It’s SHOW TIME at Sun ‘n Fun 2021! We’re here and ready to report. Light aviation survived 2020 surprisingly well but we are ready for a new season of airshows and flying fun. Check our growing library of short videos on the ByDanJohnson Affordable Aviation YouTube channel. In addition, you can find nearly 1,000 LSA and Sport Pilot kit videos featuring Dan on Videoman Dave’s “Light Sport and 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!
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It's SHOW TIME at Sun 'n Fun 2021! We're here and ready to report.
Thanks for your visit. We genuinely appreciate those of you who have become members!
This millennia, the Brazilians have adapted to Light-Sport Aircraft and ASTM standards, which the country's CAA accepts (as do several other nations). Not only have they populated the skies over Brazil, but several companies have moved to establish their business in the USA.
Montaer's MC01 starts with 4130 molybdenum steel tube "to provide greater safety to the crew." MC01 is skinned with an aluminum fuselage and wings. These materials are popular with American pilots who are aware they can achieve repairs almost anywhere.
MC01 is powered with the 100 horsepower 
MC01 has dual control yokes with a steerable nose wheel and dual toe brakes. Although many Sport Pilots say they prefer — or at least have adjusted to — joystick control, many pilots find control yokes preferable. No joystick option is presently available.
However, Montaer has also followed Paradise's lead by offering hand controls to accommodates pilots who want to fly but have lost the use of their legs. In fact, the very first American purchase of Montaer MC01 is going to such a pilot up near Oshkosh. I'm sure I join many others in congratulating Bruno and Montaer in making arrangements for such people to achieve their dreams of flight.
Elevator trim controls are provided on both yokes. At the base of the instrument panel pilots will find all circuit breakers and other switches. Throughout this design, you see a layout that most pilots will find familiar and comfortable. All these common controls may help pilots quickly adapt to flying Light-Sport.
Montaer has installed all leather seats, headliner and side panels (photo). The interior fit and finish will please most pilots. Both seats are fully adjustable forward and back allowing, for comfort for tall and short people. These adjustments can be made while sitting in the seat. Yet MC01's seats do more.
Again similar to Paradise models — which are no longer available in the USA — MC01 has fully-reclining seats. While the company said, "This is important for tall people to adjust the seats for more head space," it brings additional benefits. For example, if you want to camp in your MC01, the reclining seats can provide a sleeping surface. The aft cabin has sufficient of room to permit this.
Although 
The subjects of today's post from Lakeland, Florida, VL3 from JMB Aircraft plus Tarragon Aircraft — along with a handful of other designs (see this 
Of course, such high-tech construction also pushes up the price. Neither of these airplanes are in the range of what I'd call "affordable" for readers of this website. In fact Tarragon is carving out a space near the very top of where LSA are priced. In their booth, I heard staff quote numbers north of $300,000. It's a breathtaking aircraft with a breathtaking price to match.
In addition, as with VL3, Tarragon must be built and registered as an Experimental Amateur Built aircraft. As this requirement does not exist in Europe, I don't know how well configured they are to assist builders but the U.S. representatives are likely to handle that. If this aircraft interests you for purchase, you'll want to talk to the fellows repressenting it in Illinois. 
On a beautiful evening, almost 200 light aircraft businesspeople attended the DeLand Showcase annual reception. Smiles were plentiful as these vendors enjoyed a return to normalcy and an airshow routine that fuels their enterprise so they can better serve their pilot customers.
Hurray for 
For years I've said that of all aircraft to succeed with battery electric flight, the first truly usable, enjoyable aircraft would be a Part 103 ultralight. I'll list several reasons below but the aircraft you see in these images is already flying with electric propulsion and you can get on the list now.
Can aviation lead us back toward normal? Globally, governments have ordered their citizens to stay at home and all the rest, as you’ve heard ad naseum. Some places — Florida, as a sunshining example — is more open than others but much of civilization remains restricted. 
Yet no one can dispute that C42 — once rebadged as Cyclone for American buyers — has for many years been THE success story in Germany. This southern German company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020.
Our favorite British aerojournalist, 
Now in its "C" model configuration, C42 is one of the most successful European microlights (a category between Part 103 ultralights and LSA, but closer to the latter). Comco Ikarus has evolved the machine into a fine airplane.
In England, C42 is sold by 
Aft of the cockpit there’s a frangible cover which the BRS rocket fires through, and a very large quickly removable panel on the port side, through which the fuel quantity can be seen and a lot of the interior structure visually inspected. The rear baggage bay can hold up to 100 pounds, weight and balance allowing.
C42C's tail consists of a strut-braced tailplane and separate elevator, a slightly swept-back vertical stabilizer, which carries a broad-chord rudder and a small ventral fin tail bumper. Wings, tail, flaps and control surfaces are all covered in XLAM (a type of sturdy, dimensionally-stable fabric sailcloth) with Tanara Teflon thread (which is impervious to UV light) used for the stitching.
Less obvious changes include a significant revision of the wing structure with more use of carbon fiber. C42C's cockpit roof has been completely redesigned and the doors are now hung on redesigned hinges.
