U.S. Sport Aviation Expo takes off

Couldn’t make it to Sebring, Florida, for the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, which opened Jan. 23, 2019, and runs through Jan. 26?

While most of the nation is buried under ice and snow, temperatures on opening day at Sebring were 80°, reports Dan Johnson, the light-sport aircraft expert who writes the SPLOG column for GeneralAviationNews.com and reports on his own site, ByDanJohnson.com.

“Sebring Day One was true to form for the 15th running of this grandaddy of Light-Sport and Sport Pilot Kit shows,” Dan reports. “Airport manager Mike Willingham told me opening day attendance was better than opening day last year.”

Through talking to people at the show, Dan learned that the government shutdown appears to be having some effect on industry. One example regards the FAA’s inability to make inspections so a vendor can get the Special Airworthiness certificate needed to complete delivery of a new SLSA (meaning final payments cannot be collected, no small matter to many LSA or SPE kit enterprises).

“However, few vendors actually introduced the topic, suggesting the bad news may be localized,” he said.

He’s posting news from the show every day, so check back to his site often for updates and look for a full recap of the show in an upcoming SPLOG post.