Engineers at Pipistrel must not sleep in too often. This company, which won the NASA efficiency challenge several times — in 2011 taking home a $1.35 million cash prize! — just unveiled a full-size version of a sleek four seat design called the Panthera. Now on the other end of the spectrum comes their Alpha Trainer, a reasonably priced LSA model aimed at the flight instruction market. Their range of models is broad running from powered sailplanes to multiple LSA models.
*** “Pipistrel is proud to announce the successful conclusion of the test flights program and the release of our new aircraft, the Alpha Trainer,” announced the company, which operates production facilities in Slovenia and Italy. Developed as a basic military aircraft trainer at the request of certain countries, Alpha is supplied in nosewheel-only configuration, part of a slate of decisions to hold down the price.
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Flying the Newest Special LSA: Sling (#125)
*** While out west on business travel I had the chance to fly the latest SLSA on the List, the South African Sling. Earlier I’ve written about the all metal LSA’s round-the-world flight but now this low wing design is being made available for sale to Americans.
*** On a gorgeous Southern California day, Matt Litnaitzky and his associate Ryan Ruel took a 25-minute jaunt from the Torrence airport to the Camarillo Airport in Ventura. (This compares marvelously to a good hour and a half drive on the seemingly endless and always crowded L.A. freeway system.) Ryan cooled his jets in the Waypoint Cafe while Matt and I went aloft in silky smooth air to see how Sling turned out. In a word: beautifully.
*** Handling on the newest LSA is clearly the product of careful engineering and a patient development schedule.
Is “Spin Resistance” a Big Deal? Well, Yes!
On Memorial Day I had a chance to visit Icon Aircraft and spend some time with CEO Kirk Hawkins. We met seven years ago — just after the SP/LSA rule was released — near the beginning of his ambitions to create an entirely clean-sheet LSA amphibian.
*** Recently, Icon released the video appearing below to tout their spin resistant airframe (or SRA). Aviation and mainstream media jumped on this story and you may see other reports. I reported work toward this earlier and it’s been some time coming. Why the wait? From my first-hand experience with Cirrus Design and the development of their SR20, I have a bit of inside knowledge on this subject.
*** Cirrus also tried to grab the golden ring of SRA, as did their then-close competitor Columbia Aircraft (the two companies won their Part 23 Type Certificate within days of one another). Neither succeeded.
Older Gentleman Versus Enthusiastic Teenager
Recently, an AvWeb video stirred controversy among many LSA fans; I heard from several and that usually means more feel similarly. The subject concerned the value and challenges of LSA as flight trainers compared to old standards like Cessna 150s. I want to express another view.
*** Are LSA harder to fly, specifically, are they harder to land? The best way to respond is to say that they are different. In fact, that’s what Cessna’s top demo pilot says about Skycatcher compared to Cessna 150s and 172s. Here are some reasons why: • LSA are lighter so they tend to be affected by wind eddies more than a heavier airplane; • LSA generally have more responsive handling and commonly use joysticks versus yokes which, due to increased leverage, means pilots can more easily overcontrol them. Many are lighter in pitch than a Cessna 150 which can cause PIOs. Some say the lighter handling makes a better pilot and if you learn in a LSA, you won’t notice any great challenge; • LSA perform better, especially in glide so they meet the runway at shallower angles, which demands somewhat more finesse.
Pipistrel Comes Through Again
Just a few short months ago I posted an announcement from Pipistrel about its upcoming, mid-$80K ALPHA Trainer, targeted for flight schools and already bought in significant quantities by the Indian Air Force as a military primary trainer. *** ALPHA was promised for April, and Pipistrel nailed it – how often do we see that in manufacturing?Pipistrel is the same progressive Slovenian company that won the CAFE electric flight competition last year with the Taurus Electro G4 and has gained a growing reputation in the sport aviation industry for innovative, high-performing, highly efficient aircraft such as the Virus and Sinus S-LSA.After keeping its promise to debut the ALPHA in April at the European AERO show, word comes from Ivo Boscarol and company of the successful conclusion of flight testing. The ALPHA is now in production. *** The original concept was to create a do-it-all trainer that would garner substantial orders, enabling mass production economies of scale that would keep costs affordable for everyone.
