ByDanJohnson.com

The Icon A5 made a big splash, you should excuse the pun, at last year’s Oshkosh Airventure. The high-profile marketing campaign posits that there’s a whole generation of high-energy recreational enthusiasts looking to own their own flying motorcycle/jet ski, and they’re putting up some hefty investment capital to back up their vision. *** The company took another major step toward finding out whether that vision has legs when ICON Aircraft founder and CEO Kirk Hawkins made his first flight in the prototype on March 11, 2009, as part of the company’s user trials. The flight took place at Lake Isabella in Kern County, CA, site of 45 earlier test hops. *** “I walked into the test flight completely focused on evaluating the aircraft as a potential customer,” said Hawkins. “As an experienced pilot who’s flown everything from ultralights to fighter jets, I expected my reaction to be, ”˜Yep, it flies just like I expected. Good job,’ said Hawkins. “I think my first comment after the ground crew opened the canopy was, “Wow! This thing rocks! I may have just had as much fun flying as I’ve ever had.” *** You can find out more about the ICON A5 and the high profile company behind it here. *** ICON says flight testing of the prototype will continue through 2009 with deliveries targeted for late 2010.

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—Robert Wood, chairman of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo that puts on the event, announced at the LAMA manufacturer’s dinner tonight that the attendance for opening day was the best Thursday in the five-year event’s history. *** —Take that, bad economy!

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Wheeling along in butter-smooth air with Bill Canino in a Sting Sport S3, the gorgeous sunset world outside spins around us like a giant golden ball. Up into lazy wingovers, letting go of the stick, sliding down the long slide as the airplane builds up speed, eases itself out of the roll, smooth and quiet as a dream, and we feel that timeless joy that comes with true freedom. Then smooth easy back pressure, easing the stick over into another wingover the other way, and up and up we swing. The TruTrak EFIS shows our speed dropping like leaves on a windy day…90…80…70…60. We let the airplane have it’s moment and down the nose slides again and we start all over, the golden/orange/gray blue sky and deep shadowed earth below swinging around the big clear bubble of our canopy like your best girl in a grand waltz. *** —At end of the day, this is one of the reasons, maybe the best reason, why we fly light sport aircraft: for the pure joyful freedom of a dance through the sky.

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After a mad dash home, some brief reflections on Sebring 2009. *** —The show was a real shot in the arm for exhibitors who had worried the dreary economic news would sound the toll of doom. *** —Instead, enthusiastic crowds on Thursday and Friday both set attendance records for the five year event. Saturday was also well attended. Sunday, typical of previous shows, was less robust. *** —Folks brought checkbooks too: at least 15 LSA were sold at the show, but I’ll have final numbers once I’m able to poll all the exhibitors. *** —Many thanks to the tireless, smiling volunteer staff that helped run the event, and we’ll be back next year. *** Sport Aviation lives!

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The Rotax 912 got off to rough start with the Diamond Katana. Mechanics were not adequately prepared so correct, proper maintenance was not always performed, for a time tarnishing the brand. Now, companies like Aero Technical Institute have trained many mechanics and maintenance is far better, burnishing the brand’s reputation.

No one doubts the leading position of Rotax engines among Light-Sport Aircraft. Of course, most European producers use the Austrian brand, but so do many U.S. builders even including Van’s Aircraft. However, despite their dominance, some GA pilots have scoffed at the brand, saying it isn’t a “real” aircraft engine partly as it didn’t match the 2,000-hour TBO (Time Between Overhaul) common to American brands like Continental or Lycoming. Well, that argument has evaporated. *** Rotax not only upped the TBO on its flagship four-stroke 912 engine, they even made it retroactive. Those following an optional Service Bulletin issued on December 14th can increase the life of the 912 they already own by performing what is essentially a detailed inspection; some older models may require some updates. (Click here for details.) The change applies to the 80-horsepower model, to the the popular 100-horsepower version and to the turbo-charged 914 model as well. *** As the company gained more and more field experience with their engine, they have gradually increased the TBO. Given the considerable cost of overhauling, a TBO increase represents a gain in value for all owners. In fact, used airplane prices depend as heavily on remaining time before overhaul; the longer the time remaining, the more value in the airplane (all other things being equal). *** Finally, as the long-term supply of 100LL fuel falls increasingly in doubt, the company notes, “The Rotax is designed to burn Premium 91 octane auto fuel with ethanol.”

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As EAA published the last issue of Sport Pilot — earlier iterations were called Ultralight, Experimenter and Light Plane World — editor Mary Jones (left) earns our kudos for a job well done. She is pictured at AirVenture 2009 with Sue Gardner, the FAA person perhaps most responsible for the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft program.

