Crowds gathered at Renegade's new facility. Kids and adult kids enjoyed good food and spacious surroundings with several airplanes to examine and a full motion simulator to try.

Several Florida airports have been active during the recession in their efforts to pull new clients. We reported earlier such projects but went to visit one of these over the last weekend. Renegade Light Sport Aircraft had an open house staged in their gargantuan 71,000 square foot hangar and offices on the Fort Pierce airport. Perhaps 200 attended and enjoyed proprietor Doc' Bailey's expertise with the barbecue grill. Certainly the facility is mighty impressive as a base of operations. Besides vast square footage, climate controlled work areas are available as is a paint booth and drying kiln. Renegade will be some time filling this large space but Doc' reported a very special price offer with owner financing that compelled him to move from rented facilities in Missouri. Meanwhile we reviewed projects for the Lil' Rascal carbon fiber version of the Pitts S1 to plans for the first all-American-built Falcon. Several crates with Lycoming O-233 engines were no surprise as that's been a focus of this ambitious outfit. Best of luck in their hefty new quarters to Renegade.

Phoenix came away a winner in more ways than one. photo courtesy PhoenixAir USA, taken by Chris Warrington

As we flew to Fort Pierce (south of Vero Beach, home to Piper ... a fact made obvious by a giant "Piper" logo atop the large hangar), we also flew by Melborne, Florida. This location is home to PhoenixAir USA and boss Jim Lee. He was pleased to report to us that his sleek motorglider "won the Sun n Fun Best Commercial LSA award this year." Jim also said his steady sales "have continued post-show, with three sales coming from folks we flew with at Sun 'n Fun!" Along with many others who exhibited or operated in the upgraded location, Jim added, "The Paradise City area was great, and the ability to fly during the show was invaluable." At Sun 'n Fun and again at Aero, I heard from many manufacturers or sellers that business in 2013 is already better than in all of 2012. Many attribute this to a rising stock market and home prices on the increase. Everyone was cautious about his trend continuing but when buyers' assets are growing a willingness to invest in new airplanes appears to follow.

Paradise City was a big hit in 2013; we captured many videos in this area.

My collaborator at Lightsport and Ultralight Flyer continues a furious pace of posting new videos from Sun 'n Fun and Aero. You can now view seven new movies including our productions for Randall Fishman's ULS electric motorglider; news about a Rotax warranty offer; the Sam LS after its test flight; Renegade's Lil' Rascal project; the world-girdling, cross-country-flying Sling from The Airplane Factory; the ever-charming and extremely well priced Aerolite 103; and, a preview of the Midwest LSA Expo for 2013. Enjoy!

Watch for many more videos still to come from Sun 'n Fun and Aero on our LSA Videos page. All videos are provided without cost.

Here are two aircraft from sources thousands of miles apart. Likewise, the aircraft could hardly be more different yet each has something special about it. You'll want to catch both videos. We'll start with the one we flew: Just Aircraft's brilliant Highlander SuperSTOL. The company has delivered more than 300 Highlander kits making the side-by-side two seater a hit on its own. However, the design truly arrived with the SuperSTOL edition. You'll want to watch this fascinating video as lead designer Troy Woodland takes us all around this remarkable machine. Then go aloft with us as we feature cameras mounted on the wing, inside looking at a landing, and even on the tailwheel for a most unusual viewpoint. You'll get to see why people watched with rapt attention every time Troy landed the SuperSTOL at the Paradise City runway at Sun 'n Fun 2013. Talk about a fun airplane to fly ... you literally land with the joystick full aft from downwind in the pattern until those big-boy tires meet terra firma. Seeing is believing so come on along for the ride.

