ByDanJohnson.com

News & Video on Light-Sport Aircraft, light kit aircraft, and ultralight aircraft

Newest mini-video…


Video sponsored by
Continental Motors

Welcome!

By Dan Johnson || 4 Comments

TIPS: ByDanJohnson.com is a big website. We have thousands of articles and more photos than we can count plus hundreds of videos among other features like our long-popular SLSA List, PlaneFinder 2.0, LSA Market Info and more.

Once you follow a link somewhere, how do you quickly get back to the home page? You can click the "Home" button on our upper menu bar (we have menu bars above and below our logo). However, the fastest may be to simply click on the logo itself.

Similarly, we hope you've found you can expand a home page article three ways: • click on the title, • click on the "Expand Post ..." link at the end of each article, or • click on "Switch to Classic View" which expands every article on the Home page.

We sincerely appreciate your visit and thank those of you who have become members!

TIPS: ByDanJohnson.com is a big website. We have thousands of articles and more photos than we can count plus hundreds of videos among other features like our long-popular SLSA List, PlaneFinder 2.0, LSA Market Info and more. Once you follow a link somewhere, how do you quickly get back to the home page? You can click the “Home” button on our upper menu bar (we have menu bars above and below our logo). However, the fastest may be to simply click on the logo itself. Similarly, we hope you’ve found you can expand a home page article three ways: • click on the title, • click on the “Expand Post …” link at the end of each article, or • click on “Switch to Classic View” which expands every article on the Home page. We sincerely appreciate your visit and thank those of you who have become members!

Expand Post ...

PlaneFinder 2.0 is Working! Find the Best Light-Sport Aircraft for You.

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

When I started this website back in 2004, even before Light-Sport Aircraft officially arrived on the aviation scene, I began by uploading hundreds of pilot reports that had appeared in various aviation magazines. Most were very detailed descriptions of many ultralights (both single and two seaters) and light kit aircraft. After flying nearly 400 models, I had information that most buyers lacked, so I often took questions that were similar to, "You've flown all these airplanes. Which one should I buy?"

The question turns out to be impossible to answer. It is something like asking me, "Which color car is best?" The answer depends on what you want. What I like is nearly meaningless unless your desires are almost identical to mine …and that's very unlikely. If we spoke long enough at an airshow, perhaps I could learn enough about you — your experience, your home location, your expected use of an aircraft, your spending budget, and much more — such that I might advise you what might work for you.

I would rarely have that much time and even if I did, I only answered the question for one person. That is a definition of inefficient.

Thus came PlaneFinder. Version 1.0 was a series of three articles for EAA Sport Pilot magazine (since discontinued as a publication). The three articles were a lot of work for me, and for readers. At the end, maybe you knew what to buy …but possibly not. It was a worthy first effort, you might agree, but it was not the right solution.

So, PlaneFinder 2.0 followed. In PF2, I created 25 categories that describe aircraft. For each category, you pick a response that works best for you, for example, do you prefer high wing or low wing? All categories were simple, mostly this-or-that answers. With PF2, I tried to make it very user friendly.

If you answer enough categories, the result is you will limit the number of aircraft that match that description. You don't need to answer all 25 categories. In fact, after you address 5-8 of them, the list will be far shorter, maybe just a handful of aircraft models.

The trick is not picking the best airplane for you. It is eliminating those of lesser interest. As famed fictional detective Sherlock Holmes might say, what you are left with is the solution.

(1) Read more instructions if you are new to PlaneFinder 2.0. ••• (2) Pick any category and mark your preference by clicking the radio button; if you change your mind, an "Ignore" button appears to let you uncheck. ••• (3) See the "Matching SLSA" list for aircraft that meet that choice. Start from scratch by clicking the "Reset the Form" button at the bottom of the page.

Each time you answer one category, the list shortens. Using the high wing/low wing example, you can see that many aircraft will be eliminated. A single aircraft make and model cannot be both. Then answer your choice of seating, side by side or tandem. The list shortens. In a brief time, you are left with a much shorter list and from that you may be able to find a few aircraft you need to investigate more fully. Click on a link for that aircraft to read what I've written about it or a video covering that model.

Helping you pick between 3-5 aircraft is far easier than picking between 143 aircraft models that have won FAA acceptance as Special Light-Sport Aircraft. (Note: PF2 applies only to SLSA, not to kits or ultralights.)

PF2 is a lively feature. The "Matching SLSA" list changes dynamically. It can actually be entertaining to click on or off categories to see what remains. Even pilots that are not shopping can enjoy playing with PlaneFinder 2.0.

The source of the information is my evaluation of every aircraft on the SLSA List in all 25 categories, which is almost 3,600 data points. Since most questions are clear choices, any bias I have tends not to show …after all, an aircraft is either a high wing design or it is not. Only a few categories are more subjective.

(1) Hoverover with a mouse, or tap on a device to (2) Read a description of what the category means — most but not all are so described.

One category that is devilishly hard is Price Range. This is not hard to understand. What is the price of a Ford F150 pickup truck? Doesn't it depend on which of dozens of options you choose? An airplane is no different. Plus, prices change based on currency exchange rates and as manufacturing component costs change.

So, after we moved the older ByDanJohnson.com website (BDJ1) to a new, modern website (BDJ2) that works on smartphones, tablets, and computers, it took some time to make all the details function across all platforms. My webmaster has done a terrific job and PlaneFinder 2.0 is now available for your buying education …or just for fun. Use it however you want. To access, we ask only for your name and email address. Like most of ByDanJohnson.com PlaneFinder 2.0 is completely free. ENJOY!

Compress Post ...

When I started this website back in 2004, even before Light-Sport Aircraft officially arrived on the aviation scene, I began by uploading hundreds of pilot reports that had appeared in various aviation magazines. Most were very detailed descriptions of many ultralights (both single and two seaters) and light kit aircraft. After flying nearly 400 models, I had information that most buyers lacked, so I often took questions that were similar to, “You’ve flown all these airplanes. Which one should I buy?” The question turns out to be impossible to answer. It is something like asking me, “Which color car is best?” The answer depends on what you want. What I like is nearly meaningless unless your desires are almost identical to mine …and that’s very unlikely. If we spoke long enough at an airshow, perhaps I could learn enough about you — your experience, your home location, your expected use of an aircraft, your spending budget, and much more — such that I might advise you what might work for you.

Expand Post ...

Pipistrel’s Alpha Light Aircraft “Plugs In” at New Charge Station; Fuel by Electrons

By Dan Johnson || 2 Comments

Article Updated: 9/18/17 (see below)

Electric airplanes continue to catch the headlines… but don't impact the market much (yet). That may be changing.

You rarely see advertising for Pipistrel, the Eastern European builder of several very sleek Light-Sport Aircraft. The company feels they generate interesting-enough news that media organizations will cover their accomplishments. As this and other articles prove, perhaps they're right although most publications depend on advertiser support to allow them to provide coverage.

An example of how Pipistrel seduces the aviation press is with an announcement proclaiming their partnership with ride-sharing giant, Uber …specifically about that tech company's aerial ambitions. At the recent Uber Elevate Summit in Dallas, Texas, "Uber signed a partnership with Pipistrel aircraft producer for large-scale deployment of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (VTOLs)." Pipistrel said initial vehicles [will] be used in a flight demonstration by 2020.

"Pipistrel is the only company in the world that builds and sells electric aircraft today … they are a valued partner in making Uber’s VTOL network a reality," said Mark Moore, Director of Engineering for Aviation. He's wrong about Pipistrel being the "only company" working on such developments but the impact of his quote is nonetheless impressive.

On another front closer to home, Pipistrel announced working with academic and engineering partners for a "prototype of the first electric charging station for airplanes."

"The goal of the project was the production and installation of a (public) charging station for electric airplanes, because the need for a stationary type of charging has been shown," wrote the company.

On August 30th, 2017 the electric charging station was officially turned on at the Pipistrel company and was used to charge one of their Alpha Electro aircraft. The project was "financed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the European Union from the European Social Fund."

  • Technical characteristics of the charging station:
    — Capable of charging two electric aircraft at the same time
    — Current strength: 2 x 20 kW
    — Charge speed: one hour to fully charge Alpha Electro
    — Operating voltage 3 phase 400 volts alternating current
    — WiFi connection to the network

Big Boys of Light Aviation

In Pipistrel's 25 years, the Slovenian company has produced 600 aircraft of the Sinus-Virus family (the ones most familiar to Americans) plus 120 aircraft of the Taurus-Apis family (motorgliders and gliders). Together with approximately 500 weight shift trikes — the aircraft that started this company back in Soviet times — Pipistrel has manufacturered about 1,300 aircraft. Update 9/18/17: According to Pipistrel's Australian dealer, Michael Coates, the numbers on the company website are dated and the aircraft produced total is now 1,260 units. Adding the 500 trikes, their total shipments some 1,750 aircraft.

A few producers have delivered even more in the LSA or LSA-like space, but not many. Italy's Tecnam is the clear leader, well ahead of all others, followed by German builders such as Flight Design, Icarus Comco, and gyroplane builder, AutoGyro. Honorable mentions are deserved for other players in fully-built aircraft: The Airplane Factory and Jabiru. Big as Cessna and Piper may be in GA aircraft, their success in LSA sales is far smaller than the others mentioned. Based on deposits, Icon may be a future volume leader but their ramp-up is still in process.

We are unable to factor in kits from producers like Americans such as Sonex, Van's, Rans, or Zenith as they are difficult to accurately count, given widely varying names for each (a homebuilt has the builder's name as its manufacturer, for example). FAA N-number registration data entry clerks can be excused for not knowing each of these many variations.

With similar regrets and for the same reason, we do not include figures for weight shift trikes, powered parachutes, powered paragliders, or gyroplanes but these add measurably to the total LSA or LSA-like aircraft flying all over the globe.

Will electric aircraft producers change this ranking order? Only time will tell. Meanwhile you can follow our market share data at this link.

Compress Post ...

