recognition of their achievement, the performance must now be checked and approved by the International Aviation Sports Association, 
For the official record in Class UL aircraft RAL2T (Movable Aerodynamic Control / Landplane / Flown with two persons / Thermal Engine), previously recognized record holders include:
“The quality and finish of his aircraft and kits has to be seen to be appreciated,” Dave added. I completely agree. I have often told Randy how I admired the factory finish of the airplanes he presents to interested pilots at airshows. A stickler for getting it right, Randy demurs my admiration but anyone who has closely examined his models at an event knows I am not exaggerating.
Then and today, most Rans models have been made available in both tricycle gear and taildragger configurations. 
Kit assembly time for these fairly simple aircraft was between 100 and 125 hours. “Rans’ manuals and instructional building guides lead the industry in completeness,” expressed Dave. “No special tools or jigs are required to build the planes and they can be built in a single car garage.”
Cruise speed in S-4/5 is 55 to 60 miles per hour while stall, using optimal flaps, is 25 miles per hour.
The MX model abandoned the weight shift idea — this was too foreign to lots of potential customers. Instead, it used stick-and-rudder two-axis controls, but with a difference. The joystick connected to the elevator and rudder while the rudder pedals were connected to spoilerons on top of the wing.
The Coronavirus madness is far from being a U.S. problem. Naturally, we tend to focus on our own part of the world …as we must. Yet even far-away countries are also struggling — to protect citizens and to keep their economies afloat. It simply has to improve as the present situation cannot last.
“Along with much of the world,” Paul continued in early April, “New Zealand is feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic with a state of emergency declared. With this four-week lockdown all non-essential companies are required to close or work from home.”
“While our technicians and workshop staff are safe at home with their families, our designers are using this time and working from their homes to finalise the remaining aspects of the design, prepare work and plan the actions required once we are able to get all staff safely back to work,” observed Paul.
“Not currently being reliant on sales and having investors with long term vision makes Vickers a stable and strong company in this environment,” explained Paul.
Earlier 