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Flight Design CT Super Sport – Midwest LSA 2019
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News & Video on Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot Kits, and Ultralight Aircraft

Welcome!

By Dan Johnson || 42 Comments

The years biggest shows, Sun ‘n Fun, Aero Friedrichshafen, and AirVenture Oshkosh are all history for 2020. As we look beyond them, we see the Midwest LSA Expo in September and Deland Showcase in November. Until then, enjoy the best stories we can find plus a growing library of 3-minute videos on the ByDanJohnson YouTube channel.

Plus, you can find nearly 1,000 LSA and Sport Pilot kit videos featuring Dan on Videoman Dave’s popular YouTube channel + view hundreds of our best videos archived here in a searchable format.

Thanks for your visit. We genuinely appreciate those of you who have become members!

The years biggest shows, Sun ‘n Fun, Aero Friedrichshafen, and AirVenture Oshkosh are all history for 2020. As we look beyond them, we see the Midwest LSA Expo in September and Deland Showcase in November. Until then, enjoy the best stories we can find plus a growing library of 3-minute videos on the ByDanJohnson YouTube channel. Plus, you can find nearly 1,000 LSA and Sport Pilot kit videos featuring Dan on Videoman Dave’s popular YouTube channel + view hundreds of our best videos archived here in a searchable format. Thanks for your visit. We genuinely appreciate those of you who have become members!

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Affordable Aviation and Low Interest Rates Combine to Get Pilots Aloft

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

This website stresses affordable aviation and that sometimes generates questions or complaints about the cost of modern Light-Sport Aircraft. All but a few pilots have to watch a budget and figure how they can acquire an aircraft of interest.

I can think of three worthy methods to fly what you want: 1️⃣ Buy a used LSA, either Special or Experimental — many great choices are available and a growing number of professional sellers can help you connect to an especially good used model and then provide back-up after the sale. 2️⃣ Shared purchase or expenses — where you help an aircraft-owning friend with his cost of ownership in return for access (this is what I do). 3️⃣ Kit-built Sport Pilot certificate-eligible aircraft — especially if you are handy and have space, but even if you are inexperienced or don’t want to invest the time, many kits demand less hours and lots of them have Quick-Build options that sharply reduce the hours you must expend.

On the other hand, “new is nice” is a common expression for a reason. That new airplane smell and knowing you are the first owner is as satisfying as being able to customize the aircraft to your liking.

Financing — The American Way

While cars are much less expensive thanks to their high volume production, the average price of a new car is about $38,000 these days. A superbly-equipped Colt goes for $167,000.

To make their aircraft affordable to more pilots, Texas Aircraft Manufacturing said it has arranged “a new financing program for its Colt-S and Colt-SL Special LSA.” Fly-Away Financing is the result of a partnership between Texas Aircraft and Hondo, Texas-based Community National Bank. According to the company, “Prospective aircraft buyers can now access an online form to calculate their down payment, loan terms and total monthly payments.” Contact Texas Aircraft for details.

“Imagine owning a brand-new, fully-equipped Colt-SL for about the same cost as a much older, less advanced, pre-owned aircraft,” says Texas Aircraft CEO Matheus Grande. “Our Fly-Away Financing offer doesn’t just make it affordable; Community National Bank has streamlined the loan approval process to make it as easy as possible.”

I have written about Colt and you can see the article or a video (below) to learn more. Since it arrived on the scene in 2017 Texas Aircraft has been based at South Texas Regional Airport (HDO) in Hondo, Texas. With its 100-horsepower Rotax 912 ULS engine, Dynon SkyView HDX EFIS instrument combined with Dynon autopilot, whole-airframe emergency parachute, and deluxe leather interior, Colt is priced at $167,000.

The Texas Aircraft posed for a celebratory shot after winning FAA acceptance for their new Light-Sport Aircraft.

Before you say you can buy a house for that sum (you cannot in most places), remember all aircraft — not just Light-Sport and not only Texas Aircraft’s offering — are basically hand-built airplanes carefully produced in low volumes. These are not robotically-built automobiles rolling off the line by the hundreds of thousands per year. Ford builds more F-150 pickup trucks every year than all the airplanes that exist in the entire world by far (about 900,000 units in 2019 alone — and for an average price approaching half of the Texas Colt’s list price).

In addition, while government agencies monitor what auto companies do, they don’t perform detailed audits and demand regular maintenance on anything remotely like what airplane manufacturers must endure. Given that sizable difference, it stands to reason airplane costs will be much higher.

“With the variety of special Fly-Away Financing rates we can offer,” said Texas Aircraft, “pilots can own a brand-new Colt-SL equipped with touchscreen avionics, digital autopilot, airframe parachute, leather upholstery, and custom paint for under $1,200 per month.” (See detail and specifications below.)

The first Colt delivery went to Florida and is shown in Florida Gators team colors.

Let’s crush some numbers. An average-priced new car will run $500-600 a month, depending on credit worthiness and other factors. That will be for a six or seven year loan. Colt will cost about twice as much per month and for about twice as long, but the retail price is more than four times higher, so it’s not unreasonable to say the two data sets compare well.

The first Colt delivery went to Florida and is shown in Florida Gators team colors.

Most people who finance are primarily concerned about the monthly payment and how they can manage that figure along with the other living expenses. Yet another factor looms large in this consideration.

Light-Sport Aircraft, now on the market for more than 15 years, have proven to have reasonably good resale value. It is pointless to state percentage here as this would vary for each airplane and situation but a new LSA like Colt is very likely to have 50% of its value or more when it is fully paid off. You cannot say that about your car and this valuation difference is significant.

The bottom line: Financing a Colt or other LSA can be very approachable and may fit your budget. Best of all, you get the full “New is nice” treatment and you can be the first to fly your brand new Colt.

Colt Equipment & Detail

  • Maximum Speed at Sea Level: 119 KIAS
  • Cruise Speed at 75% power: 105 KIAS
  • Semi-cantilever, high-wing design
  • All aviation-grade aluminum airframe with all solid metal rivets
  • Wide cabin with welded Chromoly passenger safety cell
  • Four-point passenger safety harnesses
  • Airframe ballistic parachute system
  • Dynon 10” SkyView HDX touchscreen display with Synthetic Vision with 3D graphics
  • Dynon Mode-S Transponder with ADS-B Out/In and TIS traffic
  • Dynon WAAS enabled GPS Receiver
  • Dynon digital autopilot with Level Button
  • Dynon Electronic Engine Monitoring System
  • Wholly manufactured in Texas

Financing Costs:

  • Purchase price: $167,500
  • 5.75% interest rate
  • 15% down payment
  • 15-year term payment of $1,182.30 per month
  • 15-year term subject to approval

Compress Post ...

This website stresses affordable aviation and that sometimes generates questions or complaints about the cost of modern Light-Sport Aircraft. All but a few pilots have to watch a budget and figure how they can acquire an aircraft of interest. I can think of three worthy methods to fly what you want: 1️⃣ Buy a used LSA, either Special or Experimental — many great choices are available and a growing number of professional sellers can help you connect to an especially good used model and then provide back-up after the sale. 2️⃣ Shared purchase or expenses — where you help an aircraft-owning friend with his cost of ownership in return for access (this is what I do). 3️⃣ Kit-built Sport Pilot certificate-eligible aircraft — especially if you are handy and have space, but even if you are inexperienced or don’t want to invest the time, many kits demand less hours and lots of them have Quick-Build options that sharply reduce the hours you must expend.

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Rare & Beautiful — Ekolot’s Elf Single Seat Motorglider Earns Special Light-Sport Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || 2 Comments

Welcome to the newest Special Light-Sport Aircraft …except that it isn’t so new(1). Indeed, we’ve seen the Ekolot Elf for a few years in this country. Here’s what I wrote on its introduction in 2017.

I was immediately drawn to Elf for two reason: One, I love soaring flight, which represents one of the most enjoyable challenges I’ve found in flying. “Hooking” a thermal and riding it thousands of feet upwards with the engine off or idling is not only magical; it’s also a good skill development exercise. Two, Elf was initially promoted as a Part 103, which I believe is aviation’s most charming — and certainly least-regulated — segment. Low prices, no pilot license required, no N-numbers, no medical of any kind …well, no wonder Part 103 aircraft are selling so well the last few years.

In Germany they have the “120-Kilogram Class,” meaning airplanes that weight no more than 264 pounds (very similar to the U.S. Part 103 at 254 pounds). A leanly-built Elf can qualify for 120-Class, but configured the way many Americans will want it, it does not quite meet Part 103, so importer Krzysztof “Kris” Siuba of Ekolot America worked with the Poland producer to earn Special LSA approval for this shapely single seater.

Long-Winged KR-010 Elf

A brief glance at Elf tells you it does not look like most American Part 103 aircraft, which are commonly tube-and-rag-type configurations thought necessary to stay within the tight weight constraints of Part 103. Yet in Poland, like many European countries, sailplane building is a substantial industry so skilled engineers and technicians are plentiful to create and build with composites.

This long, slender, cantilevered wings draws me in like a bees to honey. If it does the same for you, this is one sleek choice. Surprisingly, it won’t cost an arm and leg. In fact, the kit KR-010 is base priced at $39,000 plus a shipping fee(2). Elf is quite complete for this price tag but you can bid it up into the $40,000s by adding an airframe parachute and com radio.

As Kris describes the single seater: “KR-01A Elf is a full composite single seat SLSA that operates like a motorglider. It uses Parabeam® vinyl-ester resins composite material resulting in an amazing empty weight of 264 pounds, to qualify for the German 120-KG Class.”

“Elf was designed by Jerzy Krawcyk of Ekolot by utilizing the early work of Slovenian-American Alex Strojnikun,” explained Kris. “Elf features removable cantilever wings, cockpit under bubble canopy with tricycle fixed landing gear. The power-plant is a two-stroke engine with aft-folding composite propeller blades and can be equipped with ballistic parachute.”

The producer of Elf and the also-very-handsome Topaz plus another model named Junior comes from PPHU Ekolot, a Polish manufacturer based in the city of Krosno. Formed in 1995 by director Henryk Slowik, a successful Polish business man, the chief designer is Jerzy Krawczyk, an aeronautical engineer who graduated from Warsaw Polytechnics – Aircraft Design and has 35 years of experience in designing aircraft.

Headquartered in DeKalb, Illinois, Kris operates NIU Group doing business as Ekolot America,
the distributor and importer for Ekolot.

Tech Specs for KR-010 Elf:

  • Wing Span — 35.2 feet
  • Wing Area — 113 square feet
  • Length — 17.9 feet
  • Height — 6.8 feet
  • Empty Weight (no parachute) — 264 pounds
  • Gross Weight — 551 pounds
  • Cruise Speed — 69 knots (79 mph) (3)
  • Never-Exceed Speed — 80 knots (92 mph)
  • Stall Speed — 29.7 knots (34 mph) (3)
  • Climb Rate — approximately 750 feet per minute
  • Takeoff Roll — 330 feet
  • Landing Roll — 165 feet
  • Powerplant — Polini Thor 200 HF (High Flow) producing 30 horsepower at 8,100 rpm
  • Fuel Capacity — approximately 7 gallons
  • Fuel Burn Rate — 1.05 gallons per hour

Enjoy this short video showing Elf as Kris first introduced it at Sebring 2017.

Note (1) — Elf won FAA acceptance as a Special LSA and is listed on the agency’s website as well as our SLSA List.
Note (2) — Elf is available in two wingspans. The “Self-launching motorglider” has 35 foot span. The “Airplane” version has 30.8 feet of span and is $4,000 less expensive.
Note (3) — While this figure is slightly high for a U.S. Part 103, it might be changed via prop selection. Likewise stall is slightly high but Elf is available as a Special LSA.

Compress Post ...

Welcome to the newest Special Light-Sport Aircraft …except that it isn’t so new(1). Indeed, we’ve seen the Ekolot Elf for a few years in this country. Here’s what I wrote on its introduction in 2017. I was immediately drawn to Elf for two reason: One, I love soaring flight, which represents one of the most enjoyable challenges I’ve found in flying. “Hooking” a thermal and riding it thousands of feet upwards with the engine off or idling is not only magical; it’s also a good skill development exercise. Two, Elf was initially promoted as a Part 103, which I believe is aviation’s most charming — and certainly least-regulated — segment. Low prices, no pilot license required, no N-numbers, no medical of any kind …well, no wonder Part 103 aircraft are selling so well the last few years. In Germany they have the “120-Kilogram Class,” meaning airplanes that weight no more than 264 pounds (very similar to the U.S.

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Amphibian Light-Sport Aircraft Seamax Continues to Log Deliveries, Now for IFR

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Special LSA seaplane maker, Seamax Aircraft, announced, “This week [we] delivered the first Seamax M-22 aircraft designed with IFR (Instrument Flying Rules) capability. The delivery was completed at DeLand Municipal Airport in Florida (home to the Deland Showcase).”

“Following a recent certification process with extensive inspection of its new factory,” the company reported, “Seamax’s R&D team have worked to raise the bar bringing state-of-the-art technologies to the M-22. The company has heard customers’ requests and accepted the challenge to add new capabilities to the Seamax M-22.” One of those requests was from an experienced pilot seeking equipment to file for flight in the IFR system.

The newest buyer is Todd Lang, a Captain for a major U.S. airline and a combat veteran fighter pilot with 40 years of aviation experience. With more than 11,000 hours logged and a logbook full of ratings including a CFII (Certified Flight Instructor Instrument) certificate, Lang is ready to enjoy his Seamax but he also wants to do instruction with it.

Shalom Confessor (L) and new Seamax owner, Todd Lang (R).

He requested the company build his plane with autopilot and all instrumentation required for IFR flight. Seamax factory added two Garmin G3X screens with a Garmin G5 digital backup, a three-axis autopilot, a Garmin 175 GPS, Angle of Attack indicator, and other avionics hardware including ADS-B in and out.