Article Updated: 9/18/17 (see below) Electric airplanes continue to catch the headlines… but don’t impact the market much (yet). That may be changing. You rarely see advertising for Pipistrel, the Eastern European builder of several very sleek Light-Sport Aircraft. The company feels they generate interesting-enough news that media organizations will cover their accomplishments. As this and other articles prove, perhaps they’re right although most publications depend on advertiser support to allow them to provide coverage. An example of how Pipistrel seduces the aviation press is with an announcement proclaiming their partnership with ride-sharing giant, Uber …specifically about that tech company’s aerial ambitions. At the recent Uber Elevate Summit in Dallas, Texas, “Uber signed a partnership with Pipistrel aircraft producer for large-scale deployment of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (VTOLs).” Pipistrel said initial vehicles [will] be used in a flight demonstration by 2020. “Pipistrel is the only company in the world that builds and sells electric aircraft today … they are a valued partner in making Uber’s VTOL network a reality,” said Mark Moore, Director of Engineering for Aviation.

Expand Post ...

The Airplane Factory USA’s Sling Flying Machine Continues to Climb

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

"Oshkosh is all about airplanes, right?" asked The Airplane Factory USA's Jean d'Assonville. I loved his remark since that is how we promote ByDanJohnson.com. "It's all about the airplanes!" is how we modeled our line after Apple's Steve Jobs famously said, "It's all about the music," when promoting iPod (remember those!?) in the early 2000s.

Jean — one of the TAF heroes who has done long portions of the South African company's several (yes, several!) flights all around the globe — went on to write, "This was my third Oshkosh and what rang true for me is that Air Venture is actually all about people who love airplanes! It is the people who dream them, build them, fly them, polish them, sleep in or under them and just simply love them. Yes, it's the people!"

Jean is right. The airplanes are the main message here and at AirVenture but they exist to give satisfaction, education, and inspiration to those who fly our wonderful light aircraft.

The Airplane Factory USA's Sling Taildragger.

The Airplane Factory USA assembled a team of ten to man the stand. "It's always enjoyable sharing the Sling story because it is a pilot's airplane that has been refined by pilots for pilots," observed Jean.

TAF-USA reported that their Midwest SkySports' build center had two of their beautiful Sling 2 LSA on display. In addition, the Southern California company based at the famous Torrance Airport (near Los Angeles) brought the legendary Sling 4-4-40, a four seat model that was built from a kit in 4 days by 40 people. Their main display was in the kit-centric North Aircraft Display area but TAF-USA also had an exhibit in the ultralight arena, now commonly called the Fun Fly Zone.

Jean discovered a fact of Oshkosh. "As a demo pilot during the Air Venture, it's really exciting — but quite stressful — flying in the extreme traffic with only 500 feet of vertical separation while only listening (not talking back) on the radio," he said. "It was worth it, though. Almost everyone that went for a demo flight has purchased or is in the process of purchasing a Sling aircraft or a kit."

Vastly easier demo flying can be done at events like the just-concluded Midwest LSA Expo in Mt. Vernon Illinois. "Our dealers, Midwest SkySport of Caro, Michigan and AeroSport of Wonder Lake, Illinois were present with their Sling Light-Sport Aircraft!"

Slings have mid-range pricing among all LSA but that makes them, in my opinion, fairly priced. Nonetheless, if you don't a hundred grand laying on your kitchen counter you might need an option and TAF has one.

"You can now finance a Sling LSA for less than $900 a month*," the company said. A new Sling is therefore about the same monthly payment as a luxury automobile, although with a longer payment period:

  • Sling LSA Basic - $135,000 (approx. $880/mo.)
  • Sling LSA Garmin VFR - $142,000 (approx. $920/mo.)
  • Sling LSA Garmin IFR - $165,000 (approx. $1,060/mo.)

* With 20% down, 15 year term, fixed rate as low as 5.24% (4.99% with 25% down) through AOPA Finance.

To keep up with demand and spark more TAF-USA hired Barry Jay as North American Sales and Marketing Manager,  who will work closely with Matt Liknaitzky and Jean D'Assonville. "Barry comes to us with decades of experience in the general aviation and automotive industries," said The Airplane Factory USA. Jay has sold new Piper and Mooney aircraft, managed Lexus national advertising  and worked with Toyota's aviation business development department." A private pilot with over 900 hours, Barry has been a member of the Sling Flying Club for over four years and has been a strong promoter of The Airplane Factory brand. An FAA Safety Team Representative, Barry was also recently reelected to the post of President of the Torrance Airport Association for a twelfth term.

Compress Post ...

“Oshkosh is all about airplanes, right?” asked The Airplane Factory USA‘s Jean d’Assonville. I loved his remark since that is how we promote ByDanJohnson.com. “It’s all about the airplanes!” is how we modeled our line after Apple’s Steve Jobs famously said, “It’s all about the music,” when promoting iPod (remember those!?) in the early 2000s. Jean — one of the TAF heroes who has done long portions of the South African company’s several (yes, several!) flights all around the globe — went on to write, “This was my third Oshkosh and what rang true for me is that Air Venture is actually all about people who love airplanes! It is the people who dream them, build them, fly them, polish them, sleep in or under them and just simply love them. Yes, it’s the people!” Jean is right. The airplanes are the main message here and at AirVenture but they exist to give satisfaction, education, and inspiration to those who fly our wonderful light aircraft.

Expand Post ...

Breezer Aircraft Debuted New “Sport” Model Light-Sport Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

In a eNewsletter to what they call "Breezerians," the German company with the same name as their model reported a festive debut to their newest model called Breezer Sport.

At their home field and despite weather problems for arrivals coming from the south, the airport got "overloaded" with traffic.
The Breezer event was "not too hot, not too cold, great clouds for such an event, and little wind," reported Wolfgang Nitschmann. "In short, a dream; even the catering was excellent."

Among a collection of airplanes, rare and contemporary, Wolfgang and team unveiled their new Breezer Sport, joining other models called LSA Elegance and LSA Attraction. All Breezer models are available as B400 or B600 editions, the former being those conforming to Europe's Ultralight Class, limited to 472.5 KG (with a parachute system, as is mandatory in Germany). The latter are the 600 kilogram Light-Sport Aircraft models.

Here's our earlier looks at Breezer when first announced in the U.S. and Breezer II when updated.

Find more about Breezer Sport, and check out the snazzy paint schemes at the top of the page. The company has often displayed very striking and artistic paint jobs at their Aero Friedrichshafen show exhibit.

Breezer Sport has not flown yet. "The weather has so far prevented it," said Wolfgang. "Pictures and videos of the first flight will come over the well-known channels," as soon as practical.

Breezer Sport
"Aluminum at its Best"

Breezer Sport is focused on speed, said the company. "The B400/B600 design philosophy had its roots in the ease of building for the homebuilder market back in the early days," noted Wolfgang.

"Today, we can do things differently and that’s why the Breezer Sport has a totally different approach. Plus, the current integration of 3D CAD/CAM systems enables us to create form factors meeting the expectations of strength and performance." Breezer Sport is not only an enhancement of the B400/B600, series they say. "It is a completely new aircraft with totally different technology approaches."

"Aluminium is our core competence," said Wolfgang, "so it had been a fascinating task to design a round fuselage. It was all done on computer making the first article close to the proposed production version. The new aircraft has several distinctive qualities compared to earlier models.

  • Counter-sunk rivets support the clean design in smooth surfaces.
  • Tapered wings are new in all aspects from profile to main spar.
  • Breezer Sport uses a spar in a center section connecting to the landing gear.
  • The Sport model's wings are shorter and are attached to the main section.
  • To support low-speed behavior, Fowler flaps provide additional lift.
  • Breezer Sport is designed to accept Rotax engines including 912 UL, 912 ULS, 912 iS and even the new 135-horsepower 915 iS.
  • The new engine cowling is shaped to generate less drag and allows a large opening for coolants or intercooler. The visual dominance in the future is the large side intake.

Original Breezer importer Mike Zidziunas poses with an earlier model.

As Breezer Sport still awaits flight trials it is premature to talk about performance and other specifications. However, the earlier Breezers were reasonably speedy, flying to 120 mph, so a 915-powered, retractable gear, slimmed fuselage Sport may be quite fast. European regulations do not limit speeds of their Ultralight models and allow both retractable gear and in-flight adjustable props.

Compress Post ...

In a eNewsletter to what they call “Breezerians,” the German company with the same name as their model reported a festive debut to their newest model called Breezer Sport. At their home field and despite weather problems for arrivals coming from the south, the airport got “overloaded” with traffic. The Breezer event was “not too hot, not too cold, great clouds for such an event, and little wind,” reported Wolfgang Nitschmann. “In short, a dream; even the catering was excellent.” Among a collection of airplanes, rare and contemporary, Wolfgang and team unveiled their new Breezer Sport, joining other models called LSA Elegance and LSA Attraction. All Breezer models are available as B400 or B600 editions, the former being those conforming to Europe’s Ultralight Class, limited to 472.5 KG (with a parachute system, as is mandatory in Germany). The latter are the 600 kilogram Light-Sport Aircraft models. Here’s our earlier looks at Breezer when first announced in the U.S.

Expand Post ...

Midwest Light-Sport Aircraft Expo 2017 Opens Today

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Article updated…

Stuck as I am in Florida preparing for the onslaught of Hurricane Irma… with great regret, I am missing for the first time the Midwest LSA Expo in Mount Vernon, Illinois (about an hour east of St. Louis).

Yet the good news is that some airplanes for which I expected to do Video Pilot Reports will still be in attendance even if I am not. My ever-present videographer Dave Loveman is also onsite, coming all the way from Canada, so those cross country flying efforts will not be in vain.

Traveling from Arizona is Ed Ricks and the Paradise. Flying even a bit further from California is the Aeropilot L600. Those of you able to attend Midwest LSA Expo 2017 this year can examine those aircraft and a ramp full of other top brands that have so faithfully attended this event (see the layout and exhibitors here).

Update: You can also watch the Mt. Vernon scene for yourself using AirportView, just installed by good friend and aviation entrepreneur, Jacob Peed on behalf of the growing AirportView network. Check this out!

"We feel the Midwest LSA Expo is the most convenient and affordable of its type in the country," said host and extremely well-liked airport manager, Chris Collins. He observed, "Mt. Vernon and the airport are within an 8 hour drive for 50% of the entire U.S. population!"

Paradise Aircraft P1NG model revealing its third door.

Sure, it's nothing like EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh with its massive throngs nor as large as Sun 'n Fun with its dizzying array of aircraft of all types. It also lacks the airshow both of those major events stage. However, the reason to come to Midwest LSA Expo is precisely because the lack of those grand features means you can actually spend quality time talking to the representatives of various aircraft and you can go take a demo flight within literally a few minutes. By sharp contrast, going for a demo flight at Oshkosh can tie you up for half the day and that means not many folks get the privilege.