A sturdy hydro-pneumatic tricycle undercarriage offers nosewheel steering via the rudder pedals and carries 
After fastening my four-point harness, I raised the throttle into its correct position and familiarized myself with the cockpit. Throttles on both sides fold flat to aid ingress and egress.
C42C's instrument panel is large and could easily carry just about every possible permutation of instrumentation, from very basic analog to the latest 
A central column braces the instrument panel and carries push/pull plungers for the choke; cabin heat and carb heat; a transceiver and transponder; and a toggle switch for the intercom. C42C's fuel selector is located at the base of the central column by the pilot’s right leg; easy to see and reach. Large map pockets are built into the doors.
A center stick features a comfortable foam grip with buttons for electric elevator trim and a bicycle-type brake lever with integral park brake. The large handbrake-type flap lever is set into the roof, in front of a red T-handle for the BRS.
With my solo loaded weight about 200 pounds below gross, a paved runway, and a brisk headwind, I anticipated a stellar take off and climb characteristics and I was not disappointed! The prop was pitched for cruise but you’d never guess. I reached 1,000 feet above the runway before the airfield boundary.
After shooting the air-to-air photos, the camera ship departed and I took a look at C42C's general handling. All controls were nicely harmonized and authoritative. The roll rate in particular is much more sprightly than the C42A, while the stick forces felt lower than I remembered, no doubt due to the spades mounted on the ailerons. A short center stick does not provide much mechanical advantage but the spades help. Control around both pitch and yaw axes was equally effective, and keeping the slip-ball centered took only small amounts of rudder. The electric pitch trim is effective and nicely geared.
Moving onto an examination of the stick-free stability around all three axes reveals the directional stability is definitely soft to the left and neutral to the right, while spiral stability is slightly positive from the right and neutral to the left. The longitudinal stability is quite strong; a 10-knot displacement from a trimmed speed of 70 knots resulting in a long wavelength low amplitude phugoid that damped itself out after three lazy oscillations. Importantly, C42C is not divergent around any axes.
Slowing down to explore the slow speed side of the flight envelope revealed no unpleasant traits. As the speed reduced past 60 knots, I moved the flap lever to +2, which lowers the flaps to their maximum of 40° and causes a significant change in pitch trim, although this is easily trimmed out.
With full flaps and a reasonable amount of power C42C showed no desire to stall. At modest stall entry and with the nose just above the horizon, C42C mushed and wallowed while the sink rate increased. No stall warning is provided but you feel a mild aerodynamic buffet. Hold the stick on the backstop and it hunts slightly in pitch while sinking. Adequate aileron control is available post-stall.
When I used a more aggressive technique C42C stalled with a slight wing drop. At test weight, the wing drop came around 32 knots. Performing a departure stall I retracted flaps to the take-off setting of +1 (15°), opened the throttle and pitched up …and up …and up! It feels as if I’m lying on my back before the wing finally gives up and the nose falls through.
Comco Ikarus reports a glide angle of 11:1 (a Cessna 150 is about 9.5:1), while minimum sink rate is around 400 feet per minute.
As I’d anticipated, this C42 is considerably quicker than the earlier models, and because the air is as smooth as glass I was relaxed as the ASI needle slipped into the yellow arc. C42C was still accelerating at 5000 rpm. Top-of-the-green arc is 82 knots at 2,000 feet and 4800 rpm. At about four gallons per hour, you can comfortably plan for 300 nautical miles with a 30-minute reserve. That’s about 25 nautical air miles per gallon.
As I got back to base, I did a few take offs and landing, and for the first time I found the roof-mounted flap lever slightly intrusive; you’re constantly swapping hands. It’s not a big deal, but writers have to complain about something.
Consider this. Even today, in 2021, you can buy a complete Aventura kit for something north of $50,000. While that will be a basic machine and while you'll spend hours building it — an activity many find highly satisfying — you must put that pricing in perspective.
Go online and look for a seaplane, any seaplane you can find. First, you won't find many as demand for amphibian versatility has remained strong for decades. Second, even a worn-out legacy GA airplane with an engine approaching overhaul mounted on rather banged-up floats will cost dramatically more than the same airplane on wheels. Really! Go look for yourself; I'll wait.
Indeed, the most basic kit Aventura can cost little more than fifty grand — for the whole aircraft, engine, boat hull, everything — where floats alone for a Cessna 172, for example, may cost the same.
Of course, a fully-built Light-Sport Aircraft meeting all FAA acceptance requirements will cost more. Aero Adventure — as with every other company selling a Special LSA — must …provide full part tracking in perpetuity …keep all customer records and be prepared to contact them if any safety actions are required …keep many parts separated from components for non-FAA-accepted aircraft (kits), keep up with ASTM standards and assure continuous operational safety monitoring …maintain factory "best practices" involving such detail as a written log of torque-wrench calibrations …and take many other actions intended to ensure these "sanctioned" aircraft remain airworthy machines for their owners. If you think all this is easy, you don't understand the task.
All that monitoring and mandatory activity costs money and will be reflected in Aventura SLSA's selling price. However, I'm willing to bet you lunch at my favorite restaurant that this will still be the most reasonably priced aircraft among seaplanes. Care to take the bet?
