You can hardly doubt the headline. A cruise through our SLSA List will show almost a quarter of all (12 of 50) designs that have won certification are from the Czech Republic. Even the USA counts only 11 SLSA models so far. Yet perhaps showing global cross-pollination, at least two Czech producers are owned by Americans (Czech Aircraft Works and Interplane). Even inside the Czech Republic one company often builds parts used by others. Since the Soviets withdrew 17 years ago, the Czech Republic has embraced recreational aviation with excellent success. *** Of course, Germany, Italy, France and Spain plus East European producers in Poland, Romania, and Hungary have also made their impact in the American LSA market. So, ASTM‘s LSA committee will hold its next standards writing and review session in Prague, Czech Republic. I’ll be going as will several other American leaders, partly as a significant gathering of EU aviation officials will also meet in conjunction with the ASTM meeting.
Search Results for : Quicksilver
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.
LAMA Audits of SLSA Continue; Board Expanded
In a year of facilitating independent audits for Special Light-Sport Aircraft, LAMA, the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, completed reviews of six companies: IndUS (Thorpedo); Jihlavan (Kappa KP-5); Aeropro (EuroFox); Flight Design (CT); Czech Aircraft Works (SportCruiser, Mermaid, & Parrot); and Evektor (SportStar). CZAW and Evektor were announced at a press conference at AirVenture Oshkosh 2007; all the others were announced earlier. Successfully audited LSA can display individually-numbered LAMA decals. Customers appreciate and seek independently reviewed products. *** At the same press conference LAMA announced expansion of its board to seven members. New members are Jack Pelton, president and CEO of Cessna Aircraft and Jo Konrad, president of the German Ultralight Association (DULV). These impressive additions join Dave Martin, journalist and former editor of Kitplanes; Tom Peghiny, president of Flight Design USA; Phil Lockwood, president of Lockwood Aircraft Supply; Tom Gunnarson, LAMA president; and myself, serving as Chairman.
Come See LSA at AOPA’s 2007 Expo in Hartford
At Oshkosh I took the chance to speak with several general aviation leaders — CEOs of top general aviation companies and presidents of leading membership organizations. All have been kind to me with their time and generous with their support for the Sport Pilot concept, but I sensed they didn’t yet accept LSA deep down. Minor questions remained. Today that seems convincingly gone. The same not-100%-certain leaders now chorus, “LSA is here to stay.” *** Evidence of that is again marshaling for AOPA’s season-ending event for general aviation. The D.C.-based organization now counts more than 413,000 members, more than two-thirds of all pilots on the FAA register. The traveling Expo show typically draws well from a region’s pilot population. Action starts October 4-6, 2007 at the Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD). *** For the third year running AOPA is providing a grouped location for Light-Sport Aircraft right where you enter the airplane display area (SLSA exhibitor list under photo).
Sportsplanes Announces Arrival of New Breezer II
The early reviews — mine included (report here) — were excellent. The Breezer design from Germany is a great flying aircraft. Then problems arose…though fortunately not with the airframe but with design rights and such. Now that those difficulties are resolved, new aircraft are again arriving in the U.S. “The new Breezers are here!” declared Josh Foss, head of Sportsplanes.com, a Utah-based organization with reps around the country. He plans to display the new Breezer model at the AOPA Expo in Connecticut October 4-6, 2007. *** Breezer II features a much larger baggage compartment, an enlarged panel, and heavy duty toe brakes that replace a handbrake lever. Josh added, “Breezer II is now being manufactured in a new 17,000 square foot facility in Germany that has been equipped with the latest in high tech machinery geared for large volume. The facilities include a private airstrip for flight testing.
Flight Design Delivers 200th CT in USA
Market leader Flight Design seems hot as a pistol and appears to be validating their plan to substantially increase production. South Central U.S. distributor Airtime Aviation delivered N200BL to Brian Longwill, their new dealer operating under the name Longwill AirCraft. And talk about beautiful timing, this also happened to be CT delivery number 50 for Airtime. Putting even a finer point on their accomplishments, Airtime got the first CT approved in the U.S., missing by mere hours being the first SLSA* in the country. *** Longwill AirCraft will base their new CT at a new airport opening in Estancia, New Mexico…east of Albuquerque and south of Moriarty. Longwill aims to attract sport aircraft of all kinds to the facility. *** Finally — call me lucky or call it a truly fine bit of advance planning, but this is also SPLOG #200. From the mail and calls I get, you love SPLOG and I’m pleased you do.
