ByDanJohnson.com

“LSA Jambo” — One of several LSA-only shows created in recent years, the Mid-Atlantic Pilots Association event is expanding to accommodate a fast-growing crowd of attendees. Next up: the Midwest LSA Expo, followed by AOPA’s Aviation Summit. Photos by David Nuss

We all love the big aviation trade shows like Sun ‘n Fun and AirVenture. They offer something for everyone who flies… and that’s their problem. At such large shows you must walk extensively (or ride trams) to see all the aircraft in the Light-Sport Aircraft community. LSA Malls at these events help, but they can’t provide demo flying for purchase. *** Indeed, this latter reason is one of the most compelling for the January Sebring LSA Expo. All day, every day of the show, you can arrange for a demonstration flight, weather permitting. Notably, Sebring 2009 outdrew even AOPA’s Expo a few months earlier. *** Last year’s Fairfield, New Jersey one-day LSA Jambo produced by the Mid-Atlantic Pilots Association attracted a dozen LSA and 250 attendees. This year’s longer event drew 19 airplanes and 652 people. Of future plans, organizer David Simpson said, “Jambo will be bigger and better and will include flight reviews and demo flights throughout the day.” Jambo is tentatively slated for July 9th and 10th, 2010. *** In a couple weeks, the Midwest LSA Expo kicks off its first show, in Mt. Vernon Illinois October 1-2-3. This well-organized event, which has attracted plenty of media attention, will present a whole field of exhibitors. Like Jambo, the Midwest LSA Expo is a pure-play Light-Sport Aircraft event. A month later, LSA will be prominently featured at the new AOPA Aviation Summit
in Tampa, Florida. If you want to learn more about LSA, you have plenty of choices.

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New FAA Boss – LAMA board member, EAA VP Earl Lawrence (top center) brought FAA administrator Randy Babbitt (top left) to meet LAMA officials and industry leaders. In the lower photo Babbitt met Matthias Betsch of Flight Design (sunglasses), shakes hands with Corvin Huber of Remos, and prepares to meet Paulo Pascale of Tecnam. Photos courtesy EAA.

Like any new aviation segment, early incidents attract disproportionate attention. Now that we are five years into Light-Sport Aircraft, the outlook is good. Sure the industry still has work to do as it creates a new industry from the ground up, including writing all its own certification plans. But the heavy lifting is done and accident rate is acceptable. What remains is filling in gaps and fine-tuning the ASTM standards and producer execution to them. *** Yesterday, Flight International reported new FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt’s positive comments about LSA. “Babbitt says that the accident rates for factory-built light sport aircraft ‘are very compatible with what’s goes on in the rest of the general aviation world’,” wrote reporter John Croft. Commenting on the progress of the light sport industry in general, Babbitt continued: “This is a whole experiment for this category of aircraft where the manufacturers themselves have said, ‘We are going to design these aircraft, we are going to have statistics and design specs and all of those things people have to follow’.” Elaborating further, Babbitt said, “And the FAA has said to [the LSA manufacturers], as long as you comply with your own high standards then you will be fine. They have done that. I think they have excelled, have succeeded [at meeting] those standards. The statistics reflect it. Light-Sport accidents rates are very compatible with what goes on in the rest of the general aviation world. So they are doing what they said they would do and the numbers reflect it.” That’s an FAA report LSA producers have got to love!

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Featured in the 2009 AirVenture LSA Mall: Flight Design, Tecnam, Remos, Evektor, SportCruiser, Jabiru, TL Sting, Lightning, Gobosh, SeaMax, Paradise, SeaRey, 3Xtrim, X-Air, IndUS, and M-Squared plus a surprise or two. Thanks to Aviators Hot Line/Light Aviation Edition for their sponsorship.

The brand-new LSA Mall at AirVenture Oshkosh is full with a wait list. “First ever?” “Brand-new?” Confused? No wonder as thanks to the generosity of EAA, LSA producers or importers have enjoyed an LSA Mall at AirVenture for the last four years. *** Now, however, the industry — through LAMA, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association — has purchased space and will host its own (hopefully permanent) LSA Mall in an all-new section of the Main Aircraft Display Area. With few exceptions, all the top LSA companies will be represented and others not in the LSA Mall are exhibiting very nearby in what is shaping up as the “LSA Area.” *** The new location is shown in the accompanying graphic, but some will recognize that for many years the space was home to the Fly Market, which has now moved closer to the campground. A new paved road leads directly to the LSA Mall and it is a mere 500 paces from the front gate. In addition to 17 handsome Light-Sport Aircraft models, the LAMA tent on-site will contain other key suppliers including engine displays. *** Over the years of LSA Malls at AirVenture, Sun ‘n Fun and others, airshow attendees have expressed appreciation for collecting many of the best LSA in one convenient location because the primary displays for these companies are scattered all over the immense grounds of these events, which demands a lot of walking to compare and contrast models.

