Winter is coming, so naturally, it’s time to start thinking about seaplanes… right? It always seems weird to write about water-based activities as frost begins to envelop the northern two-thirds of the country. Yet winter is when all the big boat shows happen because buying new vessels requires advance planning. It’s also pleasant to think about spring and summer while snow flurries fly.
For many years I’ve written about this sector and names like Searey, Seamax, and Aventura (all in nearby image) have long been the leading brands. Now the first two are in financial trouble and the last has decamped to Brazil from Florida. Whatever is going on, Vickers Wave may represent a breath of fresh air.
In articles last fall and this spring, I gave overviews of the entire LSA seaplane market (read here or here).
Vickers Wave Update
Vickers previously noted, “Wave has finished its flight testing, resulting in a 120-knot cruise and useful load of 750 pounds powered by a Rotax 916iS (reviewed here).”
“A frequently asked question I receive is, ‘What is taking so long?’,” begins Paul Vickers.
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Where Are We On Unleaded Avgas?
Industry wide progress on a so-called drop-in replacement for high-octane avgas always seems to go in fits and starts. Lots of noise then a period of silence. Is anyone actually doing something on this, you may ask? The answer is most definitely yes, but the recent news has come more in dribs and drabs than the full-firehose effect we expect around the major airshows.
But let’s start here. The other shoe dropped on the sale of leaded avgas in California. There had been a legal agreement (a consent decree) that depended on the availability of an alternative to 100LL but now the transition is being forced by new legislation signed into law this month that “would prohibit an airport operator or aviation retail establishment, as defined, from selling, distributing, or otherwise making available leaded aviation gasoline to consumers on or after January 1, 2031.” Coincidentally, the End Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) program has as its goal a replacement in place by the end of 2030.
A Multicopter Current Pilots Might Enjoy? …Developed Within Our LSA Industry
Here’s a helicopter-like aircraft you might actually consider. I have often reviewed what I call multicopters (several articles). I searched for aircraft you might fly for fun; several of them can enjoy the freedom and special benefits of Part 103. I’ve stayed away from commercial “air taxi” projects.
But what if a longtime producer of Light-Sport Aircraft entered the space? What if the aircraft looked like a helicopter but one you could fly without the steep learning curve? What if it offered 45 minutes of flight with a 15-minute reserve?
The earliest entries had short flight times, 15-20 minutes. Most of them cost too much. For example, Opener’s Blackfly (now called Helix) was first promoted at the cost of a “luxury SUV,” perhaps meaning $80,000 at the time. It has since more than doubled in price.
You may doubt or dislike these flying machines, especially when you don’t know the people behind the projects.
Flight Design Increases F2 Production — Moves CT-Series
As we Floridians prepare to face Hurricane Milton starting later today, I’m pleased to give an update on one of our leading companies in the LSA space. I refer to Flight Design, which gained fame for the enviable success of its CT-series aircraft (CT2K, CTSW, CTLS, CTLSi, CT Super). In the United States, more of these models fly as LSA than aircraft from any other brand.
In the USA, importing Flight Design aircraft is now handled by Airtime Aviation, a leader in its own right. For two decades, Airtime has been the nation’s #1 seller of Light-Sport Aircraft, delivering to American pilots a large percentage of those hundreds of CT-series aircraft. Importing was previously handled by Flight Design USA; regional dealers also contributed to enlarging the CT fleet in this country. The German designer has enjoyed good success in numerous countries.
In addition to those many sales, Flight Design has long been a leader among western producers moving into Eastern Europe to take advantage of skilled technical workers and engineers.
FAR Revisions to Fix the “LODA Problem”
The FAA has published a glut of rule changes affecting CFR Part 1, 11, 61 and 91 regulations that affect, among other things, pilot privileges across a wide range of activities. But for owners of Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft, the best news is the rescinding of the so-called LODA rule. Recall that in 2021, the FAA changed its stance on owners getting flight instruction in their own homebuilts, which resulted in the need for a “letter of deviation authority.” The FAA, to its credit, quickly came up with a system to issue LODAs to owners and flight instructors, but the underlying requirement flew in the face of precedent.
