Perhaps you've noticed we have not been reporting market share information as often as we once did. Two reasons: (1) the market has matured, meaning the leaders are distancing themselves from niche producers and the rank positions aren't moving around as much; (2) in the economic doldrums, the numbers simply haven't been changing as quickly. *** But since the last report, some action occurred that shines a spotlight on an expected development. The aviation Big Boys are climbing upward... Piper advanced into the #3 spot, pushing also-strong CubCrafters down a notch. The legacy Florida company is closing on #2 American Legend. Secondly, while still well down the chart, Cessna moved up from #20 to #17 enroute toward the top. Based on the company's reported 1,000+ orders, it seems only a matter of time before they outrun everyone. Or, will they...? *** Nothing is sure in business (or economies, it appears). And several LSA producers have been nimble, adding new products, building new dealer and flight school networks on a steady pace, and notably, not having to carry old baggage. *** Indeed, at least one producer (who must remain nameless) said a post-Oshkosh uptick in orders can very likely be attributed to Cessna's growing Skycatcher fleet. The theory is that when Cessna (and Cirrus) first announced LSA projects, the existing LSA market benefitted from the validation this represented. Cessna studied long and hard and concluded, "Yes, we are sure a market for a Light-Sport Aircraft exists." *** Then quite of bit of time passed and we saw no Skycatchers except as part of the company's airshow displays. That's over. Cessna is shipping. This may help other strong players as customers signal growing acceptance of LSA. *** Perhaps it's the impending U.S. elections or a drop in jarring news headlines, or whatever... but the LSA market appears to be showing life, and a good bit of the movement is from those Big Boys in aviation.

I was mighty busy last week, talking about my blog regarding IFR-IMC on LSA. Whew! Sometimes I had useful discussions. Some of what I got was hate mail; a few took the shoot-the-messenger approach. What's all the furor about, exactly? *** Among my many conversations, I spoke with Sebring Aviation's John Hurst. He has led the IFR subcommittee that is working to find consensus. John griped about weak support, even from those who said they'd help and then were curiously absent during meetings. The effort to create a standard that should restore IMC flying to Light-Sport Aircraft will continue. *** Meanwhile, why all this heated talk? To my knowledge — and John knew no differently — only three LSA manufacturers actually pursued IFR-equipped aircraft: Tecnam, Evektor, and AMD. Perhaps others sold suitably equipped aircraft but these three promoted the capability. Two of the three use Rotax so they'd be required to offer the certified engine, for about $10,000 more. AMD uses the Continental, which has no restriction against use for IFR flying. *** So, are all those who express concern about the future loss of IMC privilege flying a properly equipped LSA? John Hurst and I doubt it. Neither of us believe many LSA have been sold that are properly outfitted for IFR flight. (John has one for sale right now.) Conversely, many "Day/Night VFR" LSA are marvelously equipped with high-tech systems like Dynon's SkyView (photo). These instruments can certainly guide flight through a 400-foot-thick cloud layer but they are not legal, certified IFR-flight devices. You can fly through clouds with them, yes. But you may not do so according to FAA regs. So... do owners of these nicely appointed LSA merely believe they are IFR-qualified? *** We don't have all these answers yet. John and I agreed to try to determine how many true IFR LSA may have been delivered. Personally I'd be surprised if we're talking more than a few dozen out of nearly 2,000 SLSA sold in the USA. *** I repeat: if you already have an IFR-equipped LSA, you will not lose any IMC privilege. The ASTM committee prohibition only applies to new LSA built under the latest standard revision. I don't expect that revision to be accepted by FAA until later this year. Therefore — and this is important — if you have an LSA now, or buy one before the new standard is accepted by FAA, the IMC prohibition does not apply to your aircraft.

One of Czech Republic's leading LSA makers, Evektor-Aerotechnic, has upped the ante with its Turbo-powered SportStar MAX, a lovely LSA that I flew with the standard powerplant recently and will have a report in Plane & Pilot coming up soon. *** The new muscle comes courtesy a turbocharged Rotax 914 UL, which takes the MAX way higher than sport pilots can legally fly: all the way up to 28,850 ft.! Can you say pressure suit? Climb rate, already pretty peppy, jumps to 1,320 ft/min, and of course it jumps off the ground a lot quicker too. *** Thinking about mountain flying in the U.S.: you could legally fly this wee beastie at 16,000 feet over the Rockies. Now there's a thought. *** The first Turbo MAX went to a Canadian customer. I'll hope to get an update hop at the Midwest Expo in 3 weeks. *** In a side note for our pilot friends of the Euro persuasion, the MAX just earned its EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) Permit to Fly, which gives Europilots the right to fly the MAX with a PPL licence, at 600 kg MTOW and with non-commercial pilot training.