Aventura SLSA will be offered for sale for the first time at the upcoming 
Bulgarian designer Tony Ilieff is on a mission to find new representatives for his handsome light aircraft after concluding earlier representation in Canada. Built carefully — that is, without lots of weighty options — Solo can fit the Part 103 category. Given accelerating interest in Part 103 aircraft in recent years, I'd bet someone will step up for this opportunity.
"Ho hum," you yawn. "Don't we already have lots of Part 103 choices?"
While candidate Bernie Sanders criticized stores selling numerous brands of deodorant, choice serves highly-individualized interests. We don't all want the same things.
A single make of car was a poor selection for subjects of the former Communist East Germany; the state-produced 
As noted, this company, in very different form and with a military mission, started almost 100 years ago in 1912 as the Bulgarian State Aircraft Workshops. In 1925 the company started producing airplanes under a name employing the letters DAR.
After the fall of communism, Bulgaria in the early 1990s was a place full of hope and enthusiasm. One of those enthusiasts was Tony Ilieff, an engineer working at the Sofia airport. In 1995 he and a small group of engineers started a small ultra-light aircraft company. Tony named the company “
Solo UL gives the owner somewhat higher weight — 260 kilograms or 572 pounds gross — that can allow more options. Solo has been designed be a bit heavier than a typical Part 103 entry, but you'll need an inspection and N-numbers, a pilot certificate, and you'll have to build it from a kit. Buyers, however, are often attracted to genuine Part 103 models that can be bought ready-to-fly.
Addressing a still-lighter segment of aircraft, Solo 120 got leaner to meet the German 120-kilogram class. As 120 kilograms is 264.5 pounds, this is close to the empty, dry weight of 254 pounds (115 kilograms) as allowed by FAA. With an available parachute, DAR 120 should easily qualify under the American regulation but the company posted on Facebook about a DAR 115 model they say meets Part 103. Another market, Russia, has a similar weight limit.
Interest in Part 103 ultralights has been heating up according to my best information. As I seek to ask every single one of the 58 producers of Part 103-compliant aircraft about their recent sales successes I expect to learn more. Information flowing from Tony is start of what I expect and hope will be many more examples.
Even though I am just getting started with the Par 103 List and my survey of the industry, I am already ready to make a risky prediction, something I rarely do, as my crystal ball does not always turn out to be accurate.
My prediction — We may see more units delivered by the Part 103 industry than all Special LSA registered in the USA over the last year.
Solo from Aeroplanes DAR is a single-seat, single-engine, high-wing ultra-light airplane. All Solo models are constructed with mixed materials involving aluminum wings and composite airframe. During development Aeroplanes DAR introduced new technologies and unique practices.
"Creating such a light, affordable aircraft required an absolutely new approach to the design," said Tony. "Combining metal wings and composite airframe was a key to minimizing weight and to have excellent flight performance." Composite technology gave Ilieff a possibility to integrate different parts; for example, the central fuselage beam and vertical stabilizer are one single part (see nearby drawing).
"Our leader in the lightest category, FAR 103, is DAR Solo," wrote Tony. "Solo complies with FAR 103 rules." He reported Solo has been in production since 2008.
"We made several modifications through the years; the Solo we produce now is the fifth generation."
Other national markets offer light aircraft regulation roughly similar to Part 103 rules: Britain has SSDR for slightly larger (than 103) aircraft and Sub-70 for very light machines. Germany has its 120-Kilogram Class for which the Solo 120 is designed. Russia has an even closer-to-Part-103 variant called the 115-kilogram category. Other nations, including China, Korea, and Brazil, also have variations on the 103 theme. All feature less regulation, which contributes to lower prices of these machines.
"We have discontinued with a Canadian dealer and our sales in USA are still minimal," said Tony while also noting that four Solo aircraft are presently flying in America. "We are looking for a dealer in USA."
As reported earlier, prices are good enough that the Canadian dealer offered Solo for only $18,900 — though that is no guarantee prices will remain as they were. However, this figure shows Solo to be affordable to many buyers.
Aeroplanes DAR's Solo has been certified as a European-style ultralight aircraft by one of the bodies sanctioned by Germany's LBA (their equivalent of FAA). All three models — Solo 120, Solo UL, and 23 Duo, which functions as a basic trainer — remain in production in 2021.
Solo is powered by engines from Polini featuring a single-cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled, carbureted aircraft powerplant.
On Solo UL, a Thor 250 DS produces 36.5 horsepower through a two-blade wooden prop. For those interested to earn a bit of extra weight, a Galaxy GRS 260 emergency parachute fits this light aircraft well.
The somewhat lighter Solo 120, which meets German 120 kilogram rules, is powered by a Polini Thor 200 EVO producing 28 horsepower through a two blade wooden prop. For the lighter aircraft a Galaxy GRS 240 emergency parachute system is available.
DAR Solo is available with a folding wing to reduce hangar costs. A folding system good for transport should be soon available, the company said. Folding wings allows the pilot to assemble the plane by him or herself and prepare it for flight within 30 minutes. Learn more on 
For far too long, the more bigoted aviators among us considered such an aircraft to be little more an overweight hang glider powered by a second-hand lawn mower engine and barely capable of flying fast enough to kill you. Noisy, slow, and smelly — they were considerably less than satisfactory. However, times change and this class of flying machine has changed more than most.
