Catching up with Jon Hansen and James DeHart of Hansen Air Group in Georgia.  They rep the lovely line of FK Lightplanes German composite aircraft for all of North America (except Florida.) *** Jon had just delivered the first FK 9 ELA to a customer, who was there when I came by with four of his six children, all boys.  Three of them, at least so far, want to be pilots like their dad.  Nice looking family as you can see. *** The FK 9 ELA (which will be redubbed Sparrow to avoid confusion - some folks think "E" means Experimental) is a handsome, clean airplane that deserves to capture attention.  There are a whole line of these immaculate S-LSA, including the FA-04 that set a cross-country flight record for LSA last year and the gorgeous FK-14 Polaris that was originally going to be offered by Cirrus until that company ran into difficulties last year. *** Jon also told me that Lycoming has given word that it's LSA-destined 233-LSA engine will begin deliveries at the end of the year after a period of R&D. The company is now taking orders, and it's reportedly less expensive than the 100hp Rotax 912.  Although 30 lbs. heavier than the Rotax, it delivers 115hp and has an alternator that pumps out 60 amps to power everything in the cockpit including the smoothie blender.  *** What?  You don't have an ASTM-certified smoothie blender in your airplane?  It's what's happening...I call mine the iSmoothie.  *** More on the Lycoming tomorrow. *** Also spent time with Powrachute's Voyager ElectraChute which as you can guess is electric-powered on 128 volts of li-po batteries.   These guys are a happening company with several gas-powered LSA models but the electric model is in a class by itself, if powered parachutes are your bag, so to speak.  More on this tomorrow too, gotta get to the field.

<> Jan Fridrich , head of Europe's LAMA, just sent me some intriguing stats from his comprehensive data crunching of S-LSA (or overseas equivalents) official registrations up to now. *** Europe continues to lead overall numbers with just under 1850 total.  The U.S. tally is now over 1200. *** Sales have been light for the majority of the 70+ suppliers but there has been some shifting of position in the ranks.  The top ten U.S. sellers to date are: *** Flight Design (CTLS, MC) 316 *** American Legend (Piper Cub models) 156 *** CubCrafters  (Piper Cub models) 136 *** Tecnam (P2008, several others) 133 *** Czech Sport Aircraft (SportCruiser) 126 *** Remos (Remos GX) 121 *** Jabiru (J-230, -250 etc.) 96 *** Evektor (SportStar Max) 91 *** TL Ultralight (Sting S4, Sirius) 73 *** AMD (Zodiac models) 72 *** You may be interested in how the numbers fall for country of origin of all 3-axis S-LSA registered aircraft: The U.S. and Czech Republic each represent 26% of the total, with Germany right there at 25%.  Australia and Italy make up another 18%. *** Again this is registration data, not actual numbers produced, but is a good medium term data point for tracking the health of the industry. *** Noteworthy in these stats is CubCrafter's climb to the third slot on the wings of a strong spring sales showing. *** Also moving up a notch ahead of Remos is Czech Sport Aircraft whose SportCruiser is now the PiperSport.   *** Also, kit airplanes as noted yesterday are doing relatively better than S-LSA on the short term at least with companies like Legend and Rans, which continues to steadily gain market share and is now 14th overall in registrations. *** Remos has been inexplicably quiet for awhile, more on that usually high-profile maker later. *** Finally, TL Ultralight also passed AMD (which has had airframe failure and redesign challenges). *** Beneath the radar as I said yesterday are the actual sales numbers.  FAA registrations which is the data Jan is massaging here will naturally lag behind. *** For example, I talked with Piper's Chief Pilot Bart Jones who's now involved with the PiperSport as well, and he confirmed Piper has sold "around 40" airplanes since January.  In this economy, that's robust.   *** Sidenote: Piper's dynamic CEO Kevin J. Gould resigned from his leadership of the company, part of a shuffle of the front office personnel.  No word on why he rode out of town.  I wish him well, I thought he was a strong and positive presence for the company but Imprimus, Piper's controlling interest, apparently felt otherwise. *** To repeat from yesterday's blog, an American LSA distributor told me he visited the Czech Sport Aircraft factory where PiperSports are built and saw 24 or more in various stages of assembly. *** Likewise Cessna, the other sleeping giant, is just ramping up delivery on its huge backorder log, which at one time was listed at more than 1,000.  No official word in the intervening three years from the Skycatcher's test setbacks to first deliveries on how many of those orders may have been cancelled but no horror stories are flying about, so we should see strong registrations from both companies in the next six months, which will if nothing else boost industry morale. *** Of course nothing boosts the feel-goods more than seeing airplanes going out your own door, and that's something that not many dealers can say just yet.  The prevailing mood seems to be wait-and-see among the buying public. *** Grateful thanks to Jan Fridrich for his inciteful latest report on the industry.