That is one of the main reasons why I have attended eight in a row, missing only this Ninth Annual MWLSA.

It is also the reason Videoman Dave and I encourage airplane vendors to make the trip, so we can attach our collection of seven Garmin VIRB video cameras all over an airplane, inside and out, to give you the very best look at an aircraft while we flight evaluate it. The success of Dave's YouTube channel proves we capture this segment of aviation better than anyone. I'm unhappy I could not be present this year but the show will go on. I hope you can make it.

Aeropilot's Legend — L600 in the USA — in flight.

Paradise has been absent from the U.S. scene for a few years but Ed Ricks assured me yesterday that the brand will be back and, after some reorganization in its home country of Brazil, Paradise Aircraft is in fine business shape, as he reported after a weeklong visit. He and new partners will be representing the all-metal, yoke-controlled, three-door P1NG and other models starting at Midwest. They also plan a major splash at Sebring in January 2018, Ed promised. If you can't make Midwest, please plan to see them at Sebring.

Our newest supporter, Aeropilot USA took our advice after Oshkosh and brought their also-yoke-controlled L600 — the one that looks uncannily like a Cessna 182… by design — directly from Oshkosh to Midwest. The ever-graceful and always-helpful Chris Collins housed the new LSA for Aeropilot boss Deon Lombard to save him the long flights from Wisconsin to California and back to Illinois.

You won't see me if you attend — darn it! — but you can get an eyeful and take some demo flights if you attend Midwest LSA Expo 2017. I hope you make it!

Compress Post ...

Article updated… Stuck as I am in Florida preparing for the onslaught of Hurricane Irma… with great regret, I am missing for the first time the Midwest LSA Expo in Mount Vernon, Illinois (about an hour east of St. Louis). Yet the good news is that some airplanes for which I expected to do Video Pilot Reports will still be in attendance even if I am not. My ever-present videographer Dave Loveman is also onsite, coming all the way from Canada, so those cross country flying efforts will not be in vain. Traveling from Arizona is Ed Ricks and the Paradise. Flying even a bit further from California is the Aeropilot L600. Those of you able to attend Midwest LSA Expo 2017 this year can examine those aircraft and a ramp full of other top brands that have so faithfully attended this event (see the layout and exhibitors here).

Expand Post ...

Belite’s Chipper Two-Seat Light Kit Aircraft Proves Itself

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Belite entrepreneur James Weibe has successfully used his tech industry background to raise interest for his latest project, this time his first two seater called Chipper. (It was named Pipper but that apparently energized the anxieties of Piper Aircraft lawyers so James altered the name.)

James has informed his Facebook and email readers with continual updates. After making initial flights fairly recently, he has judged the aircraft able to make a cross country flight.

Chipper uses power from the 912 Rotax, but rather than the more common 100-horsepower ULS model, James is using one of my favorites, the 80-horsepower, regular-autogas-burning version. I like it because for lighter aircraft, such as Chipper, this 912 has plenty of power and it is about as trouble-free as any aircraft engine I've ever flown.

"I flew Chipper to Angel Fire, New Mexico," James exclaimed. "I flew nonstop one way (960 miles roundtrip) from Wichita, Kansas to Angel Fire, performed flight tests, and then returned to Marion, Kansas before the sunset." Now that's a good day's flying.

"Angel Fire is the fourth highest elevation airport in the United States at 8,322 feet above sea level," James reported. "Density altitude was 10,400 feet." Three conditions can degrade aircraft performance at altitude: higher elevation, higher temperature, and higher humidity. The latter is not much of a problem in desert-like New Mexico but all affect aircraft performance. (Humid air, made up of water vapor, is less also dense.)

In my experience, operating at more than 10,000 feet density altitude causes a Cessna 150 or 172 to take significantly more runway to get airborne and climb performance can be sharply reduced.

"Chipper's takeoff roll length was 600 feet," said a proud James. "Why did they make the runway 8,900 feet long at Angel Fire," James wondered with a twinkle in his eye?

"Climbout was greater than 200 fpm," he added. Now that's not nearly as fast as a 80-horsepower Chipper would perform at sea level but it's better than a Cessna 150. "Everything in the pattern was normal," James continued, "it just took longer to climb."

For his evaluation, Chipper's test weight was 950 pounds. He observed that a normally-aspirated (carbureted) 80-horsepower Rotax develops 52 horsepower at Angel Fire's pattern altitude.

Interested in Chipper?

Not only are Belite's performance numbers for the Chipper shaping up well, the purchase price has also remained within the "affordable aviation" range. Here's a few figures:

  • $10,495 — taildragger airframe kit (1,000 pound gross, 80-horsepower max)
  • $11,995 — taildragger airframe kit (1,200 pound gross, 100-horsepower max)
  • $2,595 — taildragger finishing kit (1,000 pound gross, 80-horsepower max)
  • $2,995 — tricycle gear finishing kit (1,000 pound gross, 80-horsepower max)
  • $3,195 — taildragger finishing kit (1,200 pound gross, 100-horsepower max)
  • $3,695 — tricycle gear finishing kit (1,200 pound gross, 100-horsepower max)

This pricing is locked in with your $500 deposit, but you must take delivery this year.

  • 5 gallon fuel tanks —” $900 per pair
  • 14 gallon fuel tanks — $1,400 per pair
  • Any Radiant instruments with purchase of a Chipper kit — 25% discount. James said, "This does not include the radio, transponder, or ELT, but you can put together a very nice Radiant panel for less than $1,000."
  • Belites recommend Oratex fabric (see video) and DUC Hélices propellers.
  • Some items, such as engine cowls for either Rotax engine or engine mounts will be determined later.
  • Prices do not include: engine, propeller, mount, cowl, instruments, fabric, paint, glue, etc.

See our Sun 'n Fun interview with James Weibe below…

Learn more about Oratex aircraft covering fabric in this video:

Compress Post ...

Belite entrepreneur James Weibe has successfully used his tech industry background to raise interest for his latest project, this time his first two seater called Chipper. (It was named Pipper but that apparently energized the anxieties of Piper Aircraft lawyers so James altered the name.) James has informed his Facebook and email readers with continual updates. After making initial flights fairly recently, he has judged the aircraft able to make a cross country flight. Chipper uses power from the 912 Rotax, but rather than the more common 100-horsepower ULS model, James is using one of my favorites, the 80-horsepower, regular-autogas-burning version. I like it because for lighter aircraft, such as Chipper, this 912 has plenty of power and it is about as trouble-free as any aircraft engine I’ve ever flown. “I flew Chipper to Angel Fire, New Mexico,” James exclaimed. “I flew nonstop one way (960 miles roundtrip) from Wichita, Kansas to Angel Fire, performed flight tests, and then returned to Marion, Kansas before the sunset.” Now that’s a good day’s flying.

Expand Post ...

Rainbow Aviation Offers Owners a Light-Sport Aircraft Repairman National Map

By Dan Johnson || 1 Comment

As we work on PlaneFinder 2.0, our one-of-a-kind method to help pilots find the best Light-Sport Aircraft — watch for it in a few more days — we have another list-in-waiting. It is our FIRM List or FI.R.M List, meaning it helps you find Flight Instruction (FI), Rental (R), or Maintenance (M).

Classes at Rainbow over many years have have been given to more than 5,000 graduated students, including those in the 16-hour course.

These two — PlaneFinder 2.0 and FIRM List — complement our currently operating SLSA List as guides to help people interested in light, affordable aircraft. Even the SLSA List will go through further refinement; these steps were necessary after we moved from an old website built in the early days of the World Wide Web to a thoroughly modern website you can read on any device you have from desktop to smartphone.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Aviation has a new offering for those of you seeking a trained, qualified mechanic to help you keep your Light-Sport Aircraft in top-top flying shape.

You may already know Rainbow Aviation. Lead by Brian and Carol Carpenter, Rainbow has been in the mechanical training game since before LSA was even introduced as a regulation. They saw a coming need and got in front of the parade. More than 13 years later, they still lead in providing these needed services.

What Is a LSRM?

LSRM is shorthand for Light-Sport Repairman–Maintenance. When FAA created the LSA category in 2004, part of it addressed maintenance. Instead of burdening mechanics with the need to earn a two-year, 2400-hour A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) rating, they offered an alternative system and let private providers offer courses.

A simpler inspection rating is available by attending a 16-hour, two-day repairman course. On completion, you are called a repairman but are limited to performing an annual inspection on a Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft you own.. The maintenance rating is only available by attending a much longer 80-120 hour Repairman course. Get a deeper explanation by going to Rainbow's web page for this.

  • Here's a key point: A person who has earned a Repairman–Maintenance rating can perform maintenance and inspections on any Special LSA or Experimental LSA and can charge for his or her services.

More than 5,000 students have attended Rainbow's courses from nearly every U.S. state and from more than 20 countries, Rainbow Aviation Light-Sport Maintenance training programs are internationally accepted as the leading Light-Sport aviation maintenance training programs.

This map shows where Rainbow-trained LSRMs are located. Find the current edition at the nearby link.

"We have gathered contact information since 2005. We decided to so this early on, from the very first class we taught," said Carol Carpenter. "It has grown to be an invaluable tool." Recently, they decided to share this information. Go to this map page to see where you can find a LSRM nearest to you.

After instructing thousands of folks plus more who find out about Rainbow and ask questions, Carol said it has become impossible to answer everyone's questions and provide support.

"So we have created a network and today we have a private, exclusive, online support site for the folks who have taken our 15-day workshop," Carol added. "We answer their questions in a group format and they, in turn, support the LSA community. I refer callers to this listing when they reach out for help or services."

"When you go to the map you can select, say, just gliders, and find all the LSRM with the glider rating," explained Carol. "Currently we are surveying the group and will flag all who are offering Light-Sport maintenance services to the public."

Brian and Carol have created a valuable service by their work for more than a decade. The LSA industry is lucky to have them hard at work.

Compress Post ...

