Search Results for : Rotax electric

More than 20 Top LSA You Can Buy
The light-sport aircraft industry hangs in there, although sales numbers, as with general aviation, still struggle to gain safe altitude in the stormy economic skies. Encouraging item: LSA sales in 2009 represented nearly 25% of all GA piston purchases. Another surprise: Most of the 107 models available for sale here and abroad are still in production with more new models in the pipeline! Nobody’s getting rich (this is aviation, remember?), but most makers believe the turnaround will come. That’s the spirit!
And with the Euro taking heat against the dollar lately as Europe goes through its own econoclysm, U.S. prices for foreign-produced LSA could drop. Many airframe makers lowered prices, but the industry still faces challenges: ongoing dyspepsia imbued by the sluggish recovery; market recognition… many people still aren’t aware of what an LSA is, maybe that’s why 20% of all U.S. sales in the U.S.

Catching up with Jon Hansen and James DeHart of Hansen Air Group in Georgia.  They rep the lovely line of FK Lightplanes German composite aircraft for all of North America (except Florida.) *** Jon had just delivered the first FK 9 ELA to a customer, who was there when I came by with four of his six children, all boys.  Three of them, at least so far, want to be pilots like their dad.  Nice looking family as you can see. *** The FK 9 ELA (which will be redubbed Sparrow to avoid confusion — some folks think “E” means Experimental) is a handsome, clean airplane that deserves to capture attention.  There are a whole line of these immaculate S-LSA, including the FA-04 that set a cross-country flight record for LSA last year and the gorgeous FK-14 Polaris that was originally going to be offered by Cirrus until that company ran into difficulties last year.

A couple days ago I promised to follow up on the Paris Green Air Show so here we go. *** The show is held (2010 is the 2nd year) at the Musee Air + Despace, at Le Bourget airport, the field where Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis and where the huge Paris Air Show takes place every other year (next up in 2011). *** It’s mission statement is implicit from the phrase on the evocative splash drawing: “L’aviation du futur”. It took a bit of digging and some web translations to find out more about the show that Gizmag first posted about the other day. *** The explosion of imaginative designs and concepts at the show is staggering: very much like the first years of aviation after 1903. Dirigibles large and small, including man-powered balloons; aircraft engines with zero CO2 emissions; aircraft powered by electric, solar and hydrogen fuel cell engines; noise and pollution reducing sustainable development concepts for airports, runways and aircraft “villages.” All in all, quite a hoot; I’d love to go to the next one.

Just got off the horn with Phil Lockwood of Lockwood Aviation today about Shell‘s announcement, which kicks off at the Sebring LSA Expo next week, about its newest lubricant, AeroShell Oil Sport PLUS 2. *** Phil is the go-to guy for anything Rotax. He built his company from scratch into the Mecca for engines, parts, service, maintenance, training and a lot more. He also produces the AirCam and Drifter sport aircraft, sells LSA and I could go on for pages. Super guy too. *** Anyway, here’s Phil’s take on this new 2-stroke engine oil: *** “It’s actually a big deal for people who use 2-strokes — that’s about 10,000 aircraft. We used Pennzoil, (now owned by Shell), before that, but the formulation constantly changed due to chemicals in it becoming unavailable.” *** One problem was severe carbon packing around high performance rings, requiring regular decarbonizing.

Great (and getting hot!) weather and a good, if not record-breaking, turnout mark the beginning of the EAA Sun ‘n Fun flyin. *** The exhibitor turnout is likewise somewhat down, although Dan Johnson’s LSA Mall at the entrance is filled with aircraft and lots of serious interest from potential buyers, as in previous shows. *** I’ve talked with many LSA companies here who say there are more serious buyers, fewer “tire-kickers”. *** Some LSA makers like Flight Design have racked up aircraft sales already. Others are still hoping to do business: it depends on who you talk to on whether the show is better or worse than expected. Expectations due to the economic times were not high to begin with, so it’s too early to put a number on the overall picture. *** Lots of new developments though, with more details to come here, such as: *** * a new electric/Rotax hybrid engine that will boost economy and provide electric power safety backup in emergencies, announced at AERO Friedrichshafen *** * Evektor passes LAMA audit *** * Legend Cub offers sub-$100,000 “Aeronomic Stimulus” SLSA, and new Garmin 696 installation *** * EAA presents Earth Day celebration with electric LSA prototype in center of the LSA exhibitors in the southeast display mall.