We’ve seen “legacy” general aviation builders depart the Light-Sport Aircraft scene. The reasons are varied but certainly this is highly competitive space with frequent innovations applied and clean-sheet designs emerging like clockwork (more than one per month for ten straight years!). Once a company becomes accustomed to the profits turbines and jets can generate, small piston aircraft looks like a lean market. However, as one major name exits another arrives. A year and a half ago at AOPA’s last Palm Springs, California Summit, Van’s Aircraft announced their entry to Special LSA through an arrangement with Synergy Air. It was something of a toe in the water for the large kit builder. To no one’s surprise, they sold out immediately. After spinning up operations to build and deliver the first batch, Van’s and Synergy evaluated and chose to continue onward with building ready-to-fly airplanes.
Dick VanGrunsven, founder of Van’s Aircraft, Inc., and Wally Anderson, head of Synergy Air, recently announced that production of the RV-12 SLSA will continue in 2014.
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Aerotrek Moves Up, Up, and Away (like Santa?)
You may have missed it. If so, this article provides another look at a LSA provider that I consider something of a “sleeper” … and if you do not know that term, it’s meant to be positive yet refer in this case to a company that does its thing well if somewhat quietly. I am writing about Aerotrek Aircraft and its two models, the taildragging A220 and the trigeared A240. These airplanes may look familiar — itself a good thing as they are based on a very well proven original design — yet they have seen steady updating and improvement that makes a distinct airplane as we head into 2014. Proprietor Rob Rollison has shown a very steady hand at the tiller and recently updated his company’s news.
“Sales of our Aeropro planes continue to be good — sold out until late-August 2014,” wrote Rob. “We will show 10 planes delivered in calendar year 2013.” However, his company also sold one to Mexico, so that one will not show up on our third quarter 2013 market share report to be published next week. Two more Aerotreks are aboard an ocean freighter so will be counted as 2014 deliveries. Another pair are reported complete but will not be shipped until after the new year. This suggests Aerotrek will continue a steady climb up from 2013.
Quicksilver Near Special LSA Approval for Sport 2S
The Special Light-Sport Aircraft version of Quicksilver Aeronautics‘ popular Sport 2 model is completing efforts to gain FAA acceptance. An FAA audit is scheduled in December and the company announced it has completed the entire flight test regimen required to comply with ASTM industry consensus standards. A recent update to the standard now demands that a company must accumulate 100 hours of flight testing. Homebuilders expend some time to log the 40 hours required for an Experimental Amateur Built kit; this is two and half times as much. “We completed an entire ASTM Design & Performance standard test matrix,” said Daniel Perez, Chief Operations Officer for the California company. He also noted that those 100 flight hours involved 236 takeoffs and landings. These results follow a long period of other detailed testing and significant document preparation plus establishing the factory for repeatable, quality-controlled production of ready-to-fly aircraft.
Quiclsilver’s Sport 2S is a strutted, wide open cockpit, side-by-side two seater and will be the first Quicksilver aircraft to complete the entire compliance package.
Planes, Cars, & More at Festivals of Speed
Festivals of Speed is not your “everyman” show tour. Aimed at wealthy folks, Joe Sabatini’s FoS extravaganza is quite different than the usual airshow fare. Some very distinctive aircraft drew plenty of attention … if you could tear your eyes away from a large gathering of magnificent supercars or scores of beautiful people. The event was based at the Orlando International Airport, which meant flying a few Light-Sport Aircraft into the Class B jetport and assembling in and around the giant hangar at Galaxy Aviation FBO. Opening night was hob-nobbing with the well-to-do types that can supposedly afford the goods on display. Via silent auction, Festival of Speed also benefits charities such as Arnold Palmer Hospital For Children.
For the first time, Light-Sport Aircraft were invited (and not asked to pay what surely is a steep price of entry). Representing the fleet were Progressive Aerodyne‘s SeaRey and Flight Design‘s CTLSi.
CubCrafters’ 180-hp Carbon Cub SS… Hoo Rah!
The Heart of America Sport Aviation Classic is history. Weather and first year challenges conspired to keep the event from achieving its true potential, which illustrates the task of creating a “new Sebring” LSA Expo. These small venues have outsize appeal because they are much more intimate than the big airshows with their tens or hundreds of thousands of attendees. You can talk at length with aircraft sellers and taking a demo flight is… well, it’s practically the whole point. So we did.
We were able to perform a full video pilot report on the CubCrafters Carbon Cub SS. Update 10/9/12; video appears below — The west coast company’s popular model with a potent 180-horsepower engine leaps off the runway with such enthusiasm it can appear a visual trick. Both my videographer and I had a chance to fly with CubCrafters dealer and Rare Aircraft vintage aircraft restoration partner, Ben Redman.
