ByDanJohnson.com

Affordable and Capable: Merlin Lite
sponsored by Aeromarine-LSA.com

News & Video on Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot Kits, and Ultralight Aircraft

Search Results for : MG 21

Not finding exactly what you expected? Try our advanced search option.

Select a manufacturer to go straight to all our content about that manufacturer.

Select an aircraft model to go straight to all our content about that model.

Select a F.I.R.M. List company to go straight to all our content about that F.I.R.M. List company.

SW-51 is Shipping Quick-Build Kits — Create Your Ultimate Mustang with Incredible Detail

by 12 Comments

North American’s World War II-era P-51 Mustang has consistently won polls of pilots asking to identify their favorite aircraft.
You may love your LSA or Sport Pilot kit or an ultralight aircraft, but nearly all pilots occasionally dream of owning — or at least flying — a P-51 Mustang.
Let’s face it. You probably can’t afford to buy one and it’s almost certain you don’t have the budget to maintain it and fly it. The fuel bill alone for an hour’s flying will make you gasp.
So, what do you do if you have a Walter Mitty-esque urge to own and fly a P-51 but you don’t have a couple million laying around unused?
Why not build your own?
When It Looks This Good!
You can follow my previous reporting of this superlative development in other articles:

SW-51 Production Model First Flight (2021)
SW-51 Kit Introduced (2019)
SW-51 ScaleWings Takes Over (2018)
SW-51 Makes Maiden Flight (2014)

As you see from the timeline above, it has taken a while for the twists and turns of development to unravel themselves.

Affordable and Familiar — Well-Established Excalibur Continues to Please Customers

by 9 Comments

Video Updated 10/25/21 — See at bottom for a video recorded at Sun ‘n Fun 2021… —DJ
Ever in search of recreational aircraft pilots can afford, I had a closer look at Excalibur’s display at Sun ‘n Fun 2021.
I’ll excuse you for thinking this is a Quad City Challenger. It’s not.
I’ll also excuse you if you never saw this aircraft before. Developer Tom Karr has been building Excalibur for 25 years, nonetheless, Sun ‘n Fun 2021 was his first time displaying at the season-starting event.
Excalibur’s Edge
In his effort to differentiate his Excalibur kit aircraft from similar looking models, Tom made numerous changes, for example: He uses all push-pull tubes to control surfaces, not cables. The tandem seater has a “wide-body” cockpit that should fit more Americans. Shock cord suspension and a spring-loaded nosewheel make for soft, well-supported landings. Instead of flaperons, Tom uses discreet flaps.

Let’s Get High… Really High, OK? Exploring the “Upper Atmosphere” in a Pipistrel Motorglider

by 9 Comments

Probably like a lot of you, I enjoy different kinds of flying but if asked to state one favorite, it’s an easy question to answer.
I’m a great enthusiast of soaring flight. Over decades of sampling a large number of aircraft of every description, I’m still drawn to a machine, which lacking any kind of powerplant, relies on the performance of the design and the skill of the pilot to stay aloft. I remain fascinated with locating rising columns of heated air. Circle well enough into one of these invisible thermals and you may be rewarded with an invigorating sensation of lift, of riding the swirling airmass thousands of feet into the air …silently. It’s mesmerizing to observe the ground fall away as you are propelled higher and higher.
You may never have felt such thing and you may be hesitant about launching into the air in an aircraft that will allow only one approach and landing per flight; no exceptions.

A Tale of Two Hawks; Proven & Affordable; One Makes Part 103

by Leave a Comment

Since Chuck Slusarczyk’s first Hawk won Best New Design at Sun ‘n Fun in the spring of 1982 — the same year Part 103 was released — this affordable series of models has continued to increase its flock of smiling owners. Today around 2,500 Hawks of all varieties are flying. By my benchmark, that number separates lesser brands from those that achieve genuine market penetration.
Today the manufacturing of CGS’s Hawk line falls to two entities after the brand’s most recent rescuer, Terry Short, chose to focus on his own strengths. Terry had saved the design from its second owner after the original creator, Chuck, retired from the business. When Terry got busy building airplanes and supplying parts, he realized that it was a more diverse enterprise than originally anticipated. Therefore he was open when Bob Santom approached him.
In 2017, Bob Santom and his wife Marlene came to agreement and the Santom family took over rights and production of all CGS Hawk single-seat aircraft.

