Summer is here and we are beginning to anticipate the first airshows of the year (since Copperstate, that is). In a bit over three months — with the virus panic behind us, we hope — here comes the Midwest LSA Expo in September and DeLand Showcase in November. Until these shows start we have plenty to share with you 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 “The Ultralight Flyer” 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!
Welcome!
Summer is here and we are beginning to anticipate the first airshows of the year (since Copperstate, that is). In a bit over three months — with the virus panic behind us, we hope — here comes the Midwest LSA Expo in September and DeLand Showcase in November. Until these shows start we have plenty to share with you 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 "The Ultralight Flyer" 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!
"These [are] very fun machines; speedy, and capable of mild aerobatics," Sam said. LiteFighters offer the kind of flying a weekend warrior wants to do. "LiteFighter aerodynamics are driven by requirements," Sam explained, giving as examples: "low stall speed with gentle stall characteristics, high climb rate, great speed for the power, excellent maneuverability, and fun scale-sized airframe."
When Sam mentions "modular," he means that ScaleBirds designs are based on a structural core airframe with skins being "hung" on the outside primarily for aesthetic and aerodynamic purposes.
ScaleBirds is comprised of a small team from southeastern Connecticut. "Our experience is in art, design, engineering, robotics, manufacturing, and of course, aircraft," Sam observed. "We have been using all of our skills and developing new ones in order to deliver something new to the world of flying." These replicas are single seat sport planes, designed to be economical and fun.
"We have also done design work, and built parts for, a larger two-seat aircraft: a 63%-scale F6F Hellcat," Sam reported. "It will be completed as the first example of what we call the SportFighters series."
The ScaleBirds team report they offer full-service maintenance and overhauls for the Vernon engines. "We went to the Czech Republic and were trained in the operation and maintenance for these powerplants," Sam clarified.
The five-cylinerVerner Scarlett 5S is a modern radial aviation powerplant. "With specs and performance that put it right next to other 80-horsepower engines, the Scarlett 5S is still lighter than the other direct-drive engine options and without the cost and complexity of the higher-revving redrive engines of similar output," Sam said.
While the design team likes the round Vernors for some applications, "LiteFighters are designed for a variety of available aircraft engines from 65 to 140 horsepower. The in-line fighters like the P40 will be based on the Viking 130, AeroMomentum, and Rotax 912UL, while radial powered models will be geared towards the Verner 5Si or 7U engines," Sam explained. "This will not preclude other popular options such as Continental, VW, Jabiru, and various two-stroke options, the D-motor, as well as other auto conversions such as the Suzuki G engines with redrives."
Video watching is great while America remains sheltered at home. Here is a trio of ScaleBirds videos — two about the P-36 Hawk in recent and earlier states of development plus lots of talk about radial Verner engines, which ScaleBirds imports. Grab some popcorn and enjoy!
I interrupt the ongoing battle with Covid-19 to take you on a nostalgic tour of Oshkosh-19. View this excursion by video below.
Hey, when you can't go to 
Oshkosh is so sprawling you can't see it all but this post along with the video below tries to capture objects of interest to readers of this website and viewers of Dave's 
First, a gyroplane can be flown by a Sport Pilot. Other than 
Company leader, Abid Farooqui, notes that Rotax's newest powerplant requires use of an EFIS (Electronic Flight Information System, or digital screen avionics) for engine monitoring that can interface with 915's electronic engine monitoring. Analog gauges are not an option with use of this engine. The lowest cost and simplest EFIS is 
I will link to a video with much more detail but as one example, Rotax's powerful engine has a turbocharger. Those air boosters make air hotter so an intercooler is needed. The trouble with these components is they have to be securely mounted and a gyroplane like AR-1 is slim, so Abid did not want a big intercooler sticking out and upsetting the lines and low drag of his design. As the video below shows, he went to considerable effort to clean up the 915 installation.
To learn all about the many actions Abid took to install Rotax 915s into his aircraft, see 
Yes, you read that right and that figure includes everything needed although you may elect added-cost options such as glass avionics or a specialized paint job. While some models of LSA seaplanes appeal to the wealthy class at prices approaching $400,000, Aero Adventure makes …seaplanes for the rest of us.
Two years ago, Aero Adventure was focused on their 
While Alex and team previously hoped to debut the new model at 
Meanwhile, in my visit at the end of March 2020, I reviewed several items of the long work list required to achieve Special LSA status and it appears to me that Aero Adventure has nearly finished all work. They hired outside talent to assist them in assuring they fully meet the ASTM standards FAA requires before accepting a new model into the fleet. They've also completed the numerous manuals required before they can declare their compliance to standards.
Building the case for FAA acceptance has absorbed a lot of time and money, but Alex and crew have worked the rest of the effort, too. A major decision was made about representation of the enhanced line.
Bristell USA importer, Lou Mancuso, will represent the Aventura SLSA 912. He has already dipped his toe into the water (literally …ask him about it at an airshow) by offering the S-17 version of Aventura but he is stoked about the potential for the fully-built seaplane with a modest price. Aventura SLSA 912 will be north of $100,000 but significantly less than all other Special LSA seaplanes and far, far less than Icon's A5.
Lou has carefully built a solid reputation in the Light-Sport Aircraft world (see here 
No, of course not. Admittedly, though, a nosedragger is certainly not what most pilots think when they envision a Cub.
