ByDanJohnson.com

Aerolite 103 by U-Fly-It

Jabiru J170-D from Jabiru North America

Pulsr by P&M Aviation

ELA Eclipse 10 presented by Aerotrek

New American Ranger AR-1 from Silverlight Aviation

Every year before the big shows, I often hear from journalist friends working for other publications. This year as other years, they need advance knowledge to get things started for print publications working on longer deadlines than those of us in the online publishing game. To help my fellow writers, I’ve been keeping a tally of what I expect at Sun ‘n Fun 2016. Here we go…! By the way, these are not order of importance or impact. Please don’t assume.

U-Fly-It, producer of the popular and agreeably-priced Aerolite 103 (ready-to-fly for well under $20,000) is well along in planning for a kit version. While running their facility at or near capacity, this move may help get airplanes to people faster plus allowing those who want features that will not qualify as a Part 103 ultralight to go Experimental Amateur Built.

Thinking of modestly priced aircraft, Quicksilver will be represented at Sun ‘n Fun at the Air-Tech space. Air-Tech’s Quicksilver Superman, Bever Borne can support any model the company ever made (and more). Meanwhile, another plan begins to unfold. Details are still forming but pilots (and dealers) interested in arguably the most successful kit in all of aviation history will want to inquire further.

Many folks are buzzing about Icon Aircraft making their first Sun ‘n Fun with an exhibit for their professionally-marketed A5 LSA seaplane. Since Florida has thousands of landable waterways, it seems an obviously-smart decision to mount an exhibit in Lakeland (even the city name seems to invite the California company).

Speaking of first viewings (to Americans anyway), Rob Rollison of Aerotrek fame is bringing the superbly sleek ELA Eclipse 10 from Spain. This gyroplane is literally a thing of beauty and is the top of the company’s line of rotary aircraft. Of course, he’ll also have plenty of great-selling Aerotrek A240s and A220s

In other gyro news, a brand new model will be seen from Abid Farooqui of Silverlight Aviation. His American Ranger AR1 has gone from sketches to a beautiful aircraft in barely over nine months, no surprise to me, given the engineer’s strong credentials. Abid helped aircraft like Searey get through their FAA audit with flying colors and now he’s bringing his own design.

At their centrally located booth, at a press conference, and at the LAMA Great Debate about engines on opening day in Paradise City, Rotax Aircraft Engines is prepared to give an update on their much-anticipated, fuel-injected, turbo-boosted 135-horsepower 915 iS engine. Come hear and meet engine division manager, Marc Becker, a most affable fellow.

Another closely-watched company is Flight Design. Their U.S. importer will be present to talk about their new second source for completed airframes, called AeroJones. The clouds are beginning to clear for the LSA market leader and president Tom Peghiny will be prepared to field inquiries from press and pilots alike.

Like Quicksilver, new owner Terry Short will be present to talk about his acquisition of the historically-important CGS Hawk line. He only recently took over the company so he will not rush to assemble an airplane but he will be available to update fans of the very affordable and well-liked aircraft line.

Paul Mather of M-Squared Aircraft reported a new plan progressing well for him to work with the Zenith/Zenair CH-750 aircraft as he seeks to make the popular “Sky Jeep” available one again as a fully-built Special LSA. We’ve seen this before (as the 701, at that time) from AMD and then Eastman Aviation but it’s been some years since you could buy a ready-to-fly 750. Come hear more.

Continental Motors, now owners of the popular Titan series seen on several Light-Sport Aircraft and various kits will be doing a full disassembly and reassembly of one their 180-horsepower Titan engines. Technicians will do this twice during Sun ‘n Fun 2016. This will provide interested parties a rare chance to see the insides of their potent powerplant.

A few new or renewed aircraft will return to Sun ‘n Fun. One is the Jabiru J170 D, the somewhat smaller version of their spacious-cabin, three-door J230. The 170 model is especially appropriate for flight schools and carries a modest price of $99,900 even very well equipped. Jabiru North America proprietor Pete Krotje will also field questions about the new Jabiru engine models at his booth and at the Great Debate about engines in Paradise City.