As we work on PlaneFinder 2.0, our one-of-a-kind method to help pilots find the best Light-Sport Aircraft — watch for it in a few more days — we have another list-in-waiting. It is our FIRM List or FI.R.M List, meaning it helps you find Flight Instruction (FI), Rental (R), or Maintenance (M). These two — PlaneFinder 2.0 and FIRM List — complement our currently operating SLSA List as guides to help people interested in light, affordable aircraft. Even the SLSA List will go through further refinement; these steps were necessary after we moved from an old website built in the early days of the World Wide Web to a thoroughly modern website you can read on any device you have from desktop to smartphone. Meanwhile, Rainbow Aviation has a new offering for those of you seeking a trained, qualified mechanic to help you keep your Light-Sport Aircraft in top-top flying shape.

Expand Post ...

BRM Aero, Maker of Bristell Light-Sport Aircraft Models, Rolls Out 300th Unit

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

I believe you should applaud Milan Bristela. Now a veteran of the Light-Sport Aircraft sector, he has steadily built a successful aircraft manufacturing enterprise — BRM Aero — that recently rolled out Bristell #300.

With its first delivery to a customer in 2011, this represents an average pace of 50 aircraft per year, a wonderful business size for a LSA manufacturer. Every company starts smaller and grows, so assuming a spooling up of their production engine, BRM is now completing between one and two aircraft per week. Good job, Milan and team!

BRM Aero started in 2009 with two employees. Over the course of several years the team has grown to 50 employees, they report. When growth demanded, they moved into larger quarters but they've also maintained a family feel with father Milan and son Martin running the enterprise as partners.

The full name of their very handsome aircraft is Bristell NG 5 LSA. The "5" is a hint of this being the fifth generation since the first aircraft I know Milan to have worked on — SportCruiser, also for a time known as PiperSport. For that legacy company's rather brief entry into the world of LSA, this was the aircraft they chose …more correctly, an earlier, not as refined version of the Bristell.

Back in 2003, when I was still involved with BRS Parachutes, I traveled to the Czech Republic. My contact was American Chip Erwin, then head of Czech Aircraft Works and now the man behind Aeromarine LSA and its super-affordable Merlin PSA single seater. As the new millennia arrived, Milan was employed by Czech Aircraft Works and he graciously took a day off to travel around the country with me as we visited parachute developers. I had no idea then that in just six more years Milan would become head of his own company making one of the LSA sector's most attractive designs. However, I easily perceived his skills, experience, and drive so I am not surprised by BRM Aero's recent achievement, reaching number 300 of his own designs delivered to customers.

The company began selling the first version of Bristell Classic in 2011, a fixed-gear aircraft. In 2012 Milan developed a Bristell RG retractable gear aircraft and in the following year Bristell TDO, their taildragger option (photo) that lends a very sporty look. BRM Aero acquired their own production facilities only five years after starting the business. Since moving, production capacity more than doubled over the next two years.

Today's Bristell Ultralight (the European regulatory description) and BRM Aero's LSA variation is offered in these three configurations that obviously pleases many pilots. A tricycle gear fixed undercarriage configuration is the right choice of aeroplane for use in flight training at flight schools, glider towing and for most recreational flying. Thanks to the solid performance, combined comfort involving thoughtful ergonomic design with and the largest cockpit in its category, and modern instrumentation, any of the Bristell models is an excellent choice for cross-country flights. A Bristell HD version offers heavy-duty wing spars, which make cross-country flights safer in stronger weather conditions.

In the USA, Bristell now enjoys a highly experienced and dedicated team at Bristell USA, lead by longtime industry expert, Lou Mancuso along with his team of dedicated and experienced professionals. BRM Aero also has representation in several other countries.

Take a short video tour of the BRM Aero factory (watch for the airplane elevator)…

Compress Post ...

I believe you should applaud Milan Bristela. Now a veteran of the Light-Sport Aircraft sector, he has steadily built a successful aircraft manufacturing enterprise — BRM Aero — that recently rolled out Bristell #300. With its first delivery to a customer in 2011, this represents an average pace of 50 aircraft per year, a wonderful business size for a LSA manufacturer. Every company starts smaller and grows, so assuming a spooling up of their production engine, BRM is now completing between one and two aircraft per week. Good job, Milan and team! BRM Aero started in 2009 with two employees. Over the course of several years the team has grown to 50 employees, they report. When growth demanded, they moved into larger quarters but they’ve also maintained a family feel with father Milan and son Martin running the enterprise as partners. The full name of their very handsome aircraft is Bristell NG 5 LSA.

Expand Post ...

Italy’s JetFox Redux — InnovAviation FX1 Moving toward SLSA Acceptance

By Dan Johnson || 1 Comment

We reported on FX1 shortly after it began flight trials in the hands of American light aviation expert John Hunter. This article offers John's perspective on flight characteristics along with specifications; you should definitely read this if FX1 stirs your imagination.

In-flight photo by Guido Pulcini, courtesy of InnovAviation.

InnovAviation is an Italian company founded in 2001 by Alfredo Di Cesare, who began his aviation career in the early 1980s as an importer and kit builder of Striplin Aircraft from the USA. Later that decade, Alfredo started importing Germany's Comco Ikarus C22, which lead to C42 that became that country's most popular light aircraft.

Alfredo saw room for improvement.

He probably also saw the success of America's Flightstar, which was significantly based on work by Hans Gygax, the brain behind Comco's C42. While resembling Flightstar, you can also see FX1 is much more developed.

FX1's cabin is fully enclosed and sports large, curved doors. The tail is joined by a more conventional looking fuselage rather than a simple tailboom. The engine is now fully enclosed. Flightstar built it the way they did for some 1,000 aircraft to keep the weight down to a minimum because of the ultralight regulations of the day. That was also a simpler time and today's FX1 may have appeared bulky and expensive back in the early 2000s.

After bringing in the aircraft of other producers Alfredo began work on his own design resulting in the JetFox 91 (in 1991), followed by an upgraded model called JetFox 97, and finally the JetFox GT in 2005. That was about the time Light-Sport Aircraft burst on the scene and caused pilots to look in new directions bringing doubt about the future of JetFox.

A dozen years later, Alfredo is back with his best looking project yet, called FX1, a fourth-generation sport plane evolved from multiple European sport planes over the last three decades. "This modern computer-aided design has been carefully engineered to optimize all aspects of a proven configuration," said Di Cesare (see sidebar). "It incorporates countless improvements and refinements that came from the knowledge and experience of working with similar designs."

Given a fresh design with Italian styling and the promise of future sales, InnovAviation announced several developments.

"We've got financial support to ramp up our serial production," said the company. They plan to demonstrate Special LSA compliance and will seek FAA acceptance "within 2017."

Their first sale went to their dealer in Israel and they noted, "We are in negotiations for dealerships in France, Scandinavia, Australia, and Iran."

For U.S. consumption, "We are in negotiations with a group of investors from Florida in order to establish a US sales and assembly point."

"We've people coming to our factory for demo flights every month," added Alfredo.

Looking for more? Contact Alfredo via email.

What's Good about FX1?

  • Improved forward visibility — to enhance flying enjoyment and safety.
  • Comfortable cabin with less noise and vibration — positioning the exhaust pipe above the wing helps FX1 reduce noise for neighbors and other people on the ground.
  • Accelerated Lift & Control Response — with the engine mounted close to the wing, the propeller directs accelerated airflow over the wing enhancing take-off performance, said Alfredo. "This is called 'accelerated lift,' a phenomenon common to twin engine designs," he added. "This effect also tames departure stall characteristics, contributing to the FX1’s forgiving flight qualities. In a similar way, the propeller is also closer to the vertical and horizontal stabilizers and associated control surfaces (rudder & elevators) for enhanced control response."
  • CG & Balance — “mid-ship” engine placement, common for exotic sports cars, places FX1’s engine mass closer to the aircraft’s center of gravity. This is said to decrease the aircraft’s moment of inertia for faster response in the pitch & yaw axes, and for the roll axis, raising the engine to the level of the wings on a high-wing design increases roll response.
  • Safety — experience with the FX1’s predecessor, the JetFox 97, proved that a “front & center” engine placement can help in the event of an impact. "Rather than having the engine transmit force directly to the cabin, a forward impact is transmitted to the airframe, independent of the cabin, for greater survivability," noted Alfredo. FX1’s cabin employs a cage of built-up welded steel-alloy tubing (chromoly), wrapped in a carbon-fiber composite structure.

The following video from InnovAviation provides more detail and shows the flying aircraft.

Compress Post ...

We reported on FX1 shortly after it began flight trials in the hands of American light aviation expert John Hunter. This article offers John’s perspective on flight characteristics along with specifications; you should definitely read this if FX1 stirs your imagination. InnovAviation is an Italian company founded in 2001 by Alfredo Di Cesare, who began his aviation career in the early 1980s as an importer and kit builder of Striplin Aircraft from the USA. Later that decade, Alfredo started importing Germany’s Comco Ikarus C22, which lead to C42 that became that country’s most popular light aircraft. Alfredo saw room for improvement. He probably also saw the success of America’s Flightstar, which was significantly based on work by Hans Gygax, the brain behind Comco’s C42. While resembling Flightstar, you can also see FX1 is much more developed. FX1’s cabin is fully enclosed and sports large, curved doors.

Expand Post ...

Intriguing Light Aircraft Views from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Before America becomes completely consumed with Eclipse Viewing Fever, you might want to pull your (solar filter-protected) eyes away from the soon-to-darken sky to catch a few glimpses of intriguing aircraft from EAA's summer celebration of flight.

In this pre-Eclipse weekend post, I'll show you some images of cool flying things I saw at the big event.

Starting off with my fascination about spaceflight, EAA communications guru Dick Knapinski told of the challenges of arranging an 80-foot-tall flying machine on the central Boeing Plaza square. This is where you see a changing kaleidoscope of aircraft from old to new and slow to fast. However, no aircraft I've ever seen in this location flies as fast, stands as tall, or is more unique than the Blue Origin rocket.

From the billionaire-thick wallet of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos comes this space flight company that is competing with Space Exploration or SpaceX among others in the new era of private space companies. The latter corporation may be snatching the lion's share of mainstream news but Blue Origin actually made the first successful landing of a rocket and this was the very equipment on display, charred exterior and all. Crowds lined up to have a gander.

Nearby, from one of light aviation lightest aircraft sellers — Michael LeMaire and his X-Air LSA — was the first public debut of the Stratos 714. Talk about having all the right toys in your hangar, eh? One one hand you could have a very lightweight fun flyer like X-Air LS for joy-ride flying around the patch or around the region. Or, if you gotta go places in a hurry, hop in your sleek jet and zoom past 400 knots.