Recovering from the mud soup floods that crippled arrivals a few days ago (so many airplanes typically park on the grass), things began to dry out enough yesterday to bring robust opening day attendance, helped in large part by the beautiful weather.  Humidity was manageable, temps were in the mid-80s. *** A great start for EAA (which reportedly draws 45% of its yearly revenue from Airventure), with lots to see and talk about. *** Highlights: *** Yuneec, (which seriously needs to update its website), is the Chinese electric aircraft company that blew open the hangar doors of everybody's electric flight dreams last year with the debut of the beautiful E-430 all-electric S-LSA.  They've guarded some tasty secrets since, which came to light yesterday. *** I spent a half hour with Managing Director Clive Coote to get updated, here are some highlights (more details down the road, and in my electric flight article which will run in a P&P issue this fall). *** <> The E430 will likely begin deliveries end of 2011 or early 2012. *** <> Many improvements big and small to the graceful design, including removable wingtip to shorten the span by 7 feet for easier hangaring; *** <> Two - not one but two - new electric aircraft have been acquired and will be part of the rapidly-expanding Yuneec product line.  Both come from noted German designer Martin Wezel: the two-seat, t-tail Viva motorglider, German designed, that will also be S-LSA, with some phenomenal specs, including a folding propeller that streamlines to the nose cone, and a 38:1 glide ratio!  More on that soon. *** <> The second new airplane is called the Apis 2.  It's a single-seater with a retractable propeller pylon behind the pilot.  Here's a brief profile on Yuneec that ran last week in the NY Times. *** <> Meanwhile Yuneec displayed the eSpyder, an electric-powered single-seat ultralight based on the FlightStar marketed by Flight Design's Tom Peghiny that wowed the airshow crowds last year.  The e-Spyder is refined: longer wingspan, lighter structure...and twice the battery capacity. Clive Coote said flight times anticipated to be around an hour - the original projection when it debuted last year - and final price should be $27,995.  Still in development, deliveries next year also. *** <> Terrafugia had itsTransition Roadable Aircraft ("flying car" for us non-marketing types) on display.  The new model, which ditched the disappointing canard, sports a twin-tail boom design instead.  Here's a rendering, they don't have the full-scale mockup out yet. *** Current specs: ***

*** Max, Vh: *** Cruise, Vc: *** Stall, Vs: *** Range: *** Takeoff:

100 kts (115 mph) *** 93 kts (105 mph) *** 45 kts (51 mph) *** 425 nmi (490 mi) *** 1700' (518 m) over 50' obstacle

*** <> The boys at Midwest Sport Aviation showed off their Cheetah XLS, a tasty tube/fabric S-LSA which I hope to fly after the show.  Nice paint job!  *** <> The gang at Legend Cub had a good first two quarters although things inexplicably slowed down in June.  Enthusiasm for the new Cub Classic (under $100,000 - typically outfitted Legend Cubs go for upwards of $125,000) is yet to kick into high gear but company head Darin Hart says they're doing a lot of kit business.  Consensus is if pilots have the moolah to buy a Cub, they'll buy one fully tricked out.  Those more financially challenged (like myself) will typically find a used Cub or a rental at a local airport. *** <> Piper Aircraft reportedly sold 40 aircraft since announcing the PiperSport last January at Sebring.  One person who visited the Czech production facility saw 10 on the assembly line and another 12 ready to start. *** <> Those and other sales won't show up on the radar until they're actually registered.  FAA registration numbers for all S-LSA according to Jan Fridrich's latest tally were a fairly weak 68...but actual sales seem to be significantly higher. *** <> Meanwhile, other significant news is coming in a couple days from a longtime LSA producer and LAMA...stay tuned for news on Thursday.