Designed by Frenchman Phillippe Prevot in the early '90s, the original Skyranger was an object lesson in KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Prevot’s intent was that anyone competent with basic tools could build it, as there was no bending, composites, or welding involved. It was to be covered in an equally simple material, Dacron sailcloth.
Easy to build, maintain and fly, more than 1,600 have been produced; nearly 300 are registered in England alone. Beside numerous minor improvements, fundamentally Skyranger has changed little: the ventral fin has been replaced by a taller fin and the wingspan has been reduced.
Flylight's main subcontractor is Aeros, based in Kiev, Ukraine. Aeros make some of the world's best hang gliders; they are experts in tube and fabric work. They've built Skyrangers for many years. Today, Nynjas are assembled in the UK.
Nynja's airframe is constructed primarily of straight, pin-jointed, aircraft-grade aluminum tubing, covered with a combination of non-structural composite sheets for the fuselage and pre-sewn polyester Xlam fabric for the wings and tailplane. An interesting feature (and one that flags up how speedy the Nynja is) is that the wings feature foam spacers that ensure the aerofoil retains its shape at higher speeds. All the primary controls are actuated by cables, as is the elevator trim. The tailplane is wire-braced and the strut-braced wings feature upswept winglets. An excellent option allows the wings to be folded back for ease of storage.
Earlier Skyrangers were powered by several different engines, including the Jabiru 2200, HKS and BMW R100, but these days the 
All three wheels feature snug fitting wheel pants. Nynja's main gear is supported by aluminium "half springs" bolted to a steel center tube and feature hydraulic 
Rolling out onto the runway I opened the Rotax up to full power. With 13 gallons of fuel on board Nynja was right on the 992-pound gross weight. It was cool and I checked a slight crosswind from starboard.
With a power-to-weight ratio of less than ten pounds per horsepower, acceleration was excellent and after what seemed a ridiculously short ground roll, the Nynja literally leapt off the runway and clawed itself skyward at an impressively steep angle. With the VSI indicating in excess of 1,200 fpm and a relatively low forward speed of only 62 knots, we crossed the airfield boundary already at more than 1,000 feet. At such an aggressive climb, Nynja's nose was quite pitched up, greatly reducing the field of view, but even lowering it to more a cruise-climb attitude still produced about 700 feet per minute of climb at 80 knots and 5,000 rpm.
With light weight, plenty of power, and crisp controls joining up with Al and Keith in the EuroFox cameraship was easy; collecting the pictures in this article didn’t take long.
For a high wing aircraft, the visibility is quite good, although as is a feature of practically all-high wing aircraft, it is a tiny bit blind in the turn. Another nice touch is the transparent panel in the roof, as if the aircraft is rolled into a very tight turn it is possible to look through the roof. The controls all seemed quite nicely harmonised and authoritative. The roll rate in particular is distinctly sprightly, while both pitch and yaw control were equally effective. Trim is effective.
Moving on to an exploration of the stick-free stability around all three axes, I get the impression the Nynja is strongly positive longitudinally, weakly positive directionally, and neutral laterally.
Slowing down to explore the low speed side of the flight envelope revealed no disagreeable mannerisms. Indeed, with flaps down and carrying a reasonable amount of power the Nynja showed no desire to stall at all, but a more vigorous approach to the stall with the engine off produced a more positive break at about 33 knots, combined with a slight wing drop which was easily controlled by the rudder. I increase power for a look at a departure stall and, as expected, this maneuver provoked a slightly more vigorous response, although the ensuing stall was easily recovered from with minimal height loss. Flaps up, the stall is still less than 40.
The claimed glide angle is a reasonable 9:1 at 55 knots, while minimum sink is modest at around 500 feet per minute at 45 knots.
Cruise is middle-of-the-range at 95 knots, achieved at 5,100 rpm, giving a true air speed of 101 knots at 3,000 feet with a fuel flow of about 4.75 gallons per hour, but the engine does sound somewhat frenetic. A much more comfortable cruise rpm is 4,000, which still gives an IAS of 70 knots (76 true) and a fuel flow of less than 2.6 gallons per hour and a still-air range of over 400 nautical miles, including Day-VFR reserves.
On approach to landing, I nailed the ASI’s needle to 50 with just a smidgen of throttle and then chopped the power. After Nynja's main wheels touched firmly I lowered the nose and applied maximum braking; I actually locked the wheels up and we skidded momentarily on the damp grass. All total I used a little over 300 feet.
Overall, I thought the Nynja a great little aircraft that offers outstanding value for money. It is a lot of aircraft for the money.
What a cracking little aircraft! Fast, frugal and fun, the latest iteration of the seminal Skyranger might just be the best one yet.
While most light aircraft producers concentrate on either kits or fully-built, a few swing both ways. Some builders unwilling to experiment with two very distinct business models permitted others to contract build a fully-built version while they focus entirely on kit building. Few have managed to do well with both endeavors but Arion seems to have solved the challenges.