Michael has been pursing the Stratos project for several years, since before 2011, and the aircraft is now flying. It reminds me of another project called Sportjet from Colorado. It also looks a bit like Cirrus single engine Vision jet. All three are similar by virtue of being single engine jets. The latter already has orders and a factory to produce it while Michael and his team are still assembling the myriad pieces of this puzzle.

Machines like Stratos aren't what we usually cover here — any more than space rockets — but since it was beautiful to behold and is coming from one of our LSA suppliers and supporters, I enjoyed a look-see and thought you might as well.

On the way to the Ultralight Area — rebadged as the Fun Fly Zone (an accurate name, IMHO) — we passed by the antique airplane area with its own red barn, seen in the background of the nearby image. What caught my attention was the snazzy paint job or decal on this taildragger.

It doesn't compare to the superlative FK-51 that may (or may not ever) arrive in America. Jon Hansen and his family team has been waiting far too long for their order to arrive but what I saw at Oshkosh '17 was a mighty fine paint or decal job on which some owner invested many hours and considerable amount of cash, I'm guessing. The bullet hole effect has been seen everywhere but I admired the detailed patchwork finish resembling an airplane covered with hundreds of tiny aluminum pieces. Well done!

Finally, we arrived in arguably my favorite area of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the Fun Fly Zone, where we found many aircraft I will report — and about which Videoman Dave and I shot many videos.

We didn't do a video on the two-seat version of Adventure Aircraft's EMG (Electric Motor Glider) but we shot a video on the single seater earlier. Creator Brian Carpenter has invested a few years in this nifty project as he breaks new ground; the two-seater tells me the product is getting closer to the market.

EMG-2 (my name) has Brian's signature look to it and I'm guessing it would be a hoot to fly. You can see his shiny electric motor at the aft end of the fuselage, giving a vaguely equivalent look to a Piper Cub with the engine cylinders sticking out of the cowling …only Brian's bird will make a lot less noise slipping through the sky.

I hope you enjoyed this glance at four completely different aircraft.

Now, go enjoy the eclipse but don't forget your solar glasses!

Compress Post ...

Before America becomes completely consumed with Eclipse Viewing Fever, you might want to pull your (solar filter-protected) eyes away from the soon-to-darken sky to catch a few glimpses of intriguing aircraft from EAA’s summer celebration of flight. In this pre-Eclipse weekend post, I’ll show you some images of cool flying things I saw at the big event. Starting off with my fascination about spaceflight, EAA communications guru Dick Knapinski told of the challenges of arranging an 80-foot-tall flying machine on the central Boeing Plaza square. This is where you see a changing kaleidoscope of aircraft from old to new and slow to fast. However, no aircraft I’ve ever seen in this location flies as fast, stands as tall, or is more unique than the Blue Origin rocket. From the billionaire-thick wallet of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos comes this space flight company that is competing with Space Exploration or SpaceX among others in the new era of private space companies.

Expand Post ...

Atol Light-Sport Aircraft Amphibian — Design and Production Update

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

"Coming to America" is a common refrain from light aircraft producers in some countries. Why? The obvious reason is that most designers perceive a huge market in the USA. Another is that shipping from the USA to other countries proves easier than shipping from their home countries. Other reasons also exist but those two are enough to decide in favor of the move.

One builder of a LSA seaplane is Atol Avion, based in Finland. They have been moving steadily toward approval, production, and sale of their Atol amphibian.

Anssi Rekula, co-founder of Avion and the director of sales said, "We have a lot of news and it’s centered on delivery of production airplanes. He enumerated:

  • We have received new investment to support our European certification, which is expected by the end of 2017.
  • We have established our North American operation in Brunswick, Maine.
  • We are scheduling customer demo flights in Finland as soon as the crew is back from Oshkosh 2017 where customers can see and fly the all-new cockpit design (images), and,
  • We have received our first order from Australia …so all is good and very positive.

Refreshed Design

"Atol's cockpit is totally newly designed and looks great," added Anssi. The long established tradition in aviation (and most industries) of adapting the good ideas of other designers shows in Atol's new MVP-like approach.

Anssi explained, "Atol's new articulating canopy retracts up and back, getting out of the way, allowing pilot and passenger to stand upright and access the cockpit from the front if desired, which makes docking and beaching easy. Our avionics retract with the canopy allowing them to be out of harm’s way, avoiding water spray. The seats are removable so when operating solo you can load up with gear to take advantage of our industry leading 600 pound useful load. Carbon fiber is accented with beautifully finished wood trim providing the feel of a classic automobile… it truly is striking."

Among LSA seaplanes a 600 pound useful load is also striking. Anssi explains how they achieve that, "The outer layer of our hull is Kevlar with cold-molded, foam-cored birch. This combination is extremely rugged, light and strong. We use fabric covered wings featuring Oratex. These can be lighter than carbon fiber with the added benefit of field repairable. This is a real plus for a seaplane."

“Finland has 188,000 lakes," said Anssi, "so we know the joys of water flying as well as the demands. Many of these lakes are remote and require range and reliability to access so we designed the Atol 650 for this environment.” Atol's 650 designation refers to 650 kilograms, the metric equivalent of FAA's 1,430 pound seaplane weight limit.

U.S. Production Site

Anssi introduced Paul Richards, Avion's official rep and president for Atol USA, Inc. "He will be in charge for fundraising and starting production for ATOL 650 LSA in Maine," noted Anssi.

"We think Atol USA is the best and fastest solution for us to be able to serve our North American customers. Our Rovaniemi factory in Finland (photo) will produce for the rest of the world and continue product development,” Anssi added.

Atol USA will produce the 650 at Brunswick Executive Airport (KBXM), site of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. A local development authority has created a manufacturing technology incubator and is "currently constructing an environmentally-controlled composites layup room, curing oven and paint booth designed to aviation standards and sized to accept wings, fuselages and other large structures. These complement our CNC machining center, welding shops, 3D printers and on-site Composites Engineering Research Lab," said development director Steve Levesque. "We make these assets available to companies throughout the State of Maine." The northeastern state has a long history with amphibious flight having been the home to Lake Aircraft for decades.

We expect to deliver these airframes beginning in the first quarter of 2019 and at a firm fixed price. What price? "Current pricing is $179,000 for delivery through 2018, although most of these positions are allocated so our open slots begin in 2019," explained Paul.

Want to know more? Review Atol's technical specifications here. Or, contact Paul at Paul.Richards@Atol.US or call 603-828-5373.

This video shows Atol in action:

Compress Post ...

“Coming to America” is a common refrain from light aircraft producers in some countries. Why? The obvious reason is that most designers perceive a huge market in the USA. Another is that shipping from the USA to other countries proves easier than shipping from their home countries. Other reasons also exist but those two are enough to decide in favor of the move. One builder of a LSA seaplane is Atol Avion, based in Finland. They have been moving steadily toward approval, production, and sale of their Atol amphibian. Anssi Rekula, co-founder of Avion and the director of sales said, “We have a lot of news and it’s centered on delivery of production airplanes. He enumerated: We have received new investment to support our European certification, which is expected by the end of 2017. We have established our North American operation in Brunswick, Maine. We are scheduling customer demo flights in Finland as soon as the crew is back from Oshkosh 2017 where customers can see and fly the all-new cockpit design (images), and, We have received our first order from Australia …so all is good and very positive.

Expand Post ...

Skonkwerks …an Ultralight Aircraft Tribute to an Aviation Pioneer

By Dan Johnson || 1 Comment

Update 8/17/17: See our video interview at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 on this aircraft (at bottom). —DJ

The aircraft you see in the photos is called "A Tribute to Alberto Santos Dumont." Do you know who that is?

In my conversations with a few other pilots, almost everyone knew the name ("vaguely") but not one remembered what that person did. Since the 24 Bis (that's what they call the example you see in the images) is a tribute to Alberto, let's take a second to recall his history.

Santos Dumont was a prolific aircraft designer working from 1898 to 1920. The first year was when he made his first balloon ascension, in Paris, on July 4th. Only six years later, not even three years after the Wright Brothers' famous Kitty Hawk flight, Alberto flew his 14 Bis on November 12th, 1906. This flight won him the accolade "first person to fly in Europe."

His first production aircraft weighed in at 242 pounds. Sound familiar? Maybe that's where FAA conjured the 254 pound empty weight of Part 103 aircraft, a category created 76 years later, in 1982.

On January 4th, 1910, Santos Dumont broke a flying wire and crashed. He never flew again. History doesn't record if his mishap was in a 19 Bis, or the 20, 21, or 22.

The Winchester Skonkwerks Ultralight Research and Development Facility — let's shorten that to Skonkwerks — represents a team from Larsen, Wisconsin. Skonkwerks honored Alberto by first building a 23 Bis and later the 24 Bis you see in nearby images taken at AirVenture Oshkosh 2017. The group describes itself as a "loosely knit organization of friends, flyers, and fanatics… tinkerers, builders, and bullsh###rs. We are engineers, designers, and dreamers hanging out in a little hangar screwing stuff together and making it fly."

The Plane that Never Was

Lee Fischer was the founder of this group of tinkerers that formed after he first showed a highly modified Robertson B1-RD. So much interest was shown in the Demoiselle style of aircraft that he decided to build a 23 Bis. At AirVenture 2015, his friend Mark Solper hinted that it would be "great project to build a pair of 'evolved' Demoiselles for a subsequent AirVenture." This suggestion led to the 24 Bis you see here.

Mark, Lee, and the whole merry band machined and welded the airframe and sewed Dacron wings, all the while learning both new skills and an appreciation for what Santos Dumont and his associates had done more than a hundred years earlier.

"You're not going to fly it, are you," Mark remembered his friends asking him? He did. Successfully. The aircraft you see was flown into Oshkosh. After flying airplanes from transport aircraft to ultralights and including a stint with FAA, Mark appears to be having the time of his life with this unusual winged contraption. He now serves on EAA's Ultralight & Light-Sport Aircraft Council.

Skonkwerks is an honoring nod to the famed Lockheed Martin Skunkworks, the latter becoming a term widely used in a generic sense to denote a group within an organization given a high degree of autonomy to work on advanced, sometimes secret projects. The Winchester Skonkwerks uses the name "in jest to project an aura of something outside of the norm being worked on, developed, or flown while staying in touch with meager roots."

