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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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.
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.
LSA Highlights from Sun ‘n Fun 2012
Whew! It’s over. Man, Sun ‘n Fun can be the busiest six days of one’s life… well, at least until the next one. In this survey article, I want to skim the very top of what I found interesting at the recently concluded show. Each highlight will get fuller coverage. Before starting, though, I owe a couple shout-outs. *** A huge, enormous thanks to Jim Lawrence who kept you up on a daily basis. Accomplishing that means long days shooting photos, interviewing personalities, and working into the night in a motel room with a crappy Internet connection. It may look easy and fun but only half that assessment is true (hint: it ain’t easy). *** Secondly, another thanks-a-million to UltralightNews, my video collaborator. I have the easy job; they will put in an enormous number of hours to edit and finish more than two dozen new videos that I’ll post here as each is done.
Knocking Around The InfoVerse
|||| 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?
Cessna Feels The Pinch …and Pinches Back
In a recent piece on AvWeb, Paul Bertorelli takes a good look at Cessna’s decision to bump the price of the Skycatcher by a cool $35K — yes, that’s 35 thousand. Okay, it’s not every day we see a 31+% price hike in a retail price of anything, especially in this economy. *** Yet Cessna’s move should come as no surprise to anyone who knows, as Bertorelli points out, that the price of aircraft has grown faster than the rate of inflation for decades. Thirty years or so ago, a new Cessna Skyhawk could be had for around $30,000. Today it’s 10 times that number, or more than $300,000, whereas inflation applied to that original $30K number would put the figure just north of $100,000…about three times higher. *** Meanwhile, the aviation giant has up until now done its best to keep the price close to it’s original near-$100,000 level.
AvGas: David vs. Goliath? Or, Multiple Solutions?
Unless you’ve avoided every aviation magazine or website, you’re no doubt aware of the push by big aviation organizations to address future availability of 100 low-lead avgas. We wish the alphabet groups the best in arranging a replacement fuel or another solution for those operating high performance aircraft. But one solution does not fit all. Why? *** First is the often-quoted statistic that 70-80% of all “legacy” airplanes can use 91-octane and preferably zero ethanol (“E0”) mogas. No question that Light-Sport Aircraft can almost universally use E0 mogas and in fact, Rotax and Jabiru powerplants prefer premium unleaded (the 80-hp Rotax 912 can even use 87-octane satisfactorily for still greater savings). Only a modest percentage of U.S. aircraft must have high octane. • Secondly, 100LL is now more expensive and any replacement will share this quality. Mogas can be $1-2 or more less per gallon. • Thirdly, airplanes like LSA and those many older GA airplanes are not the only ones who can benefit from wider availability of E0 mogas.
Sleek, Comfortable and Fun; The Sinus Motorglider
Many Americans will agree
the name of this aircraft is odd, and that may be a kind word for the common reaction to “Sinus.” Is the name that important? Sinus (pronounced Seen-us), the aircraft, is a sleek, slender machine capable of impressive performance.
Any soaring-attuned pilot can easily live with the name Sinus for the 49-foot span and, get this, 28-to-1 glide performance! On first glance, except for its elegant, shapely, and thin wings, the Sinus looks like a proper light sport airplane. Pilot Matevz Lenarcic flew one around the world solo, in 80 days, and with zero ground or air support (see “Microlight Motorglider Flies Around the World,” April ’05 UltralightFlying! magazine).
What’s In a Name After All?
Let’s consider that name. U.S. dealer Robert Mudd says Pipistrel – the manufacturer – prefers to pronounce it “seen-us,” not “sighn-us.” They say this refers to a perfect sound wave or sine wave rather than a head cold.
Who Loves You? Our Talented Editorial Staff
One thing ByDanJohnson.com can do to introduce more people to aviation is to attempt to distribute news of recreational flying and Light-Sport Aircraft to a wider audience, preferably to a potential community of non-pilots many tens of millions strong. Our goal may sound ambitious but we want to do our part, bringing the message of more affordable aviation to the interested public. *** More than any other, we believe, ByDanJohnson.com concentrates on LSA news, reporting almost daily on this dynamic new sector of aviation. We can more widely circulate this news… to power sports enthusiasts, tech fans, and sportsmen of many stripes. *** In a related, parallel development, more and more folks are getting their news online or via mobile. Major drivers for this shift from print magazines are giant news-gathering websites like Google News. To be considered by this Internet leader a website must be a genuine news organization, not simply a blogspot.
Why the Raging Avgas Debate?
Have you missed the great debate raging over the impending demise of 100LL? Many leading groups — including AOPA and apparently EAA plus others such as the Green 100 Octane Coalition — have endorsed a one-size-fits-all solution. *** But, hey! One size does not fit all. Light-Sport owners are aware their aircraft can operate just fine on 91 octane (premium) ethanol-free gasoline. The same can be said for 70%-80% of all piston-engine aircraft in the U.S. Indeed, more than 60,000 Autogas STCs have been granted from EAA and Petersen Aviation but such added approvals aren’t needed by LSA powered by Rotax or Jabiru. *** Leading aviation alphabet groups show little support for the installation of ethanol-free Mogas pumps at GA airfields. One wonders why? Several benefits follow increased use of E-zero (E0) Mogas: * It’s ideal for the vast majority of American aircraft including virtually all new LSA designs; * It would lead to an immediate reduction in the use of leaded fuels and its impact on the environment; and, * Switching from 100LL to Mogas would dramatically reduce the cost of flying for sport aviators and to flight schools adding LSA to their fleets.
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