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I caught up with a fellow hang glider pioneer from the 70s’, Scott Severen of U.S. Aviation, Denton, TX who filled me in on the latest events for his broad-based Light Sport/GA service and repair center. *** U.S. Aviation is a large, well-established aviation service center that does it all: flight training, aircraft and avionics sales, service and maintenance (for general aviation as well as LSA). *** Scott has been involved with Indus Aviation and its Thorpedo LSA aircraft for years. That project is moving to a China-based manufacturing base and “It’s a big process to pull it all together,” he says. He was just over there, assembling a couple Thorpedos to support the transition. *** “It will be a beautiful facility over there once it’s built. We’ll still do parts and aircraft sales in Dallas, and US Aviation will assist in factory support of the Thorpedo; it’s one of several LSA we do.

Bret Koebbe of Sporty’s Pilot Shop introduced me to a cool new ADS-B weather uplink product, the Stratus. *** US built by Appareo Systems, it’s a completely portable, wire-free, subscription-free weather solution that works in conjunction only (so far) with the Foreflight ap for the iPad. *** The Stratus provides ADS-B-based weather, Nexrad, Metars, TAS, Airmets, Sigmets, TFRS, “the whole nine yards of everything that’s included with ADS-B” as Bret describes it, all wirelessly transmitted to your in-cockpit iPad. *** It uses the iPad’s WiFi connection, and can be broadcast to more than one iPad in the cockpit. Just open Foreflight, link it to the Stratus box, and you’ve got all your weather info with you. *** The ADS-B weather coverage will be coast to coast-complete sometime in 2013. *** It’s a simple device: eight-hour battery, wire free, built-in ADS-B antenna buiilt into the box, and also includes WAAS GPS with 1-2 meter accuracy.

Sun ‘n Fun got off to a great start with weather in the low 80’s, a helpful breeze and lots of new buildings and of course massive traffic jams coming in to the show because some things should never change no matter how many improvements are made. *** Seriously, the Sun ‘n Fun folks do a great job and there are many new things on the field to make life more enjoyable for spectators and those of us here to work.First up: Jim Dehart of Atlanta Light Sport Aviation was excited to show off his school’s new FK12 Comet with the first-in-US Lycoming IO-233 fully aerobatic light sport engine. *** “The airplane is really powerful,” Jim says, “and at 696 lbs. will be a real performer.” *** He quotes the horsepower at 125 hp but I’ve seen it at 116 max everywhere else so either I’ve got it wrong and there’s a bump in power from the inverted fuel/oil system on the aerobatic version (standard carburetted version also available, as well as a Rotax version, or he meant to say 116 hp.

Supersonic flight pioneer and WWII ace Chuck Yeager is famous for using, if not coining, the term “pushing the envelope,” which has entered the popular lexicon for just about anything to do with growth and meeting challenges. *** In that vein, since the day the Light Sport category became a fixture of the aviation regulatory landscape, there have been calls to do everything from abolish it outright to expand it’s current parameter. The parameters invoked to arrive at the perfect light aircraft involve the Usual Suspects: faster, bigger, stronger, heavier, better load, no altitude restrictions etcetera etcetera etcetera. *** In that vein, I want to share with you some cogent email comments received from Plane & Pilot magazine reader Dr. Barry Gloger who puts forward a well-reasoned argument for reworking the LSA concept. *** Whether you agree or not with his point of view, it’s hard to refute his logic, since it’s based on his expertise in the actual physical size of the “average American.” *** And now for The Usual Disclaimer: his viewpoint does not necessarily reflect my opinion or that of the staff of P&P mag.

“Things are really popping with autogas,” said Kent Misegades, one member of a group trying to assure more LSA-friendly fuels (like zero ethanol or E0). Though the new Rotax 912 iS can handle ethanol, it truly loves E0 and many experts say it runs more powerfully and cleaner with such fuel plus wear and tear is reportedly reduced. Another big plus is that such fuel is significantly cheaper than avgas like 100LL. *** Kent reported that they found a new supplier in California resulting in the Santa Rosa airport beginning to sell it. “With the recent rise in avgas prices and the latest news of the Friends of Earth lawsuit against the EPA, my inbox is full of requests for help to get autogas,” added Kent. “Todd Petersen is even busier with autogas STCs, which have been selling well in recent years.” *** Kent further described the benefits “As LSA owners know, autogas is not only an excellent fuel for the engines that power the vast majority of light aircraft, but it is the only affordable, lead-free, FAA-approved aviation fuel we have in any quantity.

Rotax Aircraft Engines just raised the bar with its new Rotax 912 iS, fuel-injected, 100-hp engine, based on the truly ubiquitous core 912 mill we all know so well. *** FYI: Did you know more than 170,000 Rotax aircraft units are in service worldwide? Wow! That’s a lot of engines. *** The new powerplant is being hailed as the most fuel efficient aviation engine for light sport aircraft. *** Alas, the 912 iS won’t download your email, doesn’t have a Retina display and has nothing in fact to do with Apple. Watch the video below for more details on the new engine’s operation. *** The “i” of course stands for fuel injected, and with this happy development come beaucoup bennies: • Up to 30% lower fuel consumption than previous versions, and up to 78% lower than “comparable competitive engines”. Could this lead to smaller fuel tanks in LSA? That would easily make up for the 13 pound increase in engine weight and then some without giving up range.

Time to wrap up this week’s discussion with John Lampson, CFII and veteran Flight Design CTLS instructor. *** Our topic: How and why are LSA different than GA airplanes and what transition challenges do they present for experienced GA pilots?”LSA really perform,” says John. “When you add power in the CT, it wants to just leap off the ground. That’s not true of most heavier GA airplanes.” *** “As I said earlier, GA experience shouldn’t hold pilots back in an LSA. But I’ve noticed they’re often surprised at the lighter, more dramatic, responsive feel of LSA, especially when they make the exact same control inputs that they’re used to for a GA airplane.” *** “New pilots on the other hand, with no prior flying experience, have no preconceptions. I can teach them from the ground up. They don’t have to combat and unlearn those old habits first.” *** Does that mean baby blue students get with the program quicker?

Just heard from “Doc” Bailey of the Renegade Light-Sport gang, who have taken over U.S. production of the sleek, muscular Falcon SLSA along with wrangling the new Lycoming 233 LSA series of engines.In mid-May, Doc says they’ll be introducing their latest US version of the Falcon, including the tailwheel to tricycle version which uses the same airframe. *** The entire plane is now made here in the US, and based on the constant attention and sales at Sebring, Renegade would seem to have a success on their hands. I’ll be flying it in the next few weeks: have been looking forward to that for some time.Meanwhile, Doc tells me, “We have just moved into our new 44,000 square foot facility here at Lee’s Summit (MO). Sometime I would like to give you a tour of our facility and then when and if you want to go to North Carolina I will take you to our new composite plant, (where) we hope to be making as many as six LSA airframes there soon for different ‘want to be Made in the USA’ vendors.” *** He says the new version of the Falcon will knock my socks off.