ByDanJohnson.com

image courtesy Pipistrel 

photo courtesy Dan Johnson

photo courtesy Dynon Avionics

photo courtesy Sebring Expo

Flight Design CTLE photo courtesy Flight Design

|||| News travels fast these days: Just ask Herman Cain. New tech net scraper Gizmag just ran a blurb on the Pipistrel Alpha that I covered earlier. Gizmag’s focus is on Alpha’s low cost, which as they note is less than €60,000 (currently about $80,000). *** Now consider this: if the euro continues to go through its troubles and drops further against the dollar, imagine a quality SLSA, like the Alpha promises to be (it’s based on a years-proven design — the Vinus/Sinus — with hundreds now delivered), priced at, perhaps, $70,000. For all of us who’ve decried the high costs of LSA, might this be the price point/airplane that would help break the LSA sales logjam? |||| Dynon plans Hands-On SkyView Training at Sebring. Who among us hasn’t sat for the first time in a new LSA and felt brain overload when confronted with an unfamiliar EFIS display? *** One of my initial — and most stressful — challenges during my Sport Pilot training was figuring out where to look and how to work those info-jammed screens while also getting to know the airplane. Helping out with that comes a promising and much needed program, to debut at next month’s Sebring Light Sport Expo. (That’s right, kids, Sebring is just around the corner… more on that below). *** Dynon Avionics will offer free courses on how to wrangle the SkyView, its runaway hit EFIS display. *** The 3.5-hour classes will be held all four mornings and the first three afternoons at Sebring. Working SkyViews will be set up so people can get some real hands-on tutoring without having to RTFM (Read The Freakin’ Manual, which apparently only 1.4% of the U.S. population can abide). *** Class size will be limited to the first 15 people who sign up. The classes will be held at the nearby (like, walking distance from the show) Chateau Elan Hotel and Conference Center. *** Kirk Kleinholz, CFII and SkyView expert, will handle the professorial duties. This first set of classes will be free: ongoing classes will have a fee, so get in there, pilots, and sign up! |||| Sebring Expo Looms! Yes chilluns, the big winter LSA show is truly stepping it up this year, with a much-ballyhooed new presence and a much bigger feel, judging by the number of promo emails I’ve gotten for months now. Rather than rehash the 2012 offerings, just go Sebring’s website. *** Alright, just a couple teasers, I can’t resist (and I can’t wait to get down there myself!): ••• “Exotic” vacation packages will be auctioned ••• Registered exhibitors include Flight Design, which will bring its CTLE law enforcement special ••• NASA Green Flight Challenge winner Pipistrel will bring several models (alas, not the winning electric one-off Taurus Electro G4) and, ••• the EAA Piper Cub J3 Sweepstakes contest airplane is expected to be on display. Y’all get your tickets now, hear? ••• EAA’s new head man Rod Hightower will give a presentation at the annual LAMA Dinner. ••• Tons of events, factory and general demo flights and lots more to look forward. *** Did I say I can’t wait? Now if only winter would truly arrive in the northeast (it’s 58 degrees again today!) I’ll have even more motivation to jet southward — not that Sebring leaves any need for that — this is simply the biggest all-LSA event in the country.

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J. Guy Reynolds about to do his thing. photo courtesy The Journal

Evektor SportStar.  photo courtesywww.lightsportaircraft.ca

Here’s a story to give us all some cheer as we slide into final on the Holiday Season. *** An article in Martinsburg, West Virginia’s The Journal newspaper chronicles the exploits of one T. Guy Reynolds Jr. , a local pilot who just celebrated his birthday by spreading his wings in his Evektor SportStar. *** “No big deal”, you say? Ah, but this gentleman is one year shy of being a centenarian …that’s right, he just turned 99 years old! That makes him, says the article penned by John McVey, likely the oldest pilot in the state. *** And we have to ask …maybe the nation? *** “I wanted to fly on my 99th birthday,” he said. “I enjoy it, and my airplane is very nice to fly.” *** The SportStar model was the first to win ASTM approval back in 2005 as a legal SLSA and continues in its latest iteration as the Harmony…my flight report is due out in the next issue of the magazine. *** Evektor’s airplanes appeal to pilots like Mr. Reynolds with long aviation backgrounds, since it’s a familiar, mostly-metal airframe with good long range legs and comfortable interior to back it up …these things get more important as we get older! I’ve logged around 30 hours in the Evektor Max and its successor Harmony so I’m more expert on this subject than many …it’s an excellent long-leg airplane for the posterior regions. *** The article goes on to report that Mr. Reynolds began flying, in a Ford Tri-Motor, before most of us were even glints in our parent’s eyes: in 1929! He founded Martinsburg’s Civil Air Patrol squadron and was its first commander in 1943. Taking on challenges late in life seem to be a habit …Reynolds had in fact laid off flying in the mid-’50s in order to raise a family and didn’t resume until 2004 …at age 92. *** He made his first parachute jump on the day he turned 93. What a Guy! *** “I keep very positive — that’s how I’ve lived so long. I’m still happy and thank God for that every day.” *** Happy Birthday to you, sir!

