Not all light aircraft will fit the light-sport aircraft mold.
In light aviation, excitement appears focused on FAA’s proposed Sport Pilot/light-sport aircraft proposal. The proposed rule may hold great promise, but it won’t consume all of light aviation, not by a wide margin.
Near and dear to KITPLANES® readers’ hearts is the so-called 51% rule. The legality of building your own plane from scratch or from a kit is in no danger, and it will continue to be a source of satisfaction for many aviation craftsmen.
A second safe harbor is the lightly regulated Part 103 ultralight segment. The FAA has made it abundantly clear that there are no plans to alter FAR Part 103. In fact, it points to Part 103 as a success story that can offer guidance to industry leaders as they fashion a new set of rules for light-sport aircraft, which KITPLANES®has labeled SportPlanes™. (Under the FAA’s sport pilot/SportPlanes™ plan, manufacturers will arrive at their own consensus standards for airworthiness—a situation successfully achieved by hang glider manufacturers.)
Celebrate Part 103
It lives!
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New Ultralights at Sun ‘n Fun
New ultralights and light aircraft were featured at Sun ‘n Fun
As flying season begins, Florida’s popular Sun ’n Fun airshow brings a focus on new aircraft of all types. Aviation writers review the new machines revealed at the event. Yet many machines are often overlooked in the rush to place the most attention-getting aircraft onto magazine covers and into survey articles. This month, we cover a few ultralights and light aircraft you should find interesting.
While aircraft like Titan’s T-51 Mustang, Just Aircraft’s Escapade, Airborne’s XT and Sabre’s Wildcat garnered lots of attention, designers of other ultralights have also been working hard.
Ramphos
One machine no one had seen before was the Ramphos amphibious trike. Though the amphibious trike concept has been used by numerous other companies, the Ramphos has features the others have lacked such as its counter-rotating propeller.
A prior model required a small vertical tail and distinguished itself by a composite hoop surrounding the propeller arc.
How-to-Buy a Lightplane — Part 3 of 3
In the previous two installments, we’ve discussed you, the pilot, and the many types of aircraft choices you have. As we wrap up this series, we’ll put it all together and try to help you narrow your choices to a few models.
Notice the word “try.” It is important that you understand that it is not possible to direct you to the one-and-only best choice of aircraft. Novice buyers often seek assistance but even experienced pilots can become swayed and end up purchasing the wrong aircraft for their needs and desires. Because aircraft purchases are commonly emotional decisions, it is helpful to gain a “second opinion” to help make a more rational choice.
Many years ago, at the beginning of my career writing articles in light aviation, I made a similar attempt to help hang glider pilots choose the right glider. I compared nine contemporary models to an idealized “perfect” glider and through a series of questions much like those below, tried to steer pilots to the one right glider for them.
How-to-Buy a Lightplane — Part 2 of 3
FACING THE BUYING DECISION, PART II
Last time we discussed the pilot (you!); this time we discuss the many types of aircraft choices you have. In the last installment, we’ll put these together and help you narrow your choices to a few models.
What Kind of Pilot Are You?
Let’s just say you actually know yourself. While this sounds like a comment that deserves a “Duh!” response, don’t be too quick to judge. If every pilot or buyer of aircraft knew what they needed or wanted, my job would be easier. But it isn’t so. Most pilots know something about what they want, but many don’t have enough information to make the best decision.
Some readers are “experts.” A good many ultralight or light plane enthusiasts have been around long enough and owned enough variety of ultralights to know what they like.
These veteran sport aviators represent a lot of combined experience.
How-to-Buy a Lightplane — Part 1 of 3
WANT TO BUY A LIGHTPLANE?
Task Can Be Daunting, Yet Rewarding
I’m one lucky pilot. I love airplanes and get to fly more of them than the average sky jockey. Writing pilot reports for several magazines has given me the opportunity to fly about 250 different aircraft in the last 23 years.
This makes me a “Master of None” type of pilot (except in my own planes) but does give me a feel for the huge variety of light airplanes you can buy.
The choices are fantastic. Counting the whole world of sport aircraft, you can have just about anything you want| and that’s the problem. What to buy?
TRYING TO HELP
At every airshow I attend, and through phone calls between airshow, pilots often make a request: “You’ve flown all these lightplanes, which one should I buy?”
