In April, lots of readers were clearly pleased with the “Vintage Ultralights” series. Thanks to our cooperation with Videoman Dave and his popular YouTube channel, we were able to present ten well-proven aircraft that could be purchased for well under $10,000 …assuming you could find one that met your needs and passed a careful inspection.
Bargains may not be the easiest aircraft to find and buy yet the effort can pay off with a flying machine allowed by your budget and which can bring a smile to your face. That seems worth the search.
However, our 10-aircraft review was not exhaustive. Even more choices are available! Some very modestly priced aircraft — Legal Eagle is one of several (yes, several!) possibilities — are available as a new aircraft purchases for a fairly small amount of money. Another is Hummel Aviation’s UltraCruiser (see lots of links below).
Search Results for : vintage
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.
Light-Sport Aircraft News: Oshkosh? E-Fan Ends! 1Q20 Numbers, Sling Academy, Refreshed EMS
In the rush of coverage of Vintage Ultralights and other late-breaking stories such as the Blackwing speed record, I had to set aside a few news items. Here’s a catch-up…
I am pleased to serve a need for news during a month when we should have been covering Sun ‘n Fun and Aero Friedrichshafen. As everyone knows, those events are now rescheduled for 2021, both as a result of the global lockdown that has affected hundreds of other events.
You hardly need any more coverage of the coronavirus craziness so let’s get to aviation news and take a small break from these worldwide events. But first…
Oshkosh — Go or No/Go?
It has become one of the most-asked question in aviation. Will the big summer celebration of flight happen or go the way of every other airshow this year?
Return of An Old Favorite — Carlson Sparrow May Appear at Oshkosh 2020
Having celebrated the inventiveness of ultralight designer Wayne Ison in the last post, it seems quite appropriate to recognize another, Ernie Carlson. Does that ring a bell for you? One hopes.
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.
I won’t say they’ve been lost to pilots but they’ve been hiding. Now, out of the history books will return the Sparrow, thanks to David Cooper, the man behind Team Mini-Max. Our tenth of ten Vintage Ultralights featured his work and below you can see a video interview with him below talking about the Mini-Max line that he is also keeping alive and well.
Carlson Sparrow And Friends
“With the help of a couple partners we bought the Carlson Sparrow company. It will still carry the four designs they created and will be located next door to Team Mini-Max LLC in Niles, Michigan,” advised David.
Sun ‘n Fun Day 5 …Wrap Up — Cub and Mother; Sopwith Camel Replica, Father of Ultralight Aircraft
Sun ‘n Fun is over. While staff, tent vendors and more have plenty of work to do, customers and vendors have all vacated the area, scattering off across the USA as they return to base.
Some have a new airplane. Numerous vendors reported solid sales during the show. Pilots liked what they saw and a good economy is powering activity. I will follow up with a show summary soon.
Following I have three more short stories. However, watch for dozens of new videos from Light Sport and Ultralight Flyer on YouTube and I will have further reporting from material gathered at Sun ‘n Fun 2019.
MOAC — “Tweety” got mine and lots of well-deserved attention (photo), being the very first airplane American Legend produced, back in 2005. The original aircraft was on display at Sun ‘n Fun. Since the company has since registered 226 aircraft, Tweety launched quite a good run.
Continental Motors Becomes Continental Aerospace Technologies — Much is New
A few years ago, I visited Continental Motors in Mobile Alabama on the Gulf coast of the southern U.S. state.
Here’s what I wrote about that tour. The factory was a World War II-vintage facility. I saw many new CNC machines and they were humming with activity. I also saw acres of the earlier generation of engine-manufacturing equipment. Nearly all of this hardware was idle even as it occupied large amounts of space. Times have changed. Continental changed, too, but the old tooling still rested in position
Now, that is changing. Last year the company announced their new “green field” construction project, one of the largest in the state. It was clear that …well, let’s hear how the company describes it.
“This Is a New Dawn”
“We’re proud to introduce you to the new name and brand identity of a company that has been a major leader in the world of aviation for over 110 years.” said Continental.