Then a week later, we traveled 5,000 miles to Friedrichshafen, Germany to attend Aero and to watch the unveiling of the all-new Tecnam Astore. In sharp contrast to the bush-capable SuperSTOL above, Astore is a highly polished Light-Sport Aircraft from a leading manufacturer. Astore is Italian for Goshawk but the real reason for the name is that the manufacturer is celebrating its 65th anniversary. They named the 2013 Astore after the P48 model using the same name way back in, you guessed it, 1948. Astore uses the same wings as the company's popular Sierra and Bravo models but every other part is brand new. The interior is a thing of beauty and not just because it comes standard with an Apple mini iPad® on a swivel mount. Astore's interior is huge and the seats slide way back to make entry a step-in affair; no more stomping on the seats to enter this luxurious LSA. Baggage area is also spacious and a separate outside door makes loading easier. In our video we spoke with Tecnam's top boss, Paolo Pascale, who broke his usual tradition by consenting to our media interview. Hear how Astore completes the extensive Tecnam line.

You can also explore our entire video library — closing on 300 videos, all free of charge — on our LSA Videos page. All videos are done in collaboration with Lightsport and Ultralight Flyer.

We were busy at Aero Friedrichshafen 2013, knocking out more than 30 videos for your viewing information and entertainment. That's more than seven videos per day and a sum of more than five hours total running time (more than three Hollywood movies in minutes of viewing time). With these and all the videos shot at Sun 'n Fun the week before Aero started, we expect to offer more than 300 videos on our LSA Video page. I'd like for you to understand how much effort that represents. I'd also like to thank BRS Parachutes, ICP North America, and Renegade Light Sport Aircraft for providing financial assistance to Lightsport and Ultralight Flyer. Without their support, these videos would not likely have been made.

A solar-panel-equipped Pegasus hangs above a display of several electric aircraft.

Today, I uploaded more than a dozen new videos to ByDanJohnson.com. We have many more coming. The newest ones include • Introduction to Aero and what you'll see • Tecnam's aerobatic Snap • FlyEco's Diesel engine • FK 51 replica Mustang • Yuneec's electric-powered eSpyder • lightweight electric aircraft • Zlin's customizable Bobber • ICP's Savannah taildragger and new engine • BOT SpeedCruiser with D-Motor • BRM Aero's Bristell taildragger • Phoenix Air's electric-powered ePhoenix • Nando Groppo tri-gear and, • one from AirVenture 2012 on the Zenith CH-650.

Conducting a rare interview with Paolo Pascale, the managing director of LSA giant, Tecnam, in front of their new Astore. See our video.

You might better understand the work it takes to make a video by relating to major motion picture films from Hollywood or other movie making centers. You've probably seen "Making of ..." videos where the concepts, equipment, and tasks are explained in detail. Of course, Hollywood spends millions of dollars and often hundreds of man-hours for scenes that sometimes last just a few seconds. Naturally, my effort with Lightsport and Ultralight Flyer, which uploads to YouTube channel "UltralightNews" isn't the same as a big-budget Hollywood production. Nonetheless each video is no small effort and I'd like to give you just a glimpse.

Lightsport and Ultralight Flyer had to arrive early in the morning to get this shot of the Fk 51 Mustang without a crowd around it.

First you have to travel to where the action is, be it Sun 'n Fun in central Florida or a week later in southern Germany. Then you carry equipment and supplies for literally miles (or kilometers) at these big events to get to where airplane projects are being shown. Before shooting starts, you work with representatives that know their products and run through a routine to be used in video taping that is similar to live-studio productions ... that is, we coach the people being interviewed as to what they can expect and how to follow our lead. To save time and make the final production effort simpler, we try to keep editing to a minimum. These are not staged or scripted events and we work hard to avoid retakes. All interviews are essentially live action and we are grateful for those whose native language is not English as they participated.

Conducting an interview on the D-Motor that is preparing to go through ASTM standards approval. Some photos courtesy Lightsport and Ultralight Flyer

Honestly, though, all the above is the easy part. Once the video is captured much more is required. "Static" shots — those scenes you see while the interview continues on an audio track — are often shot early in the morning before crowds gather around new aircraft. Company video is secured to add action. After logging all the footage editing starts. This is at least a full day task for every one of the 10-minute videos you see here and on YouTube. Now that we have about 300 videos "in the can," we offer a library with the viewing-minutes equivalent of more than 33 full-length Hollywood movies. Believe me, we don't have Hollywood's multi-million dollar budgets nor do you pay anything to watch the videos. Thanks to all our subjects for their creative work designing airplanes and products and to Lightsport and Ultralight Flyer for the substantial post-production effort.