Arguably the shapeliest and smoothest aircraft in either the kit or RTF space is Arion Aircraft's Lightning series. Nearly everyone agrees these qualify as fast-when-sitting-still types. Even one of the many electric airplane wannabe producers, 
Yet aviation’s leading draw may be going fast as more is always better, right?
Indeed, one reason Arion makes a kit as well as their LS-1 Light-Sport model is because then they can access the excellent speed potential of this slick design.
Let the drooling begin over these beautifully-contoured flying machines that can race 135 to 190 miles an hour for a fairly modest investment.
Arion's LS-1 is a complying Light-Sport Aircraft that meets all the parameters and succeeded in passing a detailed FAA audit with flying colors a few years back.
Lightning XS is the Experimental model on which you can install a more powerful engine.
That these handsome aircraft are also 100% designed and manufactured in the USA may be sweet icing on the cake for many readers.
“Lightning LS-1 is designed and built around Jabiru’s powerful 3300 six-cylinder aircraft engine,” noted Arion. “With a displacement of over 200 cubic inches and a direct drive crank, this compact beauty outputs 120 horsepower to deliver performance rarely matched in a Light-Sport Aircraft.” Lightning has no trouble hitting the LSA speed limit of 120 knots (138 mph).
“[However, we] spent more than three years making the kit Lightning as efficient and fast as we could, so slowing down to 120 knots was a complete reversal of our thinking but one that had its benefits,” said principal and designer, Nick Otterback. “By changing the airfoil slightly and adding three feet of wing span, LS-1 stalls below 44 knots clean, giving our aircraft an impressive 52-knot approach speed.”
A Jabiru 3300 delivers solo climb in excess of 1,200 fpm and owners can expect 1,000 fpm at its 1,320 pounds gross weight. At cruise speeds of 120 knots, the Jabiru burns a miserly 5.5 gallons an hour. “These are real performance numbers a pilot can rely on; not on a perfect day at sea level or flying around solo, but all loaded up,” stated Nick.
Most companies list useful load, but Arion said the more meaningful payload can be up to 470 pounds. That will allow two big Americans plus some luggage, assuming weight and balance concurs. “Now standard equipped with 40 gallons of fuel, a Lightning pilot can go over 800 nautical miles with VFR reserves,” Nick added.
Lightning XS is sold in kit form. The taller XS with more ground clearance offers a redesigned forward fuselage structure that gives the builder the option to choose engines up to 180 horsepower.
Landing gear offering higher ground clearance permits bigger props on this new kit to allow the speedier model to hit speeds of 160 knots (184 mph) or more. Firewall aft, XS is much the same as the classic Lightning including its 42-inch wide cabin.
Yet the allure of going fast is great, quickly chewing up the miles en route to your destination. When contemplating a cross country trip of a lengthy distance, fast cannot be too fast. In addition to a higher TAS, we all yearn for a tailwind that will raise our ground speed by another 20 mph.
Lightning with the big Titan engine required a bulging nose cowl, Nick said. Taller landing gear for bigger props, bigger brakes, and 40 gallon fuel tanks are also among some of the features of this kit.
How fast does Lightning XS go? Early testing revealed max cruise at 165 knots (190 mph) TAS at 8,500 feet density altitude at full gross. Climb is a stunning 2,000 fpm. These figures may sound boastful but but reflect real-time experience as recorded by the no-nonsense Nick Otterback.
Most buyers may elect more than the basics but the fully-built Light-Sport Aircraft version of Lightning, called LS-1, is base priced at the genuine bargain of $115,000. Yet if you have time, the interest, and enjoy constructing a kit, Lightning XS has a base kit price of $39,900 with the 
Welcome to Robert Baslee's amazing production of vintage early 20th Century airplanes that ordinary people can build and fly.
Airdrome's many models — five of which can be built as Part 103 ultralights — look like a page from history but fly well in the modern world.
Here is one man's very successful mission to both preserve aviation heritage and give you the chance to participate in the fun …without having to do all the research Robert does. As a bonus, many of these kits assemble much faster than many kit designs.
"But he's just copying old designs and remaking them," said one naysayer.
"Oh, really," I thought! "You actually believe Robert can glance a few old drawings and then whip out a 75%-scale version made of modern materials — and with flight characteristics that modern pilots will find acceptable? Do you you genuinely think that could be an easy task?"
Anyone who concludes resurrecting these aircraft is easy greatly undervalues the effort it takes to thoroughly research and examine one of these vintage World War I flying machines and recreate them using the knowledge of the 21st century.
According to several pilots who have built and flown one of Robert's many models, these are well-achieved replicas that fly well, perform according to expectations, and are delivered in kits you can build in surprisingly short times.
How short?
"Any one of these legendary flying machines can be yours in a reasonably short period of time, approximately 300-400 man hours," said Robert. "Construction can be accomplished in a space about the size of a one-car garage. Each of our kits have been setup to allow easy construction using only basic hand tools. All machined and welded parts come pre-done. With the aid of our construction video and unlimited builder support, even the first time builder will find construction quick, easy, and rewarding."
How about operating one of these vintage aircraft?
