Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is an expert on Light Sport Aircraft.
I am not alone in thinking Part 103 ultralight aircraft are the ideal platform for initial development of electric powered aircraft. Sure, someday you’ll be able to fly your 2-4 seater for 300-400 miles or more, recharge in the time it takes you to use the facilities, and be on your way again. But today, electric-powered Part 103s are available.
Dan Johnson, president of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, is an expert on Light Sport Aircraft.
The second annual Midwest LSA Expo is set to launch. The exhibitor count is up from last year’s inaugural event, according to main organizer Chris Collins. Print and web publisher Roy Beisswenger has organized a slate of forums, including yours truly. General Aviation News is producing the program, which this year will feature data about all exhibiting aircraft, plus offer informative articles. If you can’t wait to see what’s happening or if you’re planning your visit, you can check out the program here.
A gentleman at Oshkosh asked me a question about Sport Pilot instructors and I’m afraid I gave a misleading answer. Even though I inhabit the Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft space all day, every day, it isn’t hard to get a detail incorrect. My expertise is on the LSA side and less so the SP side, so I called in my expert friend, Paul Hamilton, who answered the question “Can Sport Pilot training be used for Private Pilot training?” by saying “Yes…and no.”
Lately the subject of flying IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) has occupied my time and lots of editorial space. The debate centered on flight into IMC . Although I spend 100% of every day on the subject of Light-Sport Aircraft and other flying machines used for aerial recreation, I can also make mistakes explaining all the ins and outs of the six-year-old regulation abbreviated as SP/LSA. I enlisted Robert Hamilton of Dynon Avionics to help further, who politely explained that I’d made an error.
Landing on water with your wheels down is a confirmed aviation no-no. Land planes that try it often get flipped over and upside down, when escaping the cabin becomes a real concern. Every seaplane pilot I know has a mantra he or she repeats, “I’m landing on water so the wheels must be up.”
While most of the LSA industry — as with most of aviation — endures unprecedented slow sales in 2010, at least two companies are showing reasonably good performances. Washington-based CubCrafters is the clear market leader for the first seven months of 2010, with 27 new registrations. [Read more...]
Summer is about to flow into fall, which is often a beautiful time of year to aviate for recreation. Temperatures moderate from summer’s heat, yet winter’s icing and other hazards are still well off in the distance. That big celebration of flight, AirVenture, is history and now Light-Sport enthusiasts turn their attention to the Midwest LSA Expo. This Illinois entry approaches only year number two, but it appears to be in a building phase.
In the last month, I’ve received many calls and e-mails from more than a dozen flight schools. Here, I will try to reduce the confusion — and some alarm — regarding IFR (flying by instrument reference) and LSA.
Call them flying cars, flying motorcycles, flying dune buggies, or roadable aircraft. Regardless of the correct term, a growing wave of these car-to-airplane machines are in various stages of development. [Read more...]
SportairUSA, run by proprietor Bill Canino, has long been an innovator in the LSA business. His company doesn’t build airplanes, but Canino has triggered several interesting add-ons: He was one of the first (along with Flight Design USA) to install parachutes on all StingSports; he developed the GreenLine engine monitor system; he offered the Straight & Level button to help those caught unexpectedly in no-visibility conditions; and last year at AirVenture he rolled out the ForeSight enhanced visibility system.
His latest concept is the iCub. [Read more...]
For more on Sport Pilot and LSA: ByDanJohnson.com
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