“As an LSA with IFR capability, Seamax M-22 makes an excellent and efficient trainer for operators and trainees who want to add instrument hours at a low cost,” Seamax Aircraft expressed.

Captain Lang said, “I know the LSA concept is to lower the entry requirements for new pilots. Configuring the airplane for day VFR-only makes this possible.

“But as these pilots gain experience, don’t we want them to keep learning? In my case, I’m a CFII, and my daughter has her Private Pilot certificate. She would like to have an instrument rating, but she doesn’t want to go rent an airplane if we are going to purchase an airplane. When I made the decision to purchase the Seamax, I probably would not have spent the money strictly for water fun. With the IFR option, we can go to the lake and have fun then shoot an approach when we come back.” (See Captain Lang’s impressive bio at the end.)

“I have been flying for 40 years,” Lang continued, “and I’ve always wanted to own my own airplane. Over the years I have looked at a lot of airplanes, but I never reached a motivation level to actually write a check. The older airplanes and flying from A to B just never inspired me and with a family of four, I was always looking at four-seaters.” Then the situation changed.

“I had a paradigm shift when I saw a Light-Sport seaplane with [the latest] avionics,” Lang noted. Since his children are now adults, he doesn’t need four seats. “In fact, some one-on-one time with my family members sounded nice,” he added.

While he acknowledged “several very nice amphibious airplanes are available in the market, but [the others were not] for me. Seamax stood out with its clean, polished look and very light weight. We also wanted the folding wing option and that one feature eliminated some other choices.

“We plan to do most of our operations on freshwater lakes,” Lang explained, “but occasionally take a trip to the Bahamas or the Keys and Seamax seems like it would stand up to the saltwater a little better with very few metal parts exposed.

I’m embracing the whole “low and slow” concept. Going to the lake is a blast.” That’s not all that motivated Todd.

“As a history fan,” Lang went on, “I’m also thinking about following Lewis and Clark’s trail, or the Oregon trail.” He sees the Seamax as about perfect for this kind of adventure. “It may have taken me 40 years but I think I have found my dream plane!”

Let’s get back to that part of the announcement that speaks about IFR flying.

Really? IFR in a LSA?

The elephant in the room with our title is the short ending …”Now for IFR.” As soon as Seamax in the USA posted notice of this delivery on social media, LSA enthusiasts began to weigh in on the IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) claim. I have omitted their names as I did not seek permission to use their comments.

Todd Lang’s IFR Seamax is parked in front of the brand-new terminal building at the DeLand Airport (KDED).

A friend in Minnesota wrote, “It is my understanding that a LSA cannot get certification to fly in actual IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions …which roughly means in the clouds) in the USA.” A reply said, “That is incorrect.”

The reply to the first comment is correct in that FAA has not specifically disallowed IFR in Light-Sport Aircraft. But…

An industry aircraft representative wrote, “An SLSA cannot fly in IMC legally. An ELSA can fly in IMC, with proper equipment. A few SLSA are allowed because the Pilot Operating Handbook allows it and earned “certification” back in the mid-2000s. Technically, a LSA isn’t certified, so no, it won’t ever be [considered] ‘IFR certified.'”

He is right in that LSA are not “certified.” They are “accepted” by FAA as complying to the ASTM standards. Speaking of which…

A longtime expert with years of experience working on ASTM committees wrote, “Please refer to F37 standards on SLSA. [F37 is the committee designation for ASTM people working on standards for Light-Sport Aircraft.] The aircraft can fly in IFR but not into IMC. This limitation allows for instrument training. FAA has no opinion on it as this is part of the standards that the OEM states in the 8130-15 document [the FAA form used by manufacturers to declare their aircraft complies with all ASTM standards]. If the person wants to build the aircraft, assuming it can be an Experimental Amateur-Built aircraft, they [must fly with] a Private Pilot [or higher] certificate with instrument rating and a correctly-equipped plane. Then it can be flown IFR with no restrictions.”

Another correct response, yet all these accurate comments still don’t reveal the whole story.

A further conundrum about IFR in LSA is that no express prohibition is stated in the regulations. The restriction comes from ASTM in a standard document that FAA subsequently accepted, giving it the weight of regulation. However, the ELSA option (as used by Bristell and others) appears a viable workaround, but will prevent any use of that aircraft for paid flight instruction, although nothing prevents Captain Lang from teaching his daughter or other persons in a not-for-hire arrangement. Also for the record, any suitably equipped Amateur-Built Experimental can fly IFR and IMC. Plus, as it turns out, even the Cessna 172 often flown in IFR and sometimes in IMC never went through any particular process to prove it in that environment. So… why not LSA?

I have written a lot about IFR in Light-Sport Aircraft. If you want to know more on this subject follow this link to a series of articles.

Finally, you can watch my short movie about Seamax or a longer review of Seamax produced and published by The Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel.

Captain Todd Lang Bio:

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Todd Lang is a combat veteran fighter pilot with 40 years of aviation experience. He has logged more than 11,000 flight hours including combat time over Iraq during Operation Northern Watch and Operation Southern Watch. He is a CFI, CFII, MEI and has been an instructor pilot in the F-16, OV-10, T-38 and the Boeing-727. Currently, he is an international Boeing-767 Captain for Delta Air Lines.

He entered the Air Force in 1984 after earning an aviation management bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University where he was the Corps Commander of the Air Force ROTC Program. Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Lang also holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He was the Overall Top Gun of the 8th Fighter Wing, the 35th Fighter Squadron and the 309th Fighter Squadron. He was a finalist for the USAF Thunderbirds and accompanied the team on the “Thunder over the Pacific” tour.

His combat-mission ready F-16 assignments included Homestead Air Force Base, Florida; Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea; Luke AFB, Arizona; and Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma. He served as an OV-10 Forward Air Controller (Airborne) at Osan AB, Republic of Korea, and Wheeler AFB, Hawaii. During this time he also served as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (previously known as a Ground Forward Attack Controller) and Battalion Air Liaison Officer at Camp Red Cloud, Republic of Korea; Camp Casey, Republic of Korea and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster and the Aerial Achievement Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster. He retired from the Air Force as the commander of Detachment 1, 138th Operations Group at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In this position, he was the senior U.S. Air Force Representative at Fort Sill leading the cooperative efforts of Air Force Integration training to the U.S. Army’s Fires Center. He was awarded the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara Medal for his leadership at Fort Sill and won the Golden Quill Award for the article “JFO Sustainment: A Critical Requirement” published in the “Fires Journal, Joint Fires Today and Maneuver Support” magazine.

Compress Post ...

Special LSA seaplane maker, Seamax Aircraft, announced, “This week [we] delivered the first Seamax M-22 aircraft designed with IFR (Instrument Flying Rules) capability. The delivery was completed at DeLand Municipal Airport in Florida (home to the Deland Showcase).” “Following a recent certification process with extensive inspection of its new factory,” the company reported, “Seamax’s R&D team have worked to raise the bar bringing state-of-the-art technologies to the M-22. The company has heard customers’ requests and accepted the challenge to add new capabilities to the Seamax M-22.” One of those requests was from an experienced pilot seeking equipment to file for flight in the IFR system. The newest buyer is Todd Lang, a Captain for a major U.S. airline and a combat veteran fighter pilot with 40 years of aviation experience. With more than 11,000 hours logged and a logbook full of ratings including a CFII (Certified Flight Instructor Instrument) certificate, Lang is ready to enjoy his Seamax but he also wants to do instruction with it.

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Jabiru USA Adds Kits to their Light-Sport Aircraft Line: Trainer, Cruiser, & Four Seater

By Dan Johnson || 1 Comment

Although Special LSA plus Experimental LSA run neck-and-neck with Sport Pilot eligible kit-built aircraft in U.S. aircraft registrations, America remains more kit-oriented than most other countries.

Most western nations have kit programs of some kind but since their regulations have longer allowed fully-built aircraft, the European brands tend to slightly lead in SLSA deliveries while American producers thoroughly dominate kit-built aircraft sales.

Two other reasons also account for this situation.

A kit-built aircraft can lower the total cost of acquisition in trade for you investing your time. Many find those hours highly enjoyable and educational so kits may always be popular. In addition, a kit-built aircraft builder can do his or her own maintenance although a ELSA can qualify for this advantage as well.

Now Available In America!

Under former importer Pete Krotje, Jabiru grew to be one of our important LSA entries, with a fleet ranking of #7 in the USA and 118 models flying (more details on our Tableau Public website). Nothing will change that.

The best-selling Jabiru in America is the J230 model with its cavernous aft cabin (where two more people can be seated in the four seat J430 model) plus a third door that makes loading and unloading gear easier than almost any Light-Sport Aircraft model.

Current importer US Sport Planes, under the direction of industry veteran, Scott Severen, reports doing well even in this challenging business environment. Scott’s many years in this sector gives him insight others lack and he is using that knowledge to make a sea change for Jabiru aircraft in the USA.

Now, you can buy a fully ready-to-fly, fully FAA-accepted Light-Sport Aircraft …or… you can order a kit and save tens of thousands. Even though Special LSA Jabirus enjoy relatively modest prices when compared to many rivals, those seeking a lower price point or looking for an activity many enjoy can try kit building — assembling your own aircraft, doing so your way, and ending with an intimate awareness of every bolt and rivet.

If those choices aren’t broad enough for your needs, Scott has a long history brokering previously-owned Jabirus and other LSA. Over many years of pursing this sector, he has become an expert on the best second-hand aircraft that may satisfy your interest.

A New Focus on Kit-Built

Welcome to kit-built Jabiru aircraft models, from the training-oriented J170 to the fast, large cruiser J230-D, and right up to and including the four-seat J430. Let’s put the fresh offering in perspective.

“It’s an interesting year for Jabiru,” Scott declared!

During the Coronavirus panic, Jabiru Australia designed and began 3D printing face shields, collaborating with other businesses in Australia using 3D printers to increase production volumes. This has been well received as it has kept employment up plus fulfilled a need in the country.

Here in America, Scott enthused, “In the U.S., 2020 started out flying high and fast! While activity slowed a little with the pandemic, even with the major aviation shows cancelling, the market is returning to a vibrant pace.”

“We are now offering all three kits,” Scott noted. He referred to the J170-D two door; the 230-D three door, and 430-D four place aircraft. “The kits are suitable for home assembly or with builder assistance in Tennessee,” Scott added.

To learn more, visit the webpage for Jabiru kits in the USA; lots of details are presented.

He continued, “We also continue to have numerous inquiries for previously-owned J250-SP, J230-SP and particularly for J230-D aircraft.”

A model few Americans have seen is the four-seat Jabiru J430. The aft seat has ample leg room (notice luggage on the floor) and plenty of room for a couple kids catching up on their sleep.

Trying to be helpful and flexible during these unusual economic times, Scott elaborated, “If you have been thinking of upgrading to a newer plane, of course, I’d like to visit with you!” Yet he said, “If life has changed and you want or need to sell your Jabiru, I’ll be happy to review our resources with you.”

“In short, we provide as much or as little help as you like,” Scott clarified. “This can be from a ‘one stop shop,’ where we bring your Jabiru to our US Sport Planes facility in Texas, go through all the paperwork including service bulletins and inspections to reduce liabilities to you as a seller,  handling the entire process in a ‘No Fuss, No Muss’ transaction. Or, we can simply discuss what items are most important for you to take care of before you sell.”

Learn more about all things Jabiru in the USA by calling (940-597-6860) or sending an email.

Compress Post ...

Although Special LSA plus Experimental LSA run neck-and-neck with Sport Pilot eligible kit-built aircraft in U.S. aircraft registrations, America remains more kit-oriented than most other countries. Most western nations have kit programs of some kind but since their regulations have longer allowed fully-built aircraft, the European brands tend to slightly lead in SLSA deliveries while American producers thoroughly dominate kit-built aircraft sales. Two other reasons also account for this situation. A kit-built aircraft can lower the total cost of acquisition in trade for you investing your time. Many find those hours highly enjoyable and educational so kits may always be popular. In addition, a kit-built aircraft builder can do his or her own maintenance although a ELSA can qualify for this advantage as well. Now Available In America! Under former importer Pete Krotje, Jabiru grew to be one of our important LSA entries, with a fleet ranking of #7 in the USA and 118 models flying (more details on our Tableau Public website).

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Light-Sport Aircraft In Space? OK, Not Quite but Private Ventures Are Advancing Quickly

By Dan Johnson || 4 Comments

Don’t hate me… I know this short article is not about Light-Sport Aircraft. Call it another break from the never-ending news about coronavirus.

You can call the title “clickbait” if you want, but I’ve long had a strong interest in space flight and SpaceShipOne certainly was far lighter than any manned spacecraft NASA has launched.

Still, even this light and relatively simple spacecraft is about as far from Part 103 ultralights as you can get.

It’s the main man behind this space adventure that may be of greater interest to pilots of any certificate.

I was initially captured by the video below. When I realized it was an interview with Burt Rutan, I was drawn to see what this tell-it-like-it-is fellow had to say.

I’ll keep this short as it doesn’t relate to Light-Sport Aircraft, kit-build aircraft Sport Pilots may fly or ultralight aircraft. For you true believers — don’t worry. I don’t plan to repeat this.

What Would Burt Do?

Some interesting tidbits surfaced in this video interview.

How many airplanes has Burt Rutan designed? Answer: 391. Now, that’s impressive. I can’t truly comprehend as I’m not a designer. However, I have flown a similar number of aircraft. That has taken me a whole career and what I did was go fly the aircraft. I wrote about nearly all of them and that consumed quite a few more hours but nothing remotely close to what it takes to design a complete aircraft. I’m doubly impressed.

