Some long-awaited revisions to the Sport Pilot Rule were recently released and, as we’ve anticipated, there are positive improvements. First up: The restrictive 10,000-foot maximum altitude limitation for LSA flight which, among other scenarios, restricted flying over high terrain such as in the Rockies, was amended to allow flight above the limit, with one important […]
In the spotlight: The PiperSport
What a way to start the year. Officials from Piper Aircraft called a press conference on the opening day of the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, and, like no other I’ve seen after attending all six Expos, the media turned out in droves. Cameras clicked constantly, videos whirred, and recording devices captured every […]
As Sebring goes, so goes Sun ‘n Fun?
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON With the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo now history — but hoping to build on the strong beginning of the LSA-only event — preparations are underway for Sun ‘n Fun 2010, running April 13-18. Sebring, in January, has become the first airshow of the year and when it goes well, some feel […]
Chart-topping LSAs for 2009
If you refer back to earlier reports, you can easily see 2009 was a down year (no surprise, right?). General aviation was off more than 50% and Light Sport was down badly as well, with 42% less registrations than in 2008. With this post, we present our now-somewhat-famous chart. We hear from some who say […]
Sleekest Tecnam yet takes off
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON Tecnam can lay claim to being the “largest LSA manufacturer” by virtue of producing more than 3,000 ready-to-fly aircraft (with approximately 120 of them flying in the USA as “official LSA” — the U.S. is a relatively new market the Italian company, which was formed in 1948). In my travels to […]
Ticket to ride…er, fly — maybe both
SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON You’ve surely seen news coverage of Terrafugia’s Transition, the “roadable” LSA from a brain trust of award-winning MIT engineers in Woburn, Massachusetts. This modern version of the well-worn flying car concept has attracted plenty of media attention, and deservedly so. I have been reviewing all their materials and I’m impressed with […]
Italian Powerhouse – Tecnam’s P96 shows its colors as a ‘sporty’ plane
The newly appointed national representatives for Italy’s Tecnam are deeply experienced general aviation folks. The original national distributor, still very much involved, comes from an entire family of airline pilots. So why are these experienced aviators — who have a combined 150 years of aviation experience — messing around with Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)? The […]
German Precision: Remos G-3 is a top LSA entry
When the FAA awarded the first two Special Light Sport Aircraft Airworthiness Certificates at Sun ‘n Fun 2005, many — who had been waiting years — found cause for celebration. The award of the first two certificates to Evektor’s SportStar and Flight Design’s CT signaled the beginning of a very interesting race. One design competing […]
The Thorp T-211
Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft has been called the most sweeping FAA regulation since the 1950s, holding the promise of a “revival” of aviation. Others refer to it as the biggest event in 50 years, pointing to the GI bill after World War II, which helped so many returning soldiers become pilots. But some still may shy […]