ByDanJohnson.com

The end of the year is approaching. We just wrapped Halloween and now begin the headlong rush into the holiday season. However, before all that retail excitement starts, here comes the third running of the DeLand Showcase.

This is my new favorite airshow for one reason everyone seems to understand instantly. Why would I put one airshow above another given that I love them all? Easy …I get to sleep in my own bed every evening. Sweet! Yep, DeLand airport is a mere 25 minutes from my home, on another airport, the Spruce Creek Fly-In. How much better could it get?

Lots of shiny new airplanes and lots of very knowledgeable people to help answer all your questions. My personal comfort is good for me, but why should YOU be making your way to DeLand?

Here’s Our Top-5 Reasons

Reason #5 — It will be a few months before the next show, when the Sebring Sport Aviation Expo starts in late January. Here’s your last chance this calendar year to see a great collection of aircraft in one convenient, pilot-friendly location. Showcase is held at the DeLand Municipal Airport (KDED).

Reason #4 — DeLand has enjoyed sparkling, warm weather with clear skies every day it has run so far. While the northern states start to hunker down for winter, a slower time for recreational flying, Florida is just revving up. Weather is never a guarantee, of course, but DeLand can boast a perfect record so far.

Reason #3 — Lots to do from airplanes to engines to flying gear to forums to special presentations by notable speakers to food and to pilots talking excitedly with one another about flying. In the evenings, DeLand has some of the most interesting restaurants in the area and Daytona Beach is a short drive away.

Reason #2 — A great collection of affordable aircraft will be available from one end of the light aviation spectrum to the other. The group changes a little each year. Come and see what’s new for 2018.

…and Reason #1 — Fly the airplanes, investigate engines for your kit project, see how various airplanes fit you, carefully examine the airplanes that most interest you, talk to the people representing or manufacturing them, have those longer conversations you cannot have at the big shows where vendors can be overwhelmed by tire kickers and others. Talk seriously about an airplane purchase or upgrade or service or options with the experts. But remember, this show is about flying those airplanes you like …so GO FLY!

You can probably add a few more reasons of your own, but the key is to show up and enjoy yourself while checking out a good flock of Light-Sport Aircraft, light kit-build aircraft, and ultralights. Inside the display tent you will find a good collection of accessories, tools, and other gear pilots want.

Oh, here’s one more reason. Come see Videoman Dave and me making fresh videos like the one below. If you can’t make this year’s DeLand Showcase, at least you will get to see lots of videos.

Really, though… the fun is being present. C’mon down south folks, the weather’s great!

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Arion‘s Lightning, available as a SLSA, ELSA, or 51% kit, is already ready for somewhat higher weight, said boss Nick Otterback.

An article from last weekend’s news about a massive jump in LSA weight propelled this website to an all-time record as light aviation enthusiasts from around the nation and the globe signed on to make comments and shared the article with their friends.

Words you read on this website proved to be correct as more information emerges. Specifically, one large error was a quoted date for a new NPRM on this subject. Some outlets reported it would be released on January 19, 2019. NPRM is an abbreviation for Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and precedes any new regulation, allowing for comment and revision. Before such a NPRM is released, FAA has normally spoken to many parties that could be affected. That largely has not happened yet and for a good reason.

The NPRM is nowhere-near ready to be published, certainly not on such a specific date as January 19th next year.

Other Quality Reporting

Beside my own investigation with sources in FAA working on this specific regulation, AVweb journalist Paul Bertorelli also followed up on this story. Read his report here; his article contains a link to a podcast.

Rans’ S-212 Outbound was designed for as much as 1,800 pounds, though it is available as a SLSA at 1,320 pounds.

The short summary: No NPRM will come out in three months.

Paul interviewed EAA’s VP of advocacy and safety, Sean Elliot, who agreed that FAA’s work is “unlikely to yield any specific Notices of Proposed Rule Making until at least 2020, if not beyond.”

Good! Whatever the eventual content of FAA’s proposed rulemaking, an absolutely essential ingredient is discussing changes with industry and other key participants first, revising the proposal, and allowing various government and non-governmental groups to offer their input. FAA does not rush a proposal to NPRM status because doing so could generate lots of unfavorable comment, and in such case, regulators would have to go back to the drawing board.

In addition and as I already reported, this is a very sweeping regulation that touches on many parts of the current Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and all that language change must be carefully considered. Updates for LSA are only one part of this large regulatory project.

