tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36095052164494860822024-03-20T13:41:53.047-07:00Light Sport Hangar Flyin'Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658949494466569701noreply@blogger.comBlogger329125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-66038992449684531752012-06-29T09:15:00.001-07:002012-06-29T09:15:33.361-07:00My Blog Has Moved!Hi All who didn't know that the magazine wanted to create a new blog presence on the main website (there's a BLOGS tab at the top of the main screen).
If you've been wondering whether I'd moved on to bluer sky pastures, nope, just changed my blog landing strip. You can find the blog page by going <a href="http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/blog/">here</a> also.
See you there!James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-49689134955239897602012-05-19T13:30:00.003-07:002012-05-19T13:33:09.890-07:00Pipistrel Comes Through Again<br />
Just a few short months ago I posted an announcement from <a href="http://www.pipistrel.si/">Pipistrel</a> about its upcoming, mid-$80K ALPHA Trainer, targeted for flight schools and already bought in significant quantities by the Indian Air Force as a military primary trainer.<br />
ALPHA was promised for April, and Pipistrel nailed it – how often do we see that in manufacturing?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pipistrel's ALPHA Trainer.</span></b> <b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">all photos courtesy Pipistrel</span></b></td></tr>
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Pipistrel is the same progressive Slovenian company that won the CAFE electric flight competition last year with the Taurus Electro G4 and has gained a growing reputation in the sport aviation industry for innovative, high-performing, highly efficient aircraft such as the Virus and Sinus S-LSA.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Beefed up gear, lower nose angle, shorter prop to minimize prop strikes.</b></td></tr>
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After keeping its promise to debut the ALPHA in April at the European AERO show, word comes from Ivo Boscarol and company of the successful conclusion of flight testing. The ALPHA is now in production.<br />
The original concept was to create a do-it-all trainer that would garner substantial orders, enabling mass production economies of scale that would keep costs affordable for everyone. <br />
Due to the wide variance in regulations country to country, Pipistrel realized that goal was not feasible and instead offers two versions of the ALPHA. <br />
For countries in support of FAA-LSA (or ASTM-certified) standards, the company offers a 1212 lb. (550 kg) MTOW version. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEDJzWjuXGs3RM3RU-PJYnrGDUKzBtaIDcbJ3O7hcpWjnv1nDisTROutHe42V8FVlRetc5tU2GbcHzLn8RppOTCxIh3RImtYS9GPAiEO_M0ow3avV26qw2wPsr_c2CZ9vj8itsHmcDg/s1600/IMG_0407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEDJzWjuXGs3RM3RU-PJYnrGDUKzBtaIDcbJ3O7hcpWjnv1nDisTROutHe42V8FVlRetc5tU2GbcHzLn8RppOTCxIh3RImtYS9GPAiEO_M0ow3avV26qw2wPsr_c2CZ9vj8itsHmcDg/s400/IMG_0407.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Three-point belts, headrest, durable fabric upholstery.</b></td></tr>
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In places where the UL LTF standard is adopted, the European Ultralight/Microlight model, with a MTOW of 1047 lb. (472.5 kg), takes center stage.<br />
Even though the price is dramatically lower than comparable composite LSA, the ALPHA Trainer is no stripped-down, bare bones bird. <br />
Some of many appealing features for this latest in a line of low-drag, light-weight LSA:<br />
<> Strong and easy to fly for entry-level students<br />
<> Ballistic parachute system<br />
<> Benign stall and overall handling<br />
<> Affordable and easy to operate, maintain and repair<br />