How many of those designs have built and test flown? Answer: 49. While that’s a smaller number, it still means one in eight of the many Rutan designs went into the sky. These aren’t all variations on a theme as most designers do. Not that I see anything wrong with building on your earlier designs but creating completely different aircraft every time is a monster amount of work. Sure, they all share some common Rutan (unorthodox) qualities but most designs were quite different from the others.

Mike Melvill was the first civilian astronaut to reach the boundaries of space in a private spacecraft. He and I met at EAA headquarters.

How many Rutan designs hang in Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian Museum? Answer: 5. Without researching, I’ll hazard a guess Rutan may have no peers in that particular achievement.

What does Rutan have to say about taking risk? Answer: “If you don’t take risks, you’re not gonna have breakthroughs. All the government space agencies and all their prime contractors had concluded that it was impossible to reuse rocket boosters. [Bezos and Musk] took enormous risks and tried anyway. They all crashed at first and kept crashing but, wow, they figured it out.” Now, “reusable rocket boosters change the entire outlook.”

Is the existence of billionaires why we have a private space industry? Burt’s answer: “[Billionaires are] why we have a lot of things. There’s nothing wrong with folks making huge amounts of money. For example, wouldn’t we have an oil industry if it wasn’t for someone [Rockefeller] that got very rich [discovering how to drill for oil]. We’d be a third-world country in terms of energy if it were up to the government and the taxpayers voting to fund [such a discovery] with their taxes. I don’t feel embarrassed that the first decade or two of space tourism is just something for billionaires to have as a toy, for their fun. That’s all right; we’ll figure out what their [toys] are for later.

Freedom and the Future

I found this a hilarious statement: “SpaceShipOne / GovernmentZero” — no taxpayer funds were used to underwrite this private space venture.

Rutan goes on, “Our freedoms in this country are enormous compared to any other country. In what country could you, with your own money, fly your Tesla Roadster beyond Mars? Who would’ve thought that we’d ever see that? NASA wouldn’t fund that. That couldn’t be done in Russia. That was done because of freedom in America. It’s all right for a guy to make tremendous profits. You know why? Look what they do with [the money]. They don’t just create jobs. They create the future.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my straying from the straight-and-narrow of LSA, Sport Pilot kits, and ultralights for one post. Like many pilots, I am a great admirer of Rutan’s numerous achievements and, being a space exploration fan, I simply couldn’t pass up this story. With the next post, I promise to get back to light aviation as usual. Thanks for indulging me. 😎

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Don’t hate me… I know this short article is not about Light-Sport Aircraft. Call it another break from the never-ending news about coronavirus. You can call the title “clickbait” if you want, but I’ve long had a strong interest in space flight and SpaceShipOne certainly was far lighter than any manned spacecraft NASA has launched. Still, even this light and relatively simple spacecraft is about as far from Part 103 ultralights as you can get. It’s the main man behind this space adventure that may be of greater interest to pilots of any certificate. I was initially captured by the video below. When I realized it was an interview with Burt Rutan, I was drawn to see what this tell-it-like-it-is fellow had to say. I’ll keep this short as it doesn’t relate to Light-Sport Aircraft, kit-build aircraft Sport Pilots may fly or ultralight aircraft. For you true believers — don’t worry.

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High Value Mission — Flight Training that Meets Special Requirements in Light-Sport Aircraft

By Dan Johnson || 1 Comment

Able Flight pilot Stephany Glassing.

American are very gracious with their donations to good causes. Charitable giving in the USA exceeded $400 billion in 2018 alone. Even during uncertain times as the world currently find itself, Americans still prove surprisingly generous. It makes me proud.

I’ve joined in when it comes to Able Flight, having on several occasions given money to Able Flight. For a pilot, I cannot comprehend how a fellow aviator can ignore this worthy effort, lead by founder and main man Charles Stites. He has single-handedly generated funds from numerous donors, found Light-Sport Aircraft with hand controls, lead the effort to select wonderful scholarship winners, and donated so many of his own hours that I’ll bet he can’t even add them up …for sure, it’s a lot of time invested.

You have many, many great organizations you can support but this one, for pilots anyway, should hit very close to home. If you are so moved, go here to donate. Please consider helping.

Go Able Flight!

Ten people from throughout the country have been selected as recipients of an Able Flight Scholarship for 2020. Eight will train at Able Flight’s program at Purdue University, one will earn a CFI certificate with his Career Training Scholarship, and one will become Able Flight’s first student to attend training late in 2020 at the Aerospace Center For Excellence in Lakeland, Florida.

Able Flight scholarship recipients pose in front of their Sky Arrow at Purdue University in 2013.

Able Flight’s carefully-laid plans got upended along with the rest of society when the coronavirus panic hit.

Now Able Flight wrote, “Just a few months ago Able Flight awarded ten new scholarships for training in 2020. Though all ‘in-flight’ training is on hold as of late April 2020, we are pleased to report that all students are currently in ground school training through an online course generously provided by Sporty’s Pilot Shop.”

Flight instructor Nick Losanda observes while Able Flight pilot Curtis Standley preflights.

“In addition,” Charles continued, “scholarship recipients will soon be taking part in a live online classroom ground school program led by our lead flight instructor at Purdue, Lucero Duran. This will allow the students to complete training for the FAA Knowledge Test and take the exam this summer as previously scheduled.

We are exploring options to resume in-flight training at several locations as soon as safety and health conditions, and changes in governmental restrictions, allow.

And Now… This Year’s Winners!

Of the ten scholarship recipients, six use wheelchairs due to paralysis, one is deaf, one has a paralyzed arm, and two are amputees. Four are veterans; with one being wounded in combat and three becoming disabled due to injuries.

The members of the Able Flight “Class of 2020” are as follows (numbered according to photo, not in any order of importance):

Chris Murad (1) of Georgia. Chris recently graduated from Georgia Tech with an aerospace degree. He became paralyzed in 2016 when shot during a robbery as he was leaving work. Chris will train at Purdue University.

Joshua Martin (2) of Texas. Joshua is a graduate of West Point who trained and served as a Special Operations helicopter pilot before losing his lower left leg due to a motor vehicle accident in 2018. With his scholarship, Joshua will return to flying by earning his fixed-wing pilot certificate. Joshua will train at Purdue University.

Michael Price (3) of North Dakota. Michael is a graduate of Penn Foster University in Fargo, ND, and had his first flight as part of an introductory program in 1997. That same day he became paralyzed due to injuries from a car accident. Michael will train at Purdue University.

Jon Hansen gave me a chance to fly Sky Arrow with hand controls in 2007. Before he died in 2019, Jon was a longtime supporter of Able Flight. Here’s an article on his other donations.

Peyton Wolter (4) of Wisconsin. Peyton grew up active in a variety of outdoor sports and became paralyzed in late 2017 as a result of an injury sustained in a boating accident. Peyton will train at Purdue University.

Sheila Zhi Xu (5) of Nevada. Sheila is a graduate of MIT and has been both a participant in the Fulbright Scholarship Program and an intern at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Shelia was born with profound hearing loss in both ears, and will train at Purdue University.

Jason Daugherty (6) of Georgia. Jason was first exposed to flying in the fifth grade through a course taught by a teacher who was a licensed pilot. His plans to become a pilot were halted in 2003 when he became paralyzed due to a car accident. Jason will train at Purdue University.

As have other LSA producers, Flight Design created hand controls, which they provided without charge.

T’angelo Magee (7) of Pennsylvania. T’angelo is a veteran of the U.S. Army with multiple combat deployments who became paralyzed due to injuries from a motorcycle accident. In 2019, he participated in the Able Flight program at Purdue where he both soloed and passed his written exam before an illness forced him to cut short his training. T’angelo will train at Purdue University.

Austin “Chance” Field (8) of Texas. Chance Field spent several summers working around planes at an FBO operated by his aunt and uncle before serving in the Navy. In 2006 he was paralyzed due to injuries from a motor vehicle accident. Austin will train at the Aerospace Center For Excellence in Lakeland, Florida.

Steven Curry (9) of Virginia. Steven served in the U.S. Army in both Afghanistan and Iraq. His plans to secure a Warrant Officer training slot to become a helicopter pilot ended when injuries from an IED required the amputation of his left leg below the knee. Steven with train at Aviation Adventures in Virginia.

David Snypes, Jr. (10) of New York. David is a veteran of the U.S. Army having served from 2009 to 2016, including tours in Afghanistan. In 2016, he lost the use of his left arm due to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. David will train at Purdue University.

The preceding list is only for this year. Go here to see all the scholarship recipients.

Our interview with Charles Stites appears below but Able Flight has many inspirational videos to watch.

Compress Post ...

American are very gracious with their donations to good causes. Charitable giving in the USA exceeded $400 billion in 2018 alone. Even during uncertain times as the world currently find itself, Americans still prove surprisingly generous. It makes me proud. I’ve joined in when it comes to Able Flight, having on several occasions given money to Able Flight. For a pilot, I cannot comprehend how a fellow aviator can ignore this worthy effort, lead by founder and main man Charles Stites. He has single-handedly generated funds from numerous donors, found Light-Sport Aircraft with hand controls, lead the effort to select wonderful scholarship winners, and donated so many of his own hours that I’ll bet he can’t even add them up …for sure, it’s a lot of time invested. You have many, many great organizations you can support but this one, for pilots anyway, should hit very close to home.

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Shock Report: As Oshkosh 2020 Folds Its Tents, We Look to Fall Aviation Trade Shows

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Can you believe it? No, I am not writing about Oshkosh cancelling their big summer celebration of flight. (If you somehow missed that aviation news Earthquake, now you know.)

Instead, I want to take you back in time, way back to January …a whole four months ago. What a different world we lived in then. Coronavirus was not on the minds of many Americans — nor, at that time, even on the minds of Chinese citizens, though leaders might have had some inkling.

In January 2020, the aviation community, certainly the Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot kit aircraft sector, was stunned by the permanent cancellation of the Sebring Expo after 15 years of operation. (Here is more about why they made that decision.)

Copperstate 2020 with the Buckeye Air Fair drew strong crowds and lots of high school kids on opening day; they got to check out Jabiru’s J-230D LSA.

Yes, that was only weeks ago, though it seems more distant given the momentous events of the last two months.

With no Sebring to cover, Videoman Dave and I again headed out West to the Copperstate show in the first week of February. As I flew airlines to Arizona, I didn’t think once about coronavirus or wearing a mask and I’d never heard the term “social distancing.”

After arriving home, I continued planning for Sun ‘n Fun and Aero Friedrichshafen. When they both tumbled off the calendar, we looked what seemed far ahead to AirVenture Oshkosh. What now… ?!?

Looking Toward Fall 2020 Shows

Amazingly the events most likely to succeed in this unusually weird environment are  Midwest LSA Expo and DeLand Showcase. Thinking back to Sebring’s astounding announcement that it was closing its Expo doors forever, few thought this year would come to no other events except Midwest and DeLand.

Enjoying a flight with a jovial Randy Schlitter in his S-21 Outbound.

Midwest LSA Expo 2020 — First up following the absence of Oshkosh is Midwest LSA Expo, which will run for its 11th year. To learn about their plans, I contacted airport manager and lead event organizer Chris Collins. Beside being a fellow everyone — vendors, attendees, and volunteers — all seem to like and respect, Chris is a calm, cool chap that takes many things in stride with apparent ease.

With his able assistant Sheila (who also attended her first DeLand in 2019), Chris is evaluating what to do after the departure of AirVenture from the aviation calendar.

 Mt. Vernon, Illinois’ wide-open airport viewed from InnovAviation’s FX1.

­

“Our event is basically social distancing, has always been. In fact, it’s part of the charm. You can talk to vendors and go flying far more easily than the big, densely populated shows.” He added, “I can see that exhibitors may take their own precautions. Some may want to take temperatures or require masks or other steps to insure everyone’s safety.”

“Of course, our forums and our restaurant may need extra planning to keep distances and such, but we can work with that,” Chris assured.

He reported recently taking delivery of sanitizers, masks, and other cleansers so preparations have already started. He felt advised to say, “We’re also listening to our state governor and local officials as to their opinion.” The hope we both expressed was that by early September, this virus challenge will be fading in the rear-view mirror. So far, though, Chris and team are absolutely planning to go forward. Midwest LSA Expo dates for 2020 are September 10-11-12.

A customer checks out the cockpit of U-Fly-It‘s very popular Aerolite 103 based right at DeLand.

“Nonetheless, AirVenture postponing does take away some of our marketing,” Chris noted.” I can usually do a good bit of soliciting at Oshkosh by going around to speak to vendors we want at Midwest LSA Expo.” This year he will have to do more electronically as he and every other aviation business operator miss the connections Oshkosh offers.

“It’s a bittersweet thing,” Chris concluded. While he acknowledged some advantage he may now have, “I worry about Sun ‘n Fun and Oshkosh and how they will survive having to cancel in 2020.

DeLand Showcase 2020 — Slated for November, DeLand appears to be in even better shape. One real challenge relates to Sebring …no, not the aviation event but the Twelve Hours of Sebring auto race. Originally scheduled for mid-March, Sebring Raceway was one of the very first to put off their popular event but they went further and planned for — consider this — the same time period as DeLand. Normally that would not matter; the two are physically distant and attract different audiences and vendors. However, as providers such as tent suppliers hope for a return to business, they know they can be overwhelmed and they have the same problem as other businesses regarding getting enough workers to prepare, ship, and erect dozens of tents in a short time.

SeaMax drew steady interest and delivered aircraft at the Deland Showcase 2019.

I called executive direct Jana Filip to see how she and her team are preparing.

“Just today, I spoke with airport manager, John Eiff, and we decided that we are going ahead as planned with a few things ready in case of need,” said Jana. “We will need to reconfigure parts of our show and we will reach out to CDC to get their recommendations about group gatherings.”

“We’ll offer some advance opportunities to induce people to come to Florida,” Jana noted. Also, we will provide more hand-wash stations and we may put stickers on the pavement to help guide people in staying separated.”

