Sebring LSA Expo Next Week!

Anybody who’s got an LSA bee in their bonnet knows that “Sebring”, like Sun ‘n Fun and Oshkosh, has become synonymous with Light Sport aviation’s very own special show. *** Sebring: home of the famous endurance car race. Sebring: the first big aviation show of the year, and it’s all LSA! I can’t wait! *** LSA doyen Dan Johnson has a great laundry list of highlights on his LSA website so I’ll briefly reprise and add a couple tidbits of my own. *** First off, it’s the sixth year for the show, officially dubbed Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo. Last year was an attendance record-setter. This year who can say with the economy? But Sebring should be notable for some key developments in the exciting expansion of the Sport Pilot/Light Sport phenomenon that’s revitalizing GA almost singlehandedly. *** First, who’s coming? *** Lots of major players, and none is generating more buzz than Piper Aircraft. *** The Big Question: Will Piper announce an LSA program, (SportCruiser or another?) *** More highlights: Tecnam’s beautiful new P2008 high-wingerThe first production Cessna SkycatcherFlight Design’s MC all metal trainerAOPA’s Fun-to-Fly Sweepstakes Remos GXMySky MS-1Legend Aero’s AmphibCub Arion Lightning low-wing composite LSA (see Dan Johnson’s flight report coming in May issue of Plane&Pilot)Aerotrek‘s fabric-covered flivversThe prototype Aveo Phantom from the Slovakian design house Aveo EngineeringPowraChute and other powered parachutes should be buzzing around thick as flies like last yearOpus Aircraft Super2 shoulder wing LSA *** And in the avionics dept.: *** Garmin’s Aera GPS Dynon SkyViewZAON collision avoidance systems *** And I just heard from SportairUSA’s Bill Canino who tells me that, alas, the new TL-3000 won’t be at Sebring as they’re selling too well in Europe — they can’t spare any! *** That’s the kind of problem the whole industry needs.