Ohio aircraft owners are finally getting tax relief. Gov. Bob Taft recently signed the state budget, which includes a reduction of the annual aircraft license tax from a flat $100 per aircraft to a $15-per-seat fee. The state first raised the tax from $6 to $100 in 2003.
News
New private airport approved in Houston
The FAA has given the nod to the construction of a private airport in Waller County near Houston. Ron Henriksen, a private developer, plans to build what will be known as Air Rice Airport on 1,980 acres. No public money will be used for construction. Several residents oppose the project, saying the airport’s proximity to […]
The birth of Sport Pilot
If you are one of the hundreds of people who have been waiting years for Sport Pilot/Light Sport Aircraft to become reality, this could be the year you get your hands on a ready-to-fly Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). In April the first ready-to-fly models, which are European imports, were certified by the FAA and made […]
Picking the right LSA for you
Are you in the market for a Light Sport Aircraft? With so many options in both the ready to fly and the build it yourself genres, there are lots to choose from. One of the first questions you need to ask is whether you want a ready-to-fly model or a project? On the plus side, […]
Return of the Cub
If you learned to fly before 1965, chances are you have some stick time in a Piper Cub. For many people, even the aviation-challenged, the little yellow aircraft is synonymous with pleasure flying. Is it any wonder then that several aircraft manufacturers who are targeting the Sport Pilot/ Light Sport Aircraft market are producing aircraft […]
The wait is over… or is it?
Everyone in the industry — from FAA officials to flight instructors to manufacturers — has been busy gearing up for the new rules. LSAs just began getting approval a few months ago and it seems that every day we hear of another aircraft winning approval. In this issue of General Aviation News, we focus on […]
Certified Light Sport Aircraft (as of June 10, 2005)
Certified Light Sport Aircraft as of June 10, 2005 Manufacturer/Importer: Evektor-Aerotechnik/Sport Aircraft International Aircraft: Evektor SportStar Contact: SportAircraftInternational.com Manufacturer/Importer: Flight Design/Flight Design USA Aircraft: Flight Design CT Contact: Fly-Flightstar.com Manufacturer/Importer: Fantasy Air/Fantasy Air USA Aircraft: Allegro 2000 Contact: FantasyAirUSA.com Manufacturer/Importer: Tecnam Costruzioni Aeronautiche/Hansen Air Group Aircraft: Tecnam Sierra, Super Echo Contact: HansenAirGroup.com Manufacturer/Importer: TL Ultalights/Sportair […]
The race for sapce — in a Learjet?
What do you do with an old Learjet? If you’re George French and David Urie, you send it into orbit. French, who is president and CEO of Rocketplane Ltd., Inc. and Urie, the company’s vice president and program manager, are modifying Learjet 25 airframes as platforms for re-usable spacecraft, capable – they say – of […]
CarterCopter sets elusive record, but later crashes
During a flight test on June 17, the innovative CarterCopter unofficially broke the Mu-1 barrier — a goal that eluded rotary wing builders until that day. Mu is the ratio of the aircraft’s forward speed to its rotor tip speed. As forward speed increases, the effective airspeed over the retreating blade decreases. At Mu-1, the […]