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TIP: Search. You use Google or Bing to scour the World Wide Web. You can search most websites, sometimes with good success, sometimes not so much. We have Search, too, but we've gone further.
With basic search, you get any article that contains your search term or phrase. What about when you want info on a specific brand or model of aircraft or one of the companies mentioned on ByDanJohnson.com?
Now introducing Advanced Search. After you enter a term and hit Search, you'll see — "Not finding exactly what you expected? Try our advanced search option." Click for yourself and see the power! You'll see a large drop-down menu but you can type the first letter or two to go quickly down the list. We hope you find all you want. If you enter a company name, you'll get all their contact info, right up front. Handy, huh?
We sincerely appreciate your visit and thank those of you who have become members!
TIP: Search. You use Google or Bing to scour the World Wide Web. You can search most websites, sometimes with good success, sometimes not so much. We have Search, too, but we’ve gone further.
With basic search, you get any article that contains your search term or phrase. What about when you want info on a specific brand or model of aircraft or one of the companies mentioned on ByDanJohnson.com?
Now introducing Advanced Search. After you enter a term and hit Search, you’ll see — “Not finding exactly what you expected? Try our advanced search option.” Click for yourself and see the power! You’ll see a large drop-down menu but you can type the first letter or two to go quickly down the list. We hope you find all you want. If you enter a company name, you’ll get all their contact info, right up front. Handy, huh?
We sincerely appreciate your visit and thank those of you who have become members!
Every pilot I know… every aviation organization… every aviation government official… all acknowledge the same requirement for the future of aviation. We need more younger people entering this activity that we current pilots enjoy so much. I feel sure you agree.
Let me repeat for emphasis. The second-largest group of pilots in an age range (20-35 years old) is almost as large as the one we think dominates (50-64 years old). Notice that each group contains pilots from a similar age range (15 years).
One man is working to change the "youth problem" in his own unique way. You may already know him from his days directing the 
"AviNation is published four times a year and is distributed to FBOs, universities and trade events throughout the country, connecting advertisers and contributors with industry professionals, enthusiasts and of course, those that will continue to push the industry forward.
Like literally billions of other people, I've come to depend on YouTube videos, whether for pure entertainment or when I'm trying to fix something in my house or on my car. As you probably know, YouTube will almost certainly have not one video to help or delight you, but dozens …on the same topic. More than 300 hours of video are uploaded to Google's computers every minute of the day, 24x7. Amazing! More than 5 billion videos are watched every day by more than 1.3 billion people (and that's without China's 1.3 billion people as the government does not allow YouTube in that nation).
Seamax LSA Seaplane
Flight Design USA
Aeropilot L600 and New FX1
Aeropilot USA
When I started this website back in 2004, even before Light-Sport Aircraft officially arrived on the aviation scene, I began by uploading hundreds of pilot reports that had appeared in various aviation magazines. Most were very detailed descriptions of many ultralights (both single and two seaters) and light kit aircraft. After flying nearly 400 models, I had information that most buyers lacked, so I often took questions that were similar to, "You've flown all these airplanes. Which one should I buy?"
Thus came PlaneFinder. Version 1.0 was a series of three articles for EAA Sport Pilot magazine (since discontinued as a publication). The three articles were a lot of work for me, and for readers. At the end, maybe you knew what to buy …but possibly not. It was a worthy first effort, you might agree, but it was not the right solution.
"The goal of the project was the production and installation of a (public) charging station for electric airplanes, because the need for a stationary type of charging has been shown," wrote the company.
In Pipistrel's 25 years, the Slovenian company has produced 600 aircraft of the Sinus-Virus family (the ones most familiar to Americans) plus 120 aircraft of the Taurus-Apis family (motorgliders and gliders). Together with approximately 500 weight shift trikes — the aircraft that started this company back in Soviet times — Pipistrel has manufacturered about 1,300 aircraft. 
"Oshkosh is all about airplanes, right?" asked 
Vastly easier demo flying can be done at events like the just-concluded 
To keep up with demand and spark more TAF-USA hired Barry Jay as North American Sales and Marketing Manager, who will work closely with Matt Liknaitzky and Jean D'Assonville. "Barry comes to us with decades of experience in the general aviation and automotive industries," said The Airplane Factory USA. Jay has sold new Piper and Mooney aircraft, managed Lexus national advertising and worked with Toyota's aviation business development department." A private pilot with over 900 hours, Barry has been a member of the Sling Flying Club for over four years and has been a strong promoter of The Airplane Factory brand. An FAA Safety Team Representative, Barry was also recently reelected to the post of President of the Torrance Airport Association for a twelfth term.
