A couple approvals snuck past my radar in the last month of travel. Welcome to a Canadian bush plane and an Australian trike. Back around Tax Day, April 17th, AirBorne Australia gained their second SLSA airworthiness certificate with the XT-912 Outback. And on June 4th, the BushCaddy was signed off by a U.S. Designated Airworthiness Rep (DAR). *** A spacious fully-built BushCaddy is modestly priced for the category at $72,500 base with the 80-horse Rotax. Even with the 100-hp R912S or the 120-hp Jabiru 3300, BushCaddy remains under $75,000. And an ELSA kit is now permitted; indeed, one is already under construction. *** AirBorne’s Outback is a simpler, more open carriage version of their deluxe XT912 using the faster double surfaced Streak wing. The #30 SLSA sells for around $47,000 base price but an Outback is somewhat less; both models effectively qualify as a lower-priced SLSA choices. If a $100,000+ deluxe LSA isn’t in your budget, BushCaddy and XT912 Outback give you new choices without giving up the fun.
