It didn’t work out the first time. Breezer I wasn’t quite mature for the burgeoning Light Sport Aircraft market. The import structure was unwieldy, adding cost and distancing the customer from the source. As Breezer Aircraft took over manufacturing of the all-metal LSA, Breezer II arrived in 2008, joining new leadership in Europe with fresh […]
Season opener
The great trek to Sun ‘n Fun is about to begin. The season-starting air show kicks off April 13 and organizers report display spaces are filling up. The economy is taking a toll on all events, but Sun ‘n Fun is one of those reliable shows, sure to draw a crowd…a crowd emerging from the […]
New tandem LSA headed to market
Most of our tandem Special LSA — Legend Cub, Courier, SportCub, Hornet, Hawk, and SkyArrow — are recreational airplanes. Except for the last one (Italy’s smooth, composite Sky Arrow) most might also fall into the “bush” category in that they are slower-flying, fabric-covered, rugged aircraft suitable for landing on unimproved airstrips. A brand-new tandem, not […]
LSA Mall returns to Sun ‘n Fun
After becoming a hit feature of AirVenture in 2006, LSA Malls have become a fixture at major U.S. airshows. Visitors to EAA’s big summer celebration of flight are now joined by crowds attending AOPA’s Aviation Summit as well as the season-opening Sun ‘n Fun “Spring Break for Pilots.” Folks attending these top-drawing aviation trade shows […]
Seaplane season approaches
Winter will soon yield to spring and summer, that time of year when flying from water becomes the delight of many pilots who have sampled this pleasure. Competing for their purchase in the LSA space, we have the FK Lightplanes Floatplane, FPNA A-22 Cape Town, and Legend AmphibCub. Other entries include SeaRey (close to declaring […]
FAA forecasts robust LSA growth…for a while
The FAA issued a 20-year forecast for aviation to 2030. According the the agency, Light Sport Aircraft sales will grow by 825 per year through 2013 and then taper off to 335 per year. Hmmm? One wonders why it should fall so dramatically and so soon? Except in a lousy 2009, the LSA industry has […]
LSA grabs 25% of GA sales
It has to get better! According to GAMA, the organization that represents the Type Certified aircraft world, “2009 worldwide shipments of general aviation airplanes declined for a second year in a row with a total of 2,276 units delivered, a 42.6% decrease over the previous year’s total of 3,967 airplanes.” However, GAMA numbers include twins […]
Let’s go flying with Dynon’s SkyView
Talk about your “Wow! factor” — Paul Hamilton’s new video for Dynon Avionics really shows off the amazing capability of the company’s SkyView avionics system featuring synthetic vision. On his video, Paul takes you along for a flight during bright daylight (proving the screens are readable in direct light) and into the dimming sun over […]
Something new: Fly a Hang ‘Copter
I readily admit to being a hang glider pilot at heart. After flying several hundred airplanes, I still consider flying a hang glider to be perhaps THE purest way to fly. I’ve always said that if I could just snap my fingers and be in the air — oh, that it was so simple and […]