Before you clicked to ByDanJohnson.com, you may have been reading EAA’s Sport Pilot magazine. If your copy was the December 2009 issue, it the final edition of the magazine that started with the Sport Pilot movement. *** EAA surveyed to ask what members wanted from their publications. The organization dutifully recorded all responses and chose to make a dramatic decision. They elected to stop Sport Pilot and merge the LSA title’s most popular content into their flagship rag. *** At the same time, EAA started “Light Plane World,” an eNewsletter (also online) with info about ultralights and LSA. Edited by longtime Part 103 enthusiast Dan Grunloh, LPW is intended to provide more detailed info on ultralights and light planes than space will permit in Sport Aviation. You can sign up here to get LPW… or any other EAA eNewletter. *** As this chapter closes for EAA, I wish to bring special attention to a 25-year veteran EAA editor who was one of handful nurturing the light end of EAA’s aviation activities. A longtime friend (and my editor when I wrote for EAA), Mary Jones is current interim director of publications for EAA but she’s done much more than manage EAA’s magazines. Along with Earl Lawrence and Ron Wagner, Mary is one of a trio of EAA staffers that helped propel Light-Sport Aircraft into the limelight. All three folks deserve a hearty “Thank You!” for all they’ve done.

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New FAA Top Gun Randy Babbitt (an experienced pilot) visited the LSA Mall at AirVenture 2009. He met industry leaders and examined LSA. Top, counterclockwise: TL Ultralight Sting; Jabiru J-170; Gobosh G700S; and Aerotrek 240 (none of which has experienced a fatal accident). Administrator photo courtesy EAA

Others have written about LSA safety but did not reveal underlying facts. While I prefer to blog about new aircraft, LSA safety is a worthy topic. Here’s the quick summary: While every loss is tragic to family and friends, LSA safety numbers are better than some predicted. Now some detail. *** According to FAA records in the four-year period from August of 2005 to June of 2009, Special Light-Sport Aircraft experienced 12 fatal accidents resulting in the loss of 18 lives. *** In 10 of the 12 accidents a licensed pilot was in control (that is, not a Sport Pilot). Altogether, 10 manufacturers were affected. Only one, variations of the CH-601 produced by three companies, had multiple accidents and that veteran design remains under investigation so conclusions would be premature. *** In 2007, a year of high sales and activity, the industry experienced five crashes and eight fatalities. All other years had half that or less. *** What does FAA think of all this? Let’s go to the top. As reported by Flight International new FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt spoke at Oshkosh 2009 saying that the LSA accident rate is “…very compatible with what’s going on in the rest of the general aviation world. The statistics reflect it. So [the manufacturers] are doing what they said they would do and the numbers reflect it.” *** Safety is an ongoing effort. One should never become complacent. But industry players have increased the amount and quality of transition training such that incident rates appear to be improving, according to leading aviation insurers. [UPDATE 11/9/09] In the first week of November 2009, another CH-601 was involved in a fatal accident. The pilot was solo but I have little other information except to report NTSB launched an investigation. CH-601-type designs are produced in ready-to-fly form by more than one company and kits are also delivered; this diversity makes evaluation of potential problems more challenging.

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Videographer Dave Loveman, with whom I collaborate to create a growing number of LSA Videos, counted 43 airplanes on display not including a few doing demo flights. Nearly all the leading brands were present and some came a great distance for the inaugural Midwest LSA Expo event. The big guy is airport manager, Chris Collins.

Plenty of aviation enterprises face challenges but one of the toughest has to be starting a new airshow event. Not only must organizers get myriad details right and try to satisfy a broad range of expectations while trying to avoid losing a pile of money… they must also be blessed with agreeable weather. Good management may address the first items, but only Mother Nature can deliver sunny skies. *** Airport manger, Chris Collins, his Expo board, and a hard-working crew of Midwest LSA Expo volunteers faced overcast skies on Thursday and 20-25 knots of wind on Friday. Yet the two days brought highly positive reviews from every vendor I queried, a few sales were logged, and day three is forecast to have the best weather yet. On Saturday (the last day), the turnout is expected to be good enough that organizers think they could break even financially while drawing about 1,000 attendees. *** For a first-year, LSA-only event, I’d call the Midwest LSA Expo a success at this point; if day three is as expected, the Mt. Vernon Outland Airport team will have every right to be proud of their accomplishment. Some vendors are already promising to return next year. Veteran airshow exhibitors offered comments: “The facilities are great… Chris and his aides have promoted and organized the LSA Expo very professionally… The town is amazingly supportive and the area offers an abundance of nearby hotels and restaurants.”

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