The always-active Duc Propellers (USA) clan worked their space at Deland Showcase 2019.

On the layout that has been a Deland Showcase strength, Jana said, “We discussed arranging our tents more like your local art festival. That is, we may switch from large multiple-vendor tents that everyone likes and go to a series of smaller tents, separated for added safety. We may have more open tents to allow for better airflow. “Vendor spaces will still be the same size,” she guaranteed.

“My heart goes out to the folks at Sun ‘n Fun and AirVenture,” Jana lamented. “Our show is much easier to manage as we are smaller. We have ample space to spread out as needed to assure the safest arrangement. Plus, because we’re smaller we can make changes as needed right up until days before showtime.”

Deland Showcase dates for 2020 are November 12-13-14.

And …Oshkosh? — The next convention is now almost 15 months away. AirVenture 2021 will be held July 26 through August 1, 2021.

Compress Post ...

Can you believe it? No, I am not writing about Oshkosh cancelling their big summer celebration of flight. (If you somehow missed that aviation news Earthquake, now you know.) Instead, I want to take you back in time, way back to January …a whole four months ago. What a different world we lived in then. Coronavirus was not on the minds of many Americans — nor, at that time, even on the minds of Chinese citizens, though leaders might have had some inkling. In January 2020, the aviation community, certainly the Light-Sport Aircraft and Sport Pilot kit aircraft sector, was stunned by the permanent cancellation of the Sebring Expo after 15 years of operation. (Here is more about why they made that decision.) Yes, that was only weeks ago, though it seems more distant given the momentous events of the last two months. With no Sebring to cover, Videoman Dave and I again headed out West to the Copperstate show in the first week of February.

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Go-Fast Mania Spreads to USA — BRM Aero’s Bristell “Speedster” with 915iS Fixed Pitch Prop

By Dan Johnson || 5 Comments

The need for speed is hard wired into humans, it seems. Even those of us who enjoy flying slow also love the idea of eating up the miles in some fast cruiser. A flight that turns a three-hour driving ordeal into a 25-minute aerial jaunt becomes a bragging right for any pilot.

Other than the pure thrill of logging a high groundspeed, going fast is only useful when you’re going somewhere. If perhaps your goal is aerial sightseeing then slow (and probably low) is the way to go. If you have to go fast, remember that old saying from auto racing: “Speed cost money; how fast do you want to go?” This equally applies to aviation.

FAA actually drew a speed line back in the early 2000s when the SP/LSA rule was being written (just as now with the LSA 2023 rule in the works). No, I don’t refer to the 120-knot speed limit we’ll discuss below. I refer to a slower speed, the one implied in the minimum 20 hours required for a Sport Pilot certificate.

Rule writers separated Light-Sport Aircraft as sub-87 knot and faster. At the time the rule was released, this made sense. America was still flying lots of what we now loosely call “ultralights.” These aircraft were simply built, half the empty weight of most LSA today, and flew slower, usually under 100 mph …87 knots.

Then LSA got glass cockpits, leather interiors, high performance engines, autopilots, and more. Prices went up accordingly and today we have a bifurcated market — just like FAA once envisioned, with simpler sub-87 knot airplanes and faster but more costly models.

For plenty of pilots, 100 mph is fine for most of their flying including regional travel. Those who yearn for speed or want to travel interstate or cross country want the fastest machine they can afford.

The aircraft I’ve written about recently — Blackwing 600RG, JMB VL3, Porto Risen — join other models from capable builders. Most of these are presently built in Europe as local regulations allow faster speeds and the hardware that goes with it. One example is Bristell from BRM Aero.

BRM Aero was early to begin work with Rotax’s new 915 engine. Milan Bristela, son Martin, and their team started the installation and early flight evaluations long before the engine was released to the market.

In late March 2020, before coronavirus had completely invaded our lives, I went aloft to photograph Bristell’s Speedster powered by the Rotax 915iS that is becoming the engine of choice for developers of the fastest LSA-like airplanes.

Imported by Bristell Aircraft operated by longtime aviation businessman, Lou Mancuso, whom many student pilots know as “The Landing Doctor” (website). He is quite the knowledgeable pilot. When some said, “Hey, a LSA can’t fly faster than 120 knots,” Lou has a reasoned reply, as he usually does.

“Vne, Velocity Never Exceed, is an indicated air speed,” Lou started in a reply to a Facebook audience. “For example, When the 915iS powered Bristell Speedster is flying at 12,500 feet with a true airspeed of 170 miles per hour or 147 knots, the indicated airspeed is only 118 knots. The Bristell has a 157 knots Vne.” A good description of the velocity terms can be found here.

“By the way,” Lou continued, “the Bristell 915iS Speedster is an LSA as it has fixed gear, a ground adjustable prop, and weighs only 852 pounds, well within the LSA max empty weight limit of 900 pounds.”

Some people noted the IFR-capable avionics in the Bristell 915 panel and Lou replied, “It can also be flown IFR in IMC if equipped with some certified avionics and [is converted to] an ELSA.” He cautioned, “It does not have static wicks so to stay safe it needs to be light IMC.”

Lou Mancuso shoots the photographer after the low-and-tight formation flying ended.

Looking ahead toward LSA 2023, Lou commented, “In a couple of years we should be able to use a constant speed prop and gain additional performance.”

On the day we shot photos and video of the Bristell Speedster, Lou said this particular aircraft has achieved 170 miles per hour flight true airspeed at 12,500 feet using a Duc 4-blade ground adjustable prop.

Enjoy this short (3:17) video and see Bristell on the ground and in-flight near DeLand, Florida. (Landing fields were nearby but just out of sight during the shoot. A safety briefing preceded the flight.)

Compress Post ...

The need for speed is hard wired into humans, it seems. Even those of us who enjoy flying slow also love the idea of eating up the miles in some fast cruiser. A flight that turns a three-hour driving ordeal into a 25-minute aerial jaunt becomes a bragging right for any pilot. Other than the pure thrill of logging a high groundspeed, going fast is only useful when you’re going somewhere. If perhaps your goal is aerial sightseeing then slow (and probably low) is the way to go. If you have to go fast, remember that old saying from auto racing: “Speed cost money; how fast do you want to go?” This equally applies to aviation. FAA actually drew a speed line back in the early 2000s when the SP/LSA rule was being written (just as now with the LSA 2023 rule in the works). No, I don’t refer to the 120-knot speed limit we’ll discuss below.

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More Details on Swedish Light-Sport Aircraft “Speed Monster” Record Attempt

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

Our most-read story of 2020 was this breaking report on Blackwing’s assault on the world speed record for the Microlight category.

Since we published that article, Blackwing Sweden CEO Niklas Anderberg offered more details and — because this was a popular read for many visitors — it is worthwhile to tell you, as famous radio broadcaster (and aviation enthusiast *), Paul Harvey, used to say “…the rest of the story.”

— In His Own Words —

“On April 15th, a personal dream of mine came true,” wrote Niklas earlier today. “We pushed the turbocharged Blackwing aircraft to a new speed record in FAI‘s Microlight RAL2T Category.”

“A few weeks earlier,” he continued, “we started high-speed taxi tests. We noticed immediately that this aircraft is something special. The turbo-charged engine (Rotax‘s new 915iS, a 141-horsepower turbocharged and intercooled entry) in combination with a single power lever [controlling] the hydraulic MT propeller, accelerated like nothing I have tried before. Already on the second test flight, we were reaching 195 knots at 3,000 feet. We were very excited and increased the envelope every day. At 5,000 feet we were reading 200 knots on the airspeed indicator, at full power [in] level flight. With fuel consumption of 10 liters/hour [2.64 gallons per hour] we were reading 130 knots TAS. Can this really be true airspeed? On the next flights, we carried a [FAI-required] logger and confirmed the Garmin speeds.

“Due to the pandemic, unique possibilities opened up. We could fly at any altitude we would like, with the support from Sweden control [ATC]. On Saturday, we practiced the world record course three times. It was challenging to fly over 200 knots (400 kilometers per hour), bank three G, and still keeping a precise altitude. We also started to fly at heights, FL90-110, and at speeds higher than we ever have flown before. It felt good to have a parachute.

“On Tuesday the weather conditions were perfect. We decided to fly at 10,000 feet. The [FAI] criteria that the course could only be flown once made it even more intense. At the first turn, I climbed some 300 feet, and returning to altitude she accelerated to 219 knots (405 km/h). I felt extremely tense and had a hard time keeping the ball in the center. Overall I am happy that I managed to fly a pretty good course. On the straight course, we got 212 knots average speed. It was great to celebrate the success with my co-pilot Fredrik Lanz, and the rest of the Blackwing team.

“The flight testing will continue in spring and summer. After 50 hours of flight testing, we can start taking passengers.

“The aircraft used for the record is a standard BW600RG with the Rotax 915iS engine. In order to optimize the drag, we only had one outside antenna and sealed some of the gaps.”

Once again, my heartiest congratutions to Niklas, Fredrik, and Team Blackwing, for a job well done!

This Ain’t Over Yet

Meanwhile, in nearby Belgium, the folks from JMB Aircraft are promoting their own speedy Light-Sport Aircraft-like equipped with the Rotax 915iS.

“JMB Aircraft is proud to announce some achievements from the past few months,” the company wrote recently. “After more than 100 hours of flight test with two planes, we manage with success to perform a V-dive test reaching an indicated 381 kilometers per hour and 425 km/h (229 knots) true air speed. This enable us to safely increase our VNE up to an indicated 340 kilometers per hour (184 knots).”

On April 25th JMB added, “With all nominal operating parameters, we climbed to FL180 in 13 minutes with one short level off due to a too-fast climb reported by ATC. The conditions were ISO +7 degrees Celsius (45°F) and 600 kilogram MTOW. Our test pilots performed a level flight of several minutes at maximum continuous power and reached 380 km/h (205 knots) true airspeed, breaking the mythical 200 knot barrier.”

I suspect the LSA-like airspeed race isn’t over yet, especially given the previous record holder — Risen, from a formerly Swiss, now Italian company renamed as Porto Aviation Group — is another speedy design. All these aircraft, plus others such as BRM Aero‘s retractable model of their Bristell line, can fly faster than what FAA may be planning for LSA 2023 but these attempts might influence rule writers to consider faster-yet speeds.

As the world slowly begins to emerge from the global lockdown, who know what speed feats we’ll see next.

Not to leave Americans behind, consider Arion Aircraft‘s Yankee speedster, the Lightning XS (currently Experimental, but who knows in 2023?).

* Paul Harvey was a very popular radio commentator who donated a substantial sum to EAA for the organization to establish a video studio. Each of his broadcasts began with, “You know what the news is; in a minute you’re going to hear the rest of the story.”

Compress Post ...

Our most-read story of 2020 was this breaking report on Blackwing’s assault on the world speed record for the Microlight category. Since we published that article, Blackwing Sweden CEO Niklas Anderberg offered more details and — because this was a popular read for many visitors — it is worthwhile to tell you, as famous radio broadcaster (and aviation enthusiast *), Paul Harvey, used to say “…the rest of the story.” — In His Own Words — “On April 15th, a personal dream of mine came true,” wrote Niklas earlier today. “We pushed the turbocharged Blackwing aircraft to a new speed record in FAI‘s Microlight RAL2T Category.” “A few weeks earlier,” he continued, “we started high-speed taxi tests. We noticed immediately that this aircraft is something special. The turbo-charged engine (Rotax‘s new 915iS, a 141-horsepower turbocharged and intercooled entry) in combination with a single power lever [controlling] the hydraulic MT propeller, accelerated like nothing I have tried before.

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Light-Sport Aircraft News: Oshkosh? E-Fan Ends! 1Q20 Numbers, Sling Academy, Fractal EMS

By Dan Johnson || 2 Comments

In the rush of coverage of Vintage Ultralights and other late-breaking stories such as the Blackwing speed record, I had to set aside a few news items. Here’s a catch-up…

I am pleased to serve a need for news during a month when we should have been covering Sun ‘n Fun and Aero Friedrichshafen. As everyone knows, those events are now rescheduled for 2021, both as a result of the global lockdown that has affected hundreds of other events.

You hardly need any more coverage of the coronavirus craziness so let’s get to aviation news and take a small break from these worldwide events. But first…

Oshkosh — Go or No/Go?

It has become one of the most-asked question in aviation. Will the big summer celebration of flight happen or go the way of every other airshow this year?

Several sources close to EAA leadership have said a decision will come in early May, however, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that. EAA is grappling with matters such as when hundreds of tents or thousands of portable bathrooms must be ordered, or finalizing the call to a not-small army of volunteers to begin the trek to Wisconsin. Such major plans must be started well in advance of the event slated for July 20-26th.

If you back-calendar from when EAA needs those tents and so much more to be ready I think you get to a date that is fast approaching.

Cancelling a show is frightening stuff for show producers (EAA, Sun ‘n Fun, Aero, etc.), especially when the event represents a substantial share of their annual budget (a lot for Sun ‘n Fun and Aero; somewhat less so for EAA). Other than their accountants and top leadership, few know the hard facts but it is clear these events bring in plenty of the dough needed to run the enterprises that organize the shows. I have heard all sorts of comments, such as “AirVenture accounts for upwards of 60% of the EAA’s annual income.” Honestly, I doubt that for EAA but for Sun ‘n Fun and Aero, the percentage could even be higher. Oh, my!

I hope for the best for all these vital events but I’m concerned.

So Long Airbus E-Fan

I reported some months ago about Kitty Hawk’s Flyer going down despite funding from billionaire Larry Page. This month, we see another high-profile departure from electrically-powered aircraft by an even bigger company, Airbus, which partnered with Rolls Royce and Siemens… three of the largest corporations in Europe.