Brand new is the significantly enclosed, and very smooth-looking Pulsr trike (no, that’s not a typo; it follows their Quikr model). Other than the very impressive Evolution Revo, we haven’t seen as much development in larger trikes so it will be good to see P&M Aviation showing their newest model.

The P&M model is a larger two-seat, go-fast design, but for those interested in getting a hang glider wing aloft for soaring flight the super-light Aeros Nano Trike (ANT) will be present with a folding landing gear model.

We also look forward to updates from Super Petrel USA as the beautiful Brazilian biwinged LSA seaplane establishes it factory-owned outlet in Florida. To facilitate North American and other deliveries the southern hemisphere company has set up shop at the Ormond Beach airport (north of Daytona Beach).

Speaking of seaplanes, we understand Aero Adventure has outfitted an Aventura with a powerful Subaru engine and it could make an appearance. This company also has very some interesting plans that we hope they may be prepared to flesh out in the near future.

Finally, but hardly last are a series of changes to the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association display in the heart of Paradise City. The organization — of which I am the president… my “volunteer job” in light aviation — has for nearly a decade arranged the LSA Mall. That will scale down slightly as many former Mall participants now exhibit in Paradise City. Joining the LSA Mall, LAMA has created some other interesting activities.

You can use this link to download the Daily Schedule for the LAMA Show Center pavilion in Paradise City. Print it out for reference at the show or bookmark it on your favorite mobile device.

Beside the always popular LSA Mall, I wish to bring to your attention the daily “Great Debates in Paradise City.” LAMA will have an engine debate (TU-4/5/16), a debate between your favorite aviation journalists (WE-4/6), you can hear from no less than four top avionics producers (TH-4/7), and the debates conclude with all the best-selling iPad and Android apps (FR-4/8). All these are free and shaded seating for 100 is available. All Debate panels start at 1 PM and will run about an hour.

On each evening — Tuesday through Saturday — the LAMA pavilion will have special events, parties, or receptions sponsored by vendors and others. Beverages and snacks will be provided. In particular, LAMA would love to have you come by Wednesday evening from 5-7 PM to help celebrate the life of our fallen friend and LAMA volunteer Gregg Ellsworth.

As always, Sun ‘n Fun is what its name implies. All y’all come by and enjoy!

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Among all the engines that lift Light-Sport Aircraft and light kit aircraft into the air, a few names dominate the field. To be used in a Special LSA, the engine has to meet all the requirements of the ASTM consensus standards. That is tough enough that currently we have Rotax, HKS, Continental, and Titan, with even the Continental (like Lycoming) qualifying by virtue of those powerplants meeting FAR 33. The other major player is Jabiru… the engine company as distinct from the airframe producer. Other engine suppliers such as UL Power, and D-Motor (and perhaps more) could possibly qualify but have not completed the ASTM process at this time.

So, it was some surprise to many readers that in December of 2014, the Australian equivalent to FAA, called CASA, implemented restrictions on the operation of Jabiru-powered aircraft in that country. In the Sport Pilot magazine published by Recreational Aviation Australia, Dave Edmunds wrote, “These restrictions required passengers to sign a waiver indicating that they were aware of potential aircraft problems.” Some areas of operation of flights schools were also imposed.

“Even the most cursory examination of these restrictions indicates they have no impact on safety, do not address any structural or mechanical problems, but have a huge effect on the reputation of Jabiru,” continued Edmunds.

At issue was something called IFSD or Inflight Shut Down of engines and CASA documents produced under a Freedom of Information request revealed a technical survey of engine failure rates for a two-year period. Edmunds, who obtained the documents, said the shutdowns were not filtered to include only those related to mechanical failures. For example, Edmunds wrote, “The figures used by CASA for IFDSs are raw figures, and include running out of fuel.”

As the nearby chart taken from the magazine supplied by Jabiru North America shows, Jabiru has the lowest number of fatalities per 100 currently registered aircraft… by a wide margin. Even the U.S. FAR 23-certified Cessna Skyhawk, with a very similar number of aircraft flying in Australia, had six times the fatalities-per-100-aircraft rate.