Q&A on Weight and More

To other specific questions I’ve been asked, I have further responses…

Specific Weight? — The number 3,600 pounds has been reported. It will not be a specific, fixed number and the formula that will produce a gross weight has not yet been finalized. Yes, it could be that high; no one knows yet …but the formula will likely involve engine power, stall speed, and probably other parameters.

North Wing is a trike builder and supplier of wings to other weight shift producers.

More Seats? — Yes, this is also a possibility. It is not specifically an attempt to bring Cessna 172s and other legacy aircraft into LSA. It is an attempt to bring this new regulation closer to that established for Basic Med. Many aircraft — such as weight shift, powered parachutes, gyroplanes, and motorgliders — don’t need or want (or maybe can’t handle) four seats. Even those airframes that can accommodate more seats will surely then be more expensive.

Higher Speed? — Yes, higher speed may also be on the agenda. Nothing is particularly sacred about 120 knots (138 mph). However, like all parts of this regulation proposal, it is only in discussion stages at this time. Again, this has to do with trying to align the new regulation with the earlier one for Basic Med.

What Medical? — At this time, no change is expected for LSA. Your Sport Pilot certificate will still only require a driver’s license and self-signoff, or use that medical approach with your higher level certificate and exercise the privileges of Sport Pilot. Again, as with all parts of this rule-in-progress, the plans are subject to change.

Progressive Aerodyne, the leading seller of LSA seaplanes, has been working with partners on a Single Lever Control (SLC) system to provide automatic in-flight prop adjustment.

Adjustable Propeller? — Yes, again. As reported in LAMA’s earlier report, single lever control was favorably received by FAA management and the association is hopeful this will be part of the resulting new regulation. SLC is a type of automatic prop adjustment, similar to that found on every Cirrus aircraft.

What’s Important? — LAMA wants FAA to listen to the LSA producer community and the LSA user community. Give the industry and pilots a chance to provide input and the result will be a better product. That takes time and that’s why the absurd date only three months away was so unrealistic.

Finally, I want to again point you to the LAMA advocacy report. The industry association continues to work with FAA to advance several goals mentioned in that report. These bear a short review.

SilverLight Aviation‘s AR-1 gyroplane, now available with a removable enclosure, must presently be assembled from a kit, though LAMA continues work to bring these aircraft into the world of Special LSA. photo by Amy Saunders

Another goal is aerial work or commercial use for LSA. Most readers will recognize SLSA can already be used for commercial work: professional flight instruction, rental of LSA to students and others, and towing. LAMA merely wants to add to that list — and honestly, more gross weight will add to the work value of these aircraft in addition to giving sellers and buyers new opportunities to use LSA productively.

Finally, we aren’t giving up on SLSA gyroplanes although I will admit this one is proving to be the toughest, with ongoing resistance from the rotorcraft branch of FAA — meaning no professional flight instruction is allowed. Yes, training can be done with a LODA (Letter of Deviation Authority), if you can get one, but that method does not allow a student to solo in the aircraft being used for his or her training.

THE GOOD NEWS… industry groups like LAMA and member organizations like EAA, among others, have more time to continue work with FAA and more time for agency personnel to listen to the community of users and the professionals serving them.

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So far, at least three entries* in the multicopter sweepstakes qualify themselves as Part 103 ultralight vehicles. I’m guessing that lead FAA rule writer, Mike Sacrey, never envisioned this idea back in 1982 when he and his team created aviation’s least-regulated aviation sector. In those days, FAA had only recently moved away from requiring that such aircraft demonstrate foot launching.

Mike would have needed a genuine crystal ball to foresee something like Scorpion 36 years ago. Let’s briefly put this in perspective — most readers had yet to buy their first computer; we were still 13 years away from the World Wide Web; it was a quarter century before the iPhone; even Light-Sport Aircraft were 22 years in the future.

Had Mike written a regulation back then to include multicopters like Scorpion he would surely have been relocated to some remote post where his craziness would not be obvious.

Yet multicopters seems to be everywhere and now, FAA has issued a formal letter saying, basically, “Yeah, it’s a Part 103 ultralight.”

Crazy, or Real? …but Fascinating

Our preceding article about a Lighter-than-Air LSA looks fairly tame compared to Scorpion. I know many readers are doubtful about either development …and that’s OK. Pilots being skeptical is a preservation instinct: don’t go fly any old thing that comes along; applying logic, analysis, and a serious measure of doubt may keep you alive.

Some readers who read the earlier Scorpion article thought the close proximity of spinning props to the occupants legs was nuts (even if protections were in place). Others wrote that sitting above the blades was equally weird (although the first Kitty Hawk Flyer used a similar concept). I can understand all sorts of questions — or outright dismissal — but it appears multicopters are here to stay, even if their form may change radically in the years ahead.