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EAA President Rod Hightower will address some 300 LSA professionals the LAMA Dinner. photo courtesy EAA

Industry association LAMA will hold its fifth annual LAMA Dinner on opening day evening at the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo.

“I’m of mixed feelings over this,” express many Light-Sport Aircraft industry participants who have caused my phone to ring regularly since late September *. That’s when EAA and AOPA came together to address requests from some members for a driver’s license “medical,” which would allow aviators with certificates beyond Sport Pilot to fly GA aircraft with clearly defined limitations without the need for an FAA medical. *** In the weeks that followed the announcement, numerous LSA professionals have expressed dismay with the initiative. A dozen cancelled sales have been reported and that is not likely to represent the whole picture. A common complaint is the industry was unaware of the plan announcement until just before it was made; no discussion occurred between the member organizations and the LSA industry. *** For the record… work to formulate a written proposal to FAA is underway; a date for presentation to the agency has not been announced. Many Light-Sport business people appear concerned that the initiative challenges head-on the most compelling sales tool for LSA sellers, specifically, the lack of requirement for an FAA medical. While Light-Sport Aircraft have many other positive qualities that will aid sales — lower prices, lower fuel use, less noise, roomier cockpits, modern technology, etc. — nonetheless losing the #1 selling reason has caused considerable angst among those who have invested years of their time and substantial amounts of money to build the LSA industry. While many are conflicted, others are just confused. *** One intriguing question that just arose regards a new Sport Pilot who may wish to fly a four-seat GA aircraft (with no more than two persons on board, among other limitations). Does the Sport Pilot presently in training have to get a medical (part of the Private Pilot application process) to be able to solo a Cessna 172 or equivalent? Also, the Private certificate demands night and instrument training even though neither kind of flying can be done under the EAA/AOPA proposed initiative. Must a Sport Pilot pay for training to acquire those skills even though they cannot use them (without a medical)? *** These questions and more might be asked of EAA president Rod Hightower, who has agreed to come speak to LSA professionals at the Fifth Annual LAMA Dinner at the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo (the LAMA Dinner is not open to the public; only to people in the LSA business). The timing should be good as the Sebring LSA Expo is moving swiftly toward a full engagement. On a recent Sebring visit with new Director Jana Filip, we observed only six aircraft display spaces remain available with two months to go. The event appears in good health as it prepares to launch the 2012 calendar year.

Update 12/5/11 — For more info on the subject of the EAA/AOPA proposal, I invite you to listen to AvWeb’s podcast. —DJ

* The mixed feeling comes as many LSA pros generally believe FAA ought to relax the medical requirement (as do EAA and AOPA members, according to the associations). Most agree that having to obtain a medical adds another barrier to student starts without substantially helping safety. Yet after businesspeople invested significantly in creating an LSA industry, a successful EAA/AOPA plan could install a major obstacle to LSA sales. Neither organization is guaranteeing success with their initiative, though they have addressed reasons that caused it to fail on several earlier attempts.

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Yours Truly scaring the crap out of hisself

SALSA’s Rand Vollmer and the components for his soon to be built Sinus motorglider…

…which will look like this!

Taurus self-launching motorglider; also comes electric powered!