Affordable Aviation — How Can You Afford Your Own Aircraft? Here’s One Way.

by 5 Comments

Let’s keep a focus on aircraft affordability. Look, we love recreational aircraft. In how they deliver enjoyment, they are closer to boats, RVs, and motorcycles than they are to a Cirrus SR22 or a Bonanza.
Some owners justify the latter saying they use their airplane for company travel. When an airplane’s price tag approaches $1 million, business use is surely necessary.
Very few of us can even drean of dropping a cool million on an airplane. Rather, I often hear from readers that a $125,000 Light-Sport Aircraft is “way too expensive!”
In this article, I’ll tell you something of Wes Parker‘s story and explain how he came to own the aircraft pictured nearby at a modest expense.
But First…
Please note the graphic to the right. This concerns a matter I hope you recognize as extremely important.
At present, flight instruction in Special, Experimental, Limited, and Primary Category aircraft requires a LODA.

Trouble Ahead? 5 Problems Appear While Aircraft Sales Remain Strong. What’s Happening?

by 8 Comments

Numerous reports involve rising inflation in the last year. What’s driving this? Despite public spending at levels never seen before, inflation had seemed tame and the economy appears remarkably strong even after the last year and a half of dislocations and restrictions?
However, trillions cannot enter an economy without impact. The lion’s share of those immense sums found their way into financial assets, including stocks.
What has this to do with Light-Sport Aircraft? Over many years of ups and downs, I’ve noticed a high correlation between stock market buoyancy and airplane sales. Both are soaring right now.
Unfortunately, some dark clouds are gathering.

Insurance Rates — Do you pay an insurance bill? If you answered yes, then you know about a significant increase in your premium. Maybe you can’t find insurance for your special aircraft. Maybe you can’t even get an insurance agent to give you a quote. Is the cause for this price gloom because LSA or Sport Pilot kit aircraft are falling out of the sky?

Newest (SLSA-to-be) Hiperlight at 2005 Prices, Plus an Important Request from AOPA!

by 2 Comments

I consistently promote that this website focuses on “affordable” aircraft. I used quotes because affordable literally means something different to every single individual. None of us has the same budget and our financial picture can change tomorrow.
At AirVenture 2021, I interviewed Ron Jones of Thunderbird Aviation about a two-seat Hiperlight he displayed in the Fun Fly Zone.
The design by the Sorrell brothers has been around for decades but not until now has it been available as a ready-to-fly SLSA. In truth, it’s still not available but Ron said, “It’s coming” and it could arrive in time for the 2022 recreational flying season.
Thunderbird Aviation
Line of Models
Back in the ’80s, the Sorrells set out to create Hiperlight as high-performance aircraft using relative low horsepower.
Thunderbird Aviation was established officially in 2002 when Ron reports being “lucky enough to stumble across a tiny ad in one of the aviation trade journals.

A Genuine Part 103 Helicopter plus a Turbine-Powered Model — Both Priced Fairly

by 12 Comments

A month ago as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 ended, the most popular article from my week of reporting from the big show focused on Composite FX. The Florida producer makes a line of single seat helicopters many pilots could actually afford.
Those words almost don’t belong in the same sentence: “afford” and “helicopter.” Most pilots have little idea how much they cost because they’re seen as expensive and devilishly hard to fly. A Robinson R22, the company’s lowest cost two seater, starts at $325,000.
So, are all helicopters expensive and difficult to fly? “No,” say Composite FX representatives. As helicopters go, light weight can aid ease of operation. The low mass of Part 103 ultralights can be optimal in some situations but don’t take my word for it. With this article I present two fresh videos about this company and their aircraft.
Part 103 to Turbines
Perhaps you accept that Composite FX’s XEL Part 103 model can legitimately make Part 103 using some lightweight floats — and yes, this is legal and proper, see this FAA document guiding field personnel.

Privacy Policy
Terms of Use