We paid two memorable visits after Aero ended and I'll tell you a little about each one ... but first ... While I was at Pipistrel in the office of boss Ivo Boscarol, he received word that Matevz Lenarcic had reached the North Pole on his flight reported earlier. Congratulations on this achievement; a long flight across the North Atlantic remains. Godspeed! ••• The two visits were to Rotax Aircraft Engines and to Pipistrel. These two are not geographically far apart and work closely. Each spoke highly of the other and both companies are highly impressive places to visit.

One of several BRP-Powertrain assembly lines.

BRP-Powertrain is the parent behind Rotax Aircraft Engines. Though occupying a sizeable amount of real estate in the immense BRP-Powertrain factory, the aircraft engines are the "hand built" portion of the production. Fast-paced, largely-automated, robot-assisted assembly lines manufacture many thousands of engines each year for such products as SeaDoo, BMW motorcycles, and other well-known brands. Diverse as the two manufacturing systems are, they share many aspects and chief among them is an intensity over quality control. A tour of the entire factory with executive Christian Mundigler became sensory overload. It was obvious that the light aircraft industry benefits enormously from this large Austrian company. Rotax powers an estimated 75-80% of the light aircraft fleet in the USA and even higher in many countries.

Three robots work in harmony to insert deeply chilled parts, a task challenging for humans and the robots never tire.

The name Rotax stems from "rotary axle," a simple bicycle part dating to early in the twentieth century. From such a humble beginning, the company has grown to be one of the largest enterprises supplying the aviation industry. Other than Boeing and Airbus, BRP-Powertrain can match metrics with the biggest and best of them. In the factory, a tremendous effort of efficiency is visible in every step of activity. I was impressed with the respect paid to suggestions from the newest employee to the daily manufacturing floor involvement of high level managers. TV documentary producers would love many great visuals from smoothly and continuously running assembly lines to the blurred-motion speed of robots (photos) inserting critical engine components 24 hours a day. The facility literally hums with activity through three back-to-back shifts.

Pipistrel's amazingly energy-efficient factory with several aircraft outside on the company's airfield.

A few hours drive down the motorway in the neighboring country of Slovenia is Pipistrel, the 25-year-old company that produces LSA's broadest line of all-composite aircraft. It was our first visit to the country formerly known as Yugoslavia and we came away impressed enough to spend an extra day touring the gorgeous countryside. Pipistrel has more than 1,000 aircraft flying in 60 countries. Already well known in the USA, it is poised to move steadily up our market share chart; it would already be in the list but several models are registered as LSA gliders which Jan Fridrich and I have struggled to count accurately for a variety of reasons connected to the FAA database. Along with other undercounted categories as we reported earlier, LSA gliders — as the Pipistrel Sinus motorglider and Virus are often categorized — are an integral part of the Light-Sport Aircraft space and we're going to dig deeper to report these more fully. Meanwhile, Pipistrel is delivering Alphas as SLSA airplanes and for this they've acquired space on an airport in Italy, mere minutes away.

The shapely wings of Taurus allow soaring flight with 40:1 gliding power. Towering nearby mountains supplied the lift for our visit.

One great pleasure while visiting Pipistrel was getting to fly the Taurus self-launched motorglider and the speedy Virus SW. I've already flown the Sinus and Virus but missed the Taurus. This roomy first-of-its kind side-by-side microlight motorglider achieves a 40:1 glide engine off yet launches willingly with push from a Rotax 503 two stroke that neatly folds down into the aft fuselage once aloft. Dual main gear makes Taurus stable in taxi and retract for cleanliness during soaring flight. As my wife Randee and I are both soaring pilots it was wonderful of talented factory pilot Nate to get us both aloft near the tall mountains surrounding the factory. We shared the lift with some paragliders and another sailplane from a club based on the same field as Pipistrel. ••• I plan more complete reports on both Rotax and Pipistrel as their highly competent facilities deserve more than you just read. I am so pleased both are working in the LSA space. Their professionalism contributes greatly to the advancement of light aviation.