“Putting a nosewheel on a modern Cub type aircraft certainly surprised some people," noted CubCrafters' VP of Sales & Marketing, Brad Damm. "The overwhelming public response has been positive, especially among more than 300 pilots that had the opportunity to fly the airplane during the market survey phase."
“A nosewheel equipped XCub is a very easy airplane to fly that takes off shorter, lands shorter, and cruises faster than the tailwheel version," Brad added. "Once a pilot is in the airplane and experiences it, the advantages are obvious.”
“Engaging our customers has been hugely important,” said Patrick Horgan, President of CubCrafters. “We went into this process not entirely sure if the market wanted to accept a nosewheel-type personal adventure Cub." He reported the question has been resolved. "We’ve had people wanting to place deposits for this aircraft from day one. Our customers have made it very clear that they want us to build this airplane.”
CubCrafters said that a variety of pilots with varying skill levels invested hundreds of hours of real-world use during the market survey phase. The Yakima company said this experience led to many design improvements that might not have happened solely from company engineers.
Regarding retrofit, the nosewheel assembly "is a bolt-on effort that can be removed should the owner want to convert the airplane to a tailwheel configuration." XCub's tricycle gear option is available now on experimental XCubs through the company’s Builder Assist program
Following the company's also-Part 23 Cub, the nosedragger has been badged as “NX Cub” for aircraft delivered from the factory in nosewheel configuration. CubCrafters expects to achieve FAA Part 23 certification for NX Cub in early 2021.
In April, lots of readers were clearly pleased with the "Vintage Ultralights" series. Thanks to our cooperation with Videoman Dave and his popular 
"The UltraCruiser was designed as the first all-metal ultralight in 1998," reported 
"
In our strongest month ever, April 2020, 
"Things are even more confusing for the [second record for a] 50-kilometer closed-circuit course," said Stéphan. "In every record we attempt, our motivation is to show that our marketing brochure is very accurate without inflated numbers. Because nobody could believe the performance of the fixed-gear Siren with [100 horsepower] 912ULS, we decided to set a new record. The result was an astonishing 288 kilometers per hour (corrected for ISA). We could fly the Risen 914T and set a much faster record, because of retractable gear and an extra 15 horsepower of the 
Stéphan observed that I had written (in my 
I was told by several builders that Crystal puts out a good food spread and generally these two make you feel at home, even providing bedrooms so you can stay on the job as long as your schedule allows. "Most spend time, return home, and come back to finish the task," explained Greg.
Building a Lightning — Greg observed, "All the primary fiberglass assemblies are preformed and fully fabricated including fuselage halves already bonded together with bulkheads installed; wings are substantially finished with fuel tanks installed; and all flight controls are installed." The kit also includes cowls, the prop spinner, cockpit canopy frame, seats, and baggage floors.
Welded structures, such as the motor mount, spar box assembly, gear leg sockets, and various brackets, are finished and epoxy painted at the factory making them ready to install. Lightning's landing gear is machined from 7075T6 aluminum and ready to fit.
An airplane like Lightning "goes together pretty fast," said Greg, continuing to say that the process takes only about three weeks. If you try this at home, plan on more time, other builders told me. The help the Build Center gives is invaluable plus it's more social than many projects.
The Experimental Aircraft Build Center Arizona also helps builders create the 
What pilot doesn't want more power? Or speed?
The trouble with more power allowing more speed is that old auto racing line: "Speed costs money! How fast do you want to go?"
How about a not-so-expensive option?
U.S. importer 
However, as power went up, so did prices. The 915, 340 and 170 mentioned above carry significantly higher price tags, and honestly, not all light aircraft need that much power. Plus, bigger engines are heavier so some of the added power is used to lift the extra engine weight.
Zlin develop Pasquale Russo and U.S. importer Bill Canino think the familiar and proven Rotax 914 Turbo offered a "best of both worlds" proposition.
For 2020, Zlin introduced the Norden concepts. 
"This required a long, meticulous revision and optimization of the whole airframe," said Pasquale, including fuselage, empennage, landing gear, nose cowl, fuselage skin, the cockpit interior, brakes and control surfaces. It became a reconfigured airplane from spinner to tailwheel.
Careful weight reduction dropped the weight while keep their "hyper STOL" wing performance that can sustain speeds of barely more than 30 mph. "This is more typical for a powered paraglider than for a robust three-axis aircraft while maintaining interesting cruise speeds" Pasquale observed.
Around the world outside the U.S., aviation fuels like 100LL are not widely available. 
What's Up!?
To learn more, we reached out to one of the most Light-Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot kit aircraft-friendly insurance agencies, AIR, a fun abbreviation for 
"With quoting becoming almost automated for many aircraft, insurance underwriters found themselves having to find new ways to stay competitive," she added. "This meant broader policies, more flexible training requirements, and of course, a lower rate."
These changes lead insurance companies to what is called a “soft market.” Pilots and aviation business owners often benefited from flexible underwriting and record low premiums.
"Senior pilots have been greatly impacted in this hardening market," Victoria continued, "specifically those in retractable gear and multi-engine aircraft. If a single engine piston fixed tricycle-gear aircraft can fit your aircraft needs, this will often result in a better rate and insurability on your aircraft insurance." Her advice seems nearly written to boost the LSA industry.
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.
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 
“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 
"With the variety of special Fly-Away Financing rates we can offer," said 
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 "
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.
Wing Span — 35.2 feet
"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.
"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.
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 
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.
"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 
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.
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.
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. 