"Flying an aircraft constructed with your own hands will provide endless hours of fun and excitement," added Robert. "Imagine yourself in the cockpit, donned in a leather flying helmet, goggles, and a white silk scarf, the horizon backdropped by the warm glow of the setting sun… this is an experience that very few people will ever know." A few Airdrome pilots I've met confirm these are easy-to-fly aircraft.
Readers with further questions or those ready to purchase one of Airdrome's flying machines can contact Robert by phone at 816-230-8585 or 
In a way, you already know this aircraft or at least its look-a-like predecessor, Paradise's P1NG. As happens in every industry, a key engineer left a family airplane building business — Paradise, run by granddad, Noe de Oliveira — and started his own aircraft factory. The departure occurred eight years ago.
Now, Bruno de Oliveira has won FAA acceptance of his Special LSA model. Brazil uses ASTM standards as well so he also got approval in the South American country.
Importer Ed Ricks of 
With his MC01, Bruno and Montaer are filling a void.
Both models veered away from the uber-common joystick seen on most Light-Sport Aircraft. Yet yoke control has a large global following as Cessna, Piper, Beech, Mooney, and more all use yokes. Since those brands trained most Yankee pilots, it makes sense to offer them a control already familiar to so many pilots.
MC01 also continues with a very popular feature: a voluminous baggage area accessed by a third door. 
The very first U.S. delivery of MC01 is headed to Wisconsin where a pilot has ordered one with a very special extra: hand controls, a choice available to offer assistance to some pilots. That airplane is due to leave Brazil in March and may be seen at EAA's big summer show.
MC01’s airframe is built using 4130 molybdenum steel tube (photo) providing a proven 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.
Ed has known Bruno de Oliveira for eight years and will be in charge of sales in the USA. He is seeking dealers in certain states; if this interests you or if you want more details before Sun 'n Fun, call Ed at 623-695-9040 or 
Now, Luscombe Aircraft Corporation (LAC) has gone cross country again, this time to Jamestown, New York in the western part of the Empire State. Here's 
"Then, we will start assembling complete airplanes using LSA regulations," confirmed Steve. "Built as a Light Sport Aircraft to ASTM industry consensus standards," Steve said, "the Model-8 is … an all-metal airplane originally designed and still constructed to USA CAR 4a standard airworthiness requirements." CAR standards preceded today's Part 23 rules.
In New York state, Steve noted that he and his partner want to retain the vintage look of Luscombe 8F Silveraire. That doesn't mean it's old fashioned, though. Hidden behind the classic panel and glove box doors that were popular from 1942 to 1959 lies state of the art power management panel and instruments." (See panel images at bottom.)
"We have also worked extensively with the professional aviation archivists at AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota to develop a digital archive of Luscombe’s large collection of historical records, engineering drawings, and production work orders. We have inspected and are refurbishing production jigs and tooling to resume production of those hard-to-find parts.
LAC is developing close working relationships with the local metal working specialty shops "to leverage the rich Western New York and North Pennsylvania manufacturing base. Using the original Luscombe jigs, restorations [can be] expertly crafted in our 25,000-square-foot hangar at the Jamestown Airport (KJHW).
Those who attempted to copy and duplicate Quicksilvers have mostly faded away but some enterprises (see at bottom) built a business out of supplying parts and components that Quicksilver itself never offered.
One of the most successful of these is 
"Now that I think I've got it perfected," Andy expressed, "we're going to start production on this in 2021."
Falcon has a lot of components so it will be more expensive. "Yes," Andy agreed, "it will be a little higher priced aircraft — it takes a lot of time to assemble — but it will fly like a Quicksilver, so those pilots who want to fly faster now have a choice."
A Quicksilver-type design like the standard "Smithsilvers" that Tri-State makes from scratch typically cruise 40-60 mph where Falcon is as much as 50% faster.
"Yes, this will be a little higher-priced aircraft," Andy observed, "and it must be built as an Experimental Amateur Built." Let's put it in perspective, noting that all prices mentioned below are subject to change.
A standard single place Smithsilver by Tri-State Kite Sales assembled for fly away costs about $28,000, said Andy. A two-place with all the extras gets into the high $40,000s and Falcon with a 
Mark Smith founded the company in the late 1970s and formally organized in 1981. In those 40 years, Tri-State has delivered more than 200 complete aircraft and an uncounted number of aircraft served with replacement parts or Tri-State accessories from fiberglass nose pods to new wing covers and everything in between.
Of all these, Falcon may be the most advanced and sophisticated. It may look like a simple Quicksilver or a Tri-State Smithsilver but Falcon is a step beyond on many ways, for example, creature comforts.
Falcon has a full enclosure, front to back, and even has cabin heat. "I tested this down to 17 degrees ambient temperature, and you can stay about 70 degrees inside the cockpit." While the snow swirls around Tri-State and much of the country, that climate control sounds inviting.
Cross country flying is one of the stated purposes. How fast can Falcon fly?
"I can hit 93 miles an hour," exclaimed Andy, "and cruise is a solid 80 mph." For those unfamiliar with a standard Quicksilver or Smithsilver, that's a substantial increase, more than 20 miles an hour faster on average.
As a nearby image shows, the Rotax 503 engine is nestled down in the aft wing center section because Andy wanted to lower the thrust line to a more neutral position. This means the dual-carb Rotax 503 and its 50 horses push the airplane forwards with less pitch influence, which is a significant part of how it can achieve higher speeds.
