We recently completed a full video pilot report (available below) on the CubCrafters Carbon Cub SS. The west coast company’s popular model with a potent 180-horsepower engine leaps off the runway with such enthusiasm it can appear a visual trick. Both videographer Dave Loveman and I had a chance to fly with CubCrafters dealer and […]
Light Sport Aircraft
Flight Design celebrates 25 years
Flight Design GmbH is celebrating 25 years of aircraft development and manufacturing aircraft for 25 years with a special “Jubilee” series of the company’s models. “It has been an exciting 25 years where we brought interesting new airplanes to markets around the world,” said Flight Design CEO Matthias Betsch. “For this anniversary we have a […]
Van’s unveils fully built RV-12
Honestly, I didn’t expect much LSA news at AOPA’s Aviation Summit in Palm Springs. Despite several LSA on display, including Kitfox, Evektor, Flight Design, Arion, Jabiru, SportCruiser, Skycatcher, and CubCrafters, the AOPA event is not a common place for LSA announcements. Certainly I didn’t expect the world’s largest supplier of kit aircraft to offer a […]
Tecnam launches P92 Echo Classic Light
Tecnam North America will launch the new P92 Echo Classic Light priced at $74,999 through the end of 2012. Tecnam officials say the manufacturer has responded to market demand for a no frills, basic, aircraft that retains the flight characteristics of the P92 family of aircraft. Prices start at $74,999 for a day VFR aircraft […]
A sigh of relief
Soon, it passes. I don’t refer to the move from summer’s heat to the cold days of winter, but rather to the merciful end to the political season that cannot come too soon for many aviators. Of course, we worry about how various moves by the government may influence our flying, both in costs and […]
‘Half the cost, twice the safety’
I recently attended an ASTM meeting. This is for the standards that are used to “certify” Light-Sport Aircraft. Yes, it’s pretty dry stuff but it is the way such a staggering development of 128 new models of LSA has been possible in just seven years, an accomplishment not replicated anywhere in aviation, worldwide, since airplanes […]
SLSA #127: SAB Vulcan
SAB’s Vulcan isn’t entirely new. The design has existed in Europe and arrived in the USA more than two years ago, but stealthily avoided our radar as a Special Light-Sport Aircraft until the 2012 Midwest LSA Expo at the Mt. Vernon, Illinois airport. The secret is out now and Vulcan C-100 has been added to […]
Fly away in an RV-12
Van’s Aircraft has launched a new program to build completed, fly-away, RV-12s. Van’s has inked a working agreement with Synergy Air of Eugene, Ore., to manufacture the airplanes in the U.S.A. Nearly 200 kit-built RV-12s have been completed and flown as E-LSA and E-AB aircraft, accumulating thousands of hours. Production S-LSA RV-12s will include the […]
Tanis debuts engine preheat system for LSAs
Tanis Aircraft Products has introduced an engine preheat system specifically for the Cessna 162 Skycatcher and the Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) market. This system has been approved by Cessna as per Modification Kit MK162-25-06B, according to Tanis officials. Engine preheat during cold weather operations, when used properly, will add to operational efficiency, utility, safety of flight […]