As I recently wrote about Aerial Work for Mosaic LSA, perhaps it’s fitting to write about Part 103 vehicles doing commercial work.
But isn’t flying for hire prohibited in Part 103? Yes, it is.
However, “public use” aircraft do not have to meet FAA aircraft certification regulations nor operating limitations. “Public use” can include activities like police, fire, rescue, border patrol, and similar typically government functions whether provided by federal, state, or local agencies. In short, government departments at all levels get special privileges.
This means little to pilots unless you are one flying for a government agency. For the producers, however, this can mean potentially lucrative sales. In the case of Part 103 multicopter producers it may represent a means of market entry.
In this article I reference an aircraft covered before called Hexa (earlier article, with more aircraft detail), designed and built by Lift Aircraft in Austin, Texas.
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It’s What!? “It’s an …Ultralight Motorglider Floatplane,” and Many Can Afford It
In 2021, Merlin Lite lit up cyberspace after I wrote about the new entry’s introduction at Midwest LSA Expo in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. So many tens of thousands of you wanted to read about this intriguing aircraft that I worried the website could crash.
A few other airplanes have drawn large numbers of readers but Chip Erwin creations seem to do that with regularity. Most companies I write about struggle to come up with something new each year when we greet each other at airshows.
Contrarily, Chip is so bubbling with new ideas and excitement about them that he can barely talk fast enough to get all the words out of his mind. He’s always an exciting interview and a new video below offers another.
Why a…
Ultralight-Motorglider-Floatplane?
Following is what Chip has to say about his new creation. This is not identical to what’s in the video, so you want to read the following plus catch the video to learn more.
Aero Showcase Approaching — Tecnam Technical Partnerships — Van’s “Serious” Announcement
In this post, we’ll look at three news items affecting the affordable aviation community.
This article touches on the last LSA event of the season plus two market leaders, one from the US and one international, each with significant news.
Aero Showcase
November 3-4, 2023
First up is some fun news to complete a vigorous year. In their second event, Aero Showcase is hosting a flock of airplanes at one of Florida’s most vibrant recreational aviation airports. Partners Alex Rolinski and Doma Andreka return for the second annual of their own event, which follows on the heels of the DeLand Showcase that ran several years, all of which grew out of the Sebring LSA Expo.
While the DeLand event is still growing compared to those earlier events, it enjoys a beautiful new facility and will present a good selection of airplanes. When I asked attendees at last year’s first Aero Showcase, most thought the organizers did credibly well.
“Charming” and Affordable, Part-103 JK-2 Nano Now Propelled by 50-Horsepower Engine
“When I roll up to the terminal on any airport, it never ceases to amaze me how a small crowd will gather around the aircraft. Happens almost every time,” said Jeffrey Boyd, importer of the JK-2 Nano single-seat gyroplane. “They just think it looks cute and different. Then they find out it’s quite affordable.”
I reflected back that this cleanly executed Nano had the same effect on me when I first saw it at AirVenture Oshkosh 2021. A glance at this eye-catching design, beautiful in its simplicity and compact in its features (see on trailer or in shipping crate) suggested to me that JK-2 Nano could find a market.
For more than a decade, interest in gyroplanes has been strong. After European designers took earlier American simple gyros and transformed them into sleek aircraft, a wider range of pilots looked at them more positively. However, those more elegant and feature-laden designs steadily rose in price.
Top 50 Video: MVP — “Most Versatile Plane” LSA Seaplane Entry
Long before “Mosaic” was a term anyone used*, one airplane stood out for its highly-original design, innovative features, and amazing versatility. Welcome to the once-wonderful world of MVP, the Most Versatile Plane. I am featuring this aircraft as part of an on-going series of our Top 50 Videos (of 1,500) on Dave Loveman’s Light Sport and Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel.
The bad news is… MVP never made it to market, a shame… yet despite heroic fund-raising efforts, sufficient support never materialized.
The good news… other designers observed what MVP offered. Around the time MVP was actively fund raising, Vickers Aircraft down under in New Zealand had begun work on their Wave that is now nearing market release. Icon’s A5 was already mostly frozen for design but some European entries later showed innovations first promoted for MVP.
Developer Darrell Lynds scoured the world for investors. I went with him and other aviation pioneers to China in 2017 where Darrell worked non-stop trying to raise money.
A Song to Lift Your Spirits — Clever, Sleek, and Part 103-Capable from Future Vehicles
You know this airplane and you know this company, although a refresher might be in order.
