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 […]
Light Sport Aircraft
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.”
Can you fly IFR in an LSA?
Think about IFR in an LSA this way: Can you fly IFR in a homebuilt aircraft? Can you do so in a Cessna 172?
Fully manufactured LSA and IFR
ASTM’s F37 committee is composed of people with technical knowledge who achieved a challenging task: Start with a blank sheet of paper and create aircraft standards for the Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) sector. That this group did so in just a few years on the leanest of budgets is a credit to their dedication. These volunteers from […]
SkyTrek makes first sale at SUN ‘n FUN
The first Light-Sport Aircraft to enjoy both Chinese and U.S. certification — Triton Aero-Marine’s SkyTrek — made its first sale at SUN ‘n FUN. In addition, Triton has purchased South Lakeland Airport (X49) — just 4.5-miles from SUN ‘n FUN — intending to open a training facility featuring the SkyTrek.
Shock treatment
Once upon a time, the producer of a yellow LSA taildragger installed the industry’s most powerful engine, resulting in a performance leader. This gambit succeeded handily and the builder enjoyed several strong years of sales. Others looked upon this success and saw that it was good. So, of course, being aviation entrepreneurs, others worked to […]