Preparing for AirVenture Oshkosh 2013
Recently, our good friends over at General Aviation News reported on the Bearhawk LSA. If you don’t receive GA News’ “The Pulse of Aviation,” I urge you to sign up for it right now (it’s free). Aviators are lucky to have several online news outlets — AVweb, ePilot, eBrief, and eHotline, plus some excellent news websites — but I always anticipate “The Pulse” as I’ve come to admire their speed and rely on their professional journalism. That said, in their recent article they used the phrase “Bearhawk LSA,” no doubt as that’s the way the Austin, Texas company described their model. This is a common error and is worth a short review. An aircraft is only a “LSA” if it has met all ASTM standards and been accepted by the FAA. An aircraft that meets all the parameters of an LSA (weight, speed, etc.) can be flown by someone with a Sport Pilot certificate, making it “Sport Pilot eligible,” to use a phrase coined by EAA’s Ron Wagner.
Live From Sun ‘n Fun 2013
SuperStol: Able to leap tall RVs at a single bound. Drawing lots of attention is the Just Aircraft SuperStol LSA kitplane (soon to be an SLSA) that has self-deploying leading edge slats, oleo main gear shock-absorbing struts (with humongous tires), even a shock absorber for the tailwheel. I found out later I was the first flywriter to get some time in the critter. Whether true or not, I felt like a kid on his first flight again: what a fun airplane! True — and amazing — STOL performance befitting a Helio Courier-style plane. My report will be out soon in Plane & Pilot magazine.
It’s the third day at Sun ‘n Fun. Breezy, hottish (high 80s), humid: in other words, classic Florida Spring weather. The attendance seems steady if not overwhelming. I’ve been hanging out a lot in the new Paradise City Light Sport/Ultralight area and grass landing strip in the southeast corner of Lakeland Linder Airport, and enthusiastically report it is vastly improved over previous years.
March 2013 LSA News Wrap
Several news items in our March 2013 LSA News Wrap and we’ll get to it … right after this: We’re thrilled to tell you that — for the second month in a row — ByDanJohnson.com achieved another record. Despite fewer days, February substantially exceeded January’s Unique Visitors, reaching another all-time traffic mark. Last year was amazing and 2013 is even better. THANKS so much for your regular visits and welcome to our new readers!
Sam LS Flies — Pilots love new developments, so aviation media outlets jumped all over the first flight of Thierry Zibi’s Sam LS. The retro-looking, all-metal Light-Sport candidate (it has not yet gone through the Special LSA process and will initially be sold as a kit) attracted plenty of attention at the Sebring Sport Aviation Expo where the company bought a premium position just inside the main gate. By Sun ‘n Fun in less than one month, Thierry will hit another benchmark as the aircraft flies for the public.
More LSA Seaplanes … How About A Biplane Amphib?
Sebring starts next week … yes, next week! A new year is here and for nine years now that means it is time for the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, or just Sebring LSA Expo if you prefer. Executive Director Jana Filip and her team have been putting in the long hours to get ready and to enlist all the right exhibitors. You should get to see all the Light-Sport and other light aircraft you want in this concentrated event. One of those aircraft has not been seen in America for years and even then not as the Super Petrel LS. Longtime veterans of recreational aircraft might remember the Petrel — it’s been around for more than 10 years — but this soon-to-be SLSA entrant will look fresh to nearly everyone.
New Flight Design dealer and Florida Light-Sport Aviation owner Brian Boucher is assisting airport neighbor Jerry Scheid to bring this first-of-its-kind Super Petrel LS to Sebring for your closer examination.
Happy New Year LSA News Wrap
CubCrafters Set Records In a second year of modest recovery for the LSA sector, most companies were happy to sell the same as the year before. Against this plain backdrop CubCrafters stands out sharply. The company announced that it delivered 58 new airplanes (52 of which were LSA models), a 23% increase over 2011, and more units than any year in the company’s history. They’re aiming for deliveries of 66 ready-to-fly aircraft this year. CubCrafters’ 2012 deliveries are divided among their three models: Carbon Cub SS, Sport Cub S2, and Top Cub (the latter not a Light-Sport). • They also reported shipping 24 of their Carbon Cub EX kits in 2012, another record. That’s 82 aircraft and makes them likely the light aviation leader for the year (we hope to publish our customary market report soon). CubCrafters General Manager Randy Lervold said, “Despite the economic climate, we’ve managed to defy industry trends.” Congratulations, Team CubCrafters; job well done!
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