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By Susan Parson
Photos by H. Dean Chamberlain
It may seem like it started only yesterday, but the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft
rule (SP/LSA) celebrates its fifth “birthday” this summer. In many families,
making a “how-tall-are-you-now” mark on the wall is a time-honored birthday
tradition. In keeping with that concept, this article reviews and celebrates the mark
SP/LSA has made since it joined the aviation family back in 2004.
My, How You’ve Grown!

In developing the SP/LSA rule, FAA’s intent
was to increase safety by closing gaps in existing
regulations, accommodate advances in technology,
provide for the manufacture of light-sport aircraft
that are safe for their intended operations, and
several other purposes. A key idea was to make it
possible for more individuals to experience sport
and recreational aviation in a manner that is not
overly burdensome, but still safe.

Today, more than 2,000 individuals have
earned sport pilot certificates, and numerous
others have earned sport pilot privileges. Aircraft
manufacturers have developed more than 90 new
designs, and more than 800 factory-built special
light-sport aircraft (SLSA) are recognized under the
LSA rule. Many of these aircraft have high customer
appeal designs and features that could inspire a new
generation of pilots. In addition, many designs offer
advanced safety features, including devices such as
whole-plane emergency parachute systems, airbags,
and single-button avionics that can automatically
stabilize the aircraft.

FAA and ASTM

One of the reasons for this rapid growth
is the LSA industry’s use of industry consensus
standards developed through ASTM International.
This approach allows for more rapid design changes
and also for quicker
incorporation
of changes and
features resulting
from safety
findings. It is
also consistent
with a national policy that directs U.S. government
agencies to use voluntary consensus standards in
lieu of unique-to-government standards wherever
possible. This practice helps eliminate the cost of
developing separate government standards and
decrease the cost and the burden of complying with
agency regulation. FAA and industry will continue
to develop and upgrade ASTM LSA standards as
circumstances require.

Because regulation of the LSA industry
is so different, here’s a quick review of how the consensus standards process works. It’s important to understand that the industry has been asked to take more direct responsibility for developing and maintaining standards for design, manufacturing, and continued airworthiness. Industry chose ASTM International to facilitate the development of standards for LSA. ASTM established the F37 Committee on Light-Sport Aircraft in 2004. Any interested person can join the F37 Committee. Several FAA employees participate on the committee in the standards development process, but FAA has only one official voter. The Committee revises existing standards or develops new ones in response to demand, regulatory requirements, or ASTM protocols.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky. ASTM provides its approved standards to FAA, but FAA does not “approve” ASTM standards. Rather, the agency “accepts” them and publishes its acceptance in the Federal Register. The agency also updates the LSA standards matrix on the FAA Web site’s Light-sport Aircraft page.

A final point: ASTM standards are not regulations. However, SLSA are required to be manufactured in accordance with the accepted consensus standard. That means that the SLSA manufacturer must monitor and correct safety-of-flight issues through the issuance of safety directives. The manufacturer must also have a continued airworthiness system that meets the identified consensus standard. The owner or operator of an SLSA must comply with each safety directive applicable to the aircraft, unless he or she uses an acceptable alternative means of compliance or obtains an FAA waiver from the provisions of the safety directive.

The Safety Story

Many eyes are on the LSA industry’s safety record, and a number of safety monitoring initiatives have been established. For example:

NTSB’s SLSA Team. In early 2008, the | National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) established a team to specifically examine the special light-sport aircraft industry, review its accident data, and identify potential safety issues or trends.
FAA Data Analysis. In addition to | coordinating with the NTSB, FAA conducts its own review of LSA-related safety data and takes action as needed. So far, FAA accident data indicate that in general, accident root causes are those common to other segments of general aviation (i.e., not unique to LSA).
FAA LSA Assessment Project. Also underway | is the agency’s LSA assessment project, which started as a result of discussions at the 2008 Joint Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)/FAA Recreational Aviation Summit.Two of the project’s three phases have been
completed with data collected from 30 LSA
manufacturers, distributors, and aircraft
dealers. Preliminary results highlighted
several areas for improvement and the LSA
industry is working cooperatively with
FAA to address the issues identified in the
assessment project.
Industry and Government. Another
promising safety development is the
February 2009 creation of an FAA/Industry
LSA Joint Steering Group. The group’s
purpose is to address flight safety issues,
certification standards, and accident causes.
The group will release a charter defining
its membership and an action plan at EAA
AirVenture® this summer.