A prime motivator for E-Fan is Grazia Vittadini, Airbus’ Chief Technology Officer. She wrote, “When I first started my career at Airbus, the notion of electric flight was considered a far-off pipedream. Today, it’s a reality.” Yet that future may not involve their much-promoted E-Fan.

After a very public launch of the E-Fan X project in 2017, this month “Airbus and Rolls Royce have jointly decided to bring the E-Fan X demonstrator to an end,” said Vittadini. “As with all ground-breaking R&T projects, it’s our duty to constantly evaluate and reprioritize them to ensure alignment with our ambitions. These decisions are not always easy.”

Her counterpart at Rolls Royce is CTO, Paul Stein, who wrote, “[The E-Fan project] involved creating a hybrid-electric power generation system … comprised of a gas turbine driving a 2.5MW generator and 3000V power electronics and an electric propulsion unit.”

Airbus’ E-Fan flight demonstrator flies at the Farnborough International Air Show 2014.

Stein continued, “As with all such leading-edge programs, we constantly evaluate the best way forward and it has become clear to both parties that the actual requirement to carry out a test flight with all the elements integrated is not critical at this time. As an aircraft, E-Fan X was always designed to be a demonstrator only and never for actual use as a product in service.” However, that’s not what they said earlier.

In 2015 Flying magazine wrote, “VoltAir SAS in France [is] to build a family of plug-in and hybrid-electric light airplanes.” Then-editor Stephen Pope gave details, “VoltAir’s immediate aim is to build a factory in the south of France and begin producing the ­E-Fan line of small airplanes, beginning with a two-seat trainer called the E-Fan 2.0, powered entirely by batteries and electric motors and slated to reach the market in 2018. A follow-on, hybrid-electric four-seater called the E-Fan 4.0 targeted primarily at buyers in the United States will emerge soon after and is projected to go on sale in 2019.”

Airbus Group enlisted ­Daher, of TBM 900 turboprop fame, to produce the E-Fan 2.0 and 4.0 models at a new factory in Pau, France. It once looked so alive, but obviously, these goals were never reached and now E-Fan will retire to a museum somewhere, I suppose.

New GRT Replacement Instrument

For many years, one instrument could be found on all types of light, inexpensive aircraft. For example, nearly every powered parachute has the monochrome GRT engine monitor system. It has been a worthy element on many light aircraft, its modest $400 cost helping pilots stay aware of their engine’s performance. Many other aircraft types also used the instrument. Thousands have been sold yet the original is showing its age in an era of iPhones used as avionics devices.

Now, Fractal Technologies has something new and fresh…

This report is sufficiently early in the new product’s development that I can’t offer much detail, but you can see from the nearby image that is similar to the older model but features color and enhanced readability.

At present the Fractal Aircraft Engine Monitor appears to be a panel hole-for-hole swap allowing owners of the older model to easily upgrade to the newer system. Proprietor Kyle Sulek promised to keep me informed as he pushes toward market launch. He is presently targeting release at Oshkosh, but that depends on the event progressing. Fingers crossed…

Sling Pilot Academy Steams Onward

While flight schools have been battered by lockdown orders, they have not been standing still. One clear success story is The Airplane Factory USA‘s venture into flight instruction. This west coast bunch did not tiptoe in gently; they cannonballed into the action; it appears to be working and well!

Even during the lockdown, Sling Pilot Academy (SPA) is forging ahead. Leader Matt Liknaitzky said, “Our pilot academy is still operating on a skeleton crew. Our flight load is down about half. About half of our students and CFIs are still flying. We are doing all our ground school via Zoom.

In the fairly short time SPA has been operating they have attracted 40 full-time students. Matt added that SPA has 15 Certified Flight Instructors and he amazed me adding, “We’re doing upwards of 1,000 hours of flight instruction every month!“

“We operate 9 Slings, which we use for Private, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, CFII ratings.” To address additional ratings, SPA also uses a pair of Tecnam P2006T twins for Commercial Multi and MEI ratings.

This activity of airplane sales representatives or manufacturers also running flight school operations seems a new trend. Given the great need for pilot training, I expect we’ll see more of this. Cessna found out decades ago that if you started flying in a Cessna 150, you tended to buy Cessna later. Will Sling (and the other brands pursuing flight training) make the same discovery? Only time can tell.

First Quarter 2020 Market Shares

Through the first two months of the year, few of us uttered the word “coronavirus.” That ended abruptly when the stock market crashed on March 12th, 2020.

While the following information covers only one quarter of the year and while it does not reflect much of the pandemic effects, we nonetheless found a few tidbits of interest. For the data hounds among you, we invite you to visit our market share and airplane registration database website called Tableau Public.

In the first quarter of 2020, deliveries of Light-Sport Aircraft — either SLSA or ELSA — and Sport Pilot-eligible kits were up nicely over 2019 and 2018. If we extrapolate to the whole year, the industry may deliver 776 aircraft in 2020, up from 665 in 2019, a 17% gain, which was up from 635 or 5% from 2017. Though the industry appears to be in a reasonable growth mode, the virus lockdown is likely to affect the second quarter.

A noteworthy point is that among all aircraft in this sector, the top five brands registering aircraft remain kit builders with one of those companies stronger in fully-built versus EAB kits. The top five are Zenith, Kitfox, Van’s, Sonex, and Rans, in rank order. Van’s is more vigorous in ready-to-fly models, at 14 of their 15 aircraft registered in 2020 being LSA, although 13 of the 14 were ELSA and only one was a SLSA model. None of the others recorded any LSA; they were all kits …but remember, these are registrations, not sales, deliveries, or completions.

Among Special (fully-built) LSA registrations, Pipistrel lead the first quarter numbers with 9 aircraft, followed by Tecnam with 7 and The Airplane Factory’s Sling with 5 units. We saw a five-way tie for the next rank at 4 units for each Aeropro/Aerotrek, Aeroprakt, Icon, Scoda (Super Petrel), and Vashon.

Overall, the LSA segment (both SLSA and ELSA and exclusive of kit-built aircraft) was up 16% over 2019 when the numbers are annualized. By this measurement, it was a good start to the year and we will see how the industry faired in the more turbulent second quarter when we report again on July 1st, 2020.

It’s a Wrap …except for a parting comment from our wonderful “datastician” Steve Beste, “I think the term ‘social distancing’ is a misnomer. Physical distancing is what we’re actually doing. Socially, I’ve been in closer touch with my family and friends… as we all check in on each other.” Here at ByDanJohnson.com we wish you all the best getting through this weird period. Here’s a fun ultralight airshow video to lighten your day.

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In the rush of coverage of Vintage Ultralights and other late-breaking stories such as the Blackwing speed record, I had to set aside a few news items. Here’s a catch-up… I am pleased to serve a need for news during a month when we should have been covering Sun ‘n Fun and Aero Friedrichshafen. As everyone knows, those events are now rescheduled for 2021, both as a result of the global lockdown that has affected hundreds of other events. You hardly need any more coverage of the coronavirus craziness so let’s get to aviation news and take a small break from these worldwide events. But first… Oshkosh — Go or No/Go? It has become one of the most-asked question in aviation. Will the big summer celebration of flight happen or go the way of every other airshow this year?

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Return of An Old Favorite — Carlson Sparrow May Appear at Oshkosh 2020

By Dan Johnson || 6 Comments

Having celebrated the inventiveness of ultralight designer Wayne Ison in the last post, it seems quite appropriate to recognize another, Ernie Carlson. Does that ring a bell for you? One hopes.

Ernie was the man behind Carlson Aircraft along with his wife, Mary. This pair introduced Sparrow, a Part 103-capable single-place ultralight plus larger models like Sparrow II and XTC.

I won’t say they’ve been lost to pilots but they’ve been hiding. Now, out of the history books will return the Sparrow, thanks to David Cooper, the man behind Team Mini-Max. Our tenth of ten Vintage Ultralights featured his work and below you can see a video interview with him below talking about the Mini-Max line that he is also keeping alive and well.

Carlson Sparrow And Friends

“With the help of a couple partners we bought the Carlson Sparrow company. It will still carry the four designs they created and will be located next door to Team Mini-Max LLC in Niles, Michigan,” advised David.

“In the next couple weeks, we will get our website up and running,” he forecast, but until then David invites a call or text  to 574-214-3660 or theecoop@comcast.net.

I asked about plans on the table at this early stage.

“Plan One,” David said, “is to carry on the legacy of Ernie Carlson’s designs. Production will be in kit form.”

“All welded parts will be done at the factory,” he assured. “Other fast-build kits with factory-built ribs will be part of the offering.”

In addition, for Carlson airplanes already built and flying, David and partners’ new operation will offer replacement parts. I’m sure that will be most welcome by those flying Carlson aircraft.

“We hope to keep costs low to make the price of kits affordable,” David added …music to the ears of this website that maintains a focus on affordable aviation.

To further support and build on the Carlson line, David will seek both American and overseas sales.

When Will Sparrow Debut (Again)?
“We plan to have a first kit available before Oshkosh this year,” stated David.

As I have understood, EAA is planning a go/no-go decision for Oshkosh fairly soon. Given the huge amount of effort to put on a show like AirVenture and including the gargantuan task of building the army of volunteers it takes to put on the event, a decision simply has to be made in the next couple weeks or so.

I don’t know about you, but I have all my fingers crossed for a “Go!” decision. Hope springs eternal!

Learn more about Sparrow in my pilot report from the late 1990s.

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Having celebrated the inventiveness of ultralight designer Wayne Ison in the last post, it seems quite appropriate to recognize another, Ernie Carlson. Does that ring a bell for you? One hopes. Ernie was the man behind Carlson Aircraft along with his wife, Mary. This pair introduced Sparrow, a Part 103-capable single-place ultralight plus larger models like Sparrow II and XTC. I won’t say they’ve been lost to pilots but they’ve been hiding. Now, out of the history books will return the Sparrow, thanks to David Cooper, the man behind Team Mini-Max. Our tenth of ten Vintage Ultralights featured his work and below you can see a video interview with him below talking about the Mini-Max line that he is also keeping alive and well. Carlson Sparrow And Friends “With the help of a couple partners we bought the Carlson Sparrow company. It will still carry the four designs they created and will be located next door to Team Mini-Max LLC in Niles, Michigan,” advised David.

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Ultralight April 2020 — Tenth in the Vintage Series: Team Mini-Max

By Dan Johnson || 1 Comment

The grand finale to this series on Vintage Ultralights during the month of April 2020 focuses on an airplane that can be very inexpensive if bought used. However, even new models are quite the bargain brand new — $6,195 for a complete Mini-Max kit, not including engine, instruments, or paint — from Team Mini-Max LLC. The big difference is you must build a new one. For some this may be pure delight. Others want to fly sooner or don’t care to tackle the building effort.

As alert readers may have noticed, Mini-Max shares something with the third in this series, Fisher’s Koala. That also-mostly-wood aircraft was designed by Mike Fisher and Wayne Ison. The last man was the principal of Team Aircraft in Tennessee. Ison passed away in August of 2014 at the age of 90.

Wayne had a gentle yet determined way about him that I recall well. While he had a kindly demeanor, he was one of those creators that seemingly could not stop. He designed several varieties of the Mini-Max series and eventually even pursued the AirBike that you saw on this website back in February. Scott was the motivator for that not-very-Mini-Max ultralight but he quickly noted that it “was all Wayne’s good work.”

I asked Scott Severen — today the importer of the Jabiru LSA line — if he could offer a few comments about Wayne. He knew him well as he was president of Team Aircraft for several years. He jumped at the chance.

“When I asked why Wayne moved to Tennessee from Indiana, Scott recalls, Wayne replied, ‘Winters were too brutal. So I put my snow shovel in the back of my pickup truck and headed south. When they no longer recognized what that shovel was, I figured I was safe. That was Tennessee.’” It sounds just like my memory of the man — logical, simple, decisive.

More Wayne wisdom from Scott: “Keep things simple, design around common materials and lengths.” ••• “Some of the simplest designs are some of the hardest to design.” ••• “Sometimes, you need to stop sanding and paint.”

And finally, one of my favorites: “Wheelpants are like lipstick: They make it look better so the airplane must perform better.” Logic like that is hard to beat. Thanks, Wayne (and Scott, for remembering)!

Team Mini-Max

Videoman Dave wrote, “In 1984, while attending the Sun ‘n Fun convention, I watched as a little single seat ultralight aircraft took to the air in some very gusty, cross-wind conditions. These were conditions that had grounded most of the other ultralight aircraft on the field,” yet off into the air went this very light and surprisingly compact ultralight aircraft. Dave refers to Wayne’s Mini-Max of course.

“Designed by Wayne, Mini-Max is available in a number of models, ultralight versions, experimental versions, and now a two-place version,” Dave continued. “All models feature all wood geodetic construction.”

Build time is between 250 and 350 hours. Mini-Max can be built in a small area such as a single car garage. No special tools or equipment needed because much like the Fisher aircraft that had Wayne’s hand in them, Mini-Max plans were full-sized; you work directly on very large sheets of paper. This helps newbies but also ensures greater accuracy as builders work to put all the “popsicle sticks” in exactly the right locations.

“Construction is very similar to that used in a model aircraft kit,” added Dave.

The Mini-Max line of aircraft has a strong following on the Internet. “Thousands of kits have been sold and are flying throughout the world,” said Dave.

Mini-Max uses standard stick-and-rudder three-axis controls in a tractor, taildragger configuration. It has a center mounted stick and a left hand throttle.

These aircraft can be equipped with a windscreen or a complete canopy. Those of us who flew open cockpit aircraft came to love the sound, smell, and liveliness of air flowing past so Mini-Max’s small “summer” windscreens give wind protection while ensuring that familiar sensation of movement. In colder climates, the full enclosures were valuable and some builders I’ve spoken to say they had both and could swap them in a fairly short time.