<> Built for endurance (takeoff/landing circuits) and extremes of weather: good ventilation and cabin heating<br />
<> Approved strobes and lighting<br />
<> Quiet cockpit for easy communication between instructor and student<br />
<> Readily available access to spare parts for quick repair turnaround – vital for flight schools<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Flaperon handle actuates 25<span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">° </span>of travel</b></td></tr>
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<> Good cross-country training range (390 nm)<br />
<> Easy daily service and refueling,<br />
<> Durable finish for outdoor storage<br />
<> Good brakes for ground handling emergencies<br />
<> Dual flight controls with quick/easy adjustment for a variety of body types<br />
<> Long operating life<br />
<> Tricycle configuration with steerable nose wheel<br />
<> Easy cockpit ingress, even for older students<br />
<> Affordable and cost-effective to operate<br />
Some other features: robust composite undercarriage, including a shorter, stronger nose strut which improves visibility during taxi.<br />
The 15-gallon, easy-fill fuel tank is fuselage mounted and gives 5 hours endurance. And that fuel burn estimate factors in multiple takeoff/landing circuits too. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>High-leverage center console handle for hydraulic brakes</b></td></tr>
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Pipistrel is known for its superbly clean aerodynamics: though power comes from the tried-and-true Rotax 912, 80 hp engine, the ALPHA is no performance slouch with a cruise speed of 108 knots (same as a Cessna 172), “very short” take-off distance and a climb rate listed at more than 1000 fpm. <br />
The ALPHA Trainer uses the basic fuselage shape from its other successful designs but the wing, from the Pipistrel Virus SW (Short Wing), is significantly redesigned to eliminate air brakes (wing top spoilers) and incorporates redesigned flaperons with 25° of flap travel. <br />
Also new is a wooden propeller, designed and CNC-carved in house, then covered with a durable coating.<br />
Lots more to appreciate here and congratulations to Pipistrel for another dramatic entry into the field.<br />
My big question is, will the market recognize this as the breakthrough design I believe it to be and order in sufficient quantities to make it another Pipistrel success story? We’ll see.James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-89214805890817685492012-05-12T15:20:00.001-07:002012-05-12T15:30:24.388-07:00Roadable Airplane, Meet Mainstream Media<br />
Somebody at the L.A. Times has got a sweet tooth for the flying car, specifically the <a href="http://terrafugia.com/">Terrafugia Transition</a> SLSA-legal “roadable” airplane. No less than six feature articles about flying cars have appeared in the prestigious newspaper’s online edition in the <i>last month alone</i>, in departments as diverse as Business, U.S., Nation Now, Tech Now and Automobiles, penned by a variety of journalists.<br />
All this attention also signifies somebody at Terrafugia is really doing a superb job at getting the word out, which has in fact been evident from the beginning: I’ve seen notices of hundreds of articles in all kinds of publications since the program was first announced some years ago.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR3yI5TATbFoLNSRv70svgDZY0Qq5abrlW9U8AQ_ccsHi-BvEvs04_xgbHQJnVKiAgI5JyO015OQtkZE0oqaK115ROkiMsHnKyPTgU50VPb6Mn09bOhYV9-IEvJvOe9HZZg2ruzhBDw/s1600/TERRAFUGIA-LA-TIMES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXR3yI5TATbFoLNSRv70svgDZY0Qq5abrlW9U8AQ_ccsHi-BvEvs04_xgbHQJnVKiAgI5JyO015OQtkZE0oqaK115ROkiMsHnKyPTgU50VPb6Mn09bOhYV9-IEvJvOe9HZZg2ruzhBDw/s400/TERRAFUGIA-LA-TIMES.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Screen capture from LA Times online</b></td></tr>