Frankly, the question makes me uncomfortable.
While I appreciate the feeling of confidence some pilots place in my experience, telling someone what to buy is a sure way to be considered wrong eventually.
Product Lines – October 03
St. Paul, Minn. — The buzz continues over power and USHGA. Actually, most of the racket appears to be emanating from a vocal few while most pilots are either ambivalent or fence sitters. • Invited to vote, hopefully all pilots studied the USHGA position and then expressed their interests. Ten years ago, in 1993, USHGA accepted all APA (American Paragliding Association) members into our club. The assimilation worked with few problems. Now the same decision is facing us with power for soaring. You got your voting card. Did you send it? We’re all waiting for you… ••• Executive Director Jayne Depanfilis writes that one reason to think carefully about HG&PG power in USHGA is because FAA is all-but advising the association to take these aviators under our wing. • With that in mind, Jayne asked if I’d go listen to the new FAA administrator speak at the Oshkosh airshow in late July.
Product Lines – May 04
St. Paul, Minn. — Time is growing short! Perhaps by the time you read this, FAA may have issuedtheir new rule called Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft (SP/LSA). • Why should you care? Well, perhaps you don’t. If you fly solo in your hang glider or paraglider and are not towed aloft by a tug of some kind, you may continue to operate under F.A.R. Part 103 as blissfully as ever. However, if you’re one of the many who enjoy aerotow launches, you may be impacted by this rule. • The good news is… the trio of Jayne Depanfilis, Mike Meier, and Bill Bryden have been pursuing actions on the new rule and have the matter quite well in hand. The issues of two-place flying have been addressed and face few obstacles. Aerotowing, however, is less certain. Operations such as Lookout Mountain Flight Park have been fighting local battles with adversaries who brought FAA into the picture.
Product Lines – April 02
ST. PAUL, MINN. — A new soaring season approaches and we are now in the month when two major contests will again dominate the news in hang gliding. After several years, the Wallaby and Quest meets have grown beyond their American base. These two season openers now influence the entire world of hang gliding. lll And another de facto annual event has been slated again. The 2003 World Record Encampment that produced two years of record flights in the flatlands will occur again in Zapata, Texas in two sessions. A first session June 15-28 and June 29 to July 12. We’ll hope for more big things from the far southern tip of the USA. If you’re interested in participating, communicate to david@davidglover.com. lll By press time, the move of Betty Pfeiffer’s High Energy Sports should be complete. This longtime vendor to hang gliding (and to ultralight powered parachute producers, by the way) has been stable in its old location for a long time.
Product Lines – February 01
ST. PAUL, MINN., — Aeros is finally getting ready to show their new Stalker rigid wing entry after much design work and generating considerable market interest. U.S. Aeros, the Yankee distributor for the low-price producer, will show the Stalker at this month’s Air Sports Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana (7-10 Feb.). The show will present lots of aircraft from sailplanes to ultralights to aerobatic machines, plus RC models, powered parachutes, and, of course, hang gliders. Typically hang gliding enjoyed a good turnout at these events. • I believe the Air Sports Expo has the potential to be a powerful marketing tool for all the air sports and I encourage all midwest pilots to try to make the event. Contact fellow organizer, David Newill, at 317-873-2262 or go to www.soar-indy.dhs.org • If you attend you can examine the Aeros Stalker up close and personal. To date, only a private web site has let dealers (and the odd reporter) have a first glance.
Why Not Rotax?
So, Why Not Stick With Rotax?
Why take a chance with any new brand, even if it is a Japanese engine? Why not stick with a familiar brand name?
HPower’s Tom Peghiny relates airshow conversations with a wide range of sport aviators, not only ultralight pilots. He reports: “Not a single person wanted to compare price or weight with the Rotax 582, against which the HKS engine competes. In fact,” he adds, “they overwhelmingly said simply, ‘Thanks!’ for offering an alternative.”
A few good reasons explain why the 700E may represent a better value than the 582. On the face of it, a ready-to-fly 582 will run about $5,400 retail, while the 700E is $6,500 with stainless steel exhaust.
The extra cost comes from the parts count on a 4-stroke engine. More pieces cost more money. And to make these engines last longer, they must be built of components that can endure long operating periods.
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