Tecnam's new Astore commemorates the 65th anniversary of the company.

Airplane Overload — Imagine a gymnasium, the full court kind where basketball is played. Imagine ten of them placed side by side. Big space, huh? Now imagine all of them filled to capacity with aircraft and airplane gear of every imaginable sort. Presto! You've got Aero Friedrichshafen. No wonder we go year after year (I think this was my tenth Aero and, for certain, I'm going again). In this wrap up post, I'll provide a few more views of this truly excellent event. Good as my reporting hopefully is, however, true-blue aviation enthusiasts owe it to themselves to make the trip to the southern edge of Germany for this outstanding (nearly) all-indoor aviation extravaganza. I can find so many good reasons to like Aero, I'm sure you'd be pleased if you attend.

Sky Arrow now sports the fuel-injected Rotax 912 iS powerplant.

Final Facts and Videos — Aero Show Director Roland Bosch somehow made time in what must be an awesomely tight schedule to let us tape a video with him and his U.S. representative. The video will be up soon but here's a couple facts of interest. Aero had some 630 exhibitors. That is second or third only to NBAA and AirVenture. It is larger, by exhibitor count, than Sun 'n Fun or AOPA Summit. It is one of aviation's biggest events and is surely the biggest in Europe. This year drew more than 33,000 attendees, said Roland before he even had the full count of the final day. The four day event runs Wednesday through Saturday — a fact appreciated by every exhibitor who must race home to tend to business on Monday. Aero ceased doing an airshow as they realize that exhibitors and attendees don't need to be distracted by aerobatics; I heard no complaints as the majority are present to talk and examine aircraft and flight gear. In four fast-paced days, my video partner and I recorded more than 30 new videos at Aero 2013. Watch for these here and on YouTube once editing is completed.

Tom Peghiny sits in the cockpit of the all-electric eSpyder now built and marketed by Yuneec International.

It's All About the Airplanes! — While the halls are big and comfortable, the food is great, weather is never a problem, and the surrounding area is picture-postcard beautiful, the main attraction at Aero is the airplanes. As we made our videos we focused on aircraft of all kinds that you can buy and fly in America, but we also reviewed ones you may never see but which were fun to examine. The accompanying photos represent a small handful of our subjects. For example, we did a whole-line review of the many LSA in Tecnam's growing fleet. The newest is the lovely and large Astore commemorating the company's 65th year in business. We also did a whole-line review of FK Lightplanes and TL Ultralights. I think you'll like them. We did a video on the new electric Evektor. They brought the EPOS merely to showcase the future but had no less than 10 requests to buy one. Available sooner will be the former Flightstar, now Yuneec eSpyder, which was able to boast earning German Type Certification. Watch for this exciting all-electric single seater to be available in the USA perhaps later this year for about $40,000 ready to fly, including a slick new panel displaying Yuneec's custom-built electric motor management software.

SkyLeader's sleek 600 model may soon become available for U.S. buyers.

More and More ... We got a look at the new Rotax 912 iS version of the Magnaghi SkyArrow. As you look at the nearby photo see if you can tell how the landing gear differs (surprise hint: this one has retractable gear). The model has other useful changes as well. We looked into the SkyLeader line. You may not recall this design but an earlier version has been in the USA for years as the Kappa KP-5. Now they've linked up with new U.S. representation and plan to bring in the new SkyLeader 600. The company has a full line of handsome airplanes one of which is a single seat model. Future articles will tell you more about single place aircraft at Aero and about the new 120-kilogram (264 pound) empty weight aircraft class that is emerging in Europe.

As seaplanes rush for market space, the Avana Odonata is another we have not covered in previous articles.