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Clearly the idea of a Jetsons-style flying car continues to tickle the cultural subconscious. <br />
That the Transition is wildly unaffordable for most 99 percenters hardly matters: it’s kind of a kick, isn’t it, to imagine being able to fly your car anywhere, then drive around once you get there? <br />
Of course, it seems vastly more logical, and certainly more cost effective, to simply fly where you want in an airplane, and carry more than two people by the way, then rent a nice big comfortable car once you get there, but hey, let’s not stomp on romantic notions, alright?<br />
Still, I can’t help but wonder, after returning from 2+ weeks driving through the breathtaking Utah, Arizona and Colorado canyon country, how practical a flying car will ever be. <br />
Take the Transition: those vertical folded wing panels might not cope too well with the kind of hellacious sand/dust storms I experienced more than once driving through high desert landscapes. I was tense at times just driving our rental car!<br />
To be fair, it seems likely anyone who buys one of these come-to-life fantasies would be prudent to practice the same kind of weather-checking safety acumen required of any pilot before he/she climbs into an aircraft, lest they find, after a vicious gust on the highway, that the flying mission of the car was no longer possible because the wings were cartwheeling downwind all by themselves at 50 mph. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJNm2JiHTt8oFt53FonRNFRQbGAdeTjBatsVABzgXoZA1tnkz9PCRhmNvMrViDlHTHBJRndRvNdKfd8QiqhXcUr6orebRWaloPgslXEpc-NGFJF1cOKvVPGGZa4IkSUe0kmmnSLUIfw/s1600/DUTCH-PAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJNm2JiHTt8oFt53FonRNFRQbGAdeTjBatsVABzgXoZA1tnkz9PCRhmNvMrViDlHTHBJRndRvNdKfd8QiqhXcUr6orebRWaloPgslXEpc-NGFJF1cOKvVPGGZa4IkSUe0kmmnSLUIfw/s400/DUTCH-PAL.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Photo courtesy L.A. Times</b></td></tr>
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I don’t mean to poke fun at the Transition or any other promising flying road vehicle, such as the Maverick (which uses a dune buggy “fuselage”, a large paraglider-type airfoil and costs $94,000 and is being marketed as a kit to avoid a mountain of regulatory hassles) and the PAL-V roadable gyrocopter, I guess you’d call it, which is indeed a cool, spacey-looking vehicle. They're marvels of engineering and deserve our respect just for that.<br />
The <a href="http://pal-v.com/">Dutch company</a> that produces the PAL-V, for Personal Air and Land Vehicle, just flew it’s Proof of Concept model and projects its cost at $300,000 when it hits the market in 2014. <br />
At 1,500 lbs., though, it won’t qualify as an LSA.<br />
Flying car dreams are nothing new. There have been many, many designs that actually flew but most never came to market over the decades since civilian flight began. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMt4VUdzFyzkxUrdU-ej3RQfYqX0qQ2PS_em27SqM_K8zQUchYmr4vOoFZTFCT0asNdH4j0WkIezcjuVt0iv_dZM2ufHDyryvDdabxwNawt3_WmMcbgsj9fHFE0uDPsH-tlHkvXrw58w/s1600/061109_hover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMt4VUdzFyzkxUrdU-ej3RQfYqX0qQ2PS_em27SqM_K8zQUchYmr4vOoFZTFCT0asNdH4j0WkIezcjuVt0iv_dZM2ufHDyryvDdabxwNawt3_WmMcbgsj9fHFE0uDPsH-tlHkvXrw58w/s400/061109_hover.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Photo courtesy Moller International</b></td></tr>
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And let's not overlook <a href="http://www.moller.com/">Moller International</a> which has somehow gone through tens of millions of dollars of investor money without, so far as I’ve been able to discover, ever marketing a flying production vehicle through more than 40 years of trying. <br />