With this article you see no website or phone numbers. This aircraft is not for sale but is certainly worthy of you traipsing down to Oshkosh's Fun Fly Zone (i.e., the Ultralight Area) to see for yourself.

Meanwhile, here's a few facts you might enjoy:

  • Weight — 240 pounds
  • Wing Span — 32 feet
  • Wing Area — 192 square feet
  • Never Exceed Speed — 45-50 mph
  • Stall Speed — 14-16
  • Engine — Rotax 447
  • Build Time — December 21, 2014 through June 21, 2015

Here's our video interview with Lee Fisher at Oshkosh. He's a funny fellow with a great project.

For lots more videos, please visit — and support! — Ultralight News…

Compress Post ...

Update 8/17/17: See our video interview at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 on this aircraft (at bottom). —DJ The aircraft you see in the photos is called “A Tribute to Alberto Santos Dumont.” Do you know who that is? In my conversations with a few other pilots, almost everyone knew the name (“vaguely”) but not one remembered what that person did. Since the 24 Bis (that’s what they call the example you see in the images) is a tribute to Alberto, let’s take a second to recall his history. Santos Dumont was a prolific aircraft designer working from 1898 to 1920. The first year was when he made his first balloon ascension, in Paris, on July 4th. Only six years later, not even three years after the Wright Brothers’ famous Kitty Hawk flight, Alberto flew his 14 Bis on November 12th, 1906. This flight won him the accolade “first person to fly in Europe.” His first production aircraft weighed in at 242 pounds.

Expand Post ...

Icon Updates: Crash Cause …yet Onward with Deliveries

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Icon Aircraft CEO Kirk Hawkins shared a computer depiction of events leading to the crash of an A5 flown by factory chief pilot, Jon Karkow. From A5's onboard black box Icon engineers assembled a second-by-second path for the ill-fated Light-Sport Aircraft. The data showed speed, power settings, flap position, and more.

According to the Napa Valley Register relating a National Transportation Safety Board report, "Pilot error caused the crash that killed two men in a small airplane on May 8, 2017 in Lake Berryessa."

NTSB wrote, "The pilot, Jon Karkow, of Icon Aircraft in Vacaville, was flying too low, and mistakenly entered a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain." The investigative agency said Karkow had taken off from the Nut Tree airport in Vacaville at 8:50 a.m. accompanied by passenger, Cargi Sever, a new Icon employee. The pilot intended to take Sever on a familiarization flight in the Icon A5 amphibious Light-Sport Aircraft, said NTSB.

"It is likely that the pilot mistakenly thought the canyon that he entered was a different canyon that led to the larger, open portion of the lake," NTSB stated. "Additionally, it is likely that, once the pilot realized there was no exit from the canyon, he attempted to perform a 180° left turn to exit. Based upon performance information, the airplane would have not been able to climb out of the rising terrain that surrounded the area, which led to his failure to maintain clearance from terrain."

Readers may examine the full NTSB report. That report states that the airplane appeared to be operating normally at the time of the accident, noted Icon. "A post‐accident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.”

“It’s been a challenging year for sure,” said Kirk. “It was always Jon’s dream to do a production aircraft that embodied the fun of flying in its purest form. The A5 represents that vision and we are committed to carrying it forward in his honor.” The company offered this thoughtful tribute to Karkow.

Customer Deliveries Begin

Entrepreneur Julian Gates enjoys his A5 in Southern California.

Icon reported delivering six  A5 LSA to customers in June and July. "These are the first customer deliveries the company has made since announcing a production delay last spring," said Icon. The owners are located in Washington, California, Montana, and Texas.

Early customer Mike Sievert of Seattle, Washington said, “A5 is so easy to use and Icon has gone above and beyond with the flight training, maintenance preparation, and the plane itself.”

Another new owner Julian Gates, reported flying his A5 to Lake Powell over the 4th of July weekend. “I admit I was a little concerned at first given the 3,600-foot lake elevation and temperatures over 100°F every day," Gates said. "While you can certainly feel the effect of the 8,000-foot density altitude, we flew the aircraft daily at gross weight off the water."

Mike Sievert is COO of T-Mobile in Seattle, Washington. He poses by his A5 with wife Suzanne.

New owner Bill Harris, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, took delivery on one A5 and has a second on order for the east coast. "A5 a blast to fly," he exclaimed. "It inspires me to explore in a way that no other airplane does.”

In my interview with Kirk Hawkins, I probed about Icon's plans for the future.

"We have completed our own state-of-the-art composites manufacturing facility in Mexico to build carbon fiber airframes at high rate." I asked if this was a wholly owned facility. Kirk confirmed that while a contractor built the facility, it will be operated by Icon officials that have experience working in the country. "The new facility is has started supplying airframes," Kirk said. "The first model year 2018 A5s with Icon-made airframes will be ready for delivery in September, 2017. A5 production will ramp up gradually for the remainder of 2017 and then accelerate rapidly throughout 2018."

Another entrepreneur Andy Wilcox flies his A5 on lakes in picturesque Montana.

I asked specifically about the 135-horsepower Rotax 915 iS to come out this fall. While Icon will look at the engine, Kirk expressed no current plans to convert to the new powerplant, saying his engineers are very pleased with the performance from the 100-horsepower 912 iS Sport. Both these ECU-monitored engines collect data that can help optimize use of the engine. They can point to problems ahead of time when the data is examined by the Austrian company.

That helps mechanical problems arise less often but as the Karkow accident shows, the pilot still plays the primary role in operating the aircraft safely.

Watch our 25-minute video flight report on A5.

Compress Post ...

Icon Aircraft CEO Kirk Hawkins shared a computer depiction of events leading to the crash of an A5 flown by factory chief pilot, Jon Karkow. From A5’s onboard black box Icon engineers assembled a second-by-second path for the ill-fated Light-Sport Aircraft. The data showed speed, power settings, flap position, and more. According to the Napa Valley Register relating a National Transportation Safety Board report, “Pilot error caused the crash that killed two men in a small airplane on May 8, 2017 in Lake Berryessa.” NTSB wrote, “The pilot, Jon Karkow, of Icon Aircraft in Vacaville, was flying too low, and mistakenly entered a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain.” The investigative agency said Karkow had taken off from the Nut Tree airport in Vacaville at 8:50 a.m. accompanied by passenger, Cargi Sever, a new Icon employee. The pilot intended to take Sever on a familiarization flight in the Icon A5 amphibious Light-Sport Aircraft, said NTSB.

Expand Post ...

Big to Small, Just Aircraft Pleases; Now, Check Out their Part 103 Ultralight Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || 4 Comments

If you know the Part 103 category of the FAA regulations, you know these are the lightest aircraft in aviation (that is, man-carrying aircraft; drones excepted).* After years of disappearing, Part 103 entries have come back more recently and at AirVenture Oshkosh 2017, we saw another.

This is the Just Aircraft Superlite, except that name was never certain and has (since Oshkosh) been taken off the list as a model name. Until they put a fresh name on it, I will call it Just 103.

Part 103, as most readers may know, requires no pilot certificate (really, none!). They also require no FAA registration or N-numbers. Since 1982, you need no aviation medical to fly one. Plus, they can be built ready-to-fly… or in kit form of any percentage. For 35 years now — the rule went effective in September of 1982 — Part 103 ultralight vehicles have been part of the aviation firmament.

I emphasized the term "vehicle" deliberately. In FAA's regulatory world, definitions are paramount and any "aircraft" must meet certain conditions. Those requirements vary depending on the aircraft size and use but certain classes, like drones and ultralights, are specifically not called "aircraft" so that the regulation can be simpler. Indeed, the entire Part 103 regulation can be printed on the front and back of a single sheet of business letter paper. Amazing!

Here is a design you get on rather in, sitting astride the forward fuselage for that true ultralight feel.

The category has also endured. Part 103 aircraft are single seaters as defined by that super-simple regulation. Two-place ultralights came later to allow proper training but that was supposed to be their sole purpose. When two seaters became airplanes for other than training, the move toward what became Light-Sport Aircraft was born… although that process took more than ten years.

However, LSA did emerge (in 2004) and took the spotlight, relegating ultralights to barns and the back of hangars. It appeared ultralights were gone for good. Not so!

In recent years we've seen increased life in Part 103 ultralights. Besides weight shift trikes or powered parachutes, you can choose three axis airplanes from U-Fly-It (Aerolite 103), Kolb (Firefly), Belite, Fisher Flying Products (multiple models), Hummel Aviation (Hummel Bird), Aeromarine-LSA (Zigolo), M-Squared (Breese SS), and possibly more that I am not recalling.

Now Comes Just

Polini if Italy's Thor 250 engine.

We don't know too much about Just 103 yet but it won't take long before we get plenty more. Designer Troy Woodland — of SuperSTOL fame — said he almost got the new bird in the air before Oshkosh and will certainly do so in the next few weeks. It should be market ready by end of year. From some folks I'd find that a rather bold promise but Troy has a proven track record of getting flying machines to market.

Up front, Troy mounted the Polini Thor 250 engine, which provides 37 horsepower at 7500 rpm. With an engine weight of barely over 40 pounds and the proper Part 103 airframe weight, this Thor engine should provide spirited performance. Fuel usage is very low; remember, these engines got popular on powered paragliders where the pilot carries engine and fuel on his or her back, so big gas tanks aren't needed.

Troy went with a boom tube to the tailplane to keep weight down and to maintain a genuine ultralight look. Readers who have followed this sector may recognize both the Capella Javelin and TEAM's AirBike. (Also see this Zlin airplane.)

The latter comparison is especially apt because this is one of those airplanes you get on rather than in. Pilots side astride the welded steel forward fuselage with their feet on the rudder pedals out in the breeze, although at a top allowed speed of 63 mph (55 knots), that breeze won't be particularly windy.

Troy indicated they have done all the analysis and much of the testing (wings are done even though they weren't brought to Oshkosh). He is sure it will make the empty weight challenge of 254 pounds.

Before it even flies, no price has been set, but with an engine price well under $4,000 and a simple airframe from a very established builder, it is reasonable to think Just 103 will be quite affordable. Stay tuned!

* I did not write Part 103 vehicles are the lightest powered aircraft as Part 103 also covers hang gliders and paraglider, which are commonly unpowered.

Compress Post ...

