Sometimes a new Light-Sport Aircraft producer bursts on the scene in dramatic ways. Think of Terrafugia and their folding wing flying car or Icon and its sexy A5 LSA seaplane. Others enter from different positions of strength. One of the newest of these is Vashon Aircraft with their Ranger R7 (here’s our earlier reporting on Ranger).
While organized as completely separate companies, Vashon shares common ownership through the name John Torode, the founder of Dynon Avionics. The two businesses work hard to stay separate but it’s clear one success might help the other just as John’s earlier success in the tech industry lead to Dynon being formed.
When you check the Tableau Public tally of market share information — you can select to show only Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot kit aircraft, or modern gyroplanes, or any combination, but the link defaults to all aircraft.
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Everybody Loves a Hero — How about One from Sector Aircraft …the Brazilian Invasion Continues
From Brazil comes a new Hero, an aircraft most Americans have never seen. Outside of the South American country, few know of Hero in its two models. That’s about to change with this article.
The cantilevered all-metal design has excellent ramp appeal, good specifications, and approval as a Special Light-Sport Aircraft is underway at this time, the developer said. He also added, is coming to the USA, to Florida, to be manufactured. The Brazilian invasion continues…
For this article, I exchanged communications with André Godoy, Sector Aircraft‘s CEO and aircraft designer. He explained, “I have experience building LSA for other companies in Brazil but I am now working on my new design and company. His project is “Hero, a new high wing LSA.”
Brazilian Invasion
Among nations that embrace non-commercial aviation, America leads the parade. Europe has a very large aviation community and like most non-U.S. regions, the concentration is on sport or recreational aircraft.
Lightning LS and XS — Arion Aircraft’s Sleek and Fast “Built in America” Speedsters
Most pilots love a fast-looking aircraft that looks as good on the ramp as it does in the air? Sure, gnarly backwoods airplanes on huge tires and tall gear struts have huge appeal, and float-equipped aircraft and seaplanes also draw strong interest. Yet aviation’s leading draw may be speed …more is better, right?
If that’s an accurate assessment, then let the drooling begin over this beautifully contoured flying machine that can race 135 to 185 miles an hour for a fairly modest investment. I’m writing about Lightning from Arion Aircraft, available as either a Light-Sport Aircraft or an Experimental Amateur Built version. That these handsome aircraft are also 100% designed and manufactured in the USA may be sweet icing on the cake for many readers.
LS-1 is a true Light-Sport Aircraft that meets all the parameters and survived a detailed FAA audit a few years ago. In the field owners I’ve spoken to love Lightning and its speedy ways.
Simply Gorgeous! — Tecnam Completely Refreshed their Best-Selling Light-Sport Aircraft
I regularly attend Aero Friedrichshafen every April certain I will see aircraft I’ve never seen before — but also because I will see upgrades to existing popular models. This year my informal award for the Most-Improved category goes to Tecnam and their P92 Echo, now in MkII form.
First, congratulations! — As I researched this story I discovered Tecnam had a blow-out year at Aero 2019. The company reported exceeding “all of its pre-show expectations with the sale of 51 aircraft covering Certified and Light categories.”
Tecnam also celebrated its 70th birthday at Aero where a large staff manned an enormous space featuring three new models: P92 Echo MkII, P2008JC MkII, and P2002JF that is now completing full IFR certification.
Success Story MkII
See the P92 MkII video or images for yourself but I think you will agree this is one gorgeous aircraft.
You can find several of our reports about P92 in its many forms via this link.
Texas Aircraft Manufacturing
Texas Aircraft, from the Lone Star state, offers a bright new entry: Colt 100, a descendant from an established Brazilian light aircraft. Colt is a handsome, clean-sheet design built of aluminum with a steel safety cell structure, performing strongly with its Rotax 912 engine, and showing a well-equipped, modern, deluxe interior that any pilot can love.
What’s Coming to Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot Kit Aircraft in 2020 (or so)?
Could 2020 bring a new description of aircraft under the LSA banner? Could this include greater capabilities and opportunities? Could you get the airplane you want for less? When?! Yes, yes, and yes …but probably not as soon as you want. The regulation may not emerge in 2020 but whatever the announcement date, what could be coming and how will it affect you?