Finally — for this article but we'll have more in the days to come — check out yet another good looking amphibious seaplane. No, this isn't Icon, or any of the others covered in a previous article. This is the Avana Odonata and she reportedly weighs a svelte 560 kilograms at maximum take off weight. That's just 1,232 pounds (which, BTW, was the original weight proposed for all Light-Sport Aircraft before the SP/LSA rule was released in 2004). As I bubble with excitement over the cool flock of airplanes I saw in Europe, I must add a disclaimer that not all these aircraft may be available in the USA and some won't ever make it to market or if they do, they may not succeed with buyers. Still, it was loads of fun to look them over and I'll keep reporting more in the days ahead. Click back soon!

FK 51 70% Mustang drew crowds

Photo Galleries — Thanks to my good friend and LAMA Europe collaborator, Jan Fridrich, I offer this link to his many photos of Aero 2013. Photo legends are written in Czech language so few Yankees will be able to read them. As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words" so Jan's photo review is worth hundreds of thousands. Enjoy and I'll add more in the days ahead. Meanwhile Thanks, Jan! • Aero is a special show for many reasons, but one of the best is that we can view so many airplanes we never see in the USA — and fascinating designs many of them are, indeed. UltralightNews YouTube channel and I are working hard to collect lots of videos including a quick tour of many airplanes you can't buy in the USA ... yet.

Look closely. Can you see the rivets dimpling this Mustang replica's skin? Actually, you can't. (see next photos) The gap you see will be covered as soon as possible; the show deadline prevented doing so in time.

Super Authentic P-51 Replica — Roland Hallam, the South African boss of light aircraft producer FK Lightplanes in Poland, showed us around the dazzling FK 51 Mustang project. First some of the impact points and then a bit about the incredible detail. Currently FK 51 is powered by the Rotax 912 that climbs so many of our Light-Sport Aircraft, however, they are talking about a somewhat more powerful engine to better approximate the performance of the original Merlin engine. With retractable gear and in-fight adjustable prop, this replica will fly faster than permitted under LSA rules but they plan a fixed gear, fixed pitch prop to stay within those guidelines. It will likely also be offered as an Experimental Amateur Built model. A Rotax 912 doesn't sound like the Merlin so a loudspeaker system built into the engine cowl adds audible authenticity. A series of six exhaust stacks per side are also fake but a genuine smoke system is built in to simulate emission of the appropriate smoke during the start of the huge engine that powered the World War II airplanes. The sound coordinates with the smoke for engine start-up, running, and shut down. Cool touches indeed.

Looking at the upper wing, FK 51's rivets sure appear real. But as the yet-unmounted part shows, this is all fake ... a truly excellent fake.

Incredible Detail — Sound and smoke are great but what literally blows the minds of those examining FK 51 is absolutely amazing attention to detail. Most '51 replicas simply cannot match the original Mustang on a rivet-for-rivet basis. FK 51 does! The "FK" in FK Lightplanes might stand for "fake" in their current replica or "classic" line but the work effort is certainly real. Roland notes just shy of 100,000 fake rivets molded into the composite skin of his 70% replica Mustang, which he assures is correct in the placement of each and every last rivet or screw head. You have to see FK 51 in person to appreciate the rivet-dimpled skin all achieved in carbon fiber but the accompanying pictures will try to give you the idea. You can see fiberglass on the back of the part (photo) yet it appears for all the world as a metal skin on the exterior (carbon fiber will replace the fiberglass in in FK 51's final iteration; glass was used as they hurried the example for exhibition here at Aero). You may be able to see this astonishing entry at AirVenture this year. If so, I bet you'll be as amazed as were Aero attendees.

German Gyro showed their Matto gyrocopter with a first-of-its kind emergency parachute system integrated into a wider than usual rotor mast.