The FAA takes this explanation further in today’s ruling published in the Federal Register and to become effective December 2, 2024. “Previously, §§ 91.315, 91.319, and 91.325 generally prohibited flight training, checking, and testing when compensation is provided. In 2020, the FAA issued Warbird Adventures, Inc.
Flying Clubs as Another Route to Affordable Aviation
In the previous article, I explained how high levels of flight activity can make access more affordable and, for most people, how that would likely be achieved only through some form of shared ownership/use. The use of the term “shared ownership/use” is deliberate because not everybody really wants or feels the need to “own” something they use but, perhaps, believes that there is no other realistic or safe alternative.
This article is based on a close examination of the reasons people give for not being open to any form of sharing and looking at how those barriers might be removed. It will also try to address the second, less discussed, part of affordability, which is “accessibility” to shared use aircraft. There is little benefit to being able to afford what does not, essentially, exist. A good, but somewhat parallel, example of this has been the original iteration of Light Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot Licenses.
MAXed Out — Popular Mt. Vernon, IL Show Reveals Dozens of Aircraft, Sets New Records
Like X (formerly Twitter), my favorite fall airshow has altered its name. Actually, it changed subtly over 16 years of operation but is now called the Midwest Aviation Expo, or MAX.
The major airshows have changed, too. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh was formally just “Oshkosh,” unless you live in Oshkosh, in which case it’s merely “EAA.” In Lakeland, Florida, Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo is widely known simply as “Sun ‘n Fun.” Few pilots will use the longer title.
MAX is Midwest Aviation Expo. Maybe it took 16 years, but that is one snazzy, snappy marketing handle for the main event of the light aviation crowd. The big shows apparently like long, descriptive, all-inclusive names, but “MAX” handily outshines them, IMHO.
MAX 2024
A few aircraft vendors who committed to exhibit space have challenges arriving each year. That happens at the big shows, too. MAX follows AirVenture by a month and the huge Wisconsin event strains both staff energy and company finances.
Superlight… Aircraft that Weigh Less than You Do and Are More Affordable
My title avoided the word “ultralight” even if these two aircraft qualify. The American entry can readily fit FAA’s Part 103 as an Ultralight Vehicle, freeing the pilot from having to register the aircraft, or have a pilot certificate, or possess any sort of “medical” to fly it.
The French entry cannot qualify as a Part 103 but I find it surprising this super lightweight machine is a two seater and can be electric-powered. It is not available in the USA at this time but the brand once had a strong American presence. I owned one of their light trikes myself a couple decades back. Here’s a full review from 2004.
Welcome to brief reviews of two very light weight-shift aircraft, North Wing’s SkyMax and La Mouette’s Samson. (La Mouette is French for seagull.)
That these two are also more affordable may come to the rescue of budgets under assault by persistent inflation.
Flying the Stampe SV4-RS — Your Modern Biplane
I’d seen the full-size Stampe SV4-RS replica at AERO a few weeks previously, and it really put a hook in me. I was fortunate enough to fly a Stampe several years ago and was very impressed—it being greatly superior to the DH Tiger Moth, with which it is often confused. Of course, even the youngest Stampe is still 69 years old, and they require a lot of maintenance. Spares for the original Renault engine in particular are getting rare, the strength of the wooden fuselage can be compromised from decades of oil being splattered across it and the metal fixtures and fittings are far from the first flush of youth. These are old aircraft and they require a lot of looking after. Indeed, the reason why such aircraft (and cars and motorbikes of a similar vintage) are often referred to as “collector’s machines” is that you often need someone following along behind collecting up all the pieces that have fallen off!
Shared Ownership — A Route To “Affordable Aviation”
I was inspired to write this article by a comment made on a previous article I wrote on MOSAIC. I had indicated that MOSAIC had the potential to bring new aircraft to market at half the price of current legacy offerings. The commenter made the point that even at half the price, this would still not make it inherently “affordable” to most people.
This topic will be covered in two articles. The first will discuss how shared ownership is able to bring down the costs of accessing an airplane and thus, making it potentially more affordable to a wider pilot demographic. The second article will detail two proposals on how some form of shared ownership could be expanded into a regional or national model.
How the Numbers Add Up
Affordability is really not a single quantifiable number that can be used to judge a product. There are simply too many other factors such as income, lifestyle and geographical location that have to be taken into account while, of course, no two people see their life priorities the same way.
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