Opening day of AOPA Aviation Summit in Tampa, Fla., kicked off with the unveiling of the association’s 2010 sweepstakes aircraft: A new Remos GX Light Sport Aircraft (LSA).
AOPA President Craig Fuller (pictured left), Remos Managing Director Corvin Huber, and Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association President (and GAN columnist) Dan Johnson were on hand as the Remos was undraped to a musical fanfare on Nov. 5 in the exhibit hall of the Tampa Convention Center.
“I can’t tell you how pleased we are” to have the airplane as the next sweepstakes choice, Fuller said. “We do believe that this type of aircraft will help some people getting into flying who had not been able to before.”
Johnson noted Remos is the current market leader in the LSA industry.
The Remos, N210FN, is a two-seat airplane that sports a three-blade propeller and a 100-hp Rotax engine. The Remos has a comfortably wide cockpit — 46.8 inches — and carries 22 gallons total fuel. It can hold two 200-pound pilots plus fuel and baggage.
The sweepstakes plane will come with a raft of options, such as a Dynon multifunction display and autopilot, a panel-mount Garmin 496, and leather seats. N210FN will get some additional upgrades in the coming year, according to AOPA officials.
The 2010 Fun to Fly Sweepstakes is the very first time AOPA has featured an LSA. The Remos was AOPA’s choice because of its modern design and safety equipment, including air bags and a ballistic parachute system that will be installed on N210FN, association officials said. Fuller noted that Remos has demonstrated a commitment to reach beyond the traditional GA marketplace in order to expose others to the experience of flight. AOPA embraces the need to reach out to the general public with a modern, safe airplane in order to grow the pilot population, he said.
The Fun to Fly Sweepstakes also marks the first time that AOPA’s giveaway will run from Nov. 3, 2009, to Sept. 30, 2010. The name of the winner will be announced at the AOPA Aviation Summit 2010 in Long Beach, Calif.