Those hard-working stalwarts at Legend, the number one U.S. producer of LSA, keep finding interesting things for folks like me to write about. •Trish Jackson is an Ohio native who flies Airbus freight carriers all over Europe. She learned flying from her mother at age 13 and still remembers a memorable quote mom made on a flight: "Look at these rivers. It's like God carved them out with his finger.” *** Trish owned a vintage Cub at one point in her career, but a couple years ago felt the urge to own one again — a brand new one. She kicked some tires and lit some fires for a year or two, then took a Legend Cub demo flight. *** Last April she joined the annual Legend rite of spring gaggle — a trip I had the distinct pleasure of making in 2008 — to fly formation with a bunch of Legend Cubs from Sulphur Springs, TX to Lakeland, FL for the annual Sun 'n Fun spring flyin. *** That sold her. *** “It was the attention to detail," she says of her decision, "and its open cockpit flying." *** Imagine climbing out of a heavy and into a Cub on the same day...what could keep you sharper than that? • Sass and class: the Legend Cub can be ordered with Garmin G3X displays, a telling meld of classic flying and ultra-modern digital situational awareness that extols the marvelous opportunities we have in LSA flight. *** All those functions -- real-time weather, terrain, METARs, NOTAMs, PIREPs, traffic and more — can come in real handy whether you're tooling around in open class G [airspace] country or joining the pattern at a major commercial airport. *** The Garmin G3X glass cockpit packs a ton of info into its displays, including attitude/directional guidance, electronic engine monitoring, moving-map GPS, airport diagrams, synthetic vision and more. • Looking ahead to the 75th anniversary of the Piper Cub J3 in 2012, what a hoot it would be to fly a Legend Classic J3 into Oshkosh or any other airshow. *** Legend's new Classic is an updated-but-faithful version of the J3, at a $94,000 price. *** Updates include sliding left window, electric start, disc brakes (careful with those!) and other modernizings to enhance safety while staying true to the original, immortal J3. *** Must. Save. More. Money and get my own...I say that a lot about new LSA I get to fly, but since I'm building some skills in a 1946 J3 these days at my local airfield, I'm currently all swooney over the wonderful Cub...all density-altitude-struggling 65 horsepower of her. *** Next time you're at an airshow, stop by and say hello to owners Darin Hart and Kurt Sehnert and stalwart crewfolk like Pat Bowers: they're part of what makes covering the LSA scene such a pleasure.

Landing on water with your wheels down is a confirmed aviation no-no. Land planes that try it often get flipped over 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." Most simply don't want to make this mistake. You can land a seaplane or floatplane on land with the wheels up. The penalty is not as great (and you'll certainly stop fast). But you violate the wheels-into-water rule at your peril. *** Some airplanes, like the new CTLS on amphib floats, or FPNA's Capetown, or SeaRey have a light-alert system to help you and some manufacturers offer an audio alarm. Others use mirrors or have other warning systems. *** So why would someone land a SeaMax in water with the wheels down? Deliberately? And for the camera? Watch the following video to see what a non-event this is. (You also might enjoy hearing the camera audio continue working even when it gets dunked.) *** While you still don't want to repeat this if you can avoid it, the video proves that done with experience, the maneuver may not upset the SeaMax. The amphibious LSA benefits from sitting low in the water so the rotating action of gear hanging down well below the fuselage is less of a problem. *** As the trusty, always-working camera shows, the pilot raised the gear before takeoff. Trying to launch gear down would be a futile effort from all the in-water drag it would impart. Thanks to SeaMax USA for this clip.

Powerhouse digital instrument maker Dynon Avionics just came out with software version 5.4 for its EFIS-D10A, EFIS-D100 and FlightDEK-D180 units which are in widespread use in LSA and homebuilt aircraft. The upgrade addresses refined pitch control, including some new user-adjustable parameters that optimize autopilot performance for each individual aircraft. *** The idea, explained Dynon, is to improve passenger comfort by custom-tuning the response to turbulence. Support is expanded to a wider range of airframes, too.

*** Ian Jordan, Chief Systems Engineer for Dynon, had this to say about the upgrade: “The autopilot now flies just as an experienced pilot would, with crisp, appropriate inputs that really seem to understand the airplane.”

