Splog

When they introduced Light-Sport Aircraft FAA prohibited use of a jet engine. Looking at the photos nearby you can see that this airplane cannot pass must as a LSA. Or, wait! That’s no jet. It just pretended to be one at Aero Friedrichshafen 2016. At my home airport (Spruce Creek Fly-in), I regularly see one […]

What’s in a name for an airshow? Quick, what’s the official name of the big July show north of Chicago? “Oshkosh?” Yes, to most, but the association prefers EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. How about the one in Lakeland, Florida? “Oh, you mean Sun ‘n Fun.” The full name is Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In and Expo. […]

They may not be as sleek and speedy looking as fiberglass floats and lack the familiarity of metal versions but Full Lotus floats have long been revered for their super tough exterior finish and their high functionality. As they were primarily a straight float system and prior to Lotus Floats being acquired by AFM, adapting […]

You may not be thinking about it now while the snow swirls and piles up in mountainous white drifts, but in a few months, Canada will again be a very scenic place to fly. May an American LSA owner do so? While a growing number of countries around the world have been steadily embracing use […]

Even very familiar companies like Zenith Aircraft company, part of a family light aviation empire including Zenair in Canada•, has to prepare well when FAA comes to visit. Specifically, this would be the agency’s KET or Kit Evaluation Team. When various representatives of the regulatory agency visit they use a multi-page list to assure that […]

I always love traveling to Aero Friedrichshafen because of the new aircraft I will see. We media types live for the new stuff (because it’s what we believe our readers or video watchers want to consume). I made my last dash through the hall on Saturday — Aero ran from April 20-23, 2016 — and […]

Article Updated 8/8/16 — The second chart appearing below for Calendar 2015 results had errors in the spreadsheet formula. They have been corrected below. —DJ My associate in Europe, Jan Fridrich of LAMA Europe, has been the source for a database search for many years as I seek to report market share statistics in the […]

The great show of Europe called Aero Friedrichshafen is about to begin. It starts officially tomorrow and runs through Saturday (April 20-23, 2016). I’ve lost count, but believe this is my 20th year of attending, far more than any other European show. As he worked to help exhibitors and manage the million details of his […]

The super-short summary of Sun ‘n Fun 2016: weather was beautiful; even the one night of rain gave way to a sunny day and all other days were as good as it gets. No accidents occurred to my awareness. Crowds were good if not record-setting. Airplanes were sold; I conservatively estimate about 30 sales of […]

Welcome to a guest editorial by Roy Beisswenger, publisher of Powered Sport Flying magazine and a close follower of the gyroplane scene. —DJ Bensen Days in Wauchula, Florida is our annual pre-game party leading up to Sun ‘n Fun. The Sunstate Wing & Rotorcraft Club schedules this annual soiree to coincide with Sun ‘n Fun. […]