Parachute In Mast — The last item in today's post is a surprising entry of a gyroplane ... but it isn't about the aircraft, called Matto. Instead, my focus is on a first-of-its-kind emergency airframe parachute that is packed into a larger-than usual rotor mast. That's why our photo does not even show the aircraft. The company reported, "The mandatory rescue system in three-axis airplanes [required by German rules] ... does not need to be used in gyroplanes." They added that German authorities did not see it as possible to offer an engineering solution for gyrocopters to have a parachute but German Gyro boss Otto Strauss and his team believed differently. "In a proprietary solution, the parachute is stowed in the central pole of the rotor," said the company. A new rotor head with special roller bearings and an inner diameter of about 200 millimeters (just under eight inches) allows integration of the parachute and pyrotechnical device to extract the canopy above a spinning rotor. We'd like to see test videos but certainly the idea is intriguing and may be appreciated, especially given strong gyrocopter interest in Europe.

Peter Funk poses besides his attention-getting modernized Bücker Jungmann 131 replica.

Excitement Amid the Chaos — If you've been to any show the day before it opens, you know what I mean by "chaos." With mere hours to go before the doors open to the public, it appears no hope exists to be ready in time. Weather in Europe — a lousy winter drags on inexorably, as it does in the northern U.S. — is preventing airplanes from arriving. Protective plastic still covers the carpets. Booth spaces, called "stands" in EuropeSpeak, are still being assembled. Everywhere you look, it seems a week's worth of work remains but Aero opens tomorrow morning as I write this. Fear not. I've seen this act before. Somehow, it gets done and no one is the wiser. As the frenetic pace quickens to a climax, I uncovered a few delights worthy of passing on before Aero truly gets under way. Here we go!

Apple Event Magic? — Peter Funk (photo) may be the Steve Jobs of Aero. With German regularity, he pulls a rabbit from the top hat. Two years ago he wowed the crowd with his innovative LeMans. This year, he upped the ante, offering not one but two surprises. All ready for my camera was the FK 131, a modern replica of the 1930s Bücker Jungmann 131 biplane of the 1930s. Ten will be produced in cooperation with the father-and-son Czech company Podesva Air and perhaps no more will be made (a nearly sure way all ten will sell without having to commit more resources at present). Peter found the lightweight "A" model in an old book and passion tells the rest of the story. We'll have more on this fascinating project but the lighter-than-original reproduction will inevitably draw crowds. Meanwhile, check out more about the FK 131 on the American Bücker Pages website. Peter's other surprise is the FK 51, a composite P-51 replica that looks for all the world like metal, authentically shaped and even with fake rivets, yet made entirely of composite. Workers were still assembling the aircraft but wait until you see photos of this beauty!

TL's new Stream on display at Aero 2013.

Gathering Stream — As Funk's Jungmann is a limited production — seemingly one of those ascendant ideas in the LSA industry — so is the TL Stream. U.S. importer of the TL brand Bill Canino says the tandem-seating Stream is intended to serve a narrower market than the Sting or Sirius from the same company. The airplane that somewhat resembles Jaro Dostal's Shark project, may do a European tour before possibly making an appearance at AirVenture. It may also entertain different engines and has some aerobatic promise. Nothing is certain yet, but the proof-of-concept up on a slim display mount looks terrific and appealing. TL is also showing a TL-3000 Sirius on amphibious floats.

Not quite yet ... visitors will have to wait for the formal unveiling before they see all of Tecnam's new Astore.

Astore Under Veil — In Tecnam's sprawling display space at Aero 2013, the fully aerobatic and single place Snap is prominently on display, now bearing the Italian company name. We've seen this design at Aero before plus prior and continuing import source Bill Canino (working in conjunction with Tecnam North America, said Phil Solomon) displayed Snap at AirVenture 2011. But the more mysterious part of the display is for the soon-to-be-unveiled Astore, a new Tecnam low wing entry in the LSA class. As the space is assembled we got a partial sneak peak of the aircraft helping to commemorate the company's 65th year in business. Tecnam had most of their extensive fleet assembled and appeared to be preparing for "a really, big shew" to borrow an opening line from oldtime TV host Ed Sullivan. We'll be present at Tecnam pulls back the curtain and provide a more complete look at their new model.