That doesn’t prevent the company from also showing up in the news on a regular basis, typically with yet another new design (there have been several). <br />
Kind of amazing how Dr. Moller's managed to levitate through the years amidst prevalent and recurring bankruptcy rumors without ever producing a single vehicle...and it's probably a good thing, since when these designs lose just one engine, they are heading straight for the ground. Engine technology may someday approach complete immunity from mechanical breakdown, but not in our lifetimes for sure.<br />
Nonetheless, last month the Transition drew admiring crowds at the New York Auto show even though it’s now pegged to cost $279,000 once it’s in production, perhaps next year.<br />
Enthusiasm for flying cars shows no signs of waning, not if Terrafugia’s PR people and news organs like the LA Times have anything to say about it.James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-91202307370609023692012-04-21T13:31:00.000-07:002012-04-21T13:33:39.099-07:00Two From The Road<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> In the midst of a couple weeks away from home to marry off my firstborn daughter, I remain nonetheless able and willing to mine the LSA infoverse for newsworthy veins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, check out <a href="http://www.aero-expo.com/aero-en/visitors/news.php">Aero Friedrichshafen</a> going on right now in Germany. It's one of Europe's premier aviation events, with lots of new aircraft (like the Pipistrel Panthera 4-seat flying Ferrari) and technologies announced every year.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqxkXcqsG6-AvH5EzsUvW8m5-0zChzNQEfZ8gxQ9uPWZQT41YMPHiONT4YBh1DxeDOL2UhXOLEBc5tua7HhvqMk9W-tikBNZbb_YY442nLwpHlXkhFkGIki6g7hLdyZqrW_oIO6KUTw/s1600/PANTHERA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqxkXcqsG6-AvH5EzsUvW8m5-0zChzNQEfZ8gxQ9uPWZQT41YMPHiONT4YBh1DxeDOL2UhXOLEBc5tua7HhvqMk9W-tikBNZbb_YY442nLwpHlXkhFkGIki6g7hLdyZqrW_oIO6KUTw/s640/PANTHERA.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The streamlined Panthera from Pipistrel will offer three engine configurations: <br />conventional piston, hybrid gas/electric, and all-electric!</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-left;">Photo: Jure Makovec/AFP</span> </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, two items of interest:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Flight Design Goes EASA</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The leading S-LSA producer for the U.S. market, Flight Design, told everyone at Aero that the CTLS has earned the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) restricted type certification ((R) TC) for the two-seater.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwefUZDJWcucXT4FADwPJZIm4qRGKMxkZ6YzvanEcqIvwmejpRkYxUnJ5os7EctE0ZG7UHTjltpniO7fAUm7UgbpnsUXOdMWrtib5fzSfd26PrT5nIYUQ-VSwKCAz1EszdEdB6ryU5w/s1600/CTLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwefUZDJWcucXT4FADwPJZIm4qRGKMxkZ6YzvanEcqIvwmejpRkYxUnJ5os7EctE0ZG7UHTjltpniO7fAUm7UgbpnsUXOdMWrtib5fzSfd26PrT5nIYUQ-VSwKCAz1EszdEdB6ryU5w/s400/CTLS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>The CTLS</b><br /><i>Photo courtesy Flight Design</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>John Doman</b>, Flight Design’s director of business development of global sales and marketing, said, “For European flight schools the certification will enable additional aircraft utilization leading to more revenue and value for their purchase of a Flight Design (R) TC aircraft.