Congratulations to Air Creation USA for winning Special Light-Sport Aircraft approval for their newest weight-shift control aircraft called the Skypper. That’s a worthwhile achievement for any new LSA, but before I tell you how this model is different, let me do another explanation.
In summer of 2012, FAA issued an internal order — meaning it was intended for their field offices and Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DARs) and others. This order with a name only a government agency could love — 8130.2G CHG1 — changed some of the rules about how aircraft gain their SLSA Airworthiness Certificates. One company that got trapped by the learning curve that followed was Air Creation USA, these days operated by Neil Bungard. Neil was relatively new to the ASTM standards process and any misunderstanding he may have had of CHG1 was matched by FAA officials and non-FAA DARs. Everybody had to read and decipher FAA marching orders as described in the lengthy document.
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SeaRey Passes FAA Audit, Becomes SLSA #129
Consider this an entry to the “They-said-it-couldn’t-be-done” department. As regular readers know, FAA has been conducting audits with LSA producers… tough, top-to-bottom reviews of every detail in the voluminous ASTM standard set. Last April another company had no less than six FAA personnel in their building for three full days, each armed with a laptop and literally hundreds of questions. Passing one of these grueling tests is a fairly major accomplishment. Then consider FAA amped up the task by saying any new model or first LSA from a new company would probably get one of these thorough inspections before they could enter the market. Progressive Aerodyne hosted such an FAA team to examine their first SLSA candidate and — surprise! — they came out with a certificate. No followup is needed.
So the heartiest of congratulations go to Progressive Aerodyne and their SeaRey. Yesterday they were issued their airworthiness certificate after a visit from five FAA personnel from both Washington, DC and the local Orlando, Florida MIDO (Manufacturing Inspection District Office).
Super Drifter 912 Is Back Home
Things can change and yet stay the same. You can comprehend this paradox by considering the tandem 2-seat Drifter. Drifter production is under new management by someone many regard as a “rightful owner.” Yet the basic flying qualities of the Drifter design are basically unchanged.
As 2007 started, Phil Lockwood again has all rights to the Drifter as part of a design, tooling, and inventory deal that rescued the Drifter and 2-seat twin-engine Air Cam from an uncertain future with investor Antonio Leza, who ran the operation for a few years.
Lockwood is associated with the Drifter due to his many years of work with the design. He once worked for Maxair proprietor Denny Franklin who pioneered this enduring shape. In the rough and tumble days of early ultralights, Franklin lost control of Drifter ownership and for a time the design wandered. More correctly, the new owners failed to take the Drifter forward and instead merely exploited its popularity.
Tecnam Offers Bargain-Priced Echo Classic Light
Major Italian producer Tecnam today announced the launch of the P92 Classic Light microlight. This is the seventh-generation model in Tecnam P92 range of airplanes, which this year celebrated 20 years of production. The company reports that over two decades of service, “P92’s worldwide fleet now stands at nearly 2,000 aircraft with 200,000 flown hours. The P92 Classic Light is the 13th variant and follows on from the launch earlier this year of both the P92 Tail Dragger (video) and P92 SeaSky Hydroplane.
In concert with the international announcement, Tecnam North America confirmed it will launch the new P92 Echo Classic Light priced at $74,999 through to the end of 2012. For those that recall the original promise — of a fully-built LSA for about $60,000 — this price meets that expectation if you only factor in the time value of money, that is, $60,000 in 2003 (the year before SP/LSA) is $75,459 in 2012 dollars.
Seaplanes To Be Banned From New Mexico?
There’s been a hue and cry from the seaplane community over New Mexico’s proposed ban of all seaplane operations in the entire state! • Especially given next year’s rush of LSA seaplanes, this is doubly troubling. —DJ
The rationale for the ban, as put forward by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, would seem to be the danger to boaters from seaplanes landing on water, and the introduction of non-native, invasive species of flora and fauna into waterways in the state.
The Recreational Aviation Foundation and other organizations got the word out to seaplane pilots to send in their comments on the proposal. That comment period ended October 30th, and we’ll eagerly await the final ruling.
EAA and publications have decried the proposal by noting the literally tens of thousands of non-winged watercraft that all potentially introduce invasive species into the water every day in every state in the union.
LSA & Lightplane Highlights at Oshkosh 2012
In the near future, we’ll present fuller stories of some of the following short bits from Oshkosh 2012. With UltralightMews, we shot videos on most of the following, too, so watch for those as we can post them. Enjoy!
CESSNA & PRIMARY CATEGORY Early on in the week, Cessna announced they would transition their LSA Skycatcher to Primary Aircraft status. That requires a Type Certificate and FAA production approval but the Wichita giant can do this handily even if will add some cost. More on in a later article. However, here’s a way Cessna can recapture some 80 orders from Europeans cancelled earlier this year. On a more fun note, it was a pleasure to meet all nine of their youthful ambassadors that worked in the Discover Flying Challenge program. We shot a video featuring each participant and we’ll post that as soon as possible. (In the near future, we’ll feature a brief review of Primary Category versus LSA.)
AHOY, AKOYA!
Flight School Dilemma… One Solution
Anyone who has tried to borrow money in the last five years knows how tough it has become. Banks supported by government guarantees practically gave money away before the subprime meltdown but are now being much more careful. That’s a good thing but it means even some credit-worthy customers can’t get the loan they need. Commonly rejected are flight schools. Flight training enterprises across the nation are struggling to obtain financing to buy new aircraft to replace aging fleets of trainers.
*** Despite the challenges, one LSA outfit has found at least a partial answer. Thanks to a solid customer (and onetime dealer), Flight Design USA has been able to offer a limited number of schools a method called leaseback. Training students today are three leased back CTLS Light-Sport Aircraft but this business success is only one part of a genuine human interest story.
*** “We are pleased to announce the third CTLS leased to a flight school was used by Iraq war veteran Adam Kisielewski, an Able Flight scholarship recipient who recently earned his Sport Pilot certificate,” said Tom Peghiny of Flight Design USA.
PiperSport… A Return to Basics
Legacy Brand Enters the LSA Market
The U.S. Sport Aviation Expo held in Sebring, Florida, every January has become the place where new flying machines and other aviation products for the light aviation crowd are unveiled to the public. It’s exciting to start the year off with a bang, and understandably this show has drawn increasing crowds. Yet like all events, it has evolved.
In the Expo’s formative years, media attendance was fairly light. When a company called a press conference, they generated only a handful of reporters and photographers. In many ways the 2010 event revealed a new media attention to the Sebring show. For proof, you had only to attend Piper Aircraft’s opening-day press conference.
This is all the more surprising as Piper never before exhibited at Sebring. All that changed with the introduction of the newly rebadged PiperSport. When they took the wrapping off their new models, a large crowd of media folks and the general public pressed close to get a gander and hear Piper leaders speak.
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.
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