Now that 2015 has entered the history books, we will slowly begin to see statistics for the year. My guess is that most aviation media will completely miss one of the big picture perspectives. This oversight does not represent a knowledge failure, but instead reflects a U.S-centric focus on general aviation. In the world of […]
Light Sport Aircraft
Merlin PSA makes U.S debut
Just introduced to the U.S. is the Merlin PSA, a single-seat Personal Sport Aircraft. The all-aluminum aircraft features a cantilevered wing and a 120 mph cruise speed. Price is under $35,000, which includes the builders’ assistance program in Florida, according to company officials. The Merlin PSA is available now as a quick-build Experimental Amateur-Built aircraft. The design was created on 3D CAD/CAM […]
Flying Icon’s A5 LSA seaplane
The Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) sector is aviation’s newest and most prolific with numerous outstanding aircraft available from Europe and the United States. Europeans seemed to own the category at first because regulations on the other side of the Atlantic permitted companies to fully build very similar aircraft. When the FAA caught up by releasing the […]
Garmin introduces GAD 27
Garmin has introduced the GAD 27, a small, lightweight and solid state integrated controller that provides a solution to many of the typical airframe interfacing needs. With the GAD 27, pilots are provided a consolidated system that would otherwise require multiple adapter modules, which streamlines configuration of experimental amateur-built (EAB) and light sport aircraft (LSA), company […]
The Groppo Trail: The LSA world’s best kept secret
The Trail is available as a ready-to-fly LSA with the Rotax 912 ULS. Price with the standard panel is $74,900, while it is $77,900 with the electronic panel.
Quicksilver closing factory, but…
Aviation news outlets and social media are buzzing with the news that Quicksilver Aeronautics is closing its factory. For example, one online news source is calling the event a “dissolution.” This is not incorrect as it comes directly from a document previously issued by Quicksilver’s lawyers (see more below). However, letters from lawyers often portray things in very […]
Four LSA under $96,000
Yet if you think $65,000-95,000 is still too much, I can identify several aircraft that sell brand-new, ready-to-fly for less than $49,000, but that will be an article for another time …
Flying Just Aircraft’s SuperSTOL Stretch XL
How do you improve on a popular backcountry aircraft design? If you are the folks at Just Aircraft, you make it larger and with the ability to support a more powerful engine. That best describes Just Aircraft’s SuperSTOL Stretch XL. The red high-wing, tailwheel-equipped airplane mounted on tundra tires stole the show when it debuted […]
Electric aircraft … Going mainstream?
Can electric aircraft truly become part of the national or worldwide fleet? You might discount the possibility, but then consider Airbus. When I was a youngster, I remember a TV commercial with a song jingle that went, “Electricity does more for you each day.” (Despite the decades that have passed, the tune still plays in […]