Our annual review of LSA Market Share brings our updated fleet chart and a second chart showing prior-year registrations. While sales of new SLSA remains below par, the market appears to be experiencing spotty but regular recovery from earlier low points. The first half the year foretold a better recovery but the last half of […]
sport pilot
Go negative…or work together?
It is true that a pilot of one type aircraft may not know much about nor (therefore) care much about another type aircraft. Ultralight pilots and turbine pilots may not seem to have much in common. Sailplane pilots and crop dusters, likewise. Powered parachute enthusiasts seem on the opposite side of the spectrum from airline […]
Airtime Aviation hits 100 deliveries
Airtime Aviation, a dealer for Flight Design USA, recently notched its number 100 delivery of a Light-Sport Aircraft. “Our number 100 Flight Design model, this one a new CTLSi, went to Rex Austin,” said Tom Gutmann, Jr., who operates Airtime Aviation with his father Tom Gutmann, Sr. “This is Rex’s second CTLS.” “I have owned […]
The appeal of vintage LSAs
“Does it qualify as a Light Sport Aircraft?” That’s one of the first questions people ask when they see a single-engine aircraft of a certain vintage parked at an airport. Many aviators dream of flying a vintage Piper or Ercoupe or Taylorcraft, and if they can do it as a Sport Pilot with a driver’s […]
Extreme Makeover
Big things are happening to the location formerly known as the Ultralight Area at the SUN ’n FUN grounds on the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Florida. First, the area will now permanently be known by its longtime affectionate name: Paradise City. Once a place of great charm and thick crowds, the area suffered from the […]
Zebra LSA is a workhorse
If you want people to notice your aircraft, it helps if you have a unusual and eye-catching paint job. The folks from South Africa-based SkyReach certainly accomplished that goal with the black and white zebra design on the BushCat, a high-wing Light-Sport Aircraft that was the center of the company’s display at this summer’s AirVenture. […]
Air Creation Skypper wins SLSA #130
Congratulations to Air Creation USA for winning Special Light-Sport Aircraft approval for its newest weight-shift control aircraft called the Skypper. That’s a worthwhile achievement for any new LSA, but before I tell you how this model is different, let me do another explanation. In summer of 2012, FAA issued an internal order — meaning it […]
First CTLSi with ADS-B
Aviators love abbreviations and one that has invaded light aviation recently is ADS-B. FAA’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast service brings two major benefits for aircraft that install new equipment: Free weather and traffic. LSA market leader Flight Design recently completed the first installation of this in one of its brand-new CTLSi models. New dealer Florida Light-Sport […]
Sebring LSA Expo wraps up successful weekend
SEBRING, Florida —The ninth annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo wrapped up a successful weekend of activities supporting general aviation and the Light-Sport Aircraft industry Sunday, Jan. 20. Expo officials estimate the weekend’s attendance will exceed last year’s record attendance of 16,000. Mike Willingham, Executive Director of the Sebring Regional Airport, said, “The weather wasn’t as […]