Out of Steam? No Way! Welcome to Sling
Have you been thinking that it’s been some time since a new Special LSA was announced? While the torrid pace of yesteryear has abated, it ain’t over yet by a long shot. I know of at least a dozen aircraft still in progress to achieve SLSA status. Now, welcome to Sling, SLSA #125.
*** Quietly back on April 18th, 2012 Sling N511NG, based at Torrance, California, received its pink Airworthiness certificate. You may recall reading about a South African Sling earlier, the aircraft completing a world-circling flight that its developers achieved in a fresh-off-the-drawing-board design.
*** Sling began development in 2006 in South Africa; 60 airplanes have been delivered to other countries. “This airplane is the first U.S.-registered Sling,” stated Matt Liknaitzky, the representative of American importer The Airplane Factory USA. Sling was designed from the start to make full use of the LSA envelope and to be in compliance with ASTM standards for Special Light-Sport Aircraft.
Flying the Airplanes of Sebring 2012 — Bristell
Since Sebring in January, the airshow season has rushed by at warp speed and now we return to more aircraft flown at the event that kicks off the aviation year. We’ll add more from Sun ‘n Fun soon plus we’re loading more than 30 new videos. In this post, we have a quick look at the all-new Bristell, first unveiled to the American pilot community at the AOPA Summit last fall in Hartford Connecticut.
*** If you feel a sense of deja vu when looking at Bristell, that’s understandable. It has some common design heritage with the SportCruiser or PiperSport because the man behind the BRM Aero Bristell — Milan Bristela — was once affiliated with Czech Aircraft Works which originated the design. That’s when Milan and I first met. He left the former company before it was taken over by Czech Sport Aircraft, designed another aircraft with a different partner, and finally chose a path all his own.
Roadable Airplane, Meet Mainstream Media
Somebody at the L.A. Times has got a sweet tooth for the flying car, specifically the Terrafugia Transition SLSA-legal “roadable” airplane. No less than six feature articles about flying cars have appeared in the prestigious newspaper’s online edition in the last month alone, in departments as diverse as Business, U.S., Nation Now, Tech Now and Automobiles, penned by a variety of journalists. *** All this attention also signifies somebody at Terrafugia is really doing a superb job at getting the word out, which has in fact been evident from the beginning: I’ve seen notices of hundreds of articles in all kinds of publications since the program was first announced some years ago.Clearly the idea of a Jetsons-style flying car continues to tickle the cultural subconscious. *** That the Transition is wildly unaffordable for most 99 percenters hardly matters: it’s kind of a kick, isn’t it, to imagine being able to fly your car anywhere, then drive around once you get there?
Aero 2012: Day 1 — Early Discoveries
We begin coverage of the Aero 2012 event, brought to you each day that Dave’s Internet connection permits. All photos by Dave Unwin —DJ ||||
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, Friedrichshafen Germany’s Aero show has grown in both size and popularity. Indeed, many feel it is easily the largest and most important general aviation show outside of North America. Unusually for most other GA shows, it also gives the style-conscious show-goer the unusual option of wearing Lederhosen. I must admit that as I read yet another doom-filled newspaper while waiting for my flight, I did wonder if perhaps this year’s event might be significantly smaller than it was in 2011. *** At first glance, I’d say that it was, although as I wandered around the display halls I was astonished at just how many new aircraft types were being displayed. I’ve always believed that recessions are often essentially “self-fulfilling” prophecies, generated mostly by negative coverage in the mass media.
Aero 2012: Day 3 — Still More New Aircraft!
As Aero 2012 moves toward a conclusion our wandering reporter updates you on several more attractive aircraft. All photos by Dave Unwin —DJ ||||
Having already decided that the Cicare Spirit was pretty minimalist as far as helicopters go, you may imagine my surprise when I saw an even more minimalist machine! This was the Hungarian Hungarocopter, which took helicopter minimalism to an entirely new level! Powered by either a 136- or 165-horsepower Subaru, and with a gross weight of 992 pounds, it definitely looked like flying it would be a bit of a thrill! *** As usual the show featured a fair few curiosities, and my interest was piqued when I spotted a machine that looked very much like a Cessna, with “Skylane” on the tail. As it quite clearly wasn’t a Skylane (being nowhere near big enough) I investigated further and discovered that it was a new-ish German ultralight powered by an 80-horsepower Rotax.
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