CASA’s documents also made no reference to Jabiru addressing known modes of failure via three separate service bulletins. Problems can happen with any brand; the solution is addressing them with remedies, as Jabiru evidently did. Indeed, Edmunds wrote, “Aircraft which have had the issues addressed in the service bulletins have a dramatically lower rate of engine failure.”

Other reporting anomalies appeared. Edmunds wrote, “The CASA website reported 46 Jabiru ‘problems and events,’ whereas Jabiru believes these were only 12 shutdowns due to mechanical failure [in the period examined].” He added, “It is not clear why CASA has used the vague and all-encompassing term, ‘problems and events’.”

As Edmunds continued his article — which views the editor said, “do not necessarily reflect those of RAAus” — he expressed, “CASA is rightly concerned about its responsibility for safety.” Yet he added later, “…if CASA is prepared to operate on data as thin as this, then perhaps there is a great deal it is missing the aviation environment more widely.”

Government agencies including our FAA are often on the hot seat to provide answers where few may exist but they also seem willing to amplify a problem to a degree that can be hard to accept. The requirement for registration of wee little drones (as light as nine ounces) with demands for a pilot license to operate them when photographing — for example, homes for sale — border on overreach. The Academy of Model Aeronautics felt so strongly about it, the AMA advised members not to immediately register their RC airplanes. We have learned to trust these agencies but they are operated and managed by ordinary humans who are not superior to the rest of us.

Articles like that of Dave Edmunds can help present both sides of the story. Those of you going to Sun ‘n Fun in a matter of days can stop by the exhibit of Jabiru North America and ask more questions. See their display at space N-056 & 057 (not far from the blue FAA building).

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The 65-horsepower, two-stroke Rotax 582 continues to be a successful light aircraft powerplant.

California Power System’s series of Rotax engine classes cover the entire line including the newest fuel-injected, iS-series powerplants.

It’s springtime and all across America as the weather enters an inviting phase, pilots are getting out their ultralights, light kit aircraft, and the Light-Sport Aircraft. Doing a very thorough check of the airframe is obviously important but thoughtful pilots will not overlook their engine.

For years now, all manner of light aircraft are lifted by a powerplant from one brand: Rotax.

So, where do you take your Rotax engine for qualified and quality work? A number of repair stations or mechanics have established a reputation after being trained to work on these engines. However, as the LSA sector expands around the globe and as companies far and wide began to embrace the Austrian engine, a steady growth has occurred in maintenance technicians. When engine models change and to assure approved mechanics have the latest information, recurrency training is also required.

Many owners are quite capable of doing some of their own work. Where do professionals and experienced amateurs go to get training? For those in the western states one good choice is California Power Systems, now part of the Aircraft Spruce conglomerate.

March is a great month for flying and a good month to get new or updated training. California Power Systems — or simply CPS — is ready with a series of classes. This first is happening as this was written. Others are following shortly.

Occurring today and tomorrow (but sure to repeat) is the CPS Rotax 2-Stroke Service Course is for technicians wanting to rebuild or maintain all water-cooled and air-cooled 2-stroke Rotax aircraft engines such as the still-in-production and very popular Rotax 582. Emphasis is on students being able to perform a complete engine rebuild with failure analysis and a focus on preventative maintenance.

Coming up in days — on March 16-17, 2016 — is a Rotax 4-Stroke Service Class for those who want to maintain 912 series engines. This class is also geared to owners wanting to do their own scheduled maintenance. If you hold an A&P certificate or are an approved LSA Repairman, you will receive training to perform all scheduled maintenance and Level One troubleshooting procedures.

For a higher level of maintenance, mechanics need greater training. These individuals will want to take CPS’s Rotax 912/914 Maintenance Class is for technicians wanting to perform serious maintenance tasks on 9-series engines. The class focuses on troubleshooting faults, removing major components for shipment to heavy maintenance rated technicians, and reassembly. “This class will be held on March 18-19, 2016,” said CPS.

If you have already taken training from Rotax outlets like CPS, you may need the Rotax 2-Stroke Renewal Course or the 4-stroke (912 & 914) Renewal Course. These two courses are for current iRMT license holders. The renewal program will cover all new materials released within the past 24 months. This is the most inexpensive and informative way to get a 24-month extension on your current certification. The course will be held on March 20, 2016.

