SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
Lucky me. On a warm, sunny day I drove less than a mile to Spruce Creek Airport’s Downwind Cafe where I met the developers of MySky (the company) and the MS-1 (a new LSA model). After a tasty lunch we strolled over to the company’s facility and hangar. All the while I was within a mile of my home; last year my wife and I caught a good deal at Spruce Creek, an upscale residential airpark in Florida.
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
Saying 2009 was a breathtaking year is no overstatement. The last air show of the season is now history and reflections on 2009 reveal a year of hardship for aviation. Cessna laid off more than half its workers and the Wichita giant’s problems are mirrored throughout general aviation. Seemingly invulnerable jet builders took a vicious tumble, losing many talented workers to layoffs. Business shows like NBAA had lots of empty spaces.
Yet in all this darkness, some are seeing daylight. Cessna boss Jack Pelton has been preaching recovery and he is echoed by other general aviation leaders.
For the Light Sport industry, 2009 also has been bad, but less bad. Sales are off about 25% (compared to general aviation’s nearly 50%). After a surprisingly sluggish fall for many producers, business seems to be perking up slightly. Sales of LSA to established flight schools remains the industry’s best performance to date, even in — or perhaps because of — a down economy.
Planning is already underway for 2010 events. For most LSA manufacturers, shows remain the primary marketing vehicles. Coming soon is the sixth annual U.S. Sport Aviation Expo (often referred to as the Sebring LSA Expo), slated for Jan. 21-24.
Sebring Expo Chairman Bob Wood says exhibitors and sponsors are up over last year. And, remember, in the depths of economic gloom last January, the Sebring LSA Expo set record attendance, even outdrawing AOPA’s Expo. Many hope Sebring will help kick off a vastly improved 2010.
By THOMAS F. NORTON
Jane Hanks, who at 25 was a nurse in Kunming, China, tending to pilots and crews of the Flying Tigers, died Oct. 17 at her home in Oxford, Maryland. She was 93.
SHORT FINAL By DEB McFARLAND
It’s 5:30 a.m. and I have supper cooked. Soup beans, corn on the cob and cornbread. Directly, I will wake my young sleeping beauty, who has a vacation day from school. She will be shocked that there are towels waiting to be folded, a dishwasher that needs unloading and clothes that need to be hung out on the line. Such is life.
I will type out this column as quickly as I can because a wonderful phenomenon waits outside my doors to be explored. It is the seasonal occurrence called fall, and it has finally arrived in northern Georgia.
I have been cooped up my house for weeks. I have barely been in the sky, and the polish on my Lester is less than brilliant. Finally, the recent rains have subsided, and the weather folks promise at least of week of beautiful clear blue skies. I can hardly contain my joy!
Fall is my favorite time of year. The humidity drops. The haze of summer fades, and the light takes on a golden quality that makes even the dullest of objects glow. Fall is a good time to fly and a good time to polish. This week, I hope to do a little of both.
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
While I prefer to blog about new aircraft, LSA safety is a worthy topic. Here’s the quick summary: While every loss is tragic to family and friends, LSA fatalities are not bad.
Now some detail: According to FAA records in the four-year period from August 2005 to June 2009, Special LSAS experienced 12 fatal accidents resulting in the loss of 18 lives. In 10 of the 12 accidents a licensed pilot was in control (that is, not a Sport Pilot). Altogether, 10 manufacturers were affected. Only one, variations of the CH-601 produced by three companies, had multiple accidents and that veteran design is now the subject of a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (read our story here).
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
It begins! The long-awaited arrival of Cessna into the ranks of Special Light Sport Aircraft has begun, with the first Shenyang-produced SkyCatcher arriving in Wichita. The company reports taking more than 1,000 orders.
At Oshkosh 2009, company officials said production would commence as originally planned in 2009 but that 2010 will be the year of substantial deliveries from the Chinese contract manufacturer. Soon, we’ll begin to see registered SkyCatchers show up on our market share reports.
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
As the challenging year for aircraft sales grinds on, Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) continue to hold their own. In tough times, when cash is tight, small enterprises may fare better than large companies. Their low expense structures, modestly compensated managers and employees, and lean manufacturing — as allowed by industry-standards certification — become strengths.
But we see another quality. The half-million-plus general aviation pilots are more accepting of LSA today than three years ago. Organizations like AOPA are more fully embracing LSA, because their members are calling to ask questions. (Watch for a surprise LSA announcement at AOPA’s Aviation Summit this month!)
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
Most folks following LSA development know the Sting, refreshed for the U.S. market with the S3 model. Now, welcome to the TL3000 Sirius as the newest SLSA to hit the market in a blur of new offerings seemingly triggered after the industry hit #100.
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
The operative phrases are: Triple Digits and Global Reach.
Triple digits refers to the number of approved Special Light Sport Aircraft available. In fact, once it hit #100, the industry shot past to #104 and I see no end in sight to new models.
Some major ones are expected soon, including Cessna’s SkyCatcher due in mere months and the attention-getting Icon A5. But I’m aware of at least a half dozen more that will arrive in the next few months, and we’re finding out about more all the time.
Global reach speaks to the planet-wide potential for aircraft meeting ASTM standards for LSA.
SHORT FINAL By DEB McFARLAND
The forecasters were wrong. I don’t generally pay attention to forecasts until a day or two before my flight because, frankly, here in the South, weather predictions bob up and down nearly as bad as the float on my old fishing pole when cast in a pond of bored fish.
However, the weather in northern Georgia during the month of September set a precedent. Rain. Lots of it. Stuff that settled in for days and days with low ceilings and enough water falling from the sky to strangle a frog.
So when the forecasters on TV and on Internet weather sites predicted heavy rain during the 42nd Annual Thomasville Fly-In, I took the warning seriously. Friday, Oct. 9, came and low ceilings plagued our area, so we decided to drive, not knowing that if we had only waited until after lunch, we could have flown.
Flying a small vintage airplane VFR is as much as an art form as it is a science. Sometimes, you have to go with your gut. My gut was saying, yeah, you might get there fine, but what about the east wind that’s predicted for Sunday? An east wind at my airport usually means low overcast. My gut decided not to fly as well. My gut was wrong, too.
The weather for this year’s Thomasville Fly-In boasted vivid blue sky, snow-white fluffys, a scattered shower or two and temps so hot I thought my poor brain would fry. It didn’t matter — fly or drive, rain or shine, hot or cold, the spirit of Thomasville prevailed. It was a dang good show.
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