If you know the Part 103 category of the FAA regulations, you know these are the lightest aircraft in aviation (that is, man-carrying aircraft; drones excepted).* After years of disappearing, Part 103 entries have come back more recently and at AirVenture Oshkosh 2017, we saw another. This is the Just Aircraft Superlite, except that name was never certain and has (since Oshkosh) been taken off the list as a model name. Until they put a fresh name on it, I will call it Just 103. Part 103, as most readers may know, requires no pilot certificate (really, none!). They also require no FAA registration or N-numbers. Since 1982, you need no aviation medical to fly one. Plus, they can be built ready-to-fly… or in kit form of any percentage. For 35 years now — the rule went effective in September of 1982 — Part 103 ultralight vehicles have been part of the aviation firmament.

Expand Post ...

Update: Flight Design and its Popular CTLS Light-Sport Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

After more than a year, a resolution was reached for the airplane that topped the charts in the LSA space since Day One. Although Flight Design's CT-series was eclipsed in 2016 by CubCrafters (by a very slim margin), the aircraft remains well regarded and its many adherents are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief that the "reorganization" (what Americans might call a bankruptcy) has been resolved. All good!

(Read more about this reorganization here.)

During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017, longtime Flight Design USA representative Tom Peghiny sent news about the new owner of the brand. The crush of airshow activity let others beat us to this news, however, we will use our long history with this company to provide a more detailed report.

That Was Then

Flight Design, the German company that makes the CTLS, has been through the wringer in recent years with a series of reversals no one could have anticipated. After struggling through a combination of events — global economic slowdown; Russian saber rattling in Ukraine, where its main plant is located; and development projects consuming too many resources — Flight Design was forced into insolvency in 2016. Since then it has been operated at a low level of activity by a government-mandated receiver company, but the company was able to maintain the design's Special LSA acceptance in addition to supplying a few planes plus spare parts.

All the while, Flight Design principals were looking for new options for manufacturing the CT and obtaining financing for its production. The reasons above made it hard for the company to obtain the necessary funding to purchase the company’s assets, according to Peghiny. Therefore, a recent offer to purchase all the assets by Lift Holding, a German investment group, comes as welcome news for Flight Design.

This is Now

Tom explained, "The new company will be known as Flight Design General Aviation, GmbH. After concluding the sale of all major company assets to the Lift Holding investment group, Flight Design General Aviation will be based at a new and modern facility (photo) near the historic town of Eisenach in the Thuringia region of Germany.

“We have been working with the Lift folks for a year planning the comeback for the Flight Design brand and we are very excited about the developments for the future," Tom expressed. "Parts supply and support will improve and this also allows Flight Design to keep the engineering team intact. These people have a deep product knowledge plus it assures the quality management and operational safety monitoring will stay the same."

Lift is also the owner of the Rotorvox gyrocopter line. "Lift Holding will combine the technical expertise of Flight Design with their other aviation assets (Rotorvox) as part of Lift Air, GmbH. Both companies will be headquartered at the Kindel Airport (EDGE) near Eisenach." Lift Holding will assume all the assets of the former company and plans to produce the CT lineup.

The Flight Design European Design Organization — approved by regulatory agency, EASA — and the production site in Kherson, Ukraine as well as the design rights for all Flight Design products including the CT series are now secured with the German company’s investment.

Flight Design General Aviation (FDGA) will increase its spare parts inventory and product support. The new company will continue to produce assemblies in Ukraine, with licensed operator AeroJones Aviation also producing CT-series aircraft in China.

"We are delighted to be able to take over all of Flight Design's assets and are confident we will go forward as a world leader in the development and construction of light aircraft," said Sven Lindig, Managing Director of the Lindig Group.

FDGA has aircraft operating in 48 countries around the globe. The company will soon employ 20 employees in Germany — mostly highly qualified engineers and technicians — as well as about 100 manufacturing employees in Ukraine. Since the founding of the company in 1988 and the establishment of the Ukrainian production plant in 1993, the company has delivered over 1,800 aircraft.

"Flight Design has some unique products and experience in the production of all carbon-composite, very efficient light aircraft. We want to invest in development of those products and also achieve leadership in customer support," said Lars Joerges, the new Managing Director of FDGA.

Flight Design General Aviation also plans to continue development of the C4 four-place aircraft, although Tom Peghiny said the program would change to accommodate the efficiencies in a changing certification landscape in the United States and abroad, referring to the long-awaited Part 23 rewrite and its mirror regulation in Europe.

Tom indicated that FDGA will make a return to AirVenture for the 2018 event.

Compress Post ...

After more than a year, a resolution was reached for the airplane that topped the charts in the LSA space since Day One. Although Flight Design’s CT-series was eclipsed in 2016 by CubCrafters (by a very slim margin), the aircraft remains well regarded and its many adherents are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief that the “reorganization” (what Americans might call a bankruptcy) has been resolved. All good! (Read more about this reorganization here.) During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017, longtime Flight Design USA representative Tom Peghiny sent news about the new owner of the brand. The crush of airshow activity let others beat us to this news, however, we will use our long history with this company to provide a more detailed report. That Was Then Flight Design, the German company that makes the CTLS, has been through the wringer in recent years with a series of reversals no one could have anticipated.

Expand Post ...

Vickers Oshkosh Forum to Describe Progress toward Wave Light-Sport Aircraft Seaplane

By Dan Johnson || 2 Comments

A large format machine marks carbon fiber pieces for cutting.

Now that we are in the middle of winter, activity is brisk. Middle of winter!? Down under in New Zealand, residents are presently in the colder months of the year. Pilots in U.S. states currently sweating through summer may need a moment to ponder that.

New Zealand may be a long ways away but the Vickers Aircraft team building Wave are bringing their fascinating aircraft ever closer. As they work, they are gaining experience with new equipment used to build Wave LSA seaplanes.

"Our tooling is all in place now," said CEO Paul Vickers. "Initial parts are coming out of molds and they are matching the CAD files perfectly." Modern design, even of more affordable aircraft, are often fully created on computer work stations. The days of hand making a prototype are passed and the older way is nearly extinct.

Scanning the mold assures the final part will precisely match the original CAD file.

"We've also recently doubled the size of our facilities," added Paul. As the New Zealand company moves steadily toward initial production, design work is mostly complete and the translation of that computer effort has transitioned to initial fabrication.

"We have carbon fiber clean rooms to make or 'pull' parts from molds," said Paul. The combination of computer design and laser cutting of raw material allows a faster move to building parts and the magic of this modern method is components that are right the first time.

How do workers at Wave know the parts are right? The answer is more high tech equipment.

In the nearby photo, a lower wing skin mold is 3D scanned using a hand held instrument. The surface of the mold is verified to assure it precisely matches the CAD file. In the image you see a series of dots, which are stickers applied to the mold. The dots identify reference locations used by the hand held scanner to assist the worker.

Parts resulting from the CAD process lead to much faster production capability.

"We've digitally designed the aircraft and the scanning is a validation that the part matches the design," explained Steve Hamblin, an engineer with very applicable experience from another LSA company. Steve moved from the USA with his family to assist the Vickers Wave effort. Taking your family half way around the world shows a level of commitment to this highly-anticipated project.

Wave boasts many intriguing features and further distinguishes itself by being the first LSA seaplane planning to use the potent Titan X-340 engine from Continental Motors. With 180 horsepower, Wave should be a most enthusiastic performer.

As Icon continues laying the groundwork for serial production of their popular A5 (more than 1,500 orders have been placed, said Icon), Vickers has attracted great interest in his LSA seaplane of advanced design. Paul reports many customers have approached him, keen to know more. Typical of the lower-key way Vickers is conducting their development, the company does not report orders nor promise dates yet but that is not holding back interest from pilot consumers.

A sophisticated paint booth and related high tech tooling required Vickers to double the size of their production facility.

"We are fully funded and moving according to plan to get our Wave ready for production," observed Paul.

In addition to the primary task of preparing Wave for production, Vickers leadership and engineers are working on the Wave Pilot Operating Handbook, maintenance manuals, and additional documentation. All this will be needed when FAA later schedules a visit to approve the company. After changes a few years back, FAA has the option to perform a full company documents audit before a new Special LSA can gain agency acceptance. With an innovative design like Wave, FAA inspectors will surely take the option.

"We a building a company as well as a plane," stressed Paul Vickers!

Want to know more?

The many who have expressed an interest in Vickers Wave have a golden opportunity to find out more… soon. You can hear the latest on this impressive design directly from the source.

"We received confirmation from EAA on the time slot for our forum and meet & greet at AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin," said Paul.

Vickers Aircraft will be at Forum Stage 2 at the Forums Plaza (Knapp St.) from 1:00-2:15 pm on Tuesday, July 25th. Here's a show grounds map to guide you.

"Although the aircraft will not be present, we will be giving a short presentation about Vickers Aircraft and the Wave," said Paul. This provides an excellent time to meet with a few of Vickers' key people, including Founder and CEO, Paul Vickers.

Compress Post ...

Now that we are in the middle of winter, activity is brisk. Middle of winter!? Down under in New Zealand, residents are presently in the colder months of the year. Pilots in U.S. states currently sweating through summer may need a moment to ponder that. New Zealand may be a long ways away but the Vickers Aircraft team building Wave are bringing their fascinating aircraft ever closer. As they work, they are gaining experience with new equipment used to build Wave LSA seaplanes. “Our tooling is all in place now,” said CEO Paul Vickers. “Initial parts are coming out of molds and they are matching the CAD files perfectly.” Modern design, even of more affordable aircraft, are often fully created on computer work stations. The days of hand making a prototype are passed and the older way is nearly extinct. “We’ve also recently doubled the size of our facilities,” added Paul.

Expand Post ...

Sonex Homecoming 2017 and Lots of New Products for Kit Aircraft Builders

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

If you seek affordable aircraft (like most readers), then you already know Sonex Aircraft. If you have somehow missed this iconic brand, you are in for a treat. Great planes, nice people, and more enthusiasm than an airshow crowd watching an aerobatic performance.

The only light aircraft producer based right at the home field of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Sonex parlays their co-location with the big event to good advantage.

Sonex will again hold its Open House and Homecoming Fly-In the day before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on Sunday, July 23rd, at their factory headquarters on the east side of Wittman Regional Airport. "Our 2017 event marks the 14th annual gathering for customer-built aircraft at the Sonex facility," noted the company in a pre-show announcement. "The event runs from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and concludes with a mass taxi 'arrival' of customer and factory aircraft across Wittman field to AirVenture grounds (photo)."