In a eNewsletter to what they call "Breezerians," the German company with the same name as their model reported a festive debut to their newest model called Breezer Sport.
Here's our earlier looks at 
"Today, we can do things differently and that’s why the Breezer Sport has a totally different approach. Plus, the current integration of 3D CAD/CAM systems enables us to create form factors meeting the expectations of strength and performance." Breezer Sport is not only an enhancement of the B400/B600, series they say. "It is a completely new aircraft with totally different technology approaches."
Belite entrepreneur James Weibe has successfully used his tech industry background to raise interest for his latest project, this time his first two seater called Chipper. (It was named Pipper but that apparently energized the anxieties of Piper Aircraft lawyers so James altered the name.)
"I flew Chipper to Angel Fire, New Mexico," James exclaimed. "I flew nonstop one way (960 miles roundtrip) from Wichita, Kansas to Angel Fire, performed flight tests, and then returned to Marion, Kansas before the sunset." Now that's a good day's flying.
"Chipper's takeoff roll length was 600 feet," said a proud James. "Why did they make the runway 8,900 feet long at Angel Fire," James wondered with a twinkle in his eye?
Brian and Carol have created a valuable service by their work for more than a decade. The LSA industry is lucky to have them hard at work.
I believe you should applaud Milan Bristela. Now a veteran of the Light-Sport Aircraft sector, he has steadily built a successful aircraft manufacturing enterprise — 
Back in 2003, when I was still involved with BRS Parachutes, I traveled to the Czech Republic. My contact was American Chip Erwin, then head of Czech Aircraft Works and now the man behind 
The company began selling the first version of Bristell Classic in 2011, a fixed-gear aircraft. In 2012 Milan developed a Bristell RG retractable gear aircraft and in the following year Bristell TDO, their taildragger option (photo) that lends a very sporty look. BRM Aero acquired their own production facilities only five years after starting the business. Since moving, production capacity more than doubled over the next two years.
In the USA, Bristell now enjoys a highly experienced and dedicated team at 
FX1's cabin is fully enclosed and sports large, curved doors. The tail is joined by a more conventional looking fuselage rather than a simple tailboom. The engine is now fully enclosed. Flightstar built it the way they did for some 1,000 aircraft to keep the weight down to a minimum because of the ultralight regulations of the day. That was also a simpler time and today's FX1 may have appeared bulky and expensive back in the early 2000s.
Given a fresh design with Italian styling and the promise of future sales, InnovAviation announced several developments.
Improved forward visibility — to enhance flying enjoyment and safety.
In this pre-Eclipse weekend post, I'll show you some images of cool flying things I saw at the big event.
Nearby, from one of light aviation lightest aircraft sellers — Michael LeMaire and his 
Machines like Stratos aren't what we usually cover here — any more than space rockets — but since it was beautiful to behold and is coming from one of our LSA suppliers and supporters, I enjoyed a look-see and thought you might as well.
Finally, we arrived in arguably my favorite area of 
"Coming to America" is a common refrain from light aircraft producers in some countries. Why? The obvious reason is that most designers perceive a huge market in the USA. Another is that shipping from the USA to other countries proves easier than shipping from their home countries. Other reasons also exist but those two are enough to decide in favor of the move.
"Atol's cockpit is totally newly designed and looks great," added Anssi. The long established tradition in aviation (and most industries) of adapting the good ideas of other designers shows in Atol's new MVP-like approach.
Among LSA seaplanes a 600 pound useful load is also striking. Anssi explains how they achieve that, "The outer layer of our hull is Kevlar with cold-molded, foam-cored birch. This combination is extremely rugged, light and strong. We use fabric covered wings featuring Oratex. These can be lighter than carbon fiber with the added benefit of field repairable. This is a real plus for a seaplane."
"We think Atol USA is the best and fastest solution for us to be able to serve our North American customers. Our Rovaniemi factory in Finland (photo) will produce for the rest of the world and continue product development,” Anssi added.
We expect to deliver these airframes beginning in the first quarter of 2019 and at a firm fixed price. What price? "Current pricing is $179,000 for delivery through 2018, although most of these positions are allocated so our open slots begin in 2019," explained Paul.
His first production aircraft weighed in at 242 pounds. Sound familiar? Maybe that's where FAA conjured the 254 pound empty weight of Part 103 aircraft, a category created 76 years later, in 1982.
Skonkwerks is an honoring nod to the famed Lockheed Martin Skunkworks, the latter becoming a term widely used in a generic sense to denote a group within an organization given a high degree of autonomy to work on advanced, sometimes secret projects. The Winchester Skonkwerks uses the name "in jest to project an aura of something outside of the norm being worked on, developed, or flown while staying in touch with meager roots."
According to the 
