Manufacturers

Tecnam can lay claim to being the “largest LSA manufacturer” by virtue of producing more than 3,000 ready-to-fly aircraft (with approximately 120 of them flying in the USA as “official LSA” — the U.S. is a relatively new market for the Italian company). In my travels to Europe and other countries, I’ve seen a lot […]

You’ve surely seen news coverage of Terrafugia’s Transition, the “roadable” LSA from a brain trust of award-winning MIT engineers in Woburn, Massachusetts. This modern version of the well-worn flying car concept has attracted plenty of media attention, and deservedly so, I think. I have been reviewing all their materials and info for an article to […]

Two decades of hard work, sharp design and marketing vision, and keeping a high bar for quality production recently brought FK Group, German makers of three European “ultralights”, an award from Aerokurier magazine for best manufacturer. FK beat out Remos and other top light sport builders. *** The latest good news from the FK 9 […]

In the upcoming Learn To Fly issue of dead tree Plane and Pilot, I wrote an overview article covering the Sport Pilot license. *** Helping me out with some valuable insights was Jim Sweeney, well-known ultralight/Light Sport teacher/expert who really knows his FAA regs. *** One comment Jim made: FBOs have been slow to embrace […]

If you study FAA’s registration database as I do, you’ll quickly discover that Flight Design and its various CT models have a strong presence in the USA (the world for that matter, with 1,500 flying, according to the company). Since CT was first certified in April 2005 — the second LSA to win Special LSA […]

Along with others in the LSA world, my email inbox has been overflowing with questions and comments about Remos filing a “notice of insolvency” back on November 30th, just three weeks after AOPA chose the company’s GX as the 2010 Sweepstakes airplane. *** Today, the company issued a press release on the subject. Management reported, […]

Much lamenting has been heard regarding the price of Light-Sport Aircraft. It isn’t hard to understand given prices that now exceed $140,000. Was such inflation supposed to happen? I’ve explained how this occurred, and the biggest culprit, by far, is the exchange rate difference between dollars and euros. (Other factors include the time value of […]

Bad as in-flight break-up accidents are, many opinions often blur the big picture. Last spring NTSB recommended FAA “ground the fleet,” so to say. FAA chose further study. When additional CH-601s became involved, media and organizations jumped on the bandwagon. Let’s review. *** The focus is on the CH-601XL, of which about 1,500 kits have […]

If you’ve been around aviation long enough you’ve heard the Q&A: “Know how to make a small fortune in aviation? Start with a large one!” Yet aviation can always use fresh talent, so welcome former tech entrepreneur, James Wiebe, turned aviation businessman. From his days building Mac peripherals under the name Newer Technology (and reaching […]

Lucky me. On a warm, sunny day I drove less than a mile to the airport’s Downwind Cafe restaurant where I met the developers of MySky (the company) and their MS-1 (a new LSA model). After a tasty lunch we strolled over to their facility and hangar. All the while I was within a mile […]