To their credit Hoversurf did consult FAA as this letter from Principal Maintenance Inspector Wilbert Robinson proves.

Hoversurf explains some of their ideas, “We have designed a monocoque frame created using different types of carbon fiber technology. The whole frame is made by a single element, which gives the stiffness of the structure … while reducing the weight by a factor of two compared to our previous aluminum model. … Dimensions of the hoverbike allow it to be rolled in a standard doorway while also having ability to take-off and land from an ordinary parking space. … [Scorpion] weighs (253 pounds) … reducing the weight of the frame … allowed us to install a more capacious battery. Our safe flight altitude is 16 feet above ground, but the pilot can adjust the limit to their comfortability. … Maximum speed is limited to 60 mph or 52 knots according to the requirements of the law.”

If you want to read more about the company’s view of Scorpion, go here.

A few points need to be clarified:

1. In one video the company representative speaks of “no limits,” saying you can fly as high as you like or as fast as you like. Of course, most readers know a Part 103 vehicle is limited to 55 knots or 63 mph. The website acknowledges this but the video was evidently produced before the Part 103 decision was made. The quote in the paragraph above shows company officials may have also backed away from the “fly as high as you like” comment.
2. In a couple other videos, Scorpion’s price is quoted at $59,900, which less doubtful buyers might pay. Yet the website states the asking price at $150,000. At the latter figure, I imagine the number of buyers of an unproven vehicle will be very minimal (other than police or military buyers), though I could be wrong.
3. What might be more workable and acceptable is a drone version that carries goods instead of a human. The website has information about this but that use is much less impactful than showing manned flight.

So, is Scorpion going places or destined to die on the vine? Only time will tell.

Here are a couple videos showcasing the flying machine:

* The three entries are Kitty Hawk Flyer, Opener BlackFly, and Hoversurf Scorpion

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FAA’s Light-Sport Aircraft category involves quite the intriguing mixture of aircraft. Fixed wing aircraft of many descriptions, weight shift, powered parachute, gyroplanes, motorgliders, seaplanes, of course, and, lighter-than-air. Every niche has been well explored …except for that last one.

Now comes FlyDoo from France, an LSA-category-fitting hot-air balloon. Designer Leandro Corradini thought he could deliver something that didn’t exist in the market so he set up shop to supply envelope, basket, burner, and more in a practical, lightweight, compact, and easy-to-transport and -store package.

FlyDoo breaks down compactly enough that you could easily store it in your house or apartment. He even shows pictures of transporting it to a flying field by adding a wheel and tow bar kit to the gondola making the aircraft into a small trailer that can be towed by a bicycle.

Leandro observes that established balloon manufacturers are accustomed to working in the FAA or CAA certified aircraft environment, often building large balloons used commercially to give rides. These producers have smaller aircraft but evidently pursue the higher cost variations. They may not be familiar with ASTM standards as used for all Light-Sport Aircraft and no others have chosen to address the LSA market.

Corradini views hot-air balloon flying as a simpler, easier, friendlier way to fly that can relieve stress rather than create it. To add to the relaxing outcome of a balloon flight, Leandro also gave his LSA LTA a VTU.

VTU probably threw you as it is not a term you hear for aircraft, unless it’s a Harrier jet or the newer F-35. Either of those seems about as far away from FlyDoo as you can get.

VTU stands for Vectored Thrust Unit and it is something unusual for a hot-air balloon.

Corradini’s VTU can be attached to the basket or gondola and provides directional control and thrust. His VTU is powered by an electric battery pack. The whole system adds only 55 pounds.

Designer Leandro Corradini uses his right hand to work the steering bar with button throttle for his Vectored Thrust Unit.

Maneuvering with the VTU appears surprisingly simple. Using a steering rudder (photo) with a push-button throttle, the pilot can rotate the balloon by angling the prop until balloon and gondola reach the desired position. Then the pilot centers the rudder and applies thrust to more forward in the desired direction.

Current LSA regulations do not allow his electric powerplant, but that might be solved by the time FlyDoo is fully ready for market. Although he has not yet gotten FAA acceptance, Leandro said he has designed from the beginning to comply with ASTM standards for LTA that some years ago were completed by the F37 committee of ASTM.

Because no prior company has offered an aircraft using those standards, it seems likely FAA will want to audit this first LTA entry. Until passing muster with FAA, FlyDoo can be made available as an Experimental-Amateur Built.

