General Aviation News

Do LSA make good trainers?

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One of the controversies surrounding Light-Sport Aircraft has to do with that first word in that term: “Light.”

Early on, one LSA importer lobbied to remove the word as it was negatively viewed, he believed.

Indeed, outside of the LSA community, many pilots I’ve spoken to often say these aircraft are too lightly built to withstand the rigors of flight training, one of the more demanding of all aviation activities.

“Yes, an experienced pilot may love a LSA,” they may concede, “but these aircraft cannot hold up to regular flight instruction duty.”

Enthusiasts may be biased in favor of LSA, but what would an actual flight school operator say?

[Read more…]

The speedy LSA of Europe

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At the April European airshow Aero Friedrichshafen, visitors saw several fast designs already flying in Europe. These are clean-sheet new creations that can hit 200 mph on 100 horsepower, priced at a fraction of the best selling general aviation aircraft.

Will we see them here in the USA? I bet we will, and sooner than you may think.

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New LSA: East meets West

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Two recent announcements have aroused spring fever in pilots and they could not be more different.

One comes from Europe. The other was unveiled in Texas. East meets West.

From the East is a flying wing design based on work by Reimar and Walter Horten. While unorthodox to pilots of general aviation designs, the idea has clear appeal that even the U.S. military has used.

From the West, the second new entry is originally a Brazilian creation that will be fully built in Hondo, Texas. The new Colt should be a great fit to those who raise their eyebrows at the Horten wing.

Such diversity is a hallmark of the Light-Sport Aircraft sector that continues to churn out new ideas in many variations. What a great time to be a pilot. [Read more…]

Flying the Sling TSi

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Is it possible for an aircraft to be more than it appears? Yes, quite easily, it turns out — and the new Sling TSi by The Airplane Factory provides an excellent example.

Changes to Sling TSi appear to center around the use of the most powerful Rotax engine yet offered by the Austrian producer that dominates the world market for light aircraft powerplants.

Yet, notable as the new Rotax 915iS Turbo may be, that is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Below the surface, Sling TSi offers many further refinements and the new design is worthy of a deeper look. [Read more…]

Rotax’s powerful new 915iS

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At a journalists-only event at Rotax Aircraft Engines, several of my fellow writers and I got the opportunity to fly the new 915iS.

As we took turns evaluating the brand-new Rotax 915iS, company leaders told us that besides official Rotax pilots and selected airframe builders, we were among the first to experience the powerful new engine from the world’s leading producer of engines for light aircraft. [Read more…]

A match made in heaven

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One of the marvelous transformations to be witnessed is a lonely expanse of World War II concrete ramp morphing into a colorful, energetic, ultimately cool place to hang out, look at lots of modern airplanes of all kinds, talk flying to your old pals and new friends, catch a forum, participate in a workshop, and take a demo flight — or several — if you’re in the market for a new airplane.

In fact, taking a demo flight is one of the main reasons people come to events like the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, and is the main reason vendors bring their shiny, new airplanes.

It’s a match made in heaven and all pilots are invited. [Read more…]

The real story behind the proposed changes to LSA

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A few words provided a spark that turned into a raging prairie fire in early October. The words included two numbers, each significant in their own way.

The first — perhaps the one grabbing the attention of most readers— was 3,600, that being the number stated to be the new weight limit for Light-Sport Aircraft by a high level official at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).

Since these newest aircraft under FAA regulation are presently limited to 1,320 pounds (1,430 for seaplanes or floatplanes), 3,600 pounds amounted to an increase of almost 300%.

Is such a large increase likely or reasonable?

The second number was a date. It was said that this weight increase and much more would all be put in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to be issued on Jan. 19, 2019, a very specific date. Coming as it did from a large membership organization, such a precise declaration made it sound factual and accurate.

However, the devil is in the details. [Read more…]

Flying the new A32 Vixxen

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The first of the fall Light-Sport Aircraft series of shows was the Midwest LSA Expo in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, held Sept. 6-8, 2018. That event offered Americans and your faithful reporter a first look at the new A32 Vixxen from Aeroprakt.

To give some perspective, the Ukraine-based Aeroprakt factory manufacturing the new model has been building the A22LS model — sometimes called Valor — for many years. More than 1,000 are flying in a variety of countries.

Indeed, U.S. importer Dennis Long has logged a good run of sales since he took over about three years ago. A22 has an agreeable starting price of about $85,000. Given that the average price of a new vehicle in America is now $36,000 — for machines made by the hundreds of thousands each year — that cost for a well-made Light-Sport Aircraft is quite affordable. [Read more…]

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