LSA Registrations Pass the 1,000 Mark!
After 26 months and a few days, LSA now exceed 1,000 aircraft in the U.S. certified aircraft fleet. That sum represents an annual sales rate of nearly 500 aircraft per year. Since June 1st, another 49 fixed wing aircraft have been added, an annual rate of almost 600 aircraft. *** Of 1,030 registered as of July 1st, 81% or 833 are airplanes, 153 (15%) are weight shift control “trikes,” and 44 (4%) are powered parachutes. No gyros, gliders, or light-than-air have been certified or registered at this time. As always, be aware that FAA registrations may not precisely equal total customer deliveries. *** Our top three leaders — Flight Design, American Legend, and Evektor — held their positions. Tecnam again gained a notch, now occupying the #4 position. Jabiru USA and Remos also moved upward (at least in percentage) and Czech Aircraft Works elbowed into the Top Twelve.
LSA Euro-Factory Tour: Flight Design, Ukraine
The Czech Republic featured in the last few SPLOGs may not be well known to Americans, but Ukraine seems yet another world away. Indeed, our jetliner flew almost two hours further east to Odessa and then we took a three-hour car ride to Kherson, home to the primary production facility for German-owned Flight Design. *** The experience of touring their facility was dramatically different than CZAW or Evektor as Flight Designs works almost exclusively with carbon fiber. Now in its second decade of production CT is America’s best-selling LSA and its factory has grown accordingly. More than 500 Ukrainian employees — engineers, designers, managers, technicians, and factory employees — toil in a sprawling facility not far from the Black Sea. Senior management is German but the entire facility is run by local talent. Interestingly, staff meetings are held in English.
LSA Euro-Factory Tour: Evektor, Czech Republic
On the same field in the southeastern Czech Republic as used by Czech Aircraft Works is Evektor, builder of the #3-selling SportStar. Coincidence? Not at all. This region, including nearby Slovak Republic and Poland, forms an aviation-intensive region that has attracted many companies. CZAW occupies buildings used in the Soviet era by Let Aircraft, a major producer of transport aircraft. In newer quarters on the opposite side of the airport is Evektor. *** Beside producing the first SLSA in America, Evektor is an engineering and design powerhouse. Of their several hundred employees, the company has nearly 200 engineers doing work for the aircraft and auto industries (which helped their success at being first to meet ASTM standards). Evektor builds an all-metal airplane using many components subcontracted to businesses in the area then assembling them into the beautifully finished LSA we see here in the U.S. According to Evektor America, more SportStars are in use in U.S.
Light-Sport FAA Registrations Continue to Rise
Based on FAA data* from early May, 92 new SLSA registrations brought total SLSA to 930 aircraft, up 11% in one month and up 46% since January 2007. *** For sellers in the market, it has become more crowded. Eighteen months ago the LSA community had certified 16 new models; now, we’re at 50. More choice is great for consumers but it’s challenging for sellers as many choices can slow the purchase decision and new players eat away at market leader shares. *** Despite that observation, the big sellers remain on top. Flight Design retains its leadership position, as does U.S. builder, American Legend (chart). Evektor (#3) and TL Ultralight (#4) held their positions while Tecnam and Fantasy Air moved up one. Some shuffling occurred below the Top Five with U.S. producers AMD and CubCrafters generating more registrations.
The Tanarg: Most Deluxe Trike Ever?
When Air Création introduced their beautiful Tanarg trike to American pilots in 2005, it earned a very warm response and, at the same time, shock at its $53,000 price tag – some $10,000 more than the next closest high-end trike.
Pronounced Tan-ARG (rhyme it with “barge,” except the G is said softly, more like TAN-arz), the machine is impressive. Even for those pilots or newcomers who regard weight-shift control trikes as “weird,” or “hard to understand,” the Tanarg design concept earns respect rapidly. This aircraft has received enormous attention to detail while also gaining in strength and ease of use. Air Création engineers built on many successful years of designing and producing lots of trikes – some 2,500 of them – to create a stunning work of aeronautical art. Nothing on the market is quite like the Tanarg.
The last time I wrote about Air Création, I talked about my experience with their wonderful new iXess wing (once again introducing a hard-to-pronounce name).
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- …
- 21
- Next Page »