On June 14, a Porto Aviation’s Risen completed the transatlantic leg of its journey from Milan, Italy, to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The company posted on social media: “We made it!!! I have been reluctant to post anything here before accomplishing this epic flight , being Italian I guess makes me more superstitious.A page in aviation history has been written by Alberto Porto and Andrea Florence (Venturini). 1900 nautical miles, average speed [of] 165 kts, with just over 43 gallons of fuel!!! We left this morning early in rainy Scotland and landed in the afternoon at Goose Bay the same day without refueling.”
The company announced its cross-the-pond plans this May to bring the newly re-engined Risen to the U.S. While many versions of the retractable-gear Risen use the Rotax 912, the company had been fitting the turbocharged 915 iS. But this example has the newer, more powerful Rotax 916 iS.
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Checking in With Sonex’s Mark Schaible — Update on the High Wing and Will it Be a MOSAIC Design?
Light Sport enthusiasts who appreciate light, simple, inexpensive airplanes have been watching Sonex Aircraft develop the High Wing model for a couple of years now. It’ll first come out as an Experimental/Amateur-Built version but the company is very much open to considering an E-LSA and even, with some outside help, an S-LSA version. (Or whatever we’re going to call that once MOSAIC is real.)
Company owner Mark Schaible joins us to talk about the airplane’s gestation and expectations for performance and when it might fly. Hint: You’ll be able to see a cabin mockup at AirVenture this year at the least. In general, Sonex is hoping for performance similar to the low-wing Sonex designs and will be building the first example as a taildragger with a 130-hp ULPower engine. Schaible also discusses changes to the design now that MOSAIC is closer to reality. Expanded Sport Pilot rules could allow Sonex to give the High Wing a gross weight above the current 1320-pound maximum for LSA.
Crystal Balling — What Will Rotax Do Next?
Untethered prognostication is what you do waiting for the rain showers to blow through and the sun to reemerge on your long cross country. Me? I sorta do it for a living. (Such as that is.) And I get to do it often enough in front of people who work deep in the industry to see if I’ve landed close to the truth. Like playing Battleship with engineers and PR people.
My latest prognostication jag centers on what’s next for Rotax. And it’s driven by a feeling that there’s no time to waste moving up the horsepower ladder. Here’s my argument.
First, the traditional engine manufacturers have still not recovered from what they say are pandemic-related supply-chain issues, which causes huge delays in deliveries and helps drive prices quite high. In the Experimental realm, where I also live, new engines have become exceptionally more expensive, leading some builders to reassess their budgets and stop their projects where they stand.
New Buyer for Icon Reported — What Happens Now?
Icon is a global enterprise. While its headquarters remains in Vacaville, California, fabrication is done in Mexico, and ownership is in China. For some years, this American start-up has benefitted from Chinese investment.
How much investment has this California company attracted? Numbers I’ve been quoted vary enormously but all estimates run into many millions of dollars. If these guesses are even close to accurate, Icon has generated more investment funding than nearly any LSA producer. Only one outstrips them. That was a reported $200 million sale of Pipistrel to Textron, owner of Cessna and other aviation brands. I hope the aerospace conglomerate got all they hoped for because that is a super-premium valuation for any LSA company, even one as tech-savvy as Pipistrel.
Icon has performed reasonably well in recent years (“200 Delivered” report) but prior investments in the company require sales volumes that are difficult to reach, especially with a $400,000 price tag.
So, You Want to Build An Ultralight?
Ever consider what it might be like building an ultralight? But first, how do ultralights fit into the arena of “regular” Experimental airplanes like the ones featured in KITPLANES Magazine and other Light Sport Aircraft found on this website? For those not familiar with the technicalities of an ultralight, allow me to briefly summarize the details of what defines an ultralight. Then we’ll consider how they complement their larger brothers.
While you may hear pilots and builders use the term ultralight to describe a small, light aircraft in general terms, the FAA has very specific rules as to what constitutes an ultralight. Full details are spelled out in Part 103 of the FARs, but here are the highlights.
An ultralight has a single seat (pilot-only capable), an empty weight of no more than 254 pounds and a maximum speed of 63 mph. So, if you ever see a small plane with more than one seat, or one that obviously weighs more than 254 pounds, that aircraft does not meet the legal criteria of an ultralight.
