It is no surprise to anyone that aviation has become expensive. Some four-seat, single-engine airplanes retail for nearly $1 million! Those airplanes are fast, comfortable, and superbly equipped, but at those prices few pilots have a large enough budget to allow for purchase of a new aircraft. The great news is that not all airplanes are […]
sport pilot
ICON given green light to begin deliveries
LOS ANGELES — FAA officials have completed a compliance audit at ICON Aircraft’s Tehachapi, California, facility, which led agency officials to issue the first Special-Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) airworthiness certificate for ICON’s A5. With this milestone complete, ICON will now begin customer deliveries for the A5, which has a backlog of more than 1,250 orders, according to company […]
Analyzing statistics on worldwide aviation
Thanks to a solid effort by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), I have data that can be used to assess the number of recreational aircraft around the world. That organization is significantly focused on business aircraft, but did include all levels of aircraft in their country-by-country review. Whatever the actual level of accuracy — […]
Part 103 ultralights are hot
Part 103 ultralight activity was not the news I expected to report from SUN ’n FUN 2015, certainly not as my first report. But after an intense week shooting video interviews at SUN ’n FUN, I am impressed to report that Part 103 is much more than alive and well. For those that may have […]
Aero Adventure continuing upward
Does the Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) world seem somewhat obsessed with seaplanes? Certainly, it appears that’s where a good bit of the most innovative thinking is occurring. However, to observe that is to focus only on the newest designs, the most innovative of which have yet to hit the market and may be years away. For […]
Sharing the skies with RPAs
They fly, so pilots could love Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) [with other terms also used, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and drones.] Some pilots are already involved with RPAs. However, RPA pilots remain on the ground. Is that the same? Differences have a way of dividing people, even when they may […]
LSA market share for 2014
When government reports unemployment, GPD numbers, or crop yields, they release some information that is invariably changed. Despite best efforts, statistics are often improved later. With that fact in mind, following is our preliminary report for fully-built Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) in calendar year 2014. SEEKING TRUTH All the information is taken from the FAA N-number […]
Measuring growth in LSA
As a new year begins, it seems a good time to attempt to measure how the light end of aviation is doing. As 2014 was the 10th anniversary for Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA), it is doubly useful. We have various ways to assess growth in aviation … pilot starts, new certificates, new airplanes delivered, used aircraft sales, and magazine […]
Sebring’s sweet success story
Let’s be direct and simply pronounce it a success. It only took a decade of hard work. I refer to the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, which this time of year signals the start of a new season of airshows. Every January — for 2015 the dates are Jan. 14-17 — Sebring Regional Airport (KSEF) […]