Affordable Aviation

An anonymous source sent me an account (in Czech) and photos of an incident in Czech Republic that reportedly occurred when an Evektor SportStar, flown by an “experienced pilot”, was unable to recover from a spin.   *** It happened on May 18 over a lake near Ostrozska ​​Ves.  You can see the pilot climb […]

Rotary wing aircraft have not been my focus. But I could hardly miss a flock of streamlined gyroplanes at Aero 2011 and I wondered why we don’t have these in the USA? To get an answer I went to Powered Sport Flying publisher and Internet radio producer, Roy Beisswenger, who covers the gyro scene in […]

As the battle rages on regarding a replacement fuel for 100 LL avgas, sport aviation enthusiasts already have another, cheaper fuel option. The best news is they potentially have an enormous support group (even bigger than Facebook, if you’ll permit that comparison). Here’s what blogger Kent Misegades wrote… *** “Consider these numbers:  According to GAMA, […]

As I write an article on the current state of electric flight worldwide, sad word comes that prolific, talented German aeronautical engineer Martin Wezel has died in the crash of the prototype Yuneec International E1000 electric airplane. *** Wezel’s company, Flugzeugtechnik Wezel, was well respected for its gliders and microlights, which included the Sting and […]

In this post there’s both good news and bad news. *** First up: blog reader Pete Zaitcev commented on my blog yesterday that the Front Range Airport (FTG) visit, on May 14, by the LSA Tour #3 will coincide with the Rocky Mountain LSA Expo. *** FTG is about 25 miles east of Denver at […]

Weight shift instructor and FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) Terri Sipantzi wrote an excellent editorial about the FAA’s plan to start inspecting new SLSA or new companies producing LSA. Terri’s piece was well written and accurate. He quoted me but I find it surprising to be the only one publicly talking about this matter even […]

In this post there’s both good news and bad news. *** First up: blog reader Pete Zaitcev commented on my blog yesterday that the Front Range Airport (FTG) visit, on May 14, by the LSA Tour #3 will coincide with the Rocky Mountain LSA Expo. *** FTG is about 25 miles east of Denver at […]

Dave Graham of Legend Aircraft just sent out word that the next LSA Tour launches tomorrow for a 4-day swing up the front range of the Colorado Rockies. See the list of locations below. *** “We’ve adopted the four-day format,” says Dave. “The six-day tour is just too tiring.” Reporting on the Tour’s recent swing […]

For Its Fifth Anniversary, ByDanJohnson.com Releases PlaneFinder 2.0 … Another Free Service WORLD WIDE WEB / July 1, 2009 – ByDanJohnson.com is pleased to announce the return of PlaneFinder, now relaunched as version 2.0. PlaneFinder 2.0 helps pilots or prospective pilots interested in Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) to determine which LSA is the best one for […]

Picking up my electric aircraft coverage again with an email from Phoenix Air USA kingpin Jim Lee with the latest updates on the PhoEnix electric motorglider NASA/CAFE race entry, which just came out of the paint shop and has all its pretty parts put together…and a beautimous bird she is indeed.”We put the PhoEnix together,” […]