Plane & Pilot 2017 Buyer’s Guide: Light Sport Aircraft

From amphibians to trainers, there's an LSA for everyone.

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category has significantly grown and diversified due to eased certification standards, offering a wide variety of models from backcountry taildraggers and amphibious aircraft to efficient cruisers.
  • Many LSAs feature modern designs, advanced avionics, and composite materials, often pushing the category's performance limits for speed, climb, and range while still adhering to LSA regulations.
  • The article showcases numerous innovative LSA examples, including the powerful CubCrafters Carbon Cub, the amphibious Super Petrel and SeaRey, and the versatile Tecnam P2002 Sierra Mk2, each designed for specific flying niches.
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Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey
Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey

Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey

One of the oldest airplanes in the LSA marketplace is also one of the most refreshing. The Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey has been around for nearly three decades for reasons that are immediately clear to anyone who’s had the pleasure of flying one. In an era where more is seen as better, and bells and whistles are the design order of the day, the SeaRey is the opposite—simple construction, reliable systems and pilot-centered design. It’s a conventional ultralight construction model, aircraft fabric over aluminum tubing with a hull composed of various materials, including a carbon-fiber option. A pair of sponsons on the wing are made of roto-molded plastic, and the top-mounted engine can be anything from a 64 hp two-stroke Rotax 582 to a turbocharged 115 hp Rotax 914. Depending on options, the SeaReys any two customers wind up with could be very different. The common denominator? Both will be huge fun to fly. 

Niche: Seaplane/Amphibian

Base Price: $80,000 (depends on builder choices)

Competitors: ICON A5, Super Petrel

Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey Specifications

Learn more at Progressive Aerodyne.

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