Hit the Books! Too Cold to Fly? How About a Good Read? Here’s Two Choices…
UPDATE 12/20/18 — Video added regarding the second book below. See at bottom of post…
Unlike most aviation outlets, I’ve refrained from putting out a Christmas gift guide for pilots. I prefer to stick closely to aircraft as that’s what you pilots want the most. I learned this lesson many years ago when I starting writing light airplane reviews and found a market that lead to this website.
However, as a content creator I admire the work of other writers and in this post I have a couple for your consideration. Possible Christmas gifts or otherwise, these offer good wintertime reading when the snow flies and temperatures drop below freezing.
Electric Airplanes and Drones
Not many years ago, such a title would have provoked raised eyebrows or confusion. We didn’t have any electric airplanes until around 2007 when Randall Fishman showed up at Oshkosh with his very credible single place (Part 103) trike ultralight powered by battery-supplied electric motors.
Holy Batcopter! …to the Rescue? No, But How About to Sebring 2018?
Amazingly, “Holy Batcopter!” was not one of the 368 different “Holy…” exclamations uttered by the Robin character in the 1960s TV series. The iconic Bell 47 chopper — without Robin or Batman — will make an appearance at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in just a couple weeks. The event runs January 24-27 this year.
“Relive the 1960’s era at Sebring’s Aviation Expo with a ride on the original N3079G Batcopter from the Batman TV series,” encouraged promoters of the 14-year-old event.
In 1996, pilot Eugene Nock bought the famous helicopter, which was used in the 1966 “Batman” movie and several TV shows.
“What we have is an icon in the aviation world as well as the collectable toy world,” Nock said. “It is a one-of-a-kind aircraft, absolutely internationally recognized.”
That’s why Nock — an airline transport pilot who has logged more than 14,000 hours — will be flying this vintage flying machine at the upcoming Sebring Expo.
Just Aircraft …No “Just” About It. SuperSTOL Leaps Aloft.
CubCrafters now leads the field for Special LSA (see this report to learn more) thanks significantly to their early installation of the 180 horsepower Titan engine. Outback Shock is starting making waves in the sky with their impressive entry. Outback with Shock options is sold in America by SportairUSA.
Both these companies are to be congratulated for advancing the light aircraft field, but one aircraft really lit this space on fire: Just Aircraft and their ground-breaking SuperSTOL. Just Aircraft went beyond vintage appeal by extending SuperSTOL ability with several distinctive features.
“The dual slatted wing significantly enhanced performance and slow flight control,” said design engineer Troy Woodland. His SuperSTOL wing design incorporates self-deploying leading edge slats and wide span Fowler flaps to increase stall range. SuperSTOL also uses vortex generators to further stretch slow flight performance and handling (photo).
“This provides access to considerably more off-airport landing sites, making the SuperSTOL one of the most versatile backcountry machines out there,” Troy added.
SportairUSA
SportairUSA is a pioneering LSA distributor featuring the top-performing STOL, the Savage Nomad Shock Ultra, and Z~Floats—amphibious floats for light aircraft. It is a full-line, mid-America operation providing LSA & Part 23 airframe, engine & prop maintenance, repair and avionics.
Legend Cub Continues to (Slowly) Tear Up the Skies
At last fall’s inaugural DeLand Showcase event, I got a chance to fly Legend Cub on their own Legend Floats. I’ve interviewed Legend folks about this model, but flying one was still on my to-do list.
American Legend Aircraft Company was one of the very first in the Light-Sport Aircraft business and they’ve now fleshed out their product line of pretty yellow taildraggers… though, of course, they don’t have to be painted yellow even if almost everyone orders them this way. I guess it’s a vintage look thing, but I’m here to tell you these Cubalikes are nothing like your granddad’s Piper Cub (thank goodness, as Legend has made many desirable improvements).
One of the biggest changes is the wide variety of engines this company has offered. They started with the Continental Motors‘ venerable 100-horsepower O-200, added the 120-horsepower Jabiru 3300 six cylinder model, then tapped the 115-horsepower Lycoming O-233, and now Legend offers the mighty 180-horsepower Titan, offered these days by Continental following their acquisition of ECi of Texas.
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- …
- 12
- Next Page »