Bret Koebbe of Sporty’s Pilot Shop introduced me to a cool new ADS-B weather uplink product, the Stratus. *** US built by Appareo Systems, it’s a completely portable, wire-free, subscription-free weather solution that works in conjunction only (so far) with the Foreflight ap for the iPad. *** The Stratus provides ADS-B-based weather, Nexrad, Metars, TAS, Airmets, Sigmets, TFRS, “the whole nine yards of everything that’s included with ADS-B” as Bret describes it, all wirelessly transmitted to your in-cockpit iPad. *** It uses the iPad’s WiFi connection, and can be broadcast to more than one iPad in the cockpit. Just open Foreflight, link it to the Stratus box, and you’ve got all your weather info with you. *** The ADS-B weather coverage will be coast to coast-complete sometime in 2013. *** It’s a simple device: eight-hour battery, wire free, built-in ADS-B antenna buiilt into the box, and also includes WAAS GPS with 1-2 meter accuracy.
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Pushing the Envelope
Supersonic flight pioneer and WWII ace Chuck Yeager is famous for using, if not coining, the term “pushing the envelope,” which has entered the popular lexicon for just about anything to do with growth and meeting challenges. *** In that vein, since the day the Light Sport category became a fixture of the aviation regulatory landscape, there have been calls to do everything from abolish it outright to expand it’s current parameter. The parameters invoked to arrive at the perfect light aircraft involve the Usual Suspects: faster, bigger, stronger, heavier, better load, no altitude restrictions etcetera etcetera etcetera. *** In that vein, I want to share with you some cogent email comments received from Plane & Pilot magazine reader Dr. Barry Gloger who puts forward a well-reasoned argument for reworking the LSA concept. *** Whether you agree or not with his point of view, it’s hard to refute his logic, since it’s based on his expertise in the actual physical size of the “average American.” *** And now for The Usual Disclaimer: his viewpoint does not necessarily reflect my opinion or that of the staff of P&P mag.
Biplane Comet Hits 100 — Lycoming Coming
Fk Lightplanes in Germany celebrated the production of Number 100 of their fascinating model the Fk12 Comet. This snappy handling, steady flying, folding wing biplane has no competitors in the LSA space, even with 123 total models winning Special LSA approval. At airshows here in America, Hansen Air Group has been showing the Comet to substantial interest. It has enough going for it that we’ve made several videos about it (at AirVenture 2011 and earlier at at Sebring 2011) plus a video mini pilot report. *** German designer Peter Funk (photo) — who I’ve known for many years — counts himself among those pilots who have a soft spot for biplanes. This interest stimulated the prolific designer to create a lightweight biplane way back in 1994. He said his intention was to build not only a plane preserving the classical style of a biplane but that would also provide good flight performance and be easily and comfortably folded up for hangar storage.
Now You Don’t See It, Now You Do
The Aviator Airbag System was introduced to America at the Evolution Trikes booth at the Sebring LSA Expo 2012 courtesy of Laurent Thevenot. Designed and manufactured for La Mouette in France by Helite, the complete system includes two airbags and sensors. For trikes, two different airbags are recommended. For the person in the back seat, the smaller vest (photo) is enough to protect the passenger’s head from snapping forward too quickly or too far in a crash, thereby preventing neck injuries. *** For the person in the front seat, a larger jacket is recommended. It also protects the wearer from neck injuries, but go further by protecting the pilot from the control bar, which could come rearward in a violent impact and break the pilot’s ribs. The larger jacket expands to 40 gallons of volume. *** The system uses a patented cold gas technology, unlike typical hot gas technology used in other airbag systems.
Light-Sport Aircraft… What? How? Why?
Light-Sport Aircraft are the newest category of aircraft as defined by FAA, the government regulatory agency for aviation. The new breed of aircraft – 109 models in just five years of astonishingly rapid development – offer affordable purchase prices, low cost of operation, spacious interiors, the latest instrument innovations, energetic performance and lively handling. Every one of these new airplane meets new industry standards.
Any Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) must fit within the following parameters: A maximum of two occupants, a maximum take-off weight of 1,320 pounds (seaplanes can weigh 1,430 pounds); a 45-knot clean stall speed; a 120-knot top speed at maximum continuous power; a single, non-turbine engine; and fixed landing gear (though amphibious floatplanes can have “repositionable” gear). Some are called Special Light-Sport Aircraft (SLSA) if they are fully manufactured and ready-to-fly. A manufacturer can also offer a kit aircraft based on the SLSA; it’s called an Experimental LSA or ELSA.
Rans S-7 Courier LS
Available Fully Assembled or as a Kit
Unlike the flock of internationally
designed Special Light-Sport Aircraft,
RANS is a familiar name to Americans.
