Affordable Aviation

After a six-year wait the New Cumulus Ultralight Motorglider took to the air thanks to Ultralight Soaring Aviation owner Dave Ekstrom. The original Cumulus required some redesign work that Ekstrom and team accomplished and tested. Now, orders are building and shipments have started. Previous kit owners are getting changed materials that should allow them to […]

Last summer the FAA Adminstrator flew the open-cockpit Quicksilver Sport II. At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004, FAA Administrator, Marion Blakey flew with instructor Ken Snyder to feel the Wisconsin breeze on her knees. Kudos to her for “daring” to fly in this machine; she was offered enclosed cockpit aircraft, but selected the Quicksilver herself. After […]

A hang glider over Mt. Everest is an amazing accomplishment as recognized by many mainstream magazine articles. You can read my account of this feat in two magazines: the 11/04 Kitplanes and the 2/05 Hang Gliding & Paragliding magazine published by the U.S. Hang Gliding Association (both will be posted here later). As this one […]

RANS of Kansas will offer this S-6ES Coyote as a factory-built, ready-to-fly ultralight. If you’ve ever seen a RANS factory airplane at airshows, you know they do some superb finish work that anyone would be proud to own. Earlier, some observers didn’t think RANS was going to participate in SP/LSA, perhaps because they spent a […]

By any measure AIR’s ATOS VX is a stunning work of art. The 46-foot span hang glider or nanolight-trike wing is a truly beautiful construction that shows the artistic and engineering prowess of designer Felix Ruhle and his A-I-R company of Germany. I flew this “rigid wing” glider in Florida before the Sebring U.S. Sport […]

Touring the country by air Touring Israel by air might, at first thought, seem an unlikely activity. Much of what we hear or read about this country suggests a history of serious conflict sufficient to squelch activities like recreational flying. If network news has given you that impression, I’m pleased to report it is completely […]

Increased benefits come with some costs and responsibility Are you excited by the proposed sport pilot/lightsport aircraft (SP/LSA) rule? Many experts say the long-awaited rule will offer aviation its best growth opportunity since the 1940s. Do you wonder if any new regulation can be that helpful? Some pilots remain apprehensive about SP/LSA. Naturally, those who […]

Light-sport aircraft are a major part of Aero 2003 My first visit to the Aero show was in 2001. For years earlier, I’d been aware of this event in the far south of Germany, in the resort town of Friedrichshafen. After attending the show two years ago, I became aware of how important it would […]

ST. PAUL, MINN., — As we head in winter and the holiday season, news for the next season appears to continue a focus on rigid wing hang gliders. Flexwings continue to do well in contest flying (and sales) but we simply aren’t hearing as much about new developments as we have in years past… for […]

ST. PAUL, MINN. — Airwave is back! Not long after I announced that the enterprise was for sale (June ’99 "PL"), a deal was done and former European Wills Wing distributor Markus Villinger is the owner. By now, the new Austrian base for Airwave Gliders should be running and shipping gliders. They plan to add […]