Finally, with professional mechanics in mind, CPS offers a Rotax 912/914 Heavy Maintenance Class , designed for those making a living as a Rotax repair technician. The class covers a complete field level teardown, inspection, and reassembly. The class will be held on March 21-23, 2016.

“All CPS classes will be held in our training facility at the Chino Airport (KCNO),” said California Power Systems. For detailed information and future schedules for any of these Rotax Classes, please visit the CPS website at the links above or call Bryan Toepfer at 800-247-9653 x302 or email Bryan.

If you can’t make any of these classes, contact Bryan at CPS to hear when the next series starts.

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It was the ninth annual LAMA Dinner at Sebring 2016. Each year, the organization has tried to do something different and this year broke new ground.

In the past LAMA has brought in speakers such as AOPA then-president Craig Fuller, EAA then-president Rod Hightower, and FAA ex-administrator, Randy Babbitt. Except for the last, they were active in their roles when they spoke but this is evidence of how things change over a fairly short time. However, two things seem not to change.

America (or at least the mainstream media) continues an infatuation with electing a new leader. Every four years — though it seems more often as the election cycles increasingly jam together — the two big political parties trot out their new candidates. The other, more relevant (to readers of this website) unchanging fact is that pilots love to hear about and talk about the engines on their aircraft.

With its beta-test debate at Sebring earning warm reviews, LAMA, supported by its principal airshow sponsor, Aviators Hot Line, is moving forward with a Great Debate series at Sun ‘n Fun. As those plans come together, I will report further here. Until then, you can see and hear the Sebring engine debate below.

Meanwhile, back to that fascination with engines …

One of the regular readers of this website had some questions, the sort that might be answered at the engine debate at Sun ‘n Fun. He asked, “Does Rotax have a aviation engine line? Or, are all Rotax engines made the same, be it an aviation engine or a snowmobile or land based engine?” Answer: Rotax has a line and facility dedicated solely to the assembly of aircraft engines.

I’ve visited the facility and seen the sprawling yet immaculate and highly organized plant where motorcycle and snowmobile engines are built. With robots, computer-controlled tools, and a completely automated inventory system, Rotax BRP is very impressive.

The main plant in Gunskirchen, Austria looks more factory-like while the aircraft engine line seems more of a custom shop moving at a deliberate and measured pace. I understand workers at Rotax BRP are very keen to get into the aircraft engine side, so that team is likely the best of the best building the 9-series engines and more.

My inquirer said, “I know Rotax did away with most of the two stroke line.” Comment: Most, but not all. While Rotax BRP no longer builds the 447 or 503 — and long ago did away with the single cylinder 277 — the Rotax 582 continues to be in demand and sells in good volume. “When they did sell [two-stroke engines],” he continued, “did Rotax have a special section for [those] engines that went into an airplane? Answer: They are built in the same aircraft engine facility as the 9-series though on different production runs.

“How many work in this [facility]?” Answer: About 25 technicians assemble aircraft engines and they are supported by engineering, sales, and management personnel. Some components of the aircraft engines come from the big plant, but the assembly is separate.

“Are Rotax aircraft engines made on an assembly line?” Answer: The Austrian engine manufacturer builds aircraft engines on a primarily hand-assembly line that is less automated than the main motorcycle and other engine production. Total volumes are quite different.

In addition to designing and testing aircraft engines — for example the new 135-horsepower Rotax 915 iS is getting closer to market — the European manufacturer also supports dealers and mechanics with a training facility that I have toured. I’ve also visited the Continental Motors factory in Mobile, Alabama, and it is also impressive in its size and technical sophistication but Rotax in Austria is a more modern establishment.

The questions above and more will be asked and answered at the Sun ‘n Fun Great Debates, held in a new much-larger LAMA tent that will be front and center in Paradise City, the Light Plane area of Sun’n Fun. If you are attending the show, come to Paradise City each day and catch a Great Debate at 1:00 PM. You may get your questions answered, too.

Get an idea how the debates will go by catching this video:

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All images with this article were taken from Sebring Expo’s Facebook page. They all appear to be the work of photographer extraordinaire, Jim Koepnick. See more of his superb work on his website.