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This type-certificated version of the CTLS will be distributed under the variant name CTLS-ELA and is nearly identical to the S-LSA version already marketed worldwide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Flight Design presses ahead with development of its four-seat C4 too. It has an interior mockup at Aero of the roomy aircraft which will be FAA-certified under primary category rules in the U.S. The pic shows how roomy that cabin will be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"The EASA certification of the CTLS gives a boost to the C4’s certification efforts in the United States," says the official release about the CTLS-EASA, "because the C4 will have many of the same design features and systems of the CTLS,” a company official said. The C4, a $250,000, 155-knot airplane powered by a 180-horsepower <b>Continental IO-360</b> engine, will be certificated in 2013, with first deliveries shortly thereafter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't take that certification date lightly: Flight Design has a habit of meeting its goals.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Pipistrel Around-The-World-Flight Successful</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSplVy5QGKmHTxSZK6rblWXfv20pOEHwDgAEIKS7GYdgAQLLnWJT2x35hgymzHDHTLmzmI8ynbJBmgMsXFRTreWDIW1rrVhUipXCviab1RtDPD6zh5Z7G0ecYb6j7czQVrL4dKU9gKXg/s1600/EcoFriendlyWorldTrip_main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSplVy5QGKmHTxSZK6rblWXfv20pOEHwDgAEIKS7GYdgAQLLnWJT2x35hgymzHDHTLmzmI8ynbJBmgMsXFRTreWDIW1rrVhUipXCviab1RtDPD6zh5Z7G0ecYb6j7czQVrL4dKU9gKXg/s400/EcoFriendlyWorldTrip_main.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Matevž Lenarčič celebrates his triumph. </b><br /><i><b>Photo courtesy</b> Pipistrel</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Congratulations to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Matevž Lenarčič</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">and the <a href="http://www.pipistrel.si/">Pipistrel</a> Team for his </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">amazing journey in the <b>Virus SW 914 Turbo</b>,</span> "in the most demanding possible way!" a<span style="font-family: inherit;">s the official Pipistrel release notes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Noteworthy stats: part of that "demanding way" included<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">62,000 miles total, and making the entire journey west to east.</span></span></div>
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Matevž flew the Rotax <span style="font-family: inherit;">914 Turbo-powered two-seater across both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, the Indian Ocean and over Mt. Everest just for grins. The entire flight went through all climate zones between Antarctica and the equatorial latitudes. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only major setback was an encounter with severe turbulence, the worst the seasoned pilot had ever encountered, he said, that required a team from Pipistrel to fly to the Outback and make an in-the-field composite repair of an airframe crack before the journey could continue. Even then, the repair only took four days.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Toasting glasses held high for <u></u></span></span>Matevž, company founder and leader <b>Ivo Boscarol</b> and all of Team Pipistrel for the impressive achievement.</div>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-35944359180152718192012-04-10T15:51:00.001-07:002012-04-10T15:56:42.136-07:00Three If By Sky: Prototype Makes First Flight<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZVssAeluX8bOyWWxa5BhFTydWrMUkUXrMCOvz1twv34smpaJZLcjT3_poQNQAP339opUljA6VT3LjcAfvaugQzHFDfsRjRd1SXbwN0OdmscSZR4JBAx4lSodpwhSvuO9FHMA-zrYfw/s1600/homesplash_garage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZVssAeluX8bOyWWxa5BhFTydWrMUkUXrMCOvz1twv34smpaJZLcjT3_poQNQAP339opUljA6VT3LjcAfvaugQzHFDfsRjRd1SXbwN0OdmscSZR4JBAx4lSodpwhSvuO9FHMA-zrYfw/s400/homesplash_garage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Peekaboo! Let's head for the airport.</b><br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">all images courtesy Terrafugia</span></b></i></td></tr>
