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 […]
sport pilot
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 […]
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 […]
U.S. Sport Aviation Expo adds twilight airshows
SEBRING, Fla. — The 9th annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo will kick off on Jan. 17-20 at the Sebring Regional Airport with several changes, including twilight air shows by Team RV on Friday and Saturday evenings. Other highlights for the 2013 event include a “Year of the Cub” salute on opening day to honor the […]
Cessna tops LSA market list
Anticipation is always high for the latest market share information and I am happy to provide an update, thanks to my European associate Jan Fridrich who does the hard work of sifting through FAA’s database. I remind you that his efforts are not merely tallying whatever FAA publishes. In fairness, Jan has to evaluate many […]
LSA America breaks ground at IXA
LSA America, which produces the Allegro Light-Sport Aircraft, has broken ground on a new 16,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport (IXA) in North Carolina. According to a report at RRSpin.com, the company expects to make the move from its current location in Littleton in May.