Manufacturers

On St. Patrick’s Day, Friday March 17th, 2006, the AirBorne XT912 became the second brand of trike ever to join a very exclusive club. East Coast dealer, Terri Sipantzi, reported, “We gave birth to AirBorne’s first SLSA last night at 10:30 p.m., PST. An AirBorne XT912 registered as N-912PW was issued its Special Light-Sport Aircraft airworthiness […]

Lance Armstrong helped Americans become familiar with the major French bicycle race by winning seven times. Now a Frenchman is making a name for Australian trike maker AirBorne among French pilots. AirBorne’s French distributor won the Microlight Tour de France for the second year running aboard his Airborne XT-912 mated to the Streak 3 wing. […]

So, you’re an ultralight pilot with many hours flying one of the great light airplanes that enjoyed the limelight long before Light-Sport Aircraft. Then FAA goes and creates a new class of pilot. Now, despite your pilot credential from USUA, ASC, or EAA, you have to go get a new one. Earning it involves a […]

Yesterday, I paid a visit to Cessna Aircraft and was generously hosted by John Doman, their VP of worldwide prop aircraft sales, Roger Martin, director of prop marketing, and Darren Jones, one of Cessna’s LSA Core Team members and a principal author of the business case being prepared to show Cessna and Textron management why […]

Dallas, Texas-based IndUS Aviation earned their second SLSA model approval with certification of the T-11 Sky Skooter. Powered by the four cylinder, 85-hp Jabiru 2200, Sky Skooter becomes the lighter sibling to the potent Thorpedo, which uses the 120-hp Jabiru 3300 on the same airframe. Compared to IndUS’s T-211 with the Continental O-200 engine, the […]

On the same day Van first flew his RV-12 LSA and on the same day AOPA’s Expo 2006 opened with a fleet of LSA on display, LSA Aero president Don Langford received #44 SLSA certification for the Freedom from Troy Hart of the Memphis FSDO (photo). The following week Decatur, Alabama-based LSA Aero delivered the […]

The newest Special Light-Sport Aircraft to win approval will help the industry close out a spectacular year. In 2005, starting only by mid-April, 23 designs have won their airworthiness certificate under the ASTM Consensus Standards. For the year, #23 goes to Aircraft Manufacturing and Development of Eastman, Georgia. The AMD Zodiac CH 601 XL is […]

On October 16th, Nexaer took a first flight in their new LS1, an LSA designed precisely for Sport Pilot. Lifting off at Meadow Lake Airport in Peyton, Colorado, test pilot Bill VonDane followed a conservative test plan of crow hopping just a few feet above the runway, setting back down on the far end. Nexaer […]

What fascinating new airplanes might we expect at AirVenture 2006 in only a few days? Excitement surrounds Cessna‘s “proof-of-concept” entry. The company has no final determination, but they’ll reveal their PoC LSA near AeroShell Square at 9:30 on opening Monday. *** Later may come an entry from Van’s Aircraft, supplier of the most popular kit […]

Almost first thing on opening day at AirVenture, Cessna lifted the black covering that kept their Proof-of-Concept LSA a secret. The veil is off and now we all know what the world’s largest airplane builder has in mind. Top Cessna officials, including president Jack Pelton, still say they are studying the entry. They’ll make their […]