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While at Sun 'n Fun I heard the good news that the long-in-development Terrafugia <a href="http://www.terrafugia.com/">Transition® Street-Legal Airplane</a> (that's it's latest name) hit the road, then the skies on its first production prototype flight. <br />
You may remember there was a “Roadable” in the name at one time, but whatever the official moniker, everybody pretty much still calls it "that flying car."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLj_Zi27wijrxTjqIN7AqKqmco7T_iqDMYSLOrCvGcFZld4a9LDfOYa4y8eU66pyOWC8m5mERPVJQwW2QcV89KrO7WwmY3cU_O6fEwNyg259x9T_S2IzRTzfA4Ux1kSMDstb_a7isfg/s1600/homesplash_driving2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLj_Zi27wijrxTjqIN7AqKqmco7T_iqDMYSLOrCvGcFZld4a9LDfOYa4y8eU66pyOWC8m5mERPVJQwW2QcV89KrO7WwmY3cU_O6fEwNyg259x9T_S2IzRTzfA4Ux1kSMDstb_a7isfg/s320/homesplash_driving2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Movin' on down the highway...</b></td></tr>
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Terrafugia forges on with the first flight announcement, happily picked up in media outlets from science mags to newspapers around the world, which took place March 23, 2012. <br />
How long until the $250,000-plus car-plane rolls off the production lines? Sometime within the next year is as close as the company is willing to predict, having been at it for a few years now.<br />
The flight reached 1400’ AGL and lasted eight minutes. Six flight test phases are planned before the craft, which is still targeted for ASTM certification as an S-LSA, is ready for prime time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6daPUSPZho_xnalWxM9JhEDyF-a3MHGbUxmiGXBvdFmVEeLrkRXvemgAP1859rkDVQfCrVJcjewCIJZfuBtfCwBOycCGBRxp6tNTyLULkx0RNizngqJMrZZW3qq0Ie9gjTRp62GKaDQ/s1600/homesplash_gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6daPUSPZho_xnalWxM9JhEDyF-a3MHGbUxmiGXBvdFmVEeLrkRXvemgAP1859rkDVQfCrVJcjewCIJZfuBtfCwBOycCGBRxp6tNTyLULkx0RNizngqJMrZZW3qq0Ie9gjTRp62GKaDQ/s400/homesplash_gate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"Yes, ma'am, it's an airplane. Yes ma'am, it's a car too. Yes ma'am,<br />I have a driver's license, a Sport Pilot's license, a TSA redress <br />number and a note from my Mommy, now may I go flying please?</b></td></tr>
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By the way, if you're in the Big Apple, you can see the production prototype up close and personal. It's on display at the New York International Auto Show until April 15th. Location: J<a href="http://www.javitscenter.com/">acob Javits Convention Center </a>in New York City.<br />
If you want to see a piece of history in the making, y'all come on down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4-5C4DkU5qbg4rEGWLsjKLMwKMAxDUF1ruMz5dIm1Mh05JEJO-OQNG4Gq253g_maUd_1BoQRAtduvcGv2ILiAUb7FM9i2cgvkoluPCOkW30v-68CyOQ92EigTDPwYKQlzrZv9tBKOA/s1600/homesplash_unfolding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4-5C4DkU5qbg4rEGWLsjKLMwKMAxDUF1ruMz5dIm1Mh05JEJO-OQNG4Gq253g_maUd_1BoQRAtduvcGv2ILiAUb7FM9i2cgvkoluPCOkW30v-68CyOQ92EigTDPwYKQlzrZv9tBKOA/s400/homesplash_unfolding.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"Spread your wings and take the sky,</b><br />
<b>Oh, your mammy's rich, </b><b>and your daddy's good looking. </b><br />