We still have more to report from Sun ‘n Fun and Aero 2019 — and we will! — but numerous conversations at each event have pointed to another topic of keen interest to many: “What’s coming and when?”
Manufacturers of aircraft are among the most interested to hear more, but so are individual pilots and all the organizations and other enterprises that serve the recreational aircraft market. In this article, let’s take a closer look. (More articles will follow.)
EAA has adeptly branded their good work to some of these ends as MOSAIC, or Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates.
Celebrating 15 Years of Reporting Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot Kits, and Ultralight Aircraft
After the rush of daily reporting from Sun ‘n Fun 2019 and Aero Friedrichshafen 2019 and after a short break following these wonderful, if intensely busy, shows — it’s slightly past due to wish this website a Happy 15th Anniversary!
From a handful of readers back in 2004 — when the World Wide Web was a mere nine years old — today this website reaches a global audience that draws more than 60,000 monthly viewers.
ByDanJohnson.com launched April 1st, 2004. This seemed clairvoyant when later that year, the long-awaited Light-Sport Aircraft / Sport Pilot regulation was released (in September of 2004).
In that decade and a half, the LSA or LSA-like fleet around the world has swelled to more than 66,000 aircraft (see our chart) and this website communicates to nearly all of them sometime during every month. Viewed globally, this remains aviation’s fastest-growing sector and we try to cover it all.
Aero Friedrichshafen Day 4…Wrap — BlackWing 600, JMB Aircraft, FlySynthesis Synchro, ScaleWings P-51 Replica
Aero Friedrichshafen is over. At the beginning, show organizers said it was their biggest yet, measured by the number of exhibitors. Aero trails AirVenture Oshkosh in this measurement but only slightly. In other words, it’s big …big enough that it’s hard to see everything of interest.
In the past days, I’ve covered 16 aircraft that I found interesting and I had to skip many others. I simply did not have the hours needed to visit every exhibitor to hear their story, even if it might be a great one. The show is that rich a target environment for a journalist covering Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot kits, and ultralights.
So Many Airplanes,
Not Enough Hours…
ScaleWings SW51 — When I reported this aircraft in 2018, the “Walter Mitty story” went on to become one of the most popular articles of the year on this website. On social media promotions it also attracted more attention than any other aircraft that year.
Aero Friedrichshafen Day 3: ELECTRIC, Hybrid on Tecnam and Comco – Battery on Horten and Bristell
More from Aero as Day 3 closes. Because of the number on display — and because several readers asked — this post will focus on electric propulsion in two distinct forms. Whatever you think about electric as a means of lifting aircraft aloft, escaping its approach appears impossible. Experimentation is happening in all quarters. The following review is far from exhaustive; many other examples could be found at Aero Friedrichshafen 2019.
Most agree that batteries are the weak link in the chain and despite repeated promises of annual increases in energy density of 5-8%, it hasn’t happened over ten years I’ve followed this fairly closely. That does not preclude certain effective uses, for example, local area primary flight training or aerobatic flying. Yet flying cross country on batteries remains somewhere in the future. Nonetheless, projects abound and solutions may be upon us. Here’s what I saw today.
Hybrid Power from Tecnam, Rotax, and Siemens — I had no choice but to drop big names because these three powerhouses are joining forces on a hybrid system.
Aero Friedrichshafen Day 2: Tecnam Mk II, SkyArrow, Corsair Delivering, Delta Cruiser Floatplane
Aero Friedrichshafen continues, delivering a broad preview of new aircraft projects plus a glimpse into light aviation in Europe. New ideas run from the fascinating to the futuristic. Some will never make it market but they can contribute ideas to be used on other designs, enhancing overall progress. How does Europe do so much of this? Government funding often comes up in discussions with developers; this is extremely rare in the USA.
Attending more than 20 Aeros, I’ve found new ideas every time. Indeed, I usually run out of time before I can get to hear every story. Aero never fails to deliver.
Tecnam P92 Mk II — Speaking of progress never stopping, how about Italian juggernaut, Tecnam? Their large space included their sweeping flock of high wing and low wing sport planes, certified four seaters, military projects, their popular Twin multiengine four seater; the company even showed their 11-seat Traveller regional airliner.
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