This year’s Homecoming Fly-In will feature the first customer-built SubSonex Personal Jet in-attendance, as builder John Corneal will be bringing his SubSonex to AirVenture from Petersburg, Pennsylvania. The jet-powered Sonex, called SubSonex, has attracted a lot of attention. Learn how a Private Pilot can fly a jet in the video below.

More announcements from Sonex

Sonex will also present the tricycle gear version of the new B-model Sonex for the first time. The B-models now include the Sonex, Waiex, and Xenos motorglider models but to-date all have been taildraggers. If that's not your experience, Sonex now has you covered with tricycle gear.

After hearing from customers, the company has also created a mount system to accommodate the very popular Rotax 9-series engines. "Rotax Attach Bars can also be used for custom Rotax 912 engine mounts on any experimental aircraft," the company reported. "Rotax Attach Bars eliminate the need for expensive and complex Rotax ring mounts and Rotax mount rubbers. As a bed mount system, AeroConversions Rotax Attach Bars bolt directly to Rotax 912-series engines and are designed to use simple AeroConversions AeroVee Shock Mount Rubbers, eliminating the complex shock mount geometry found in other Rotax bed mount systems."

Even though Sonex employees are doing double duty during AirVenture, the company conducts daily factory tours during the event. However, if you aren't going to Oshkosh or don't want to tear yourself away from the show, you can catch our 30-minute-long factory tour with General Manager Mark Schaible.

Sonex Aircraft supplies a series of sport aircraft — Sonex, Waiex, and Onex sport planes, the Xenos sport motorglider, and the SubSonex Personal Jet — as well as their own AeroVee engine line. "Our aircraft offer outstanding performance in an easy to build, easy to fly kit package that can be purchased and completed with full technical support at an unrivaled price."

Show goers can check out all things Sonex at exhibit space 622 in the North Aircraft Display Area, where most light kit-built aircraft can be found. If you can't wait, check this short video packed with details.

Compress Post ...

If you seek affordable aircraft (like most readers), then you already know Sonex Aircraft. If you have somehow missed this iconic brand, you are in for a treat. Great planes, nice people, and more enthusiasm than an airshow crowd watching an aerobatic performance. The only light aircraft producer based right at the home field of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Sonex parlays their co-location with the big event to good advantage. Sonex will again hold its Open House and Homecoming Fly-In the day before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on Sunday, July 23rd, at their factory headquarters on the east side of Wittman Regional Airport. “Our 2017 event marks the 14th annual gathering for customer-built aircraft at the Sonex facility,” noted the company in a pre-show announcement. “The event runs from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and concludes with a mass taxi ‘arrival’ of customer and factory aircraft across Wittman field to AirVenture grounds (photo).” This year’s Homecoming Fly-In will feature the first customer-built SubSonex Personal Jet in-attendance, as builder John Corneal will be bringing his SubSonex to AirVenture from Petersburg, Pennsylvania.

Expand Post ...

Kitfox Is Bringing 2017 Speedster to EAA AirVenture

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

One of the stalwarts of the light aircraft sector is Kitfox, a brand known widely around the globe. First flown in November 1984 by Dan Denney, nearly 5,000 aircraft in various models have been produced. Nearly all were built from kits but the company also achieved Special Light-Sport Aircraft status allowing flight instruction for compensation.

Kitfox, like all that appear somewhat similar, evolved from the original Avid Flyer by Dean Wilson in 1983. The Kitfox brand went through various owners after Denney sold and today resides with John McBean though the company has always hailed from Idaho.

"Working from the very successful and robust Kitfox S7 Super Sport, we created a clipped wing, aerodynamically refined, and superbly stylized taildragger Speedster that is guaranteed to get the heart rate up to redline," said McBean in news announced just before Airventure 2017 is set to begin (next Monday, July 25th).

Using the fuel injected Rotax 912iS, the Idaho company said its 2017 Kitfox Speedster "is significantly larger and faster than its earlier namesake, with a great useful load and excellent short field performance." They added, "Handling can only be described as 'acro-like.'"

If you are lucky enough to visit AirVenture this year, you can see the new model at Kitfox's show site (634 & 635) in what's called the North Aircraft Display Area where you can find most of the light kit-build aircraft companies. Typical of productions by McBean's present-day Kitfox, expect to see a finely finished flying machine.

The annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh is already underway and I'll be onsite to capture more stories and lots of fresh video. Speaking of video, here's ours when Kitfox first introduced the 912 iS into their airframe.

Compress Post ...

One of the stalwarts of the light aircraft sector is Kitfox, a brand known widely around the globe. First flown in November 1984 by Dan Denney, nearly 5,000 aircraft in various models have been produced. Nearly all were built from kits but the company also achieved Special Light-Sport Aircraft status allowing flight instruction for compensation. Kitfox, like all that appear somewhat similar, evolved from the original Avid Flyer by Dean Wilson in 1983. The Kitfox brand went through various owners after Denney sold and today resides with John McBean though the company has always hailed from Idaho. “Working from the very successful and robust Kitfox S7 Super Sport, we created a clipped wing, aerodynamically refined, and superbly stylized taildragger Speedster that is guaranteed to get the heart rate up to redline,” said McBean in news announced just before Airventure 2017 is set to begin (next Monday, July 25th).

Expand Post ...

Workhorse Dragonfly Rancher Takes on Heavier Duties — Aerial Work LSA?

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Pitman Air recently gained FAA acceptance for a work-capable aircraft called Dragonfly Rancher.

You may not know this Dragonfly airplane but I do. Very well. Since before it was called Dragonfly, I followed the development of this unusual aircraft by Bobby Bailey. You probably don't know him either but he's one of the most inventive light aircraft designers. A man of very few words, he prefers to create than to talk about it.

Dragonfly is an important icon in the hang gliding community. This aircraft was purpose-built to tow hang gliders aloft. At a place near Sun 'n Fun called Wallaby Ranch, this happens nearly every day of the year. Proprietor Malcolm Jones founded "the Ranch" in 1992. He has a fleet of Dragonflys that he uses to tow up experts, students learning to fly, or almost anyone wanting to get an introduction to hang gliding.

Dragonfly has been fantastically productive, towing so many thousands of flights that I doubt they could be accurately counted. Malcolm alone reports doing more than 30,000 flights with a student …safely, by the way.

Some Dragonfly pilots working at the Ranch have more than 10,000 hours logged in Dragonflys alone. All that is achieved in an intense, full-power flight towing a hang gliding on a 200 or so foot line to 2,500 feet then releasing the glider, abruptly powering back to idle thrust, and diving madly for the ground to snatch another waiting pilot into the air. A round-trip takes literally minutes so think about how many takeoffs and landings were involved for a pilot to log 10,000 hours doing so.

During some competition events, I have seen 11 Dragonflys doing this drill. It is nearly mind-blowing to watch a collection of these awkward-looking aerial tractors whizzing this way and that in an utterly chaotic-looking yet amazingly well-choreographed ballet of tow planes and glider pilots. You literally have to see it to belief it. My words to describe it pale in comparison.

Dragonfly Grows Up

Dragonfly was designed to fly slowly. A hang glider cannot be towed safely at speeds much above 30-35 mph. Dragonfly can stall below 20 mph. It has elephant-ear-sized flaperons, a large empennage, and Vne was 55 mph on the first models. As I said: purpose-built to tow hang gliders.

What else might it do? Well, plenty perhaps, and especially so should FAA allow LAMA to coordinate with industry for a test period to see if Light-Sport Aircraft can become working aircraft. More on that another time.

Ed Pitman, a longtime hang glider pilot turned aircraft manufacturer, recently gained approval for a Dragonfly Rancher model as a Special LSA. "Got both 900 & 582 series Dragonfly Ranchers approved SLSA yesterday," he wrote, taking after Bobby in being frugal with words. I pried a few more from him.

"We reworked the Dragonfly to make it more pilot friendly to the GA market and targeted farmers and ranchers, by making it a tax-deductible piece of farm equipment." Under current regs a farmer can use such a flying machine for his own fields. "However," Ed added, "second and third world countries are interested in it for commercial crop dusting."

Every U.S. state is different when it comes to aerial application, said Ed. "Here in California, a land owner is allowed to spray their own property from the air with a standard Applicators Permit.  Dragonfly Rancher is a bonafide piece of farm and ranch equipment."

"Vne on Dragonfly was 66 mph (upped from those earlier models) and Rancher goes further, to 88 mph Vne." The newly beefed-up Dragonfly can carry enough payload to do micro spraying, which — if you don't know as I did not — is a legitimate method of application in some situations.

"We increased the gross weight to 1,200 pounds because we will be putting it on floats, also," said Ed. "Bobby re-schemed the wings, which only gained 2.2 pounds each to get to that higher gross weight." The all-up weight went from 992 pounds (450 kg) earlier.

I asked Ed to explain what they did to bump gross and Vne speed. "We reduced rudder pressure, added electric flaperons, reinforced the main gear, and improved longitudinal stability of the Dragonfly," he clarified. A nose cone and windscreen reduces fatigue for a working pilot. Yet Dragonfly remains "fun to fly," he asured. "It actually performs better with flaps up in aerobatics — spins and loops — and still does a controllable spin."

"With floats it can be used for Introductory Flights as a SLSA," added Ed. Training pilots for towing required a second seat, though it is commonly, and easily, removed along with the aft joystick and pedals.

Interested in micro spraying? "My website has tax calculator link to see federal tax benefits," reported Ed. (calculator is another website) Also some videos.

Get more info on this hard-working aircraft on Ed's website, then click Rancher. Go here to see more of Dragonfly's history.

Compress Post ...

You may not know this Dragonfly airplane but I do. Very well. Since before it was called Dragonfly, I followed the development of this unusual aircraft by Bobby Bailey. You probably don’t know him either but he’s one of the most inventive light aircraft designers. A man of very few words, he prefers to create than to talk about it. Dragonfly is an important icon in the hang gliding community. This aircraft was purpose-built to tow hang gliders aloft. At a place near Sun ‘n Fun called Wallaby Ranch, this happens nearly every day of the year. Proprietor Malcolm Jones founded “the Ranch” in 1992. He has a fleet of Dragonflys that he uses to tow up experts, students learning to fly, or almost anyone wanting to get an introduction to hang gliding. Dragonfly has been fantastically productive, towing so many thousands of flights that I doubt they could be accurately counted.

Expand Post ...