One of our many video interviews was with Rans designer, Randy Schlitter, regarding his low-wing S-19 Venterra shown here doing a demo at Sebring.

The Great Engine Debate, featuring (L-R) moderator Sebastien Heintz, Rotax’s Christian Mundigler, Continental’s John Heitland, Pete Krotje of Jabiru, UL Power’s Robert Helms, Viking’s Jan Eggenfellner, and publisher Willi Tacke.

SEBRING EXPO 2016 — Opening day Wednesday started out unseasonably cool … but true to form — Florida is called the Sunshine State for good reason — the sun warmed the day nicely. Several vendors told me they thought it was the best opening day yet for the Sebring Expo.

Thursday was even more pleasant. A few of us showed sunburned faces by the end of the day, but in all, it was a second good day of the event in its 12th year (not coincidentally the same number of years for which we’ve had Sport Pilot / Light-Sport Aircraft). Several vendors reported many qualified customers and many attendees to whom I spoke seemed pleased with the depth of exhibitors and products to examine. Shows like Sebring and the Midwest LSA Expo offer more opportunity for demo flights and longer conversations with vendors who are often besieged with dense crowds at AirVenture or Sun ‘n Fun.

Friday, however, brought a threat of strong thunderstorms, prompting Sebring airport’s executive director to close the show and cease ticket sales. It was also recommended that all the vendors leave the grounds.

Some thought this decision was a bit “drastic,” or “hasty,” but after tornadoes at Sun ‘n Fun in recent years and wild weather at Oshkosh that causes debris to be blown about, sometimes violently, the action to close the event for the day might be described as no more than an excess of caution.

I was just informed that the show will continue for its final day Saturday. Weather will be cool again after the front passes, though it is hard to be too critical while the country’s East Coast gets hammered with blizzards and very hazardous driving.

Saturday at Sebring is also a free day for students and all visitors will find more exhibitors than last year, although a few may have bailed due to the uncertain weather on Friday. However, for those flying or driving north to their home base when Sebring concludes, most saw no hurry to leave as the further north you go the higher the likelihood of encountering truly difficult weather. Florida is looking mighty good in comparison.

On the first two days and planning to continue on Saturday, Videoman Dave and I were scurrying about the show grounds collecting a batch of new video material for your viewing enjoyment in the weeks ahead.

I am pleased to report LAMA‘s Ninth Annual Dinner went very well with about 280 LSA and light kit business persons in attendance. They witnessed the first of the “Great Debates,” this time with engine manufacturing describing their products and answering questions posed by moderator Sebastien Heintz (Zenair). Numerous comments were offered that revealed even those in the business learned new facts about engines.

Of particular interest was a discussion about fuels that can be used with each engine. Part of the fuel debate portrayed ethanol as a very challenging substance not only for the engines but for the airframe systems such as fuel tanks and lines. LAMA Dinner invitees also heard about the coming 2210 and 3310 Jabiru engines, an announcement that caught everyone by surprise.

The debates (photo below) included Rotax, Continental, Jabiru, UL Power, and Viking with comments from publisher Will Tacke regarding electric propulsion.

With its “beta test” of the Great Debates successfully completed, LAMA will now dive deeper into plans for additional Great Debates at Sun ‘n Fun 2016. Debates will be held on LAMA’s space (LSA Mall) in Paradise City. Everyone is encouraged to visit, not only for the debates but to see the newly improved and significantly lengthened runway at Paradise City.

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Wyp WingBoard developer, Aaron “Wyp” Wypyszynski.

For my weekend posts, I often like to check out something out of the ordinary. From the photos you see nearby, you can see I found a qualifying topic. However crazy as this activity — involving the name “WingBoard” — may look, it appears grounded in reality.

If you think of wingsuit sky diving as just “edgy,” then Aaron “Wyp” Wypyszynski‘s Wingboard could seem relatively tame.

Watching all his videos, I’d say Wingboarding was more akin to sky skiing, as in water skiing behind a boat, except a wider use of three dimensions than you get on water.

Start with the following video which gives a decent explanation of the project from the developer’s point of view.