"Falcon's standard instrument panel has all your flight information," explained Andy, "while all the engine instrumentation is housed on the right vertical support strut. Above your head are all the electric switches for electric flaps, ignition switches and lighting controls."
Unlike every Quicksilver or Smithsilver, Falcon has a control yoke as does Quicksilver's GT500 and GT400 models. However, unlike those Quicksilver models, this yoke has been configured specially to make entry much easier.
Falcon has a door that props open but when I looked at, I thought entry looked rather challenging. What I missed were the steps Andy took in designing a yoke that neatly folds out of the way. When so retracted, entering Falcon looks easy.
Once in place you pull the yoke back toward you and it latches securely into position. With details like this, no wonder Any spent years getting Falcon right on paper and three more to get the pieces and parts in the right place.
Falcon's cabin even has a hat rack …or in this case, a headset rack as that's what Andy puts in this location.
Andy referred to the current one as a "nostalgia website" because it holds extensive commentaries written by Mark Smith, the patriarch of Tri-State. His words make a fun, and historic, read but what the vintage website does not do is provide clear navigation to the various aircraft models and component parts or assemblies that Tri-State builds. The new website will address these shortcomings while hopefully keeping all Mark's original musings.
Until the new website is finished, visit 
Aviation preaches safety long and loud. This dedication within the aviation community has made flying safer than driving despite what landlubbers believe is a risky way to travel.
Aviators know better, of course. We work hard at making flying safe. It's not lucky or some accident of choice. We are all proud of our skill at taking an airplane aloft and returning it safely to terra firma.
Except when we cannot…
These systems cost real money (thousands), add "non-functioning" weight (16 to 50 pounds depending on the airplane's weight and speed), and fill up space you might use otherwise (a BRS system for the Cessna 172 uses a substantial share of the baggage space in that model). All these things — cost, weight, and bulk — are negatives, yet pilots buy these emergency systems regularly. Companies like BRS, Magnum, and Galaxy have sold tens of thousands of these systems.
Every single Cirrus (and Flight Design) comes standard with an airframe parachute, so that means almost 10,000 aircraft just in those two brands.
I've flown with airframe parachutes for years and I love having such a system on board.
I actually stopped flying at night in airplanes without a parachute system. One smooth night over North Carolina with my wife and two friends in a Cessna Hawk XP, Randee asked, "What would you do if the engine quit here?" It was pitch black outside and I knew from previous flights that under us were trees stretching out past the horizon.
It was a valid question. Touches a nerve, doesn't it? Aren't we trained for night flying? Don't we practice engine-out procedures? Well, yes, Private Pilots can fly at night (they should be current) but the training concentrates on normal night operations. I've never known an instructor who guides students through engine-out-at-night procedures far from any airport.
Whatever you think about night (or other potentially hazardous) flying, an airframe parachute may ease your mind — and achieving that means you will fly more capably. It's a personal decision, of course, but for me, I'll take a parachute anytime.
Softpacks
VLS (Vertical Launch Systems)
To prevent down time during service Magnum has a great offer: "Loaner Canopy When Yours is Due for Repack. That's right! A a loaner canopy, of the same size and style as the one you purchase from us, is available at no charge for installation in your aircraft while your system is being inspected and repacked (repack cycles are 6 years for most systems). This allows our customers to continue to fly with a complete ballistic recovery system in their aircraft while theirs is being repacked! No other parachute company offers their customers this peace of mind!"
Magnum Parachute repack costs are considerably less expensive than most other manufacturer's, said Dennis Carley, proprietor of Magnum Parachutes USA. "For our Softpack systems the repack cycles is five years instead of only one or two years with other brands. Prices run $660 to $975 so about $100 to $150 per year."
For some “affordable” may include Special LSA selling for more than $200,000. After all, that's a fraction of a loaded Cirrus SR22, for example. For others, even $20,000 is more than they wish to spend.
Fortunately, you have a wide variety of choices. Our 
Naturally, this fact also highlights that the lightest, most affordable airplanes may often be flown in and out of places a Cirrus SR22 owner will never see. Many Part 103 ultralights seem invisible to much of conventional, legacy aviation. It's their loss.
To become more aware, I explored 
Regarding my market questions, Dave wrote, "I am not sure that I have accurate numbers, as there is no earthly way for me to know if someone has actually built one for Part 103." I understand his message.
However, he added, "That [Part 103 category] is what the Affordaplane was originally designed for, and many hundreds are flying. Now, a lot of people do [Experimental Amateur Built], but I have witnessed an explosion of new people into the sport, in the past five years."
"To me, ultralights are the ultimate expression of freedom," he expressed. "You don’t need a license to fly them, but you do need training."
"Give me a grass strip and a couple of bucks' worth of gas, and I can go flying any time I want. I don’t need a radio, don’t need an expensive transponder, and I do not need an annual inspection. I do all the inspecting myself. When you build it yourself it gives you invaluable experience and confidence in the air that you just do not get by buying a completed airplane from someone else."
