Manufacturers

Earlier it appeared that the Flight Design MC would be the first Light-Sport Aircraft ever displayed at the giant National Business Aircraft Association show. NBAA is the organization representing business jets plus a large range of exhibitors serving executive transportation. The trade show happening now in Orlando is a stupendous event with many more exhibitors […]

Recently, I visited three brand-new LSA developments. All are American. All are propelled by young engineers and enthusiasts. All are remarkably sophisticated. All companies have been successful at raising funds. And, perhaps most notably, all projects were started specifically because of the emergence of the Light-Sport Aircraft rule. *** All three are emphatically not reconfigured […]

At Oshkosh, FAA held a meeting to announce their LSA Assessment Project. The agency that gave birth to Light-Sport Aircraft in the summer of 2004 is now embarking on a fact-finding tour they say will judge the “health of the industry,” part of their “aviation safety oversight.” Sounds rather ominous, doesn’t it? However, officials also […]

Air Creation’s New Tanarg represents a leap forward in chassis design for the big French trike maker. In an upcoming article in Kitplanes magazine (5/05 issue), I’ll review this all-new machine. As you can see, it uses technologies and design not so different from a Honda Goldwing motorcycle. The pilot and passenger sit lower, making […]

Lots more fun than a military build-up but bearing some resemblance, companies across the USA are preparing for Sun ‘n Fun starting Tuesday the 4th. I was on the grounds today and it already looks busy. I also traveled to Lockwood Aviation at the Sebring, Florida airport. A busy crew was assembling airplanes from Flight […]

At Sebring 2007, I flew an enjoyable airplane from Poland with the uninspiring name of 3X55 Trainer (see my blog post). A re-engineered and renamed Navigator 600 received SLSA certification on August 22, 2008. [UPDATE 2/19/09] — The North American importer is 3Xtrim Inc. *** Navigator grew up and now boasts a 1,320 pound gross […]

Here come the American engines! Rotax 912s from Austria presently dominate the LSA market with an estimated 70% of installations. Australia’s Jabiru with two engines (85-hp 2200 and 120-hp 3300) has another estimated 15%, leaving the U.S.-built Continental O-200 with about 15%. *** The Lycoming O-235 has been used (in Falcon LS and an RV-9 […]

Just one glance at the Canadian-developed Ecoflyer confirms its size. Looking like an overweight American, Ecoflyer nonetheless boasts enough room to set up a small dining table in a spacious cabin that could later be converted to your bedroom. Ecoflyer’s cabin contains 152 cubic feet of volume, only 13 feet less than a Chrysler minivan […]

At EAA’s Gathering of Eagles fund raiser at AirVenure 2008, movie stars Harrison Ford, John Travolta, and Cliff Robertson plus golf legend Arnold Palmer took the stage. With their encouragement, EAA raised a ton of dough that night. Young Eagles is a great program, having flown more than 1.4 million kids. But it isn’t the […]

They still sneak by…under the radar. Welcome to Sky Cruiser, which won approval before Oshkosh. As the LSA industry heads toward its #100 SLSA approval — perhaps by the April 2009 fourth-year anniversary date since the first approval — welcome to #84 (previously reported #85). *** Built by Bilsam Aviation in Poland, the Sky Cruiser […]