You’ve heard the idiom “the sky’s the limit.” Well, for Johnathan Smith, this phrase has, indeed, been taken literally. Smith, 47, heard all his life that, because of his stuttering, he would never be able to accomplish his dream of becoming a pilot. However, he proved everyone who said that wrong. “I was born with […]
Light Sport Aircraft
Skyrunner takes off
SHREVEPORT, La. — SkyRunner is now selling its dual purpose, FAA-approved off-road aircraft. Featuring a dual engine powertrain, a Polaris ProStar 1000 engine powers the ground system, while a Rotax 914 UL light-sport aircraft engine enables SkyRunner to take flight. Using ram-air parafoil wing technology, renowned for its safety due to inherent stability, control and resistance to […]
Vickers Wave gears up for 2017
Pilots not closely following Light-Sport aviation can be excused for thinking only one LSA seaplane is available. Established LSA companies like Progressive Aerodyne and its Searey or Scoda‘s Super Petrel or Airmax’s SeaMax or any number of aircraft to which floats have been fitted may be somewhat baffled by the outsized attention Icon Aircraft‘s long-delayed A5 […]
Sonex B, now available in red!
Pardon a little fun in the title. I recalled the line long ago attributed to Henry Ford, “You can have any color Model T you want, as long as it’s black.” Sonex Aircraft had so regularly brought bright yellow airplanes to airshows, folks could be excused for thinking that was the only color available. Of […]
Bearhawk LSAs make first flights
Officials at Bearhawk Aircraft report the first flights of two Bearhawk Light-Sport Aircraft built by customers from Quick-Build kits. Owner/builders Bruce McElhoe of California and Bob Way of Alabama completed, certified and flew their Bearhawk LSAs, the first two completions, in November 2016. The Bearhawk LSA was designed, built and tested by Bob Barrows, maker […]
Shark flies in American skies
When you look at this new-to-Americans aircraft, you might have a vague recollection of one or more aircraft that looked something like Shark. Are you fuzzy about that recollection? That’s understandable. It’s been a decade since FlyItalia’s MD3 Rider had U.S. representation. MD3 did earn Special LSA approval, taking its place on our SLSA List […]
Cessna scraps Skycatchers
Cessna has scrapped its unsold Skycatcher light-sport airplanes. According to a report in The Wichita Eagle, the company retained its inventory of Model 162s for spare parts after the company stopped selling them in early 2014. It then quotes a company spokesman, who notes, “The company did dispose of what remained after salvaging usable parts.”
Data and power for cockpit iPads
You are a pilot. You probably own a smartphone. Perhaps you use a tablet, too. Certainly these devices are helpful, convenient, fun, and carry a reasonably low price, at least compared to most instruments you might install in your airplane. Numerous, constantly-refined apps have made these common devices incredibly useful to pilots. However, using an […]
Taiwan company takes over CT line from Flight Design
Taiwan-based AeroJones Aviation is in the final stages of acquiring all assets and technological rights to the CT series light-sport aircraft and C4 project from Flight Design. Earlier, AeroJones pursued agreements with Germany’s Flight Design company to establish an aircraft production line to produce the CTLS, a primarily carbon fiber two-seater, equipped with a standard airframe […]