(Note to my readers: the first part of this tome is just below) *** So here I was in Slovenia, unable to fly and three more days before I could return to my wife in Hamburg, unless I wanted to pay another $200 to change the flight. Modern air travel, what a concept. *** Undaunted and determined to enjoy my first visit to this lovely country after two days in bed with a virus (the physical kind, not the airplane), I crawled back into the light and joined up with Rand for a thoroughly enjoyable factory tour, courtesy of Ivo’s daughter Taya (she’s also a partner in the firm), who speaks very good English indeed and gave us a very informative and enjoyable peek at how the company does it’s day-to-day.And what a factory! High tech geothermal heat, solar power (enough to run the entire factory year round, and sell excess back to the grid) and open, sunny, airy spaces all make for a wonderful working environment. *** Then Ivo invited Rand and me to join him and the entire Pipistrel crew for a “team building” weekend trip. We followed the bus jammed full of Pipistrelians east for a couple hours and found ourselves in the middle of one of those ropes course-like facilities meant to scare the bejeezus out of people. It’s a fair-weather season facility that lives atop a ski area in eastern Slovenia. *** Now remember, I was just out of a sick bed and still pretty wobbly. And when I saw that the first task my teammates and I would have to perform was climbing up a 10 meter wooden pole (that’s 33 feet, folks), lumberjack style (albeit safely belayed by ropes carabinered to a body harness), and then stand up on top of said pole, I got a tad wobblier. *** The flat top of that pole was about as big around as a medium-sized pancake, maybe 9″ in diameter, 10″ at the most.  *** Are you kidding me? *** After attaining that precarious perch (and not everybody did), to get max points for the team, we then had to gingerly pussyfoot our feet around on top of the pole until facing in the opposite direction. Then we could take a leap of faith into space, expecting/trusting/hoping like hell we’d be safely arrested and lowered to the ground by our teammates who held the lifeline ropes. *** Let me tell you right now: a 33-foot tall pole is an excellent harmonic device for magnifying the timid, overcorrecting uncertainties of your thigh muscle/knee joint mechanisms. *** Let me say it another way: the more you shake, the more that damn pole gyrates at the top, like a plate spinner gyrating a plate atop a long stick…and you the plate! *** So brother, you haven’t lived until you’ve stood on top of an oscillating pole, willing your legs (unsuccessfully) to stop quavering and unsuccessfully trying to convince your body to believe what your mind knows: that you’re safely backed up by the rope harness…and that your teammates are paying attention. Looking down from almost forty feet (bugged-out eyeball elevation) to see your big boots completely eclipsing that pancake-sized pole top and, in the vast distance beyond those boots, the foreshortened bodies of people’s little white heads as they look up at you to shout encouragement (in Slovenian), is one of those “WTF am I doing here?” moments in life that shouldn’t be missed. *** The purpose of the weekend trip of course was to give people who work so diligently together a chance to share some bonhomie away from the factory, which no one seemed to have any problem with at all. The Pips are a very friendly crew indeed. Traveling out of country is great…even when you don’t get to fly a single minute. And spending that day with the crew, facing some other fun team challenges together, knocking back more than one glass of blueberry schnapps, sharing meals and tasting wine, feeling the warmth, good cheer and open amiability of all, watching groups at different tables at an ancient Slovenian winery dinner burst into song, made me wish for a spirit of nationality and camaraderie that seems missing on the American scene these days. *** Anyway, no, I don’t yet have a single Pipistrel flight story to share (other than the Virus I wrote up after Oshkosh which should be out in the mag very soon.) *** But I do plan on getting my Private Pilot motorglider rating this winter, and escape the New England snows in the process: Rand and I hope to enlist Jim Lee of Phoenix Air USA, who impressed everyone with the Phoenix motorglider’s 47 mpg performance at the GFC on conventional fuel power, to take us through the training down in Florida. We’ll fly Rand’s 40-foot Sinus Touring Motorglider and I for one, shoveling the wet snow from our upstate New York Halloween porch just a few days ago, muttering “disgusting” to myself the entire time, can hardly wait to head south and strap on that sleek, beautiful airplane. *** Meanwhile, keep your eyes on Pipistrel. They’ve got a lot of excitement coming down the taxiway.  *** En route, I’ll be looking at the virtues of getting your private pilot glider rating down the road too, since it automatically removes a lot of the Sport Pilot restrictions (10,000 altitude max for instance) with very little additional effort…and you don’t need a medical to fly a glider either…even a motorized glider with retractable gear. Not a lot of pilots are fully aware of that, so we’ll be kicking it around once I start my training. *** Meanwhile here’s Jim Lee’s treatise on how to fly a glider without a medical certificate…or even a driver’s license! Of course as always, and as Jim notes, we want to be sure we self-certify that we are indeed fit to fly.