People tried to call it Oh-nex, but the giveaway is the single seat. I got it... One-ex. The clever name is adapted from the company name and one of its models, Sonex, and fits with the Waiex and Xenos. All are variations on a very successful theme (1,600 kits sold), and like the other models, Onex can be powered by the AeroVee engine. Along with a modestly priced airframe kit, the company's own low-cost four-stroke engine helps to constrain the budget. *** A primary goal with Onex was to make ownership even more affordable, a challenge for a company that already boasts low prices. Onex is still in development so no performance numbers or costs have been finalized. But with a two-place Sonex at about $25,000 for all components including engine, Onex could be as low as $20,000, says the manufacturer. In 2010, that's pretty amazing for an 80-hp single place that ought to perform like crazy and is suitable for most positive G aerobatics, says designer and general manager, Jeremy Monnett. *** Onex is not only inexpensive to buy, it won't cost as much to store. With its wings folded, the Sonex team can stuff five airplanes into one T-hangar (see the diagram and more on their website). Those folded wings are eight feet wide, so it can be trailered home and it stands just seven feet tall so it'll fit in most home car garages. *** But why go single place when most buyers seek two seats? Well, for one, Sonex observes 90% of sport flying is done solo. Plus, less material helps push the price down as low as possible. A few preliminary specs: Wing 78 square feet; empty weight 540 pounds; gross weight 850 pounds; stall 45 mph; and, never exceed 216 mph. *** As Sonex states, Onex is "Sport Pilot compatible" but you'll need to register it Experimental Amateur Built. *** Though they'll fly somewhat differently than Onex, you can read my review of the Waiex and Zenos that was published in Kitplanes magazine (from 2005).

In the last month, I've received many calls and emails 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. *** ASTM's F37 committee is comprised of people with technical knowledge and they have done the nearly-impossible: start with a blank sheet of paper and create aircraft certification standards for the LSA sector... in just five years, and on the leanest of budgets. These volunteers from many countries created a series of standards, one of which is the Design and Performance Standard. Following a positive vote by committee members, all have been accepted by FAA. *** For more than three years another subcommittee has tried to create an IFR standard that has yet to find agreement. Until consensus may be found and to provide an interim defensive position for the committee and for manufacturers, F37 added a point to the revised but yet-to-be-accepted-by-FAA D&P Standard. The ASTM committee revised the standard to prohibit use of a SLSA for flight into IMC, that is, into clouds or no-visibility situations. This does not prevent flight in the IFR system -- filing and flying IFR into controlled airspace by qualified pilots with a current medical. And, importantly, it does not affect any LSA approved under earlier standards, that is, any LSA currently in flight school operation assuming that LSA is properly equipped with the correct instrumentation, lighting, and powerplant. Flight at night is not affected by this decision and remains acceptable in a suitably equipped LSA for a qualified pilot with medical. *** In the future (after FAA accepts the newest D&P Standard version) a LSA builder will be able to equip a LSA with instruments specified in FAA regulations permitting qualified pilots to file and fly IFR but only into VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions). *** An interesting contrast: Numerous FAA personnel with whom I've recently spoken support the use of LSA for IFR training including into IMC (though not all FAAers nor ASTMers agree!). FAA regulations governing LSA do not prevent IMC ops. *** This is a complex topic that will continue to stimulate debate. The important fact to remember: No presently registered SLSA, nor any issued an airworthiness certificate before the new ASTM standard gains FAA acceptance, are prohibited from IMC flight if properly equipped and flown by a qualified pilot. *** Additional info on the revised standard: IFR training in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) may be conducted by qualified pilots in a SLSA that meets the equipment requirements of part 91, sections 91.109, 91.205, and — for an airplane operated in controlled airspace under the IFR system — 91.411 and 91.413. However, if the aircraft is not approved for IFR operations under a type certificate, operations in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) are prohibited by the proposed ASTM standard. [UPDATE 9/1/10: A point of clarification is needed for this story — thanks to the sharp eye of Jeff van West, editor of IFR Magazine. *** I stand by all the preceding info as correct but I did not state that the manufacturer has ultimate authority over how their airplanes (or engines) may be used. Before or after the ASTM committee prohibition of flight into IMC, if a manufacturer said it does not want its airplanes flown IFR, that's the end of it... no IFR for that brand. *** As with the ASTM committee, however, any manufacturer can change its mind, amend the Pilot Operating Handbooks (and other related documents), and begin offering IFR aircraft. In the same way, the committee may reverse itself on the IMC prohibition once the IFR standard is approved by committee and accepted by FAA.]