"Most of the materials to build the Affordaplane you can buy locally. Nowadays you can get all your metal locally, even the windscreen came from Home Depot," observed Dave. "Aircraft bolts you buy from an aircraft supply house. Your motor can come from many places, like Ebay or Barnstormers.com. The fabric to cover the wings and tail comes from 
The Affordaplane Plans package now contains 173 information packed pages, and everything you need to build your own Affordaplane aircraft is included.
The Construction Manual is 68 pages of detailed photos and step by step instructions. For those who prefer, the plans can be delivered on a CD or digitally.
Affordaplane’s fuselage is [based on] square aluminum tubing with flat plate gussets bolting it all together. "I designed it this way for a number of reasons," noted Dave. "One is that it’s extremely strong but light. Gyrocopters have used this method for decades. Two is you can cut it with a chop saw or jigsaw, drill it, and it is basically done. There is no welding involved at all with this airplane. You do not have to have welding equipment, and you never have to worry if your welds will hold. Plus, everything is out in the open, there is nothing hidden that can cause problems. You don’t even need to paint it."
"The stall is gentle and straightforward," Dave claimed. "I designed full-span ailerons for the wings. Crosswinds are no problem at all. She goes where you point her."
"If there is one thing I am most proud of, it’s how Affordaplane flies," Dave said enthusiastically. "In a word: Great! All the pilots that have flown her say she is a very sweet flying airplane."
Affordaplane appears to be a solid, proven design, one that has been flying for over 20 years and has logged thousands of hours. "If you build it as an FAR 103 legal ultralight, it comes out at 254 pounds," Dave reported. "But many people now build it as a Experimental Amateur Built because they can log hours in their logbook. So it’s your choice."
Technical Specifications
Affordaplane
This report took a bit more time as the effort to begin counting Part 103 ultralights altered our view of the FAA aircraft registration data. Most of you may prefer this simpler report, but the data hounds among readers can drill all the way down to the last aircraft on 
Many may be surprised. Registrations grew? …in 2020!? Indeed, they did, and that's without counting Part 103 ultralights that do not need to be registered with FAA. We'll have lots more on Part 103s in a couple months (the 
Why is this true? Many reasons might explain but affordability is a key element and, no question about it, investing your labor reduces the cash outlay to have your own airplane. At the same time, the sophistication of Special LSA has risen over the years. Features such as bigger, more powerful engines, autopilot, big fancy panel displays, leather interiors, complex manufacturing with carbon fiber, and the cost of complying with ASTM standards has increased the cost of some SLSA beyond $200,000. At this price point, some readers note a recreational aircraft can cost more than your house (not in California or New England, perhaps, but in many U.S. regions this may be true).
"Look at the slope of the lines," Steve advises. "The brown (kit) line is steeper, especially last year. That means two things: First, a lot of people finished their kit planes in 2020 – more than finished them in 2019 (so that’s how they spent their lockdown time). Secondly, people are buying more kits than factory-built aircraft. Of course, there’s a lag in the data
Whatever the explanation, Italy-based Magni surged from well behind the market leader to race ahead in the American gyroplane market for 2020.
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After nearly a year of precious few such events, trying to plan for airshows you wish to attend in 2021 remains complicated by a variety of factors.
You've heard about vaccines and lockdowns and executive orders until you are thoroughly exhausted by it all. Some TV networks unrelentingly tell you virus numbers that can discourage even the most ardent of optimists.
We're pilots! We want to fly! Doing so productively means keeping up with the latest hardware and software and hearing from experts on a variety of topics from kit aircraft assembly to weather to regulations. Much of this we can learn quickly, efficiently — and this is very important — enjoyably at airshows.
As anyone can read everywhere you look, a new virus strain is already starting to upset things in 2021. A rescheduled Aero set its sights on April as usual. I was exceedingly pleased when leader Roland Bosch and his team placed the dates so those of us who wish could attend both Sun 'n Fun and Aero. Yay!
However, it was not to be.
Now, Aero has rescheduled again, this time for July 14-17, 2021 in the very south of Germany, on the Bodensee (or Lake Constance) bordered by Switzerland on the opposite coast.
Aero 2021 will operate only days before 
However, times advance inexorably. Wood lead to metal which gave way to composite, a category now including carbon fiber. Through it all, Plant City, Florida-based Sensenich has managed to keep their products "right on the nose" (except for pusher configurations, of course).
The company quartered only a few miles from Sun 'n Fun introduced metal propellers in the 1940s, developed composite propellers in the late 1990s, and continues to push boundaries in the light aircraft, unmanned, and marine propulsion markets. For those unaware, Sensenich has built a substantial business making large diameter, very-wide-chord props for airboats.
Performance is not only measured in speed or rate of climb. Weight also matters.
Sensenich's new composite propeller is listed at half the weight of the legacy STOL propeller: 21 pounds for the new Sensenich prop versus 44 pounds for a metal unit.
The propeller is available in diameters from 78 inches to 82 inches. The STC also covers a 12-inch diameter balanced composite spinner.
This STC will be available for new-build propellers starting the first quarter of 2021. Pricing for the propeller with STC documentation is $6,350 FOB Plant City. Adding the spinner brings the price to $7,085 including STC documents.
While 