The rush is on in Europe, at least for the best-prepared of LSA producers. EASA, the European Aviation Safety Agency, has accepted ASTM standards as a means of certifying light aircraft in the European Union, but put its own stamp on this approval. Those wishing to sell an ASTM-compliant SLSA in Europe have some extra […]
Aircraft
Piper parties on 75th birthday
Piper Aircraft Inc. will celebrate the company’s and the Piper Cub’s 75th anniversary during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012, July 23-29. In addition to a vintage Cub, which launched the company in 1937, Piper expects to display the single-engine turboprop Meridian, pressurized single-engine Mirage and the unpressurized Matrix, which form the M-Class lineup. Piper will also […]
North Carolina builders progress on Stits Skycoupe
Last September I reported on our efforts to complete a rare Stits SA-7D Skycoupe project first begun in the early 1960s. Our group of homebuilders in central North Carolina set a few basic goals to achieve by the end of the year: Form a club; recover all flying surfaces; and return the plane’s Lycoming O-290-D […]
Iowa State University students build LSA
After six years of hard work, challenges, and unforeseen time delays, AirISU (Air Iowa State University) has come to the end of the club’s first building project — a Zenith CH 650/CH 601 XL-B Light-Sport Aircraft. This post from Innovate Online, a university publication, details the project, from first rivet to the paint job.
Zenith builder fly-in this weekend
The fifth annual “Fly in to Summer” Open Hangar Day and Fly-In Gathering at the Zenith Aircraft kit factory in central Missouri will be this Saturday, June 23. The informal grass-roots fly-in is open to all aviation enthusiasts: Come visit the factory, see the new Zenith demo planes, and meet with fellow builders and pilots. […]
CubCrafters opens European market
When it receives delivery of a CubCrafters Carbon Cub in early June, directSky will become the aircraft manufacturer’s first dealer to service the European market. directSky provides aircraft sales, maintenance, management, restoration, repairs and pilot training. It is headed by Managing Director/CEO Kamil Skorupski. DirectSky is located in Ireland (Abbeyshrule Airfield) and Poland (Mielec Airfield). […]
ICON collaborates with Lotus Engineering
ICON Aircraft is collaborating closely with Lotus Engineering USA on key areas of the production design of the ICON A5 amphibious Light Sport Aircraft. The work focuses on the A5’s cockpit, where Lotus’ experience in lightweight premium automotive-quality components is especially relevant, ICON officials said. “The collaboration with Lotus is perfect for ICON because it […]
SimCom tapped for Twin Commander training
SimCom Training Centers has earned Twin Commander Aircraft’s endorsement as the exclusive factory-authorized provider of pilot initial and recurrent training for Twin Commander 690/A/B and JetProp models. “We are very happy to have SimCom as part of our team,” commented Twin Commander Aircraft President Matt Isley. “It is critically important for fleet safety to have […]
EAA’s B-17 damaged by hail
A freak hailstorm that hit late last Wednesday while the Experimental Aircraft Association’s B-17 “Aluminum Overcast” was parked on the ramp outside Signature Flight Service at Denver’s Centennial Airport caused extensive control surface damage. EAA officials report the airframe will not require repair, but that was not the case for the fabric-covered ailerons and elevators. […]