ARLINGTON, Wash. — Since the program was started in 2006, Glasair’s builder assist program has succeeded in bringing 160 Sportsman aircraft to the flightline. The first 34 kits were able to taxi in three weeks, after which the program was streamlined and renamed: “Two Weeks to Taxi.” The 160th aircraft to be completed in the […]
Aircraft
The Warbird Cub
The 75th anniversary of the Piper Cub was celebrated during AirVenture 2012. The vintage parking area looked like a field of buttercups for all the little yellow airplanes parked in the grass. But what was a J-3 Cub doing parked on the showcase pad in the Warbird area? “That J-3 is an honest-to-goodness Warbird,” grinned […]
Production begins on ICON A5
Production of the ICON A5 started in December 2012 with the completion of the first tooling master, according to the most recent newsletter from ICON Aircraft, the Los Angeles company that is developing the amphibious Light-Sport Aircraft. ICON’s composite supplier, Cirrus Aircraft, will use the composite tooling produced from this master to manufacture production A5 […]
Airtime Aviation hits 100 deliveries
Airtime Aviation, a dealer for Flight Design USA, recently notched its number 100 delivery of a Light-Sport Aircraft. “Our number 100 Flight Design model, this one a new CTLSi, went to Rex Austin,” said Tom Gutmann, Jr., who operates Airtime Aviation with his father Tom Gutmann, Sr. “This is Rex’s second CTLS.” “I have owned […]
The appeal of vintage LSAs
“Does it qualify as a Light Sport Aircraft?” That’s one of the first questions people ask when they see a single-engine aircraft of a certain vintage parked at an airport. Many aviators dream of flying a vintage Piper or Ercoupe or Taylorcraft, and if they can do it as a Sport Pilot with a driver’s […]
The next generation of Cirrus
Cirrus Aircraft recently unveiled its latest SR22 and SR22T models — dubbed Generation 5 — with a host of improvements, dominated by a 200-pound increase in the airplanes’ load carrying capability. Increasing the certified gross weight to 3,600 pounds increases the flexibility of the airplanes, according to Dale Klapmeier, Cirrus co-founder and CEO. “It’s the […]
DAHER-SOCATA delivers 38 TBMs in 2012
DAHER-SOCATA reports that 38 TBM 850s were delivered in 2012 – representing the fourth best year for the company’s TBM aircraft family since 1990. The 2012 deliveries bring to 622 the total number of aircraft received by customers, of which 298 are TBM 850 – the latest version of DAHER-SOCATA’s turboprop aircraft family. According to […]
Deliveries up slightly, billings down in 2012
WASHINGTON, DC — Last year, airplane shipments increased just .6%, while billings were down .9%, according to figures released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). While mixed, the 2012 year-end numbers don’t reflect “the amount of development work in progress in general aviation,” said Brad Mottier, GAMA chairman. “The general aviation segment is poised […]
Wagstaff joins Excalibur 421 team
PASO ROBLES, Calif. — Aerobatic champion Patty Wagstaff has joined the Excalibur 421 team. She will be the demonstration pilot and also will be responsible for overseeing the transition training program. The Excalibur 421 features a remanufactured Cessna 421 airframe upgraded with Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135A turboprop engines. It also includes a custom Garmin avionics […]