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Calin Gologan is the man behind PC-Aero’s Electra One that impressed AirVenture 2011 visitors. The design has also been shown on tricycle gear.

Sonex has been putting heart and soul (and a good measure of cash) into their eAirplane, which debuted in 2007.

Another eAirplane in development is the Alternair Amp.

A wide range of people sat in a room used all day long by the ASTM Committee that develops the LSA certificate standards. Apparently sitting in a room all day — while the sun shown brightly and the flying would have been great — was not enough punishment for this hard working crowd. Indeed, nearly 30 persons willingly stayed into the evening. What drove such dedication? Electric-powered aircraft. *** The G-30 assembled to work at forming the Electric Aircraft Development Alliance (EADA), a brand new industry organization specifically aimed at electric-powered aircraft. Representatives came from Sikorsky, Yuneec, Pipistrel, Sonex, Alternair, Electra One, Cessna, Bye Aerospace, Lockwood Aircraft, Embry Riddle, FAA, EASA, LAMA, and others. LEAP, the Lindbergh organization, lent energy to help assemble the group and, indeed, they drew a number of people that had not traveled to Tampa, Florida for the ASTM meeting. *** Passion was on display as individuals spoke strongly about the need for an industry organization and how to bring it to reality. The brain trust in the meeting saw many potential applications for electric power from leisure aviation to military (for duties such as surveillance) to air transport. Yet for now, the focus is on Light-Sport Aircraft and on true Part 103 ultralights, the latter being viable electric aircraft today. Yes, you can go out and buy and fly a pure electric Part 103 ultralight now from
Electra Flyer. Does it seem too far out to you, especially those readers that will not consider an ultralight? *** Perhaps, but celebrated developer Calin Gologan grasped the charm and appeal of Part 103 and stated that he plans to bring a legal Part 103 Electra One — with batteries counted in the tight 254-pound limit and meeting Part 103’s speed and other parameters — possibly by May 2012. I quizzed him to be sure he meant total empty weight of 254 pounds includes the battery. He did and this will deliver a 20-minute flight under power. However, with a great glide (30:1) and with solar collectors to recharge the batteries, 20 minutes of power could yield hours of flying. Now this aircraft will be a more expensive choice (beyond $100,000) but it is different than most Part 103 aircraft as it has a full fuselage and enclosure plus composite structure. Even a small number of buyers would allow Gologan to collect data valuable to further prove the electric concept to regulators and others. *** Calin observed that while battery development continues, airframe and motor investigations should continue. Assuming batteries evolve that store plenty of power and charge quickly, it would be a shame if the aircraft or if regulation development fell behind and had to be rushed once the batteries were ready. Thus, Calin feels these should be parallel investigations perhaps compared to the great chef who prepares a meal such that it can be served at one time. *** Part 103 aircraft require no pilot license, no medical, and no N-numbers. Aircraft can be sold ready to fly. A few buyers intrigued by electric flight could choose the Part 103 Electra One and enjoy high-tech electric-powered flying in a “real” aircraft in the very near term. Those early adopters would be contributing to the development of electric airplanes. It’s an exciting time in aviation.

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The winnah! Pipistrel’s Taurus Electro G4. photo courtesy Pipistrel