A Bright Future

More than ever, FAA is committed to LSA
and has expanded its internal team to include
members from the Aircraft Certification Service, the
Flight Standards Service, Accident Investigation,
and Aerospace Medicine to help manage the
different areas associated with LSA. FAA shares
the hope that the still-developing opportunities
enabled by the SP/LSA rule will inspire a new
generation of aviation enthusiasts.

For More Information
Light-Sport Aircraft Accepted Standards
FAA Accepted ASTM Consensus Standards
Light-Sport Program
Definition of LSA – 14 CFR 1.1
Definition of S-LSA – 14 CFR 21.190
Definition of E-LSA – 14 CFR 21.191

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The E430 takes its first flights with Yuneec’s company test pilot, Sun Xun, a 3,600-hour pilot, at the controls for the flight evaluations. (Interesting to note he sat on the right side of the cockpit for this.) For more info, contact Yuneec’s UK office.

Two Chinese delegates attended ASTM meetings in Freidrichshafen Germany in April, the first time the nation has been represented. Those reps indicated they believed ASTM acceptance in China may not be far off. Meanwhile, Shanghai-based Yuneec company is moving forward, and upward. *** Yuneec’s E430 will be featured at AirVenture along with a distinctly American design: the Flightstar Spyder (single place, Part 103-capable ultralight) fitted with a Yuneec electric motor. *** Using a 6-battery setup on their two seater, E430 expects 1.5-2 hours of flight and with such an installation, payload is a respectable 400 pounds even with a 45-foot wing span. A 10-battery setup may fly 2.25-2.5 hours. A video gives a hint to the sound level (turn your speakers up loud). *** Yuneec International announced, “The E430 is a twin seat, single engine, LSA class aircraft designed to be simple to use, easy to fly and with virtually zero vibration. It’s very smooth [with] low noise, no emissions, no [petroleum] fuel, extremely low maintenance and…it’s environmentally friendly.” The company continues, “Charging times of 3 hours for as little as $5 make electric a low cost way to fly.” *** On Saturday June 20th at an Airfield North of Shanghai the E430 performed two flights of around 15 minutes and did a series of basic test maneuvers. Under full power E430 rolled 260 feet, rotating at 40 mph. A climb rate of nearly 1,400 fpm was achieved during the second flight. Top speed in level flight was 94 mph.

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We kept PlaneFinder 2.0 lean and light, with quick-read questions and responses. If you need more info to select your response, hover over any highlighted title and a hint box will pop up like the one for “Mission” above. A few instructions appear at the bottom of the page…but it’s real easy. Go try it!

Just over five years ago when ByDanJohnson.com went live, we planned a feature called PlaneFinder. It was to be an key element of this website, offering advice to help pilots select your ideal aircraft. That was version 1.0 and it proved to be more complicated than needed plus the ultralights and kit-built light planes we spent years evaluating were giving way to Light-Sport Aircraft. Reluctantly, we quietly put PlaneFinder on hold while we followed the emergence of LSA within the world of aviation. *** ByDanJohnson.com went live on April 1st, 2004… four months before the SP/LSA rule was announced. Click forward five years and we now have an astounding 97 Special Light-Sport Aircraft models from 70 manufacturers. Every one is listed on our SLSA List with links to find out much more about them. Now, we add a crowning touch: PlaneFinder 2.0. *** This automated, interactive system asks your preference to 24 very simple (this-or-that type) categories, for example, “High wing or low wing?” As you answer, the Matching SLSA list will quickly narrow your search to those with your preferred qualities. You don’t have to answer all 24 categories; just pick those important to you. PlaneFinder 2.0 will show you all SLSA that match your selections. You can change your category responses as often as you wish to refine your ideal feature set. Or you can Reset and start all over. Give it a try. ByDanJohnson.com offers PlaneFinder 2.0 completely free of charge, though you will have to register and receive a password. (Of course, we’d sincerely appreciate your $29 membership to support this website.)

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