Aaron “Wyp” Wypyszynski began flying full-scale aircraft at age 13, soloed at 16, and remains an active pilot (photo below). He was inspired by a cartoon, saying “Kit Cloudkicker [was seen by] millennials who grew up watching “TaleSpin,” and dreaming of carving through the sky like Kit on his airfoil.” Funny how something we experience as a very young person can stick with us our whole lives, eh?

Aaron went on to more conventional flying but was drawn back to Kit and his board. Having acquired real world skills, he was driven to try designing a real wingboard. You can ponder if this was crazy or inspired.

Look, I know it’s highly unlikely that you would ever try this but the idea is engaging. Sky divers do stuff somewhat like this all the time. Jetman inspired many with his stunts. BASE jumpers show incredible daring do. Maybe not you, but somebody will think this is the neatest invention ever, and it is actual flying, not like riding along in an automomous air vehicle.

The project has progressed through several stages from miniature to one-sixth scale to 40% scale (in December 2015) where the “pilot” — itself a pretty nifty bit of engineering — parachutes away from the board for landing. The wing has its own parachute. Let’s check it out further.

According to the WYP Aviation website, “WingBoard works through a close coupling of the rider, tow rope, and WingBoard itself. The best analog is to look at the WingBoard as a wakeboard [operating] in three dimensions.”

Staying true to his childhood fantasy Aaron WingBoard’s “rider” — he uses this term instead of pilot but it clearly involves piloting skills — “…stands in an upright stance, similar to a wakeboarder, allowing him or her to lean and twist in all directions, while still maintaining a stable stance to brace against the tow forces.” Aaron continued, “The rider is attached to the board via a binding, similar to a snowboard biding, providing a flexible connection to the board.”

If flying a WingBoard sounds a bit nuts to you, how about standing on it while doing so?

As a longtime hang glider pilot I can tell you this is not so very different than modern ultralight-aircraft-tow-launched hang gliding, except the hang glider wing is above the pilot not below him and you fly prone rather than standing. Yet essentially these are very similar and hang gliding enjoys an excellent safety record. A good friend, Malcolm Jones, has operated a hang glider tow park called Wallaby Ranch in central Florida for nearly 25 years. They have done several tens of thousands of tows with very few incidents.

How does Aaron plan to tow his WingBoard?

“A key design feature is the tow rope connection,” he wrote. “A single tow rope [splits into a Y-shape] approximately 10 feet in front of the rider. A lower line connects to the WingBoard, while the upper line goes to a tow bar, which the rider holds. The tow bar is then connected to the rider in a manner similar to a kite surfer, alleviating the loads the rider must bear.”

The hang glider tow crowd learned the hard way to use things like weak links in the tow line to keep pressures from getting too high.” Before a loss of control, a weak link triggers a release under tow, however, this makes me wonder how Aaron will cope with practical problems like this especially when it happens before parachute height.

“WingBoard is controlled via two methods. The primary control input is the rider’s position. Leaning forward and backward changes the angle of the tow rope triangle, thereby altering the WingBoard angle of attack, vertical position behind the tow plane, and amount of lift generated. The rider also leans and rotates to the side to place the board at that angle, using a side component of the lift vector to pull out to one side or the other of the tow plane. In addition to the rider’s position, force sensors in the foot bindings and on the tow bar allow the rider to input additional roll commands. These commands further aid in rolling the WingBoard to the side and also allow for spectacular aileron rolls.”

Aaron seems to have considered safety carefully. He is surely aware of some important things to work out about initial launch but he reports a cadre of high-time test pilots with backgrounds in piloting, skydiving, and wakeboarding.

As Aaron’s team prepares for manned flight, they figure to start with a helicopter-deployed rider and WingBoard. “The helicopter will allow for sufficient height to be obtained before starting testing, allowing the rider to detach and deploy their parachute at any time during the testing should need arise,” explained Aaron. As he learns more, he’ll proceed to fixed wing aircraft of varying description.

Here’s a link to their Phase 3 manned flight plans if you want read further. And if you’re so inspired you can help with crowd funding.

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Icon A5’s use of an Angle of Attack indicator is the best implementation I have used.

Dynon’s SkyView digital instrument has Angle of Attack built in (with a minimal investment in hardware).