Gyros like the Trixy Aviation 4-2 R are selling briskly and are available ready-to-fly in Europe and ... well, everywhere but America.

Hot, hot, hot Gyros! — As we approach the ten-year mark since FAA first unleashed the game-changing SP/LSA rule on the aviation world, the agency still cannot make up their collective mind on how to handle Special LSA gyroplanes. Though part of the LSA panoply of aircraft types, this isolated community of rotorheads must still make do with kit-built aircraft in America. To call gyro enthusiasts who have put in time on ASTM committees preparing for SLSA gyros "frustrated" would be to dramatically understate their feeling. Meanwhile, in Europe, gyros are going great guns. One report claims more Rotax engines are bought by gryo producers than any other aircraft class. All seem to agree demand is strong and the sleek models several companies are showing endorses this position. One we looked at in an early media tour of the many halls of Aero was of the Trixy Aviation 4-2 R (photo). It would sure be interesting to see what happened if FAA ever got around to approving SLSA gyros ... but don't hold your breath rotor enthusiasts.

Matevz is again flying a Pipistrel Virus SW.

Matevz Lenarcic is in the air again. Lenarcic is the daring pilot who has already flown around the world ... twice! Some pilots simply don't know when to rest on their earlier achievements. Indeed, today Matevz embarked on a solo flight over the North Pole in his specially configured light aircraft. His mission (besides an audacious long distance flight): recording black carbon readings over the Arctic. He'll cross much of Europe, pass over the North Pole, continue to Canada and return to Europe crossing the North Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland flying parallel to Lindberg's record flight from New York to Paris (map). He will capture the Arctic with aerial images and if you'd like to vicariously join his adventure, you can follow Matevz's North Pole flight.

A biologist and photographer, Matevz is again flying a Pipistrel Virus SW that has won NASA's efficiency competition; the company pocketed prizes of more than one million dollars. With 4,000 hours in his logbook, Lenarcic has proved his abilities with two globe-girdling flights, one with a Pipistrel Virus SW in 2004 and one with a Sinus in 2012. "Legendary expeditions ... led to discovery of new trade routes that brought strategic and capital benefits," Lenarcic observed in a news release from Pipistrel. Modern expeditions benefit from improved research and technical instrumentation. Devices which weighed hundreds of pounds just a few years ago can now fit into fuel efficient, low cost, and nature-friendly light aircraft.

Lenarcic expressed that the Arctic is an important generator of weather. Changes in polar ice can have a decisive impact on the speed and direction of ocean currents, which events can trigger globally-felt effects. Arctic expeditions are frequent; the North Polar region has been crossed on foot, on skis, with icebreakers, submarines, and aircraft. However, Matevz noted, "Light and Ultralight planes are still extremely rare in this part of the world. Despite the development of high performance ultralights no one has overflown the North Pole from one continent to another." Assuming his flight progresses as well as his prior circumnavigating attempts, he will bring light aircraft to the northern Arctic.

Loaded with long-distance flying gear and scientific equipment, the interior of this light aircraft looks very utilitarian. The Virus SW carries devices to measure the concentration of atmospheric black carbon (soot) in the air.

On his flight Matevz will attempt to burn the smallest amount of fuel per distance flown. The project will attempt to show how light aircraft can be used to collect significant scientific climate data. His Pipistrel aircraft will carry a device developed by the company Aerosol, which measures the concentration of atmospheric black carbon (soot) in the air over the North Pole. Matevz reported that this has not been done before.

Matevz Lenarcic departed on his North Pole flight on Monday April 22nd.

To fulfill requirements of the North Pole flight, Pipistrel specially modified a Virus SW able to operate safely at low polar temperatures and high altitudes. Fuel consumption must remain at very low levels because some legs of the flight cover several thousand kilometers. This Virus SW can fly up to 160 knots yet slow to 43 knots. It was fitted with a wide range of avionics, navigation equipment, IFR systems, an auto-pilot, radios plus a second generator for redundancy. Bon voyage, Matevz!