You can be excused if this one slips you mind. The airplane in the nearby images was from years ago when you probably first saw it with an electric motor developed by Randall Fishman, one of the original pioneers in the electric aircraft space.
He was so far ahead of his time that a market for electric had yet to develop. When Randall flew his first battery-electric-powered trike 16 years ago at Oshkosh 2007, no one was using the terms “air taxi” or “multicopter.”
Electric Aircraft Corporation didn’t complete many sales but Randall’s developments were ground-breaking.
Now the handsome Song returns with a new producer, Future Vehicles. Earlier I wrote about the charming biplane Dingo, a modern-day follow-on to Hovey’s Whing Ding and worthy entry in the Part 103 space.
Ups and Downs of LSA Seaplanes — Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Fall 2023
Hard to believe, isn’t it? Summer is over, we’re into fall and looking at winter. Surprisingly, that means that in a couple months the sale of boats and other watercraft begins to ramp up. Marine shows are commonly scheduled for the dead of winter. If that seems odd, think of it this way: When it’s cold and ugly outside, why not think about boats and bikinis?
Being pilots, of course, we think about seaplanes.
This article focuses on two bits of good news for relative newcomers to this aviation sector, shifts to challenges facing two longtime suppliers of LSA seaplanes, and ends on a positive note. Let’s get into it…
What’s Hot?
Icon Aircraft — “We have some exciting news in the Icon world today,” started a news release from the A5 LSA seaplane producer. “Our 200th production just rolled off the assembly line!” The Vacaville, California company reported starting deliveries to customers in early 2018.
Got Mosaic Fatigue? — Comments on FAA’s New Regulation from Two Presentations
I don’t know about you, but I can guess that Mosaic Fatigue is setting in to a lot of quarters. Some pilots have done an extraordinary job of digging into this 318-page document to distill essential parts that need to be addressed. Many pilots get exhausted just looking at the NPRM. …Me, too.
I look forward to more reporting on aircraft. Nonetheless…
Mosaic has given us an inside look at how FAA works. Many improvements resulted when industry worked in harmony with government officials. Nonetheless, careful study found areas of concern in the NPRM. Recent articles in other publications hit essentially the same points as I did in my talk (slide). Those points were partly my thinking, but I also relied on other experts to whom I had posed a variety of questions.
Still, some of the best commentary has come from non-experts, regular pilots who were concerned about a certain part of the NPRM and explored it thoroughly.
Never One to Be Humble, Hawk Ultra Air Is Looking Better Than Ever in its Fifth Decade
Named “Ultra Air,” the newest Hawk Single sounds like it might be Apple’s new laptop computer. In our analog world, Hawk Ultra Air is nearly the exact opposite… except it is a light aircraft. Many might say it’s “ultra” fun so, hey!, the model name works.
“Less is more” is also a phrase that might apply to both Hawk and Apple. Hawk Ultra Air looks lighter and slimmer by removing the fabric enclosure. Appearing lean and minimal has appeal to many consumers.
Forty one years after its splashy introduction, Hawks now number more than 2,500 aircraft, a fine accomplishment for any manufacturer but especially for one so modestly priced and significantly hand built.
Saying Hawk is “hand built” speaks to some of the work Bob Santom, and his son LB have done as they took over one segment of the Hawk lineage. They have laboriously reassembled some earlier aircraft making extensive notes and preparing for continued manufacture, but became better informed than when they started.
“Mosaic-Ready” Jabiru Elite Offers Luxurious Appointments and Smart Safety Features
At Midwest LSA Expo on Day Three, I interviewed two leading sellers in the LSA or Sport Pilot kit space, one imported model and one U.S. brand. They represent different approaches to the business yet each has been successful, one for 35 years and one for 40 years. These conversations were a great way to end Midwest 2023 on a high note… and on an exceptionally beautiful day.
I use the phrase “Mosaic-Ready” when talking about this Jabiru Elite because importer Scott Severen of US Sport Planes believes this company is poised and ready to be a Mosaic LSA or mLSA.
Right after I interviewed Scott, I spoke with Michelle Schlitter of Rans, who noted their S-21 Outbound, which qualifies as a SLSA today at 1,320 pounds, can quickly be “Mosaic-Ready” at 1,800 pounds at which it’s already been tested.
Other producers are also close to or at Mosaic-readiness.
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