Leaf Peeper Round Up

* 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 coming January 17-20 will hold a model airplane contest. Count me in!

Five categories - age 6 and under, 7-10, 11-14, 15-18 and Adult give everybody a chance to walk away with a prize. Can I sign up in the 11-14 category or are these biological age groups?

* Just back from a car trip down to the friendly crew at New Garden Flying Field southwest of Philadelphia, where Airport Manager Jonathan Martin made me welcome so I could finish up the photo side of my story on the Pipistrel Alpha Trainer which runs in the next issue of the magazine.

Jonathan tells me the Alpha has been busier than a bear in bee country, with lots of interest and several dozens of hours monthly in flight training for the Alpha. So far, the trainer has performed admirably, and students of all ages, he says, love it.
* Flight Design, still top dog in the overall LSA registration race, even with Cessna's onslaught of deliveries this year (more than 70 aircraft from the aviation giant have found their way to dealers and customers), is not about to rest on its winged laurels.

The Germany-based builder of the popular CTLS composite bird has come up with a cool way for new owners to take delivery of their airplanes as it ramps up enthusiasm for the CTLSi version that features the fuel-injected Rotax 912iS- by offering some real Lucky Lindy-style adventure.

Yep, we're talking trans-Atlantic flight here, folks. Just thinking of all that water and one (1) fan spinning out front isenough to make most pilots swallow hard a couple times. No worries, the pond-hopping option is being offered only for pilots with the requisite experience to handle such an epic flight.

Long LSA flights are hardly unusual, though. We've seen several circumnavigations of the globe so far -- two in Flight Design aircraft - and all powered by Rotax engines, so hey, what's a little trans-Atlantic flight?

Flight Design will set it up for willing owners as part of its European Tour offer to new American customers who take delivery in Germany and want to enjoy Europe from the air. If customers don't want to make the final jump over the ocean to America, they can sign only for the Tour, then the company will pack the plane back up and ship it over. Slots are being booked now for 2013.

Now where'd I put that leather helmet, paper bag of sandwiches and my St. Christopher medal?

* The master list of ASTM-approved S-LSA has a new baby: the SAB Vulcan C-100 from Italy. It's been well-received for the last couple years in Europe and is now being offered by SAB Aviation of Americas. The website hasn't been updated yet to reflect the new arrival but you can talk to Niley Church or Valter della Nebia there to find out more.

The Vulcan is an all-metal low-winger based on the Falco kit plane of years past.

Wing tanks with 25 gallon total capacity, a 573 pound useful load (421 with full fuel) and a Rotax 912 ULS powerplant are the basics. Initial price with an analog panel (fully customizable to digital if desired) will be around $125K, with first deliveries slated for late spring of the coming year.

* I didn't make it to the Midwest Sport Fly-in this year but you can catch up on all the latest sport aviation news by checking out my friend Dan Johnson's website: he's been a busy boy lately.