Up to the Challenge: eGenius takes flight.  photo courtesy NASA

Posting from Istanbul, Turkey where I’m on vacation with my family, but just couldn’t wait another day to talk a bit about what most everybody in aviation’s been talking about these last several days: the CAFE Green Flight Challenge (GFC). *** History was made when the Pipistrel Taurus Electro G4 twin-fuselage electric-powered aircraft carried four adults, around 1000 lbs. of batteries, one electric motor with a bit prop, and a lot of engineering and piloting savvy to victory in the GFC. They earned themselves $1.35 million in the process. Huge and well-deserved congratulations to Pipistrel!But for my money, the deeper story is not just that they flew off with the biggest aviation dollar prize ever, or even that they accomplished the task of flying 200 miles on one battery charge while also averaging more than 100 mph for the entire flight, or that they did it while “burning” the equivalent of 1 gallon of gas per passenger, or four gallons total…but…that they accomplished all that yet consumed the equivalent of around 1/2 gallon of gas per passenger! *** Looked at another way, they took off with full “tanks”, and landed with just a bit less than the electricity equivalent of half a tank of gas. *** And get this: The eGenius entry had similar economy numbers, though it used a very different design approach, using a conventional motorglider planform, albeit with a tail mounted motor to afford a larger, more efficient prop. Also, it flew with two, not four, people onboard. *** So here we have two teams with different aerodynamic approaches that both met the challenge, and met it easily. *** And as soon as they release numbers on the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Eco Eagle, I’ll post them too, as the ERAU team also flew but as a demonstration flight — they were disqualified from competition for a couple technicalities. *** But here’s the deal, restated from my last post: at least two, and possibly three of the entrants didn’t just meet the task: they killed it! *** Here are the official numbers: e- Genius (which won the second place prize of $120,000 as well as the Lindbergh LEAP award of $10,000 for quietest aircraft) tallied 375.8 passenger miles per gallon. *** And the G-4? An astounding 403.5 passenger miles per gallon! *** That is nothing less than stunning. *** Electric flight is here.Yes, battery tech needs to keep advancing, and dramatically, to bring e-flight into the mainstream GA hangar. But the GFC proves that the page has been turned. From here on in, it’s a race to market affordable, practical electric airplanes. *** As Eric Lindbergh, Lucky Lindy’s grandson, said recently, the first company to make a viable electric trainer will usher in the new age. The G4 accomplished its victory on around $7 worth of electricity. Imagine the rental/training cost of an e-trainer being $125…or $135 “wet”. Kinda funny. *** Dr. Calin Gologan, the Romanian designer of the PC Aero Elektra One, which won the LEAP award this year at Oshkosh, believes battery efficiency (expressed as energy density) will improve by 11% per year. In 9 years, that’s double what we have today. Anybody want to bet it won’t happen faster than that? *** Lest we forget, kudos and bravissimos to Pipistrel, the eGenius team, the Embry Riddle team which converted a Stemme motorglider, to Jim Lee, who entered the contest with a conventionally powered Phoenix motorglider (I’m looking forward to seeing his numbers too), and all the others who originally entered but couldn’t quite make it to the starting line. *** They all have their place in history, and all mark the beginning days of a tide that will change aviation forever. *** Look for my just-submitted story on electric flight in the upcoming December issue of Plane & Pilot, which hits the stands in Nov. *** Meanwhile, check out this video of the event’s highlights.

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AKOYA artist’s rendering…but the airplane is flying. Photos courtesy LISA

Spacey interior…maybe AKOYA and ICON’s A5 can go on a date. 

Skis…wheels…water…what’s not to like?

Some bright minds at LISA Airplanes, a French company, had a great idea to take the hydrofoil concept and apply it to an LSA seaplane. I’d often wondered why hydrofoils haven’t been done before, it’s such a great concept.Anyway, the airplane is the AKOYA. The technology for the entire package is patented and called Multi-Access, not the most sizzling name but what the hey, look at how cool those little moustache water wings look sticking out from the hull! *** Now get this: the company claims AKOYA operates as easily from land as from water…or snow! First, to those water wings sticking out: they’re called Seafoils, a trademarked name, which adds a little more marketing sizzle to this steak. *** They’re connected to a retractable gear that can be rigged with wheels or skis, I guess, and also to motor-driven, pivoting wings! There’s also a chute onboard. Very neat. *** LISA Airplanes _ AKOYA premiere from LISA Airplanes on Vimeo. *** The airplane is spec’d out at 18.5 gallons yet can fly 680 miles at 110 knots! No restrictions to local pond hopping for this seabird. *** Gérald Ducoin, a test pilot who flew the plane, praises the revolutionary Seafoils which “offer both fast lift-off and stability. They also considerably simplify landing manevers and taking off from water.”With a 100 hp Rotax, the company claims a 650 foot take/landing distance. *** The company is clearnly not worried about it’s high price: €300,000! That’s Euros, cousins, not greenbacks. *** I hasten to add that LISA will throw in pilot training for all three modes of landing, “personalization” of the airplane, and three years of maintenance and full-time customer assistance. *** The more this LSA phenomenon grows, the more interesting it gets.AKOYA is in flight test mode in France and announces it expects to get LSA certification by mid-2012. 

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