Bendix calls their AoA a Lift Reserve indicator, but I don’t find it as intuitive as Icon’s version.

Advanced Flight Systems also offers a digital version of AoA. Do you think you know how to use it properly?

Back in early 2014, Flying magazine online wrote, “There’s an old saying among pilots that ‘airspeed equals life.’ In other words, keep your speed up, and you’ll avoid stalling the wing during critical phases of flight, such as the base-to-final turn. But, that’s a misnomer since the stalling airspeed of a wing will change based on aircraft weight and load factor.”

Many ex-military pilots also insist AoA is a vitally important gauge. Air Force jet jocks are often shocked that civilian pilots are still flying based solely on airspeed.

FAA certainly caught the fever, proclaiming statements similar to this one: “Inadvertent stalls are implicated in almost half of the GA approach and descent accidents.” The implication is that AoA will cure this deathly problem.

Advanced Flight Systems was quoted as saying, “Nearly one-half of Experimental and over one-fourth of certified aircraft fatalities are the result of stalls and spins. The killer-turn from base to final is the leading culprit.”

Wow! You better get an AoA as soon as possible, right? Not so fast.

John Zimmerman, writing on AirFactsJournal.com back in 2013 (whole article here), took a more thoughtful approach to all the AoA buzz. While I see the value of AoA, I thought John summarized the situation well.

He wrote, “Icon’s new AoA instrument (photo) is nice, but it won’t magically make pilots safer. I think that’s hopelessly naive.” John added, “Pilots have to look at the instrument for it to be of any use. In the Asiana 214 crash in San Francisco, the crew managed to ignore the airspeed indicator for a long time, even as it eventually showed them being almost 30 knots slow. Another instrument wouldn’t have prevented this disaster.”

In his article, John referred to the breathless campaigns proclaiming the life-saving potential of AoA instruments. Since loss of control is indeed the number one cause of general aviation accidents, the AoA revolution could be the most important safety innovation in our lifetime, we heard. FAA declared affordable AoA instruments one of its most-wanted safety improvements and AOPA’s Air Safety Institute has enthusiastically supported the cause. However, enthusiasm and federal pressure cannot solve all problems.

“Besides looking at the instrument, pilots have to know how to react to its indications,” John explained. “For the [sport] pilot struggling to log 25 hours in a year, the physical stick and rudder skills may be more important than the recognition skills.”

“Here’s the simple fact that most AoA proponents know, but don’t like to admit: airspeed is a great proxy for AoA most of the time,” continued John. “[Sport] pilots fly in a very small envelope: +/- 10 degrees in pitch and 30 degrees of bank in most cases. Within those boundaries, monitoring airspeed is a perfectly good way to keep from stalling. If you’re doing aerobatics or flying a jet at FL410, an AoA instrument may be essential; in the pattern in a [light plane] it’s not going to tell you much more than the airspeed indicator.”

While I think John makes some excellent points, AoAs do appear to coming to our cockpits. In fact, any Dynon (and other digital instrument brands) already has AoA capability.

My own observation, though actual use, is that AoA indicators require training and acclimatization like any other cockpit instrument. As wonderful as I now find computer screens from SkyView to G3X to an iPad, all took some familiarization. Even that’s not right. I spend hours studying and practicing before I truly began to see all the potential of a glass panel. AoA strikes me as more of the same, albeit somewhat simpler.

I’ve flown quite a few hours with SkyView and for the most part, I ignore the AoA indicator. Airspeed is what I’m most familiar with and on which I primarily rely — that, and plain old seat of the pants flying where I use my senses to avoid getting too slow.

At the Copperstate show last fall, I flew with John McBean in his Kitfox equipped with AoA. He was very familiar with it and used it. I tried with John’s encouragement. Yet seeing my sluggishness at interpreting it, John referred me back to airspeed.

This summer when I flew Icon’s A5 (video pilot report), I found their portrayal of AoA far and away the best. I could actually use it and did so soon after takeoff — admittedly with encouragement and advice from my ex-military demo pilot Craig Bowers — nonetheless, I found it quite useful.

What do you think? Find my post on my Facebook page and add your comments, if you like.

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