To many observers, the development of Light-Sport Aircraft seaplanes is fast-paced, inventive, and intriguing. You may have read about entries from the USA, Europe, or New Zealand. How about Finland? “Finland has 188,000 lakes,” said Anssi Rekula, cofounder and sales director for Atol Avion, producer of the Atol LSA seaplane. “We know the joys of […]
Light Sport Aircraft
The eye-catching Lightning taildragger
Homebuilders of aircraft are surely a breed apart. Many pilots use a licensed mechanic to maintain our flying machines. We would never think of modifying structural aspects of the design. We wouldn’t even ask our mechanic to do it for us. Mike Lotz was willing and able. He built his Arion Aircraft Lightning from a […]
Flying the SeaMax
In summary, I’d call SeaMax a “performance LSA seaplane,” peppy and demanding a bit more pilot attention, but it gets up and goes.
Video of first flight of Belite Chipper with Rotax 912UL
The first flight of the Belite Chipper with the Rotax 912UL engine was held June 19. Belite’s James Wiebe posted this video of the flight: Wiebe also released these performance observations: Initial established climb about 600 fpm; Highest climb rate seen about 830 fpm; Flaps 15°; Ailerons in droop mode; Went around the pattern several […]
Merlin quick-build kit earns 51% approval
The FAA’s FAA’s National Kit Evaluation Team (NKET) recently evaluated the Merlin’s Quick Build Kit, and it passed by .01%, according to company officials. “You can’t get more builder-friendly than that,” says Aeromarine President Chip Erwin, from his build center in Florida, where two customers are completing their Merlin PSA kits right now. Two more […]
First VFR flights to Cuba
After the last guy in office decided Cuba could be visited by Americans, a growing flock has been doing so. Europeans have been going for a long time; now Yankees can, too. One thing no one has been doing is flying VFR to Cuba. According to John Craparo, this was the first time in at […]
CubCrafters tops LSA market
A dozen years after the FAA created aviation’s newest sector, we have a new leader among manufacturers of fully built Light-Sport Aircraft. CubCrafters has been moving upward, with several years hitting 50 deliveries. In 2016 the west coast builder finally topped perennial leader Flight Design, which slipped to second place. The CT builder had occupied […]
KLA-100 debuts at Aero 2017
The new KLA-100 — quietly in development for two years — made its first flight a few days before AERO 2017 and was unveiled at the show. “The first flight was performed in Sumperk, Czech Republic, in late March with test pilot Richard Ponizil at the controls. Since that time the plane has made seven more flights and […]
Flying friends
Rafael Cortes sent in this photo, explaining: “A group of Light-Sport friends flying together around Puerto Rico. This picture was taken at Ponce’s Airport.”