Mini-Max was commonly powered by the Rotax 277, 377, or the 447 engine. Zenoah two-stroke engines and half-VW four-stroke engines have also been used. The latest models have been using the Hirth line of two-stroke engines.

When powered by a twin cylinder Rotax engine (377 or 447) climb rates were common at better than 800 feet per minute (look at the deck angle in the nearby image)

Cruise is an honest 55 to 60 miles per hour and stall speed is roughly 25 miles per hour.

Wood is a longtime respected material to use in building aircraft but it must be inspected with some care and by someone with an eye for problems with such material.

As regularly repeated in this series, if you are considering buying a used Team Mini-Max, The Ultralight Flyer recommends that the plane’s fabric be removed from the airframe and wings and that they be thoroughly inspected. Other areas of inspection include the landing gear, and control systems. If the history of the engine is unknown it is recommended that the exhaust be removed and the pistons inspected for wear and seizure.

At the time of production of this video The Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel estimates the value of a used Team Mini-Max from the 1980s to be worth between $3,500 and $6,500.

OK, fun flying fans, that concludes this month’s review of ten different and highly affordable aircraft from the heydays of the early 1980s. That exciting and prolific time produced many interesting aircraft that people can still enjoy today …for very little money. Keep ’em flying, folks!

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The grand finale to this series on Vintage Ultralights during the month of April 2020 focuses on an airplane that can be very inexpensive if bought used. However, even new models are quite the bargain brand new — $6,195 for a complete Mini-Max kit, not including engine, instruments, or paint — from Team Mini-Max LLC. The big difference is you must build a new one. For some this may be pure delight. Others want to fly sooner or don’t care to tackle the building effort. As alert readers may have noticed, Mini-Max shares something with the third in this series, Fisher’s Koala. That also-mostly-wood aircraft was designed by Mike Fisher and Wayne Ison. The last man was the principal of Team Aircraft in Tennessee. Ison passed away in August of 2014 at the age of 90. Wayne had a gentle yet determined way about him that I recall well.

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Swedish “Speed Monster” — Blackwing Plus Rotax 915iS Claims New Speed Record

By Dan Johnson || 12 Comments

Five years back at my favorite airshow in Europe — Aero Friedrichshafen — I could not pass the supersleek blue and black low wing from Sweden, my father’s ancestral home. A stunner, it caught my eye and that of everyone else such that taking pictures of it without people surrounding it was difficult.

During this coronavirus mess, Sweden has been in the news because authorities did not fully lock down the country. Some closures were recommended and certain folks (older, immune-deficient… you’ve heard all this repeatedly) were encouraged to self-isolate. Yet pictures show restaurants, streets, and other public venues with plenty of people. Sweden has had deaths, of course, every one of them tragic. Yet it will provide a good baseline with which to judge the effectiveness of lockdown procedures from draconian to… well, Swedish.

However, the greater freedom enjoyed by Swedes allowed an impressive flight only a few days ago.

Smokin’ Lightning
Blackwing BW600RG

Founded in 2011, Blackwing Sweden AB made its worldwide debut at Aero 2015. This drop-dead gorgeous design from the Scandinavian country impressed everyone and its main man, Niklas Anderberg, with his ready smile, wonderful command of English, and his Scandinavian blond hair stood out almost as much as his airplane.

Niklas Anderberg (R) and Fredrik Lanz of Blackwing go aloft to make a record attempt.

When he wasn’t answering a million questions, we snuck in a short conversation where he told me the sign on the wall (photo) stating “200 Knots TAS” was not mere bragging. He said they would do it.

OK, I accepted his statement, captured a few more photos when people let me have a view, and moved on to other attractions at the show.

Niklas is obviously both a man of his word and intimately knowledgeable about his design.

On April 15, 2020, sure enough, Blackwing released the following news:

“Yesterday, flight history was written… in Sweden! The country’s pride, Blackwing, has always had high ambitions and, in addition, achieved the proof, that the aircraft is really out of the ordinary,” the news release glowed! “It was proven when the previous world record for top speed was completely pulverized — Blackwing reached a staggering 393.4 kilometers per hour (approximately 212 knots) as an average speed on a 15 kilometer (9.3 mile) stretch, flying in both directions.”

Through the process from concept (C) to assembly and taxiing for a record, this is Blackwing BW600RG.

“That’s just over 60 kilometers per hour (about 30 knots) more than the previous record,” reported a very enthused Niklas!

Not only did Niklas and team best the previous record, they also challenged the record for a closed circuit of 50 kilometers (31 miles) and, “the old record was beaten, by far.”

Blackwing achieved an average speed of 352.9 kilometers per hour (approximately 190 knots), which is almost 70 kilometers per hour (approximately 37 knots) faster than the previous record. Usually, records are beaten by small margins but Niklas blew right past the old mark.

The aircraft was a BW600RG with a Rotax 915iS.

“The combination of airframe and powerplant may well be described as a ‘speed monster’ that requires a quick and educated judgment from the pilot,” reported the company. As shown nearby, onboard were Niklas and Fredrik Lanz, founder and co-worker at Blackwing.

The two pilots from the south of Sweden set two new world records and have filed for FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) recognition.

Niklas (pilot and CEO of Blackwing) and Fredrik reported their record attempt…

“On Tuesday, April 14th, weather conditions were excellent in Landskrona to try to set a world record,” they said. “We flew in cold air, which made the conditions of 10,000 feet for our turbocharged Blackwing 600 RG almost optimal,” said Anderberg.

While laying claim to two new world records, to gain proper recognition of their achievement, the performance must now be checked and approved by the International Aviation Sports Association, FAI.

The Swedish Aviation Sports Association congratulated Niklas and Fredrik for fantastic results. The records won will sure help this fairly new company, Blackwing, as they prepare for production and global sales.

“Flight days and exhibitions have been canceled due to the coronavirus where our goal has been to get orders for BW 600 RG,” noted Niklas. “We hope that the attention around these world records can aid incoming orders,” he explained.

Previous FAI-Recognized Record

For the official record in Class UL aircraft RAL2T (Movable Aerodynamic Control / Landplane / Flown with two persons / Thermal Engine), previously recognized record holders include:

  • Speed ​​over a closed circuit of 50 km: 15 Dec 2019 283.62 kilometers per hour; pilot Alberto Rodolfo Porto (Italy) with crew Elisa Tomasi (Italy) aircraft Siren
  • New [pending] record: April 14, 2020 348 kilometers per hour; pilot Niklas Anderberg (Sweden) with crew Fredrik Lanz (Sweden)
  • Speed ​​over a straight course (15 km): 15 Dec 2019 330.45 kilometers per hour pilot; Alberto Rodolfo Porto (Italy) with crew Elisa Tomasi (Italy) aircraft Siren
  • New [pending] record 14 April 2020: 377 kilometers per hour; pilot Niklas Anderberg (Sweden) with crew Fredrik Lanz (Sweden)

On Friday April 17th, FAI officials responded to Kjell Folkesson of the Swedish Flygsportförbundet (Air Sports League) who, adhering to FAI procedures, submitted the claim on behalf of Blackwing, “Well received; we will check and publish these preliminary claims on Monday,” said FAI’s representative. It takes time to go through an established process before they can claim official status as a record holder.

You may enjoy Niklas’ final comment to me when I sought confirmation and asked additional questions:

“We had a Glasair III as a chase plane with 340 horsepower. It needed full throttle to keep up. 😊”  A Rotax 915iS outputs 141 horsepower.

Compress Post ...

Five years back at my favorite airshow in Europe — Aero Friedrichshafen — I could not pass the supersleek blue and black low wing from Sweden, my father’s ancestral home. A stunner, it caught my eye and that of everyone else such that taking pictures of it without people surrounding it was difficult. During this coronavirus mess, Sweden has been in the news because authorities did not fully lock down the country. Some closures were recommended and certain folks (older, immune-deficient… you’ve heard all this repeatedly) were encouraged to self-isolate. Yet pictures show restaurants, streets, and other public venues with plenty of people. Sweden has had deaths, of course, every one of them tragic. Yet it will provide a good baseline with which to judge the effectiveness of lockdown procedures from draconian to… well, Swedish. However, the greater freedom enjoyed by Swedes allowed an impressive flight only a few days ago.

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Ultralight April 2020 — Ninth in the Vintage Series: Rans S-4/5

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

This first year I ever saw Randy Schlitter fly one his models at an airshow seems a hundred years ago. Indeed, since that distant memory at Sun ‘n Fun, this Kansas company has created a profusion of designs and delivered nearly 5,000 aircraft. To say it has been a great run qualifies as a significant understatement.

What began this fascinating evolution of a light airplane company started almost 40 years ago — here’s a report on the very first model, still flying! That humble little Coyote (Kansas is a U.S. prairie state so coyotes are a logical name) began something great but it remains a wonderful light airplane that you can buy today for a song.

Rans S-4 and S-5

“The founder of Rans Aircraft, Randy is one of the most prolific designers of ultralight, experimental and Light-Sport Aircraft that I know,” said Videoman Dave in his production of these ten vintage ultralight videos on his The Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel.

“The quality and finish of his aircraft and kits has to be seen to be appreciated,” Dave added. I completely agree. I have often told Randy how I admired the factory finish of the airplanes he presents to interested pilots at airshows. A stickler for getting it right, Randy demurs my admiration but anyone who has closely examined his models at an event knows I am not exaggerating.

The Rans line of ultralight aircraft were first introduced at Sun ‘n Fun 1983.

Then and today, most Rans models have been made available in both tricycle gear and taildragger configurations. Most of Randy’s designs are high-wing, strut-braced, tractor aircraft, though a smaller number of models were pushers and one current model is the low-wing S-19 Ventura.

Both S-4 and S-5 featured the same bolt-and-rivet-joined aluminum tube construction, covered in sewn, slip-on Dacron sailcloth envelopes.

Kit assembly time for these fairly simple aircraft was between 100 and 125 hours. “Rans’ manuals and instructional building guides lead the industry in completeness,” expressed Dave. “No special tools or jigs are required to build the planes and they can be built in a single car garage.”

Both Rans S-4 and S-5 feature standard stick-and-rudder three-axis controls with flaps. They have a center-mounted stick and left-hand throttle.

As Randy is a longtime fan of Rotax aircraft engines, power was supplied to S-4/5 by the single cylinder Rotax 277 at first followed by the more powerful, twin-cylinder 377 or 447 engines. When equipped with the more powerful engines, climb comes in at 750 feet per minute.

Cruise speed in S-4/5 is 55 to 60 miles per hour while stall, using optimal flaps, is 25 miles per hour.

Both S-4/5 are enclosed cockpit designs but can be flown with the doors removed (which all of we early ultralight pilots love).

Either model can be fitted with floats or skis and cabin heat and ventilation is available.

If you find a used Rans S-4 and S-5 The Ultralight Flyer recommends that the plane’s fabric be tested, the airframe, wings, landing gear, and the control systems be thoroughly inspected. Check the history of the engine and if uncertain, remove and inspect pistons for wear and seizure.

At the time of production of this video The Ultralight Flyer would estimate the value of a used Rans S-4 and S-5 from the 1980s to be between $4,500 and $6,500.

Even before S-4, Randy Schlitter created S-3, which he flies in this image taken 35 years after first flight. He said it still flies great. Image by Joey Bahr.

S-4 and S-5 lead to the S-6 Coyote, a two seater, that has proven to be the most successful (by units sold) of any Rans Aircraft. To say the single seater Coyote models (S-3, -4, and -5) led to Randy’s and Rans’ fame is not stretching the truth. Congratulations to the whole Rans team and its well-known leader.

The next installment will conclude this Vintage Ultralight series. Based on response, Videoman Dave’s effort went over very well. A hunger continues for affordable aviation (this website’s main focus) and this interest joins a fascination with the history of light aviation. These vintage ultralights — all dating from the early 1980s, now 40 years ago! — are recalled by many readers who are obviously pleased to see them back in the spotlight.

I’m glad you have enjoyed them. Watch for the finale in a couple days!

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This first year I ever saw Randy Schlitter fly one his models at an airshow seems a hundred years ago. Indeed, since that distant memory at Sun ‘n Fun, this Kansas company has created a profusion of designs and delivered nearly 5,000 aircraft. To say it has been a great run qualifies as a significant understatement. Today’s S-21 Outbound (pilot report video) or S-20 Raven (pilot report video) seem a long ways off from those very early models yet it does not take an expert eye to see they are clear descendants from the original Rans aircraft. What began this fascinating evolution of a light airplane company started almost 40 years ago — here’s a report on the very first model, still flying! That humble little Coyote (Kansas is a U.S. prairie state so coyotes are a logical name) began something great but it remains a wonderful light airplane that you can buy today for a song.

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Ultralight April 2020 — Eighth in the Vintage Series: Quicksilver MX

By Dan Johnson || 2 Comments

Ah, the Quicksilver! Where to start with this veritable icon of the ultralight sector?

With more than 15,000 flying, it even outranks Van’s Aircraft for kit aircraft that made it into the air — although Van’s has sold more kits in total and no one disputes the Western brand’s leadership position.

The earliest Quicksilvers were hang gliders (last photo). Engines came later but at first the weight-shift seat stayed (nearby image). The pilot had lateral control — still by weight shift — but via lines that moved surfaces. Pitch, however, was fully controlled by the pilot moving his or her body.

Those were fun days and provided wonderful memories (yes, I flew them as weight-shift aircraft). Yet the brand went on to vastly greater development. In this article, our focus is on the original three-axis control model, the oh-so-famous MX (multiple axis).

Quicksilver MX

Quicksilver’s MX entered the market in the early 1980s, like all the models featured in our Vintage Ultralight series.

A weight-shift Quicksilver with moving pilot harness.

Originally designed by Jack Hutchinson for Eipper Aircraft as a single-place weight-shift-control ultralight, the first ones were literally light enough to be (sort of) foot-launched, as was required before FAR Part 103 came out in fall of 1982.