Even closer to home, ultralight enthusiasts know
the brand very well; ultralight aviation is the
arena that gave designer Randy Schlitter his
start. I first recall seeing the brand at Sun ‘n
Fun around 1984. And each year subsequently, it
seemed, Randy showed up with something new.
Not long into this profusion of new designs came
the S-7.
“The design of the S-7 originated out of the
need to train [single-place] Coyote I pilots,”
Randy explains, “so the cockpit was set up the
same with throttle on the left, and stick in the
middle.” Randy adds that he named the Courier
in honor of one of his favorite planes, the STOLperforming
Helio Courier.
The S-7 Courier was the first 2-seater produced
by RANS, dating to 1985 when the first prototype
flew, succeeding the S-4/5 single-seater that
kick-started the aviation business of the nowwell-
known airplane manufacturer.
Icon Back on the Radar Screen
The splash heard ’round the LSA world continues to send out ripples, though it’s been years now since startup LSA maker Icon Aircraft first announced, with considerable marketing fanfare, its amphibious light sport amphibious project, the A5. *** Now comes word today from the company that’s it’s just completed a “demanding regimen of spin-resistance test flights. This milestone will make the A5 the first production aircraft in history to be designed to and completely comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s full-envelope Part 23 spin-resistance standards developed from NASA’s work on the topic.” *** The lengthy release (a PDF file) goes on to enumerate the general cost in lives and hardware to civilian flying from stall/spin accidents, and cites its intentions to “design the A5 to the more difficult to achieve but safer standard of ‘spin resistant,’” as opposed to spin recoverable. *** Icon also conformed its testing regimen to the FAA Part 23 standard for certified aircraft.
Electric-Powered Light Aircraft
Flying with Juice
As an airplane approaches, a whirring sound accompanied by a
barely discernible whine and a mild propeller buzz exhibit a
Doppler effect as the plane passes overhead. What is that curious noise?
We are intimately attuned to internal combustion engine sounds –
some experts claim they can identify the brand and size of an engine
simply by listening to it run. We’re less aware of electric motor noises
because we quickly tune them out. Electric motors run everywhere in
our lives – in our refrigerators, our computers, in our ceiling fans, and
numerous other appliances. Most motors – it’s incorrect to call them an
“engine” – are exceptionally quiet, and that’s a good thing.
One wonders if relatively quiet electric motors on aircraft will invade
our piston-powered world, especially given noise sensitivity at many airports.
Some say, “We’re about to see if electric works.” I say, “We’re seeing
it right now!”
Two years ago, I wrote about ultralights – literally Part 103-compliant
ultralights – operating remarkably well on electric power.1 In the ensuing
months, more projects have been announced.
Icon’s Mission of Outreach
Icon’s Mission of Outreach
ICON Aircraft calls itself “a consumer
sport plane manufacturer.”
Kirk Hawkins, an
accomplished engineer, former
U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter pilot
and avid power sports enthusiast,
founded the company. After learning
of the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) major regulatory
changes in ’04 that created
the light sport aircraft category
and sport pilot license, Hawkins
conceived his enterprise in ’05
while attending Stanford
University Business School.
Since then, ICON Aircraft’s sole
purpose has been to bring the freedom,
fun, and adventure of flying
to all who have dreamed of flight,
whether they are existing pilots or
other recreation enthusiasts.
ICON Aircraft believes that consumer-
focused sport aircraft can
do for sport flying what personal
watercraft did for boating. “ICON
aircraft are not only designed to
deliver an amazing and safe flying
experience, but also to inspire us
the way great sports cars do,”
explains the company.
A venture-backed, early stage
company out of Silicon Valley,
ICON Aircraft based its operations
in Southern California,
which is a hotbed for aerospace
engineering, automotive design,
and power sports activities.
Icon Aircraft’s A5 Seaplane
Growing “Out of the Box”
A large number of current pilots
have some sense of foreboding
regarding the dwindling numbers
of the pilot population. Many feel powerless
to change this fact, what
with our airports often surrounded
by a 10-foot-high
chain link
fence topped
with barbed wire
plus prices for training
and airplane ownership
out of reach for many
Americans.
An Eye for the New
Airshow visitors with an
eye for the new may have seen ICON
Aircraft and their gleaming silver-and-accent-red A5 seaplane at
Oshkosh AirVenture ’08. The company’s displays have attracted as
much attention as their aircraft design.
ICON’s A5 is a handsomely stylish Light-Sport Aircraft design.
Airshow visitors had good reason to pay it attention. Many gawking
attendees found A5’s “wow factor” off the charts.
But the story here is much more than the aircraft, fetching though it
is. The real ICON story is that of a company trying to bring aviation
and flying to people who don’t have a pilot’s license.
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