Oshkosh has been deluged with a record downpour the last few days, which complicated arrivals because of the soggified grass fields...where most of the planes park and campers do their camping thing. *** Many airplanes were turned away over the weekend but nothing deters the Airventure show, which must go on. *** Several things already buzz, then out to the field for me to discover more and get things rolling (I got here late last night from the wonderful DC-3 Fly-In 4 hours south of here - half of the flying DC-3s in America, 35 total, turned up to be admired by thousands of visitors - a wonderful show.) *** Back to Oshkosh and LSA-centric events: *** <> If two flying cars aren't enough - the Terrafugia Transition and I-TEC Maverick I've reported on in the past- here's another one: the Caravella.  It's an intriguing work in progress and they're exhibiting at the show. *** <> Oshkosh never fails to deliver sheer wonderment but here's one for the books: a rocket-powered helicopter (terms you don't expect to hear together!).  Read about it here, but the short tell is hydrogen peroxide powers rotor-tip jets to get things going.   Endurance claim is 1.5 hours!  Can you say LSA green helicopter in one breath?  This amazing project deserves a closer look. *** <> Sonex Aircraft, which is working on its own electric-powered project, introduced the Onex , a single-seat, homebuilt E-LSA.  I'll have pix soon.  The bird has folding wings a la the F4U Corsair warbird (makes trailering legal) and will be powered by an AeroVee engine. *** Off to the show!

Call them "flying cars, flying motorcycles, flying dune buggies," or "roadable aircraft." Regardless of the correct term, a growing wave of these car-to-airplane machines are in various stages of development and most will be at AirVenture 2010. *** One of the newest entries is a kit with the lowest projected price among the group; all others are fully built and carry larger price tags. Check out the Caravellair, a three-wheel motorcycle adaptation portrayed on their website. They are predicting a kit for $50,000 but they need investment to get to finish development and get to market. *** The better funded Terrafugia effort is leading the sector and recently basked in the warmth of media spotlights after winning a weight exemption from FAA. Their PR success may be boosting the fortunes of the others. *** We've written about two four-wheelers: Transition -- which first flew in March 2010 and is presently undergoing further flight and roadway trials -- and Maverick -- a cool dune buggie-esque configuration that looks like a hoot to drive on the ground; it is reportedly on the verge of winning SLSA approval and is likely to be the first of these projects to win an airworthiness certificate. Both four wheelers will be at Oshkosh and here's the AirVenture opportunities for the three-wheeler projects. *** Taking a cue from Boeing, which kept its 747-8 home from the Farnborough show to pursue flight testing, Sampson Motorworks will not show their daring Switchblade as they did the last two years, but developer Sam Bousefield will give a forum on July 27 at 4 PM in Pavilion 08. The company's beautiful website has some great artist concept drawings and gives evidence of their work. *** Joe Caravella, a father and son team, will conduct a forum on their project Monday July 26 at 10 AM in the 002 GAMA Pavilion. Afterwards, Oshkosh trekkies can pay a visit to the company's exhibit in space 97. *** Hope we see you in Wisconsin -- come by the LSA Mall and say "Hi!" If you can't make Oshkosh, keep checking here for the latest LSA news.

Posting from the road:  I'm in Illinois covering a major DC-3 75th Anniversary event for Plane & Pilot for the next couple days, then on up to Oshkosh Airventure for the show all next week.  I'll be posting LSA news from the road but before I head out into the super-humid, super hot thunderstormy day, here's a couple things to look for if you're Oshkosh bound: *** LAMA Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association headed by Pres. Dan Johnson expects a robust event schedule for Airventure so I'll bring you updates whenever possible. *** Some tidbits for what's to come: *** <> The LSA Mall is full again this year even with the sluggish economy.  Here's who signed up: *** <> Flight Design (CTLS) *** <> Remos (GX) *** <> Piper (PiperSport) *** <> Arion (Lightning LS-1) *** <> Rainbow Aviation / 3Xtrim (Navigator) *** <> Breezer Aircraft (Breezer II) *** <> Pipistrel (Virus) *** <> Hansen Air Group / FK Lightplanes (FK-9 ELA) *** <> Tecnam (P-92 Echo Super) *** <>  Evektor (Sportstar) *** <> Jabiru, with two models (J-230 and J-170) *** <> X-Air (LS) *** <> Progressive Aerodyne (SeaRey) *** <> IndUS Aviation's Thorpedo *** <> Renegade Aircraft (Falcon) *** LAMA also signals a surprise announcement from IndUS at the show.   *** Aviators Hot Line, the sponsor of the LSA Mall, has a new "Aviators Helping Aviators" promotion to help LAMA members. *** Also on the bubble from our friends at Flight Design: *** At its annual press lunch next Tuesday, July 27, Flight Design USA prez Tom Peghiny and sales dude John Gilmore will have some things to talk about, including: *** <> New CTLS Floatplane is flying and on display at the booth *** <> CTLS Full-Motion Simulator (I've been wanting to try this out to see how well it mimics the CT - the ship I got my Sport Pilot ticket in) *** <> the CTLS Lite, announced at Sun 'n Fun, will be on display, I'll be flying it soon *** <> The MC is now an ASTM-certified legal SLSA (#109) and also approved in Europe *** <> Updates will be announced on FD's exciting Hybrid Powerplant project which I blogged some time ago *** <> And a surprise announcement from FD also. ***    ---photos courtesy Pipistrel and Flight Design