Alert readers may note that Jack Hutchinson was mentioned back at the beginning of this series as he was also instrumental in developing the Buccaneer XA. He was a big name in those days. I have a fond memory, down here in Florida many years ago, of him running around a field with a very early powered Quicksilver. It had a tiny engine but no landing gear …none whatsoever. Jack picked it up — albeit dragging the curved tail skid — added all the thrust 10 or 12 horsepower could yield, and he ran. And ran. And ran. I think Jack ran the length of a couple football fields and only managed to barely get a foot or so off the ground. Average speed: maybe 15 mph. Yeah, those were the days!

Quicksilver’s MX added more conventional controls although rudder pedals moved spoilers, seen in shadow on the wings.

With more power and further development, Quicksilvers got better. And better. And better. The California sold a ton of them.

By the time the earliest MX models came out, Quicksilver was a huge force in putting people in the sky. In one year — I believe it was 2002 or 2003 — the company sold more aircraft than Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft combined. That got the attention of plenty of aviators. Average selling price back then, for a ready to fly aircraft: $3,595.00. (Today, that would be $9,667 after adjusting for inflation — still a fantastic bargain, and as you’ll read below, you can still buy one for the original low price.)

This gorgeous drawing was done by ultralight enthusiast, Rich Jennings. He did many such drawings for this website. Thanks, Rich!

Quicksilver MX is a high-wing, tricycle-gear, two-axis control aircraft in a pusher configuration. It was the first ultralight to be mass-marketed and mass-produced.

As a bolt-together assembly kit, Quicksilver required no manufacturing of parts by the builder. All fabrication was done at the factory. A kit took between 60 and 80 hours to assemble, using common hand tools, and could be built in as little as a one-car garage. Accomplished builders, often dealers for the brand, could put one together in less than 20 hours.

One regular Quicksilver pilot is George Karamitis, a longtime airline captain who flies his ultralight almost daily and posts great images and video on social media.

Quicksilver was the first ultralight kit on the market to come with a very comprehensive assembly manual, with all of the AN bolts and anodized tubing clearly marked and supplied on shrink-wrapped packaging boards. No one had anything like this organization at the time and I’ve never seen such packaging again.

Originally power was supplied by the Cuyuna 430 engine but this powerplant was later updated to the Rotax 377 and then Rotax 447 engine. With 40 horsepower, the very lightweight Quicksilver MX climbed with great vigor although it simply didn’t fly fast no matter how much power you put on it.

The MX model abandoned the weight shift idea — this was too foreign to lots of potential customers. Instead, it used stick-and-rudder two-axis controls, but with a difference. The joystick connected to the elevator and rudder while the rudder pedals were connected to spoilerons on top of the wing.

Admittedly, this still throws pilots who learned in a Cessna 150, but if you ignored what controlled what and simply flew it as you expected, it worked surprising well but with an advantage no 150 driver ever considered: the pilot could deploy both spoilerons at the same time by depressing the rudder pedals. This killed lift on the wings and allowed the aircraft to get into very short runways. Despite it’s functionality, some pilots didn’t like the arrangement and the company later adapted conventional ailerons with all the controls hooked up as expected.

Here we see a Quicksilver, the 2SE that went through full ASTM approval as a Light-Sport Aircraft. Note the test boom in front of the wing.

Then and now, single-place Quicksilvers use a right-hand joystick and left-hand throttle. Brakes are common now, but for years Quicksilver didn’t have any …and never really needed them.

With Quicksilver MX a market leader in its day, the iconic series of models still leads the world in ultralight aircraft style kits.

Videoman Dave wrote, “The Quicksilver MX is one of the safest, most fun flying ultralight aircraft I have ever flown, and I highly recommend it.” Through his The Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel, Dave rates the Quicksilver MX an A+ when powered by a Rotax engine, with good, tested fabric, an airworthy propeller and a low time engine.

An original Eipper Formance Quicksilver hang glider, circa 1970.

Please follow the inspection advice given in the first installments of the Vintage Ultralight series. For a troubleshooting report on the MX, visit Videoman Dave’s website (different from his YouTube channel).

At the time of production of this video The Ultralight Flyer would estimate the value of a used not-abused Quicksilver MX to be $3,500 to $5,000.

For new Quicksilver aircraft and the most extensive stock of replacement parts for every model ever made, visit Air-Tech, Inc. Proprietor Bever Borne was once the largest dealer for Quicksilver in the world. His Louisiana business owns all the original tooling and he runs the business with his son, Ken. You can find so much more info about Quicksilver on this website that you might never stop reading.

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Ah, the Quicksilver! Where to start with this veritable icon of the ultralight sector? With more than 15,000 flying, it even outranks Van’s Aircraft for kit aircraft that made it into the air — although Van’s has sold more kits in total and no one disputes the Western brand’s leadership position. The earliest Quicksilvers were hang gliders (last photo). Engines came later but at first the weight-shift seat stayed (nearby image). The pilot had lateral control — still by weight shift — but via lines that moved surfaces. Pitch, however, was fully controlled by the pilot moving his or her body. Those were fun days and provided wonderful memories (yes, I flew them as weight-shift aircraft). Yet the brand went on to vastly greater development. In this article, our focus is on the original three-axis control model, the oh-so-famous MX (multiple axis). Quicksilver MX Quicksilver’s MX entered the market in the early 1980s, like all the models featured in our Vintage Ultralight series.

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Update from Vickers Aircraft and their Wave Light-Sport Aircraft Amphibian

By Dan Johnson || 2 Comments

The Coronavirus madness is far from being a U.S. problem. Naturally, we tend to focus on our own part of the world …as we must. Yet even far-away countries are also struggling — to protect citizens and to keep their economies afloat. It simply has to improve as the present situation cannot last.

Despite the challenging situation, progress continues in the distant nation of New Zealand. As in many nations, wide-ranging business support has also been rolled out, softening the impact of the lockdown and allowing New Zealand to move forward with minimal long-term disruption.

Update from Vickers Aircraft

Chief designer, founder, and visionary (and company namesake), Paul Vickers, wrote, “2020 is quickly turning into a very memorable year at Vickers Aircraft for numerous reasons.”

“Along with much of the world,” Paul continued in early April, “New Zealand is feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic with a state of emergency declared. With this four-week lockdown all non-essential companies are required to close or work from home.”

However, he added, “This will also be the year we fly our much-anticipated Wave.” Interest is indeed keen as proven by more than 120,000 views of the video shown at the bottom of this post.

Aircraft design and its accompanying release documents and part traceability often takes longer to create than the production of aircraft components and assemblies.

“While our technicians and workshop staff are safe at home with their families, our designers are using this time and working from their homes to finalise the remaining aspects of the design, prepare work and plan the actions required once we are able to get all staff safely back to work,” observed Paul.

On a positive note, he reported the Rotax 915is — the final engine selection for Wave, reported here — arrived at Vickers in the nick of time before the lockdown was announced. Paul indicated the Vickers team were initially hard at work configuring it for installation in the aircraft.

Having labored to maintain a sustainable company during normal market conditions, this stability will help Vickers through this period. Keeping expenditures low, not expanding too soon, or incurring any unnecessary cost, Vickers feels the company will be better positioned to move into a global economic reset and assure Vickers can be ready with aircraft deliveries as the world recovers.

“Not currently being reliant on sales and having investors with long term vision makes Vickers a stable and strong company in this environment,” explained Paul.

“This is our eleventh year working on Wave,” noted Paul. “I am often asked why is it taking so long? The answer, you don’t want an aircraft to be rushed. It has to be right the first time, no shortcuts, no compromises and always safety first. Not once have I compromised on any of Vickers’ core values, nor will I. Wave will be ready soon, but not before it is fully completed. It has taken the time that has been necessary to design and produce a truly incredible aircraft.”

Earlier Vickers Aircraft said it was preparing the all-important first flight in 2020. This was expected by late spring/early summer though clearly the Coronavirus slowdown has affected their schedule. Still, conservative planning for and operation of the business, will pay benefits and help from the national government will help keep the strong team Paul Vickers has assembled.

“Fantastic teams, like the group we have at Vickers, don’t happen overnight and don’t grow on trees,” Paul stated. “Building such a development team has taken many years of effort and training.” Vickers reported that it is looking to expand the team in the near future as the company begins to scale for our next phase.

“To all our family, friends and followers around the world — stay safe in these difficult and unprecedented times,” Paul said. “We are all in this together and look forward to coming out the other side ready to bring some positive news to the world in the form of a flying Wave.”

When that first flight happens, Paul Vickers has promised to get us news, results, and images as soon as possible. Stay tuned!

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The Coronavirus madness is far from being a U.S. problem. Naturally, we tend to focus on our own part of the world …as we must. Yet even far-away countries are also struggling — to protect citizens and to keep their economies afloat. It simply has to improve as the present situation cannot last. Despite the challenging situation, progress continues in the distant nation of New Zealand. As in many nations, wide-ranging business support has also been rolled out, softening the impact of the lockdown and allowing New Zealand to move forward with minimal long-term disruption. Update from Vickers Aircraft Chief designer, founder, and visionary (and company namesake), Paul Vickers, wrote, “2020 is quickly turning into a very memorable year at Vickers Aircraft for numerous reasons.” “Along with much of the world,” Paul continued in early April, “New Zealand is feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic with a state of emergency declared.

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Ultralight April 2020 — Seventh in the Vintage Series: Ultralight Flight Phantom

By Dan Johnson || 1 Comment

When the Phantom was introduced to the ultralight market at Sun ‘n Fun in 1982, it won the Best New Design award, not only for good looks and strong performance but for its structural integrity! Indeed, it was touted as having been tested to +9 and –6.6 Gs. Though dismissed by some pilots, wire-braced designs are actually very tough.

Phantom is a kit built from anodized aluminum tubing, bolted and riveted together. The wings, tail surfaces and ailerons are covered in Dacron sail cloth envelopes and Phantom used a double surfaced wing for better cross wind control and handling.

A wire-braced, high-wing, tricycle-gear ultralight aircraft in a tractor configuration, Phantom has a pilot pod with windscreen and a steerable nosewheel. (These were not common in those early days of ultralight vehicles.) Controls are standard stick and rudder — a left hand throttle and right hand joystick — with full span ailerons.

Ultralight Flight Phantom

Original power was supplied by a Kawasaki 440 engine with a belt drive but this was updated to a Rotax 447 using a belt drive and later with a gear drive.

Cruise speed on the Phantom ultralight is between 55 and 60 miles per hour. It can climb 700 feet per minute and stall speed at approximately 25 miles per hour.

To gain perspective on the history of this well-regarded design, I reached out to an old friend who had extensive early experience with the original company located not far from his home.

“Right after Sun ‘n Fun 1980, four prototype Mirage ultralights showed up at Skylark airport in East Windsor Connecticut,” recalled Ken Godin, now known for his ComposiClean company. “A team of four or five people built these planes speculating that if they brought them to Sun ‘n Fun during the initial boom of Ultralight Aircraft they could sell lots of them.”

“Immediately after seeing these bright colored flying toys at Skylark, I rode my motorcycle to Windsor Connecticut where the Ultralight Flight Inc., facility was quartered. Ultralight Flight was housed in a old building of about 2,000 square feet that used to be summer housing for migrant tobacco pickers.

“I met Frank Riley, the president of the company, Fred Bell, the vice president, Dan Bell (Fred’s little brother) who was in charge of the shop,” Ken remembered. “There were three other silent partners, attorneys in the Hartford area. Fred Bell’s sister, Diane, had a sail loft and sewed all of the wing and tail coverings. Another employee, John Dempsey, was the guy with the ideas and skills to design and test an airframe.”

“Within a couple of hours of seeing the planes at Skylark, I had a new job in the ‘machine shop’ of Ultralight Flight. I made pretty much all the tooling to cut, drill, and bend aluminum tubing, make plastic bushings, and a wire jig for upper and lower wing wires and control cables for the Mirage.

Sun ‘n Fun 1980 proved to be a big show in the then-new ultralight area. Interested spectators and business people sought dealerships in the new sector.

“Within a couple of months after the show, we had tooled up and set up a dealer network across the country that produced sales of 10 to 20 birds a week,” Ken noted with enthusiasm! “We had a pretty well oiled machine and could really pump out kits.”

“This went on for about a year when Dempsey came to the table with his idea for a much advanced aircraft, the Phantom. With a full length boom-tube fuselage, a double surface wing with upper and lower battens and full span ailerons as opposed to the Mirage’s spoilers, we all felt it had great potential. Our dealers loved the ideas. So, while we were banging out Mirage kits, Dempsey went to work on the Phantom. I was able to do a lot of work with him. As he finished a new control surface or fuselage component, I would build the production tooling for the part.

“About nine months later, when all of the load testing and checks and measures were done, we brought the new Phantom out to Skylark Airport for test flights. It was a pretty awesome time. It was an amazing flying machine, going well beyond Mirage.

“Just as we were finishing the production set up for the Phantom, we moved the facility a couple of miles away to a brand new building. Our shop more than doubled in size, to 5,000 square feet. We built all new custom workbenches for our purposes. Everything was set up well enough that our production team was making 20-30 kits a week for a couple of years. During that time we phased out the Mirage.

Phantom Aeronautics, in business since 2003, makes this version of the well-loved ultralight.

“Over those two years of rapid Phantom production, the company experienced a couple of lawsuits and sales where slowing from market saturation — customers had a lot of ultralight models to choose from. The three attorney-partners, against Bell and Riley‘s wishes, decided to sell the company, to one of the biggest dealers we had in North Carolina.”

As Ken was only 20 years old he opted to stay closer to home but again got active with Pioneer International Aircraft at Ellington Airport. That company went on to build the Flightstar, over 1,000 of which were produced.

