Affordable Aviation

Explore Affordable Aviation by Dan Johnson on Plane & Pilot Magazine — your guide to light-sport, ultralight, and experimental aircraft. With decades of Dan’s experience, this section offers pilot reports, model comparisons, buying guides, and expert tips designed to help you get airborne affordably and confidently.

Do LSA Encourage Youth to Consider Aviation?

Kent Misegades is a regular writer for GA News and has helped here at ByDanJohnson.com. Recently he proudly told me of his son Tim’s experience… a worthy story. |||| “My youngest son followed the usual route through high school and then into college, pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering at North Carolina State University just […]

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My Blog Has Moved!

Hi All who didn’t know that the magazine wanted to create a new blog presence on the main website (there’s a BLOGS tab at the top of the main screen).If you’ve been wondering whether I’d moved on to bluer sky pastures, nope, just changed my blog landing strip. You can find the blog page by […]

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FAA Clarifies Who Is a LSA Manufacturer

Today, FAA issued its anticipated notice of policy that clarifies who can qualify as a manufacturer. You may wish to read the entire policy statement and, as government documents go, this one is fairly easy to read and comprehend. The agency also welcomes comments. *** Since this hit cyberspace, I have spent the better part […]

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Sebring 2013 — “Innovation Meets Aviation”

OK, even to me it seems rather early to be writing about Sebring 2013. (I’m a huge fan, having attended all eight Expos.) The event is months away and summer just arrived so why are we thinking about next winter? Truth be told, you don’t get anywhere in the airshow biz without planning months, even […]

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Flight School Dilemma… One Solution

Anyone who has tried to borrow money in the last five years knows how tough it has become. Banks supported by government guarantees practically gave money away before the subprime meltdown but are now being much more careful. That’s a good thing but it means even some credit-worthy customers can’t get the loan they need. […]

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Tecnam’s Tail Dragger Keeps Getting Better

With five models currently meeting ASTM standards for SLSA, Tecnam has established itself as the leader in prolific design of Light-Sport Aircraft (they also have a Twin and are working on a four seater plus an eleven seater). Much of this design prowess owes to family patriarch Professor Luigi Pascale, known for his incredible output […]

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Rocky Mountain LSA Expo 2012 Wrap-Up

Roving reporter Dave wraps up coverage of the Rocky Mountain LSA Expo event. —DJ |||| “Cessna is one of the most recognized names in the aviation industry. Last year it lead the LSA market for new registrations. So I was surprised to hear again and again, ‘Look, there’s a Skycatcher; this is the first time […]

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A Tale of Two Flight Schools…

Flight schools —- like many private buyers — are hyperfocused on, “What does an aircraft cost to operate?” Busy flight schools operating at high volume simply must track how all the pennies add up. In this article we asked US Aviation’s Scott Severen for info (based on an earlier post). Why US Aviation? While much […]

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Pipistrel’s New Alpha Trainer Announced

The company I’ve been writing a lot about lately keeps finding more things for me to talk about. When I was in Slovenia last month, Pipistrel‘s movers and shakers told me on the QT to be ready for a major announcement soon. *** And here it is: just officially announced this morning, introducing the Alpha […]

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