Summer is about to flow into fall, which is often a beautiful time of year to aviate for recreation. Temperatures moderate from summer’s heat, yet winter’s icing and other hazards are still well off in the distance. That big celebration of flight, AirVenture, is history and now Light-Sport enthusiasts turn their attention to the Midwest […]
Splog
A raging debate: IFR, IMC, VMC, and LSA
In the last month, I’ve received many calls and e-mails from more than a dozen flight schools. Here, I will try to reduce the confusion — and some alarm — regarding IFR (flying by instrument reference) and LSA. ASTM’s F37 committee is comprised of people with technical knowledge and they have done the nearly-impossible: Start […]
Flying Car frenzy
Call them flying cars, flying motorcycles, flying dune buggies, or roadable aircraft. Regardless of the correct term, a growing wave of these car-to-airplane machines are in various stages of development. One of the newest entries is a kit with the lowest projected price among the group; all others are fully built and carry larger price […]
‘We’ve got a plane for that!
SportairUSA, run by proprietor Bill Canino, has long been an innovator in the LSA business. His company doesn’t build airplanes, but Canino has triggered several interesting add-ons: He was one of the first (along with Flight Design USA) to install parachutes on all StingSports; he developed the GreenLine engine monitor system; he offered the Straight […]
Despite creative nicknames, the show must go on
The names flew around on the strangest beginning to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh since long before it acquired the three-name title EAA prefers these days. Known to legions of visitors and exhibitors as Oshkosh, the summer celebration of flight generated some new variations this year. I heard “Sploshkosh,” “Washkosh,” and “Sloshkosh,” and I’m sure more colorful […]
New LSA: Predator powered parachute
Another one managed to slip by my radar. I follow LSA closer than most, yet I can barely keep track of all the approvals. No wonder I frequently get calls asking me to unravel the puzzle of LSA makes and models. Better late than never, welcome the Predator powered parachute to our SLSA List of […]
Jabiru Jamboree
Folks have seen that plenty of Rotax seminars are offered in addition to video lectures, but they’ve seen less of such offerings for Jabiru, the second most common brand on LSAs. The truth is, the easygoing folks at Jabiru USA regularly hold engine seminars. The upcoming editions of these training sessions occurs Sept. 10-12 and […]
An appropriate address
Arguably the most successful light aircraft seaplane producer is Progressive Aerodyne and its SeaRey amphibian. How successful? In January, it delivered SeaRey kit #500 to an owner in Belgium. That impressive number doesn’t tell the whole story, which centers around the tight community of SeaRey builders who often help each other — and not solely […]
Who will survive in LSA world?
One of the oft-repeated questions about this new thing called LSA is: “When will the shakeout occur? When will some of these 75 companies disappear… and which ones will fail?” First, my ability to see the future is no better than anyone else. We’ve lost a few suppliers (Taylorcraft, Urban Air, Spain’s CAG, Higher Class). […]