As Labor Day approaches each year, pilots in the Midwest U.S. — and some from much further away — start heading to Mt. Vernon, Illinois. About an hour’s drive East of St. Louis, Missouri, Mt. Vernon is home to a dedicated sector show that has emerged as a favorite.
This is the 14th year for the Midwest LSA Expo, so airport manager and all-around good guy Chris Collins is starting to psyche up for his benchmark 15th year in 2023. Putting this in perspective, that’s as old as the Sebring LSA Expo ever got before it disbanded. I’ll bet Chris never really thought about running one of the most established shows in the country.
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.
Search Results for : Revo
Not finding exactly what you expected? Try our advanced search option.
Select a manufacturer to go straight to all our content about that manufacturer.
Select an aircraft model to go straight to all our content about that model.
Oshkosh 2022 – Day 2… Electric Helicopter from Composite FX is Lean, Green Machine
A year ago at Oshkosh, I became intrigued by the way Composite FX had developed the older Mosquito into their XE line; multiple models running from a legitimate Part 103 helicopter, their XEL model, to the turbine XET model. The company builds these handsome aircraft in Trenton, Florida after acquiring the design from Canadian John Uptigrove (see image of his original).
Vertical takeoff has a special appeal, even to those of us with little or no rotary experience. Setting aside the skills to fly such machines, the cost of a helicopter is usually so high that many don’t even consider it. Maybe they didn’t look far enough.
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.
Yet this article is not about the product line the manufacturer is presently delivering.
Aero 2022 Bonanza — Huge Aircraft Review from Europe’s Best Airshow
This year, 2022, saw a return to all the great airshows we have come to know and love. One of my all-time favorites and my #1 pick in Europe is Aero Friedrichshafen.
I already provided three articles — (1) turbines, (2) six innovations, and (3) Aero success — covering what I found to be highlights of Aero 2022 that I thought you would like best.
Now, thanks to encouragement from Marino Boric — a Europe-based, highly-knowledgeable professional journalist — I want to provide what longtime radio broadcaster Paul Harvey used to call “…the rest of the story.”
What follows is Marino’s few-paragraphs-each review of no less than 21 airplanes, 4 electric projects, and 6 combustion engines. You will not find this depth of reporting anywhere else in the USA.
Folks, this article is much longer than our usual articles (by 6X).
All-American and Affordable — North Wing Has an Expert History in Washington State
Let’s return to affordable aviation after two wonderful shows full of shiny new aircraft. Turbine engines and sleek composite fuselages interest plenty of pilots but then most of us come back to reality and start looking at aircraft we can afford.
Some can pay the invoice on a high-end aircraft to enjoy its capabilities. That’s terrific. Who knows… you might score their used aircraft for a large discount in a few years. For many, though, new is nice yet something much more modest will suffice if it gets them safely up and down to enjoy the view of their surroundings or simply practice a few touch and goes. Any way you can fly is a good way, I’d say.
I’ve been around recreational aviation a while. So has been North Wing, the company formed by Kamron Blevins. He started building wings for trikes 26 years ago in 1996.
Europe’s Passionate Need for Speed — JMB Enlists Turbine Power to Go Faster Yet
Over many years as an affordable aviation journalist I have learned two things. First, stick to airplanes. That’s what moves the needle for most pilots; nearly always such articles are the best-read on this website. Second, pilots love more powerful engines, especially when they display new technologies.
Speedy LSA maker, JMB Aircraft has tapped into this rich vein of interest. For some years, they have worked to make their elegant and shapely VL3 go faster than before (earlier evaluation article). A year ago at Sun ‘n Fun, the Belgium-headquartered company showed Americans their 141-horsepower Rotax 915iS model. The machine looked quick merely sitting in their display.
That wasn’t enough. Even though JMB can max out at 230 mph now, leaders and engineers at JMB thought, “Why not try a turboprop?”
JMB Turbine
Not even a month ago, this leading builder of LSA speedsters took their turbine-powered VL3 into the air for the first time, in France on Monday April 4th, 2022.
Aero 2022 / Day 1: What’s the Buzz? Turbines on LSA + Bristell News
How about this? Among the loudest “buzz” at Aero Friedrichshafen 2022 was the introduction of turbine engines on Light-Sport Aircraft. At least three well-known LSA producers are experimenting with turbines.