Aiming for production in 2019, Leandro is currently estimating FlyDoo’s price at about $21,000 covering foldable gondola, the custom burner unit and controls, plus the balloon envelope. You may add the VTU, with batteries and chargers, for an additional $14,000.

American balloon enthusiasts can see FlyDoo next month at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico over October 6 to 14, 2018. The Albuquerque gathering is enormous with many hundreds of colorful balloons — including some with rather fantastic shapes. The main event is a mass ascension that has become one of the most photographed spectacles in the country.

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The biggest airshows in recreational aviation are history for 2018. I refer to Sun ‘n Fun, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and Europe’s Aero Friedrichshafen. Now comes the sector-specific shows, sometimes called LSA Shows.

I love the truly big events as do most attendees and vendors. They are so well executed that I enjoy referring to them as “Disneyland for Airplanes,” (with a polite nod to the Magic Kingdom and its high-end theme park entertainment). I may have outgrown Disney but airplanes hold huge appeal for me and many, many others. The big shows boast hundreds of thousands of attendees throughout their event. That’s great!

The sector specific shows are much smaller. That’s a good thing.

Arguably, the most interesting shows are the smaller ones, those with more modest venues but where you can get more face time with company leaders or pilots. Not only can you have longer, more productive conversations but you can fly more aircraft. You can really ask a lot of questions as you make an aircraft purchase.

Plus, you won’t wear out your sneakers with the long hikes of the big events.

LSA Show Season Is Here!
Welcome Midwest LSA Expo 2018

Image by James Lawrence, well-known aviation and nature photographer.

I blasted up in a human mailing tube to St. Louis, Missouri, drove one-hour drive East to Mt. Vernon, Illinois and I’ll be on site Thursday morning at KMVN airport where I will link up with Videoman Dave to do what we do best: record video interviews about fun, affordable light aircraft.

We also get to do our best work capturing what we call Video Pilot Reports. The Midwest LSA Expo is our number one favorite location to do these as we can go anywhere on the airport to capture great video and can also cover the most airplanes.

Video pilot reports take a lot longer to accomplish but the longer format appeals to those getting serious about an aircraft purchase. We’ll also get other updates from vendors about what’s new or upgraded from them.

It’s not all airplanes. See engine and other vendors; here we see Robert Helm of UL Power.

Midwest is having a noteworthy anniversary this year. It’s the tenth anniversary for Chris Collins and his merry crew of volunteers and helpers. Chris is the longtime airport manager, a superbly well-liked gentleman who works as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen trying to make sure all the early-arriving vendors are well served and then opening the doors to welcome a flock of visitors.

The midwest U.S. has a thick blanket of interest in recreational aircraft (think: Oshkosh). However, every year some attendees come from as far away as California and Washington state and even a few international visitors might be expected.

I’ve attended every Midwest LSA Expo except last year, when a hurricane threatened my home and I had to assist in preparations. I’m pleased to be in town for the 10th anniversary event. Naturally, we can’t predict the weather but this time of year has worked well.

But Wait, There’s More…!

Midwest kicks off what I’m calling the LSA Show Season. One I put in the circuit is Copperstate, which has a whole new time of the year to go along with their brand-new venue. But first…

In between and up next: DeLand Showcase over November 1-2-3, 2018. That third-year event will be followed by Sebring, the grandaddy of these sector specific shows on January 23-26, 2019. Sebring will celebrate it 15th year and it still going strong, setting the pace for the others.

A month later, February 8-9-10, is the new Copperstate show now combined with the Buckeye Air Fair. Copperstate is more than 45 years old, one of the longest-running in the circuit, but it has been looking for the kind of support they will now get from the town of Buckeye, just west of Phoenix. Buckeye has had their own event and the two will now combine. City fathers embrace this event  as do the leaders of DeLand, Sebring, and Mt. Vernon. Wonderful!

U.S. Regions are rather well represented by these four events — Midwest, DeLand, Sebring, Copperstate — with one in the aviation-active midwest, another out west, and two in Florida, which many believe to be most recreational aviation-active state in the nation.

We start in September, pop up two months later in Florida, kick off the new year two months later in central Florida, and anticipate spring a month later in Arizona. In all, I’d call this an active schedule serving much of the recreational flying community. I’d hope you could make at least a couple of these if not all four.

If you do, wave when you see Dave and I whizzing about shooting video of all the coolest airplanes we can find. We’d love to see you on site — by all means, say “Hi!” — but if you can’t make them all, we’ll do our best to cover them.

Then, as spring really gets going, we return to Sun ‘n Fun, followed by Aero and Oshkosh. What fun!

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