Over the years, I've increasingly seen AvWeb as one of the leading websites for aviation. I have often expressed appreciation to their staff for their frequent, balanced coverage of Light-Sport aviation. Certainly if you look beyond the big member websites of EAA and AOPA, AvWeb has the biggest influence I can perceive. Recently I made some agreement to present AvWeb items of interest to Light-Sport enthusiasts and here's one of them. *** Each week, AvWeb runs a survey and asks their 255,000 readers to weigh in on the question. Within days, 428 people had spoken their mind, and I found the results intriguing (chart). You can make up your own mind as to their meaning. *** In case the graphic doesn't read well on your screen, here are the response choices AvWeb editors offered: (1) The FAA should butt out and honor the original rulemaking that created Light Sport/Sport Pilot; (2) There are no major safety issues, but the FAA is sending a signal; (3) Increased FAA involvement was inevitable, and we might as well welcome their input and get it over with; (4) Manufacturers have to pull up their socks and ensure all standards are met; (5) LSA standards shouldn't be any less than full certification; and, (6) Other (My opinion doesn't appear as a choice.) *** Those who feel Light-Sport is functioning well using industry consensus standards for certification -- summing answers to points 1 & 2 -- represent 56% of those responding, however, even points 3 & 4 show support for LSA producers. Only 10% thought LSA should meet Part 23 Type Certificate compliance. Apparently the latter group doesn't worry about paying significantly more for an LSA if it means the FAA has given an aircraft the agency's blessing. In common pilot fashion, politically-speaking, a plurality felt the Fed' should simply "butt out" and let things proceed according to the original plan.

Politicians take actions that are often viewed negatively by small business owners, which term basically defines nearly every LSA producer. But sometimes government leaders do good things; this may be one of those stories. Even while EASA (the European equivalent to FAA) talks about job-killing regulations, perhaps the cottage industry of Light-Sport Aircraft discovered a new friend in high places. *** Breezer Aircraft makes a handsome and impressive all-metal airplane in the north of Germany. The design has been around a decade but new management took over in 2006 and they've been forging ahead. Among other positive developments, Breezer recently moved to a new airfield and they were surprised and pleased when a German state official showed up to helped commemorate the event. "Schleswig Holstein (the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany) Prime Minister Carstensen opened our airfield," boasted Breezer officials. "This is already pretty remarkable. But then PM Carstensen stepped into one of our aircraft and asked for a lift to his next appointment and this was quite astonishing." Can you imagine any American politician doing such a thing? *** "Prime minister Carstensen gave an amazing speech during our Grand Opening," reported the company. He focused on the initiative and the innovation of companies like Breezer that call Schleswig Holstein their home. Right before his talk, a flock of five Breezers arrived in formation from the LSA manufacturer's nearby temporary base at Husum EDXJ. *** Photos show Breezer Aircraft's new new airfield equipped with Terra Grid, grass planted in a pattern of solid material. "It's like an green aircraft carrier," they say. This new field more easily allows Breezer customers to visit by plane. *** Mr. Peter Harry Carstensen is President of the Federal Council (Bundesrat) of the Federal Republic of Germany and he is Prime Minister of the German State of Schleswig-Holstein. The President of the Federal Council ranks No. 2 in protocol after the German Federal President. Hmmm... maybe Mr. Carstensen can help LAMA Europe in its battle with EASA over the burdensome regulations they propose? At least it appears he's a friend of light aircraft.