Although the Light Sport Aircraft movement is growing, the only time most people get to see more than one design at a time is at an air show like Sun ‘n Fun or EAA AirVenture.
Michael Fletcher of Salinas, Calif., the west coast distributor for several models of LSAs, decided that it would be a great idea to provide the opportunity to see multiple designs year round, so he created Light Sport Airplanes West, an LSA showroom.
The company celebrates its grand opening April 28 at the Salinas Municipal Airport (SNS).
“What we have done has never been done in aviation, as far as we know,” said Fletcher. “People can come and not just see a Cessna or a Taylorcraft or whatever, but see a lot of the best aircraft out there. It just blows people away when they walk in and they see them all here, especially since they have trouble finding an LSA where they live.”
To get the word out about the new business, Fletcher decided to hold a grand opening celebration.
“We’ve sent out about 11,000 invitations to pilots in the region,” he said. “On that day we will have demo flights in several aircraft, as well as static models on display in our showroom. We plan to have three Flight Designs, two StingSports, a Jabiru, a Remos, a Tecnam Sierra, a Tecnam Bravo and two SportStars.
“It will be fun for pilots who are interested in light sport aircraft, but have a hard time finding these beauties,” he continued. “They can come and fly the demo models or come into the showroom mall, where many of our distributors will be here to help demonstrate the aircraft and answer questions.”
In addition to being a dealership, the company also rents LSAs and provides Sport Pilot instruction.
For more information: 888-335-1AIR or