Like Phoenix Rising, Belite Chipper Returns to Production by SkyKicker Aviation
Welcome back to the airplane equivalent of an old friend. As you can see at the bottom of this post, Videoman Dave and I did many video interviews with Chipper creator. James Weibe (view at bottom). Pilots seemed always to enjoy hearing about his latest development.
James came to aviation from the computer business, where the pace isn’t fast — it’s furious! Over the years Dave and I covered James and his output, we’d make a new video at every airshow, it seemed, as he had moved on from the last design to the next. That’s what they do in the world of computers but it made pilots’ heads spin.
It also probably slowed sales because, as with computers, why buy this airplane when the next one will be even better?
It Began with Kitfox Lite
James started out with the Kitfox Lite single place Part 103 ultralight vehicle. Current Kitfox owners did not plan to pursue the single seater that Kitfox founder Dan Denney had created years earlier.
Reorganization Approved: Van’s Emerges From Chapter 11
While the world of LSAs is diverse enough that the trials of Van’s Aircraft, which put itself into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late last year, aren’t quite the foundational matters they are among the homebuilt crowd, the fact that Van’s is represented with the popular RV-12 and companies that support it are also part of the LSA ecosystem suggests more than a little spillover. In the background, Van’s has been working hard to reset its business and emerge from Chapter 11. And on May 15 the company received good news in the form of an Oregon judge approving the company’s reorganization plan. While it seemed unlikely, there was always the possibility that the court would reject or modify the company’s proposal.
In the proposal, Van’s has agreed to repay unsecured creditors 55% of the money they’re owed over three years on top of an “immediate” repayment of $3350 for those in the unsecured creditor class.
Affordable Aeromarine Merlin LSA — What’s New?
When thinking of affordable aviation, it’s impossible not to talk about the Aeromarine Merlin LSA. This aircraft is a familiar design for many, as it made its premier in 2016. We’ve talked about it here several times. There have been some exciting changes and updates, a few of which we learned about last month at Sun ’n Fun.
The Aeromarine designed and built 60-hp V-twin liquid cooled four-cycle engine now comes as the standard powerplant. This is a modern engine with electronic ignition, electronic fuel injection and an electric starter. Merlin says this engine will cut fuel consumption at cruise to an average of 2.5 gph, approximately 50% less than the Rotax 582. The Rotax engine is still available as option for those builders that prefer.
The Aeromarine Merlin LSA will also feature as standard a deluxe MGL 8.5-inch EFIS with ADS-B In and Out (FIS-B) avionics panel, elevating your flying experience to the 21st century.
Summer’s Almost Here! State-of-the-Sector Report for LSA Seaplanes
One of the most active sectors in light aviation is LSA seaplanes. We’ve seen ups and downs, arrivals and departures of LSA seaplane producers. Admittedly, these flying machines are more complex than current-day LSA. For example, amphibs need retractable landing gear and substantial boat hulls able to take water loads.
LSA seaplanes constitute a highly fluid market yet we can see clues suggesting what might be ahead for some of the main brands. With summertime approaching, this State-of-the-Sector article attempts to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape (or waterscape).
We’ll first look at two high-end entries that have been in the news and conclude with present LSA seaplanes and their status in the market.
Vickers Wave
Writing for AVweb (part of Firecrown, which also owns Flying and ByDanJohnson.com plus several other publications), my fellow aviation journalist Russ Niles stated, “New Zealand-based Vickers Aircraft Company says it intends to make its first delivery of the Wave two-place amphibious aircraft to a U.S.
Dragonfly Is Back Home in Florida — Hang Glider Tug … Working Ranch “Tractor”
Dragonfly was born in Florida in the early 1990s. Back-of-the-napkin sketches started in the 1980s following the dynamic 1970s when hang gliding swooped into national awareness. What one designer did with Dragonfly would become one of the most celebrated developments in hang gliding.
Throughout the ’70s, hang glider designs accelerated smartly in glide performance and sink rate, stretching from slope-hugging 4:1 triangular-shaped wings to elegantly long and slender “bladewings” that could exceed a 20:1 glide yet remain foot-launchable and still be an aircraft you could carry on your shoulder (when folded down). Passionate enthusiasts thrilled to a 5X performance improvement in a decade or so.
In the beginning, most pilots launched off mountains to get enough height to catch thermals. Yet lots of America doesn’t have mountainous terrain. Florida had plenty of pilots eager to fly hang gliders but to find the best soaring, they had to load up their gliders and drive 10-12 hours to the hills of Tennessee where flight park operators like me catered to them with mountain launch sites.
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