After this busy period came to an end, Ken lost track of the Ultralight Flight group, but the design was popular enough that it lead to some very similar aircraft — one named Avenger and another called Hurricane, Both have left the business but the current Phantom manufacturer said they can support these aircraft with many compatible parts.

At the time of production of the following video The Ultralight Flyer would estimate the value of a used Phantom from the 1980s to be worth between $4,500 and $6,500.

More than 1,800 Phantoms were produced, said current builder, Phantom Aeronautics.

Beside going over the aircraft carefully as described in earlier installments of this Vintage Ultralights series, The Ultralight Flyer recommends that the buyer contact Phantom Aeronautics to inquire about any modifications or updates that the factory might recommend. It is our understanding that they can also supply some major parts for the Hurricane and Avenger line of ultralight aircraft, which are very similar in design.

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When the Phantom was introduced to the ultralight market at Sun ‘n Fun in 1982, it won the Best New Design award, not only for good looks and strong performance but for its structural integrity! Indeed, it was touted as having been tested to +9 and –6.6 Gs. Though dismissed by some pilots, wire-braced designs are actually very tough. Phantom is a kit built from anodized aluminum tubing, bolted and riveted together. The wings, tail surfaces and ailerons are covered in Dacron sail cloth envelopes and Phantom used a double surfaced wing for better cross wind control and handling. A wire-braced, high-wing, tricycle-gear ultralight aircraft in a tractor configuration, Phantom has a pilot pod with windscreen and a steerable nosewheel. (These were not common in those early days of ultralight vehicles.) Controls are standard stick and rudder — a left hand throttle and right hand joystick — with full span ailerons.

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Ultralight April 2020 — Sixth in the Vintage Series: UltraFlight Lazair

By Dan Johnson || 4 Comments

The first time I ever saw Lazair fly — a fly-in at the Tullahoma Airport, as I recall — a then-young Peter Corley flew the lightweight aircraft as though he was the pilot of a military fighter of the day. He pushed the sleek machine with the whining engines as he looped and rolled the machine with such apparent ease. At this early time of development for these aircraft, such maneuvers in what we called an ultralight were very unusual.

To say either Peter or Lazair was unusual proved something of an understatement. Lazair was, and remains, one of the most unorthodox aircraft of any kind. Several reasons stand out to define its uniqueness.

These differences included: an inverted-V tail, said to be the most efficient tail planform; twin engines (the tiniest ones imaginable); an aluminum structure not based solely on round tubing; and see-through wing and tail coverings. All that is just the overview.

UltraFlight Lazair

The Lazair single seat ultralight aircraft was designed by Dale Kramer and the late Peter Corley and produced by UltraFlight Incorporated in Port Colborne, Ontario Canada.

Lazair entered the market in the early 1980s and was sold in kit form. Kits took between 500 and 1,000 hours to build as they were basically a raw materials kit. The fuselage and tail section use aluminum tubing with bolt and rivet construction.

Wings featured an aluminum D-cell construction with styrofoam ribs. These structures were covered in a Mylar or Tedlar fabric.

Lazair is a high-wing, strut-braced, tricycle-gear taildragger. Engines were in tractor configuration with an inverted-V tail equipped with ruddervators.

Dale developed Lazair into in several different variations, still as a single-place ultralight, the last being the Series III.

Power was originally supplied by two modified Pioneer Chainsaw engines of approximately 5.5 horsepower each. The Series 2 and 3 models used two, single-cylinder, 9.5-horsepower Rotax engines. These engines were mounted on the leading edge of the wings.

Series 3 Lazairs featured a wider landing gear, a conventional center mounted joy stick, jury struts and toe brakes.

Lazair Series 2 and Series 3 ultralights made great float planes and could be found through out cottage country in Ontario.

Climb rate on the Lazair Series 2 and 3 ultralights was approximately 450 to 500 feet per minute. Cruise speed was between 35 and 45 miles per hour. Stall is around 25 miles per hour.

At the time of production of this video The Ultralight Flyer would estimate the resale value of a used Lazair ultralight to be between $3,500 to $6,500. Gene estimated that between 1,200 and 2,000 Lazair ultralights were sold.

From comments to The Ultralight Flyer YouTube channel, a commenter whose handle is “galactica one,” reported, “With Rotax 185 engines, climb rate was 200-250 feet per minute; cruise was 38-40 mph, glide was 15:1, takeoff and landings each occurred in 100-300 feet; and stall happened at 20-25 mph.

The same commenter claimed TUF’s “price for a used Lazair [shown above] is way too high; around $1,000 is all one is worth.” This person advises, “a lot have damage to the airframe that needs to be repaired and the wing and tail surfaces will most likely need to be recovered. Most have been flipped on their back and the wing tips have been bent slightly. The foam ribs are a bit of hassle and should be replaced. The plastic wheel hubs deteriorate and will break over time. They were custom formed and are no longer available. The axle will have to be rebuilt and new wheel hubs installed,” but the commenter goes on to say that “Azusa three-quarter-inch axle bearings work well and Azusa brand brakes will also do a good job.”

“Pioneer engines are under powered,” galactica one noted. “The Rotax 185s are good engines, parts are available, and performance is adequate. They should be upgraded to around 30 horsepower total,” the commenter added, as “two engines in the 15-horsepower range would give Lazair proper performance.”

The commenter’s summary: “Total cost would be around $10,000 to fix it properly.” With such an investment, you could claim one of the most intriguing aircraft anyone will see. It will definitely draw looks everywhere you fly Lazair.

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The first time I ever saw Lazair fly — a fly-in at the Tullahoma Airport, as I recall — a then-young Peter Corley flew the lightweight aircraft as though he was the pilot of a military fighter of the day. He pushed the sleek machine with the whining engines as he looped and rolled the machine with such apparent ease. At this early time of development for these aircraft, such maneuvers in what we called an ultralight were very unusual. To say either Peter or Lazair was unusual proved something of an understatement. Lazair was, and remains, one of the most unorthodox aircraft of any kind. Several reasons stand out to define its uniqueness. These differences included: an inverted-V tail, said to be the most efficient tail planform; twin engines (the tiniest ones imaginable); an aluminum structure not based solely on round tubing; and see-through wing and tail coverings. All that is just the overview.

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Virtual Sun ‘n Fun 2020 — 5 Light Aircraft You Might Have Seen in Lakeland

By Dan Johnson || Leave a Comment

While I continue to worry about the cash crunch faced by two of my favorite shows, I am still driven to provide content as if those shows had occurred this year and not been postponed to 2021.

Of course, I refer to Aero Friedrichshafen and Sun ‘n Fun, the latter my focus for this post.

Here I will relate five aircraft you might have seen in Lakeland last week …before it was bumped to early May, but which is now off until April 2021.

I admit I secretly hoped for good news in these sad cancellations that might allow me to attend both events in 2021. I had to pick one over the other in 2020 as they were exactly opposite one another. Unfortunately for my schedule, the year-long postponement didn’t change anything. Sun ‘n Fun 2021 will be 13-18 of April while Aero 2021 is planned for 14-17 April. Oh, well …pick one again. Meanwhile, in happier news, I have some interesting flying machines for you to consider.

Bristell 915iS

The successful model from the very active BRM Aero in the Czech Republic was always a favorite for its exquisite design with no detail overlooked, with some of the smoothest execution in the industry. It’s wide cabin and luxurious appointments puts Bristell almost in a class of its own, with a price tag to match.

Bristell with Rotax‘s uber-powerful, 141-horsepower 915iS fuel injected, turbocharged, and intercooler engine bumps the selling price beyond reach of many aviators while still being a fraction of its equivalent among legacy general aviation airplanes. You’ll pay in the high $200,000 range for Bristell 915 but what a superlative airplane you’ll receive for that money.

As we launched on our photo mission with Bristell going first, it was clear this machine can soar into the sky faster than almost any LSA I’ve seen short of much-slower-cruising STOL designs. Look for our video to follow with more information about the latest offered by Bristell USA.

BRM Aero is definitely a moving target with new models in the works, but as with all the vendors featured in this virtual preview, you will have to learn about the new ideas at a later airshow. Stay tuned!

••• Get Lots More Info — Bristell USA (for North America) or BRM Aero (for other countries)

Jabiru J230D

For a very rare airframe company that also builds its own engines, welcome to the all-new Jabiru J230D with their latest Gen 4 (generation 4) Jabiru engine. The two seater LSA is also supplied as a four seater in its homeland of Australia, so this American model offers not only one of the most voluminous aft cabins in all of LSA-land but a separate, third door to access it.

Representative U.S. Sport Planes, led by industry veteran Scott Severen, has demonstrated this baggage capacity with photos showing a large dog sitting comfortably aft of the pilots. Those who struggle to load a couple small bags in most airplanes may be envious of the ease of entry to the back cabin. Yet capacity is not the whole story behind J230D.

This new model has refinements to make it fly even nicer. Since J230 models were already able to speed to the top of the category, improvements are focused on fit and finish and handling qualities.

In addition to the updated airframe, Jabiru is now in full production on their Gen 4 engine offered in two configurations: a four-cylinder 2200 model producing 80 horsepower; and the six-cylinder 3300 model with 120 horsepower. Learn more about both Gen 4 engines. The J230D uses the later to scoot along at max LSA speed.

••• Get Lots More Info — U.S. Sport Planes

Flight Design F2

Flight Design has been busy over the last year. Not only have they come out with their CTLS 2020 (fresh news) but they’ve put their all-new F2 through multiple tests. The German company is almost ready to begin deliveries.

Since I first saw the F2 in mock up, Flight Design has redesigned the intake for two reasons: “to reduce drag as we confirmed the older version was very functional but draggy; and for aesthetic reasons,” said the company. “Flight Design team designer and Head of Airworthiness, Christian Majunke, designed conceptually. He also designed a rather novel installation of the coolant and oil radiators,” elaborated Flight Design USA representative, Tom Peghiny.

Also new panel is an SLSA panel with twin G3X screens, a Garmin GTR 225 Com, Garmin GTX 345 ADSB in and out transponder, Garmin GMC 507 autopilot control head (with dual axis autopilot), and Garmin GMA 245 intercom.

Pilot controls remain essentially as they were on the CT-series but note the combined single lever throttle and brake system.

“Our F2 prototype number 002 arrived at port in Miami in preparation for display at Sun n Fun 2020,” said Tom. Like most vendors, Flight Design USA hoped to go forward with the Lakeland show but will now unveil the new model at Oshkosh 2020 (assuming it remains on schedule).

“After completing all SLSA required flight testing including the demanding ASTM 3180 anti-spin requirements, production has started on the first aircraft from production tooling in Germany, Ukraine and the Czech Republic,” concluded Tom.

••• Get Lots More Info — Flight Design USA

Whisper X350

You know the Czech Cessna-182 lookalike called L600 from AeroPilot USA. You also know the dashing FX1 from InnovAviation in Italy. Both of these interesting models are represented by Deon Lombard of AeroPilot USA, now based in Florida but with representation in California.

At Sun ‘n Fun 2020, Deon expected to introduce Whisper to American kit builders. Alas, as with the rest of this group, you probably won’t see it until July in Wisconsin.

Whisper Aircraft in South Africa has created Whisper X350 Gen II, a two-seat, cross-country sport aircraft with a limit load factor of plus 6.0 and minus 4.0 Gs. Those are merely limit loads. This is a tough bird.

Whisper wings feature a carbon fiber structure tested to an ultimate load factor of 12.0 Gs. The Gen II’s wing tanks offer a total fuel capacity of 63 U.S. gallons, giving a range of 1,000 nautical miles and an endurance of over 6 hours.

“The aircraft also has one of the widest interiors on the market today, featuring optional leather interior and plenty of baggage room making the Gen II perfect for comfortable cross-country trips. This will make a good member of the AeroPilot USA family. A few more specs: Useful Load — 925 pounds; Speed — 175 knots; Range — 1,137 miles.

••• Get Lots More Info — AeroPilot USA

Montaer MC-01

It might have been one of the great flights to reach Sun ‘n Fun 2020, had it occurred. That’s because designer and company representative Bruno de Oliveira had planned to fly his new model all the way from Brazil to Lakeland. That alone would have been reason to examine the new Light-Sport Aircraft.

Bruno will be aided in his approach to the U.S. market by longtimer, Ed Ricks, who once helped the Paradise Aircraft people with their P1NG (video). Unfortunately, that relationship faded but when Bruno, who once worked for Paradise, struck out on his own, Ed and partner were pleased to get back involved.

MC-01’s airframe is constructed with 4130 molybdenum steel tube providing a greater safety to the occupants. The exterior is all aeronautical aluminum fuselage and wings. A steerable nose wheel, dual toe brakes, and control yokes are just some of the features of this well built airplane. Learn more here; get more specs here.

Had Ed been able to show MC-01 at Sun ‘n Fun 2020 he was ready to make a special offer. While this handsome, approved, all-metal airplane normally sells for a reasonable  $135,000, an introductory price of only $125,000 was to be the show special. If you’re lucky, Ed may extend the offer to AirVenture Oshkosh 2020 (assuming it remains on its present schedule).

••• Get Lots More Info — Montaer USA

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While I continue to worry about the cash crunch faced by two of my favorite shows, I am still driven to provide content as if those shows had occurred this year and not been postponed to 2021. Of course, I refer to Aero Friedrichshafen and Sun ‘n Fun, the latter my focus for this post. Here I will relate five aircraft you might have seen in Lakeland last week …before it was bumped to early May, but which is now off until April 2021. I admit I secretly hoped for good news in these sad cancellations that might allow me to attend both events in 2021. I had to pick one over the other in 2020 as they were exactly opposite one another. Unfortunately for my schedule, the year-long postponement didn’t change anything. Sun ‘n Fun 2021 will be 13-18 of April while Aero 2021 is planned for 14-17 April.

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