OK, I know turbines are not allowed on present-day LSA. Could that be changing as Mosaic slowly works its way through the FAA? We won’t know until FAA releases their NPRM at this year’s Oshkosh (I predict). However, some language provided by the agency to guide ASTM standards writers has suggested that the ban on turbines might not last.
A irony to this possibility is that turbines were the specific reason why electric wasn’t permitted. Uh… what?! Yep, in the effort to prevent turbines, FAA rule writers specified reciprocating engines only. That kept out turbines, alright, but it also scratched electric propulsion. Back in the early 2000s, government authorities weren’t pushing electric vehicles so rule writers didn’t feel the political pressure they do now.
Do You Love Ultralights but Prefer a Four Stroke Engine? Find It at Sun ‘n Fun!
A year ago at Sun ‘n Fun 2021, I reported on a Rotax 503 replacement built in Russia. This information was warmly received at the time because the 503 powerplant was much beloved by ultralight enthusiasts.
Little did we know last year that Putin would invade Ukraine and plunge both countries into disarray. The RMZ 500 engine seemed to promise a return to the popular engine. It will surely be months if not years before we see more of them.
Despite the former popularity of the Rotax 503 fifteen years ago, one of the most common questions asked of Part 103 producers today is, “Can you provide a four-stroke engine?”
It’s not an easy order to fill; two-strokes are potent sources of power at minimal weight, what’s called power-to-weight ratio. Any four-stroke engine is hard pressed to match the power-to-weight ratio of the best two-stroke engines.
At Sun ‘n Fun 2022, Gene “Bever” Borne and son Ken of Air-Tech Inc.
Vickers Wave First Flight Accomplished Successfully
Long in development to incorporate a raft of distinctive ideas, Vickers Wave took its first flight last month, mere weeks before the launch of Sun ‘n Fun 2022, which kicks off a new flying season.
Lead by company namesake, Paul Vickers, Wave has been a work in process for eleven years. All along Paul has been saying he would get it right on the first flight and it looks like he succeeded.
He also said that the methods he followed to get this far would speed production significantly. He means that when this airplane would take its first flight, it would not be some cobbled-together, proof-of-concept aircraft. The Wave that just flew should also go very directly into production without the need for another long round of engineering. Look at the images and the video. This looks like a factory production model, not a crude prototype still rough around the edges.
What Do Russia and China Have to Do with Light-Sport Aircraft? Plenty!
Two wildly divergent events occurred in the last few days. They are completely unrelated yet they show the global interplay in modern light aviation. One story involves relative newcomer Icon Aircraft and their A5 LSA seaplane. The other revolves around the producer of the most successful LSA in America, Flight Design.
Both airplane producer stories made it into mainstream media.
If we go way back in time, to 2003, that is, before Light-Sport Aircraft, we saw a world where Americans flew kit-built airplanes while European pilots were flying what they called ultralights or microlights. Of course, this is an oversimplification but we had no idea the two methods of production would converge as they have in the last two decades.
Using widely-accepted consensus standards, Light-Sport Aircraft can operate in multiple countries — thanks to the useful work of many volunteers that assembled and maintain ASTM standards embraced by FAA and other CAAs all over the planet.
LSA-Sized eVTOL Takes a Different (Ducted) Approach — Reasonably Priced?
I promise I will not keep reporting futuristic eVTOLS or multicopters. However, since the Jetson One article went over better than expected and since I’ve focused mainly on Part 103-sized multicopters, how about one that is LSA-sized?
I still would not follow one multicopter article with another except for developer Doron Merdinger, saying this, “Suggested [selling price is] $135,000 to $150,000.” That got my attention. From what I’ve seen so far, any eVTOL larger/heavier than a Part 103 entry is way, way more expensive.
Beyond that come air taxies… 4-6-8 seater urban air transport aircraft. Those I will never report as they are commercial by design and cost far beyond any Sport Pilot’s budget. In addition, it could be years before they actually enter the market.
Can Doroni Do It?
However, a two-seater, ducted-fan, LSA-like aircraft with a 500 pound payload for $135-150,000 could actually be something some readers might consider.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- …
- 15
- Next Page »