Blog

Tecnam North America‘s CEO Phil Solomon dropped me a line yesterday to make sure I heard the news that there’s a new, all-metal, budget-priced Tecnam LSA, just released, that should generate some enthusiasm among the “LSA: too expensive!” crowd. It’s called the P92 Echo Classic Light. It’s priced at$74,999, and that’s fly away from Richmond, […]

Last Spring I had the pleasure of photographing the severalaircraft that make up the stable of the re-emergent Quicksilver Aircraft company. Quicksilver is the once-and-future, Cessna-style flagship of the ultralight industry back in the 70s and 80s, when it sold almost 15,000 single seater and two-seat aircraft kits under the FAA Part 103 regulation. What […]

There’s been a hue and cry from the seaplane community over New Mexico‘s proposed ban of all seaplane operations in the entire state! The rationale for the ban, as put forward by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Dept., would seem to be the danger to boaters from seaplanes landing on water, and […]

I posted this in a comment to my SeaMax story yesterday after finding it on an Aussie website. One of the big no-no’s in traditional floatplanes and perhaps (I honestly don’t know) traditional amphibs like the Lake Amphibian and others is landing with the wheels down. On a float plane, it can cause a disastrous […]

While looking for images for my RV-12 post the other day, I came across the smile-worthy video below. It was put up on YouTube by an RV-7 owner who treated his little brother to a flight, with some aerobatics thrown in for grins, and what a delight to see the sheer joy on the little […]

AOPA during its annual Summit convention that ended this weekend announced during the event a program that makes a lot of sense: a national network of flying clubs with the aim to grow general aviation at all levels. We’ve been talking about alternatives to the modern steep cost of private flying for some time now, […]

We’ve been wondering when/if the highly popular Van’sRV-12E-LSAkit airplane would ever be produced as an SLSA. That question is now answered with the newly announced SLSA version, and at a very attractive price: $105,000. In addition, 12 “Signature Edition” models with all options at $115,000. The purpose, says Van’s, is to “define and codify the […]

For my next column for Plane & Pilot, and to grow a dialogue here on the blog (diablogue?), I’m putting out a call to all Light Sport pilots across the country (and around the world!) for your input on some topics we all think about and kick around with our flying pals. Think of it […]

As fall colors begin to pop their chromatic yumminess on New England, it’s time to do some shotgun Light Sport factoid gathering. * Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo Model Airplane Contest: Pandering shamelessly to the inner kid in all of us, as well as the kids we bring to the event, the LSA event this […]

The TIGHAR group just doesn’t give up! What about this: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/08/20/Amelia-Earhart-search-yields-debris/UPI-13411345481396/?spt=hs&or=tn