Happy New Year! Everyone in aviation from hang gliders to jets is hoping for a year of improvement in 2012. Certainly it’s been a tough four years since 2008’s tumble.
Many see hope and promise in the arrival of a new year and that mood is powerfully amplified by the Sebring LSA Expo in January. Starting its eighth run with new management, the Florida event, slated for Jan. 19-22, is a welcome respite. More than 10,000 attendees will flock to the Sunshine State to catch the action in the newest, most dynamic slice of the aviation pie.
In the 2012 running of Sebring, some of the biggest names of American aviation organizations are making an appearance. New president Rod Hightower will represent the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) as he addresses the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) annual dinner. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) President Craig Fuller will hold a hangar-style town meeting and General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) President and CEO Pete Bunce will cohost an industry leaders meeting in cooperation with LAMA. The FAA will also bring a contingent of advisory personnel to meet with industry representatives.
Many forums are scheduled, and an auction and a wine tasting are planned, along with numerous other activities to fill the four days of the show. But the main attraction is the presence of nearly every LSA available on the U.S. market. This is the nation’s largest collection of these lightest and least costly airplanes featuring the newest technologies. To paraphrase a famous fellow from Apple, “It’s All About the Airplanes!”
For more on Sport Pilot and LSA: ByDanJohnson.com
Dan:Â
Love the idea of a vibrant and vital LSA industry, however, the cost of a new LSA is still out of reach of average working folk. It isn’t that the technology and the designs aren’t wonderful. The selection is unsurpassed. The cost is prohibitive, as has aircraft ownership for decades. Still dreaming though ….
Vernon