Aviators love abbreviations and one that has invaded light aviation recently is ADS-B. FAA’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast service brings two major benefits for aircraft that install new equipment: Free weather and traffic. LSA market leader Flight Design recently completed the first installation of this in one of its brand-new CTLSi models. New dealer Florida Light-Sport […]
Dine with Patty Wagstaff
On Day 2 of this year’s Sebring US Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, EAA Chapter 1240 is sponsoring a dinner featuring aerobatic expert Patty Wagstaff who will perform at the show … with such an airshow being a first for Sebring. Proceeds will support youth aviation education programs. The Sebring EAA chapter has engineered […]
Stick wigglers vs. glass panel geeks
After flying more than 350 different aircraft models, I’ve become reasonably adept at what some pilots call “stick wiggling.” The reference is for all the actions you take to physically fly the plane. This is about what’s required on very basically-equipped ultralight aircraft that I still love to fly. Modern LSA, however, typically offer loaded […]
General aviation in China
In late November the southern China city of Zhuhai hosted a large collection of aircraft at Airshow China. We’ve been hearing about this once-closed country in matters of aviation so often, readers might be interested to see some photos taken by LAMA Europe’s Jan Fridrich. He also works for the Czech Light Aircraft Association and […]
The effects of political wrangling on LSA
The new year is here and with it the effects of Congressional wrangling over the so-called fiscal cliff. Maybe the political leadership have found some temporary resolve, but eventually cuts appear inevitable. Some aviation groups have gloomily predicted as much as $80 billion in GDP losses if the FAA takes an estimated $1 billion haircut […]
Looking ahead to the Sebring LSA Expo
The holidays approach like a lumbering airliner on final, sure and certain. With its arrival, aviation in America can take stock of the year and begin the anticipation for a new season to dawn once the days begin to lengthen. Winter in many northern states is a time of reduced recreational flying activity but (speaking […]
Russian ‘Beetle’ takes off
News from Russian sport aircraft producers is rare. Though the old USSR had a vast military aircraft complex, that hasn’t translated to recreation aircraft the way it did in the formerly Soviet Czech Republic, where many of our LSA originate. However, that doesn’t mean efforts are absent. We’ve seen some uptake of LSA (like Pipistrel) […]
Long, winding approval tale — SLSA #128
A most remarkable thing happened recently. I refer to a recent approval of a brand new Special LSA. Why is that noteworthy, especially as it is #128 on our SLSA List? Everyone in the business of LSA and most other alert readers have followed the long, winding, still-evolving path of FAA approvals in the fall […]
Tecnam offers bargain-priced Echo Classic Light
Major Italian producer Tecnam has launched the P92 Classic Light microlight. This is the seventh-generation model in Tecnam P92 range of airplanes, which this year celebrated 20 years of production. The company reports that over two decades of service, “P92’s worldwide fleet now stands at nearly 2,000 aircraft with 200,000 flown hours. The P92 Classic […]