<b>So hush little baby, </b><b>don't you cry."</b>`</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_ayA85tIU8ZAAsEOrYFGkFhI2RzfIg6aGQFlvA_h7LMSOHi31JnWBRdEVe6G-rkMfDzQKRrymEV9_6eA7zZjnQzBGVtNz0TQwOxdRRhp2QJ4PoQhEAUAmmyrIEmmFRW6V0AZSkE1Wg/s1600/homesplash_flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_ayA85tIU8ZAAsEOrYFGkFhI2RzfIg6aGQFlvA_h7LMSOHi31JnWBRdEVe6G-rkMfDzQKRrymEV9_6eA7zZjnQzBGVtNz0TQwOxdRRhp2QJ4PoQhEAUAmmyrIEmmFRW6V0AZSkE1Wg/s640/homesplash_flying.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"Whee! Auto-piloting: Nothin' to it."</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSFQteIP4RRZrJp8GITIREmMYQiPHEbyan90KTEj1LEIqre2cooQnZeEk45PcEnYmWYoPrb8LVRtLxCCmt-eH4Tz5kK0O78u6tg2ZnyKGlIFMiiYKHQCdZLMo13njLxZyAN4upLH-5w/s1600/homesplash_flying3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSFQteIP4RRZrJp8GITIREmMYQiPHEbyan90KTEj1LEIqre2cooQnZeEk45PcEnYmWYoPrb8LVRtLxCCmt-eH4Tz5kK0O78u6tg2ZnyKGlIFMiiYKHQCdZLMo13njLxZyAN4upLH-5w/s640/homesplash_flying3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"I feel for those poor turkeys in gridlock down there...heh heh heh."</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintqDIyh8knJMQ89rWCM7UgFCNaBEMiFvermufnSFnG_do3QlqkI1V7nd6r6EbL0iNm1hqccbtJka6Rq8ph7cGLpHdj-YHyoRWUvM5kPBvB_C3FhkmZBFk_HktldnXUIbd6PJXwrFwXg/s1600/homesplash_friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintqDIyh8knJMQ89rWCM7UgFCNaBEMiFvermufnSFnG_do3QlqkI1V7nd6r6EbL0iNm1hqccbtJka6Rq8ph7cGLpHdj-YHyoRWUvM5kPBvB_C3FhkmZBFk_HktldnXUIbd6PJXwrFwXg/s400/homesplash_friends.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"Hey Frank, check out my new ride! No, you can't take it for a spin </b><br />
<b>around the block. Sorry dude, that's just the way it is."</b></td></tr>
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<br /></div>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-58424818687360083372012-03-31T20:43:00.003-07:002012-04-01T08:01:39.339-07:00Sun 'n Fun 2012: Day Five Part 3reePhoto Wrap Up: Some other stories that will get fleshed out down the road here and in the magazine. Sun 'n Fun ends tomorrow. Long Live Sun 'n Fun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgml7GqdRu-7weURqB6Yy6s9-Q0rSUYRhYbVBcCekFQWf2qv5mV8BEMiCHh5n7MvjMptEZUSw2_y1wL6rnjC3xPoroG3Guw1fjdsBnLrOGyBvJckF4vjGxVwysNhaTsnf7HOHpP_KVbBQ/s1600/S7+Courier-0187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgml7GqdRu-7weURqB6Yy6s9-Q0rSUYRhYbVBcCekFQWf2qv5mV8BEMiCHh5n7MvjMptEZUSw2_y1wL6rnjC3xPoroG3Guw1fjdsBnLrOGyBvJckF4vjGxVwysNhaTsnf7HOHpP_KVbBQ/s400/S7+Courier-0187.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Richard McGlaughlin gave a stirring account of his<br />
BRS airframe 'chute save that delivered him and his<br />
daughter to safety after a catastrophic engine failure...<br />
over the water in the Bahamas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTHSzDHw5K1SVnWvOLwR-fDvQM4QodG3GsuuXBqvSeA2_MuzKO3p_4rIgmqUoBHY2q3X-3G4wRdxgG8H_yfbRDcqDplZL8skzXBHKCVk8bRJM2zeaBbYs_GuZFKk59GT_N-A19HJ9gw/s1600/S7+Courier-0269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTHSzDHw5K1SVnWvOLwR-fDvQM4QodG3GsuuXBqvSeA2_MuzKO3p_4rIgmqUoBHY2q3X-3G4wRdxgG8H_yfbRDcqDplZL8skzXBHKCVk8bRJM2zeaBbYs_GuZFKk59GT_N-A19HJ9gw/s640/S7+Courier-0269.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff Burnett of Flight Design helps a future pilot with the Gleim simulator which will soon <br />
be available for dealers and home use.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjcu10pmXNvMjJGpRhOhsgK0ahs2u290jzLYjwYr5w7uMGSF2sECXHkbeX1_l87K7cAx3ZsBoCvaE0Or53K2shEA33YIqShGwHejRgVDJVN6mQwz4oucpsPYAixJjticefuDFmqhhIQ/s1600/S7+Courier-0258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjcu10pmXNvMjJGpRhOhsgK0ahs2u290jzLYjwYr5w7uMGSF2sECXHkbeX1_l87K7cAx3ZsBoCvaE0Or53K2shEA33YIqShGwHejRgVDJVN6mQwz4oucpsPYAixJjticefuDFmqhhIQ/s640/S7+Courier-0258.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeppesen's lovely display booth at the show.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDeFVZ3eYPVfA6Gd4NrboAGbNRWJ66tvdAB2RZp51ozacaQjcLzoTCOCrwp-YXw6iYwPfSpi-6o2zHNi5eGZ1SZeWy1lFGIn8ZbvhMKj51gkHwYIJo_MCidOs8fK6x2rUUE95w6QVqA/s1600/S7+Courier-0264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDeFVZ3eYPVfA6Gd4NrboAGbNRWJ66tvdAB2RZp51ozacaQjcLzoTCOCrwp-YXw6iYwPfSpi-6o2zHNi5eGZ1SZeWy1lFGIn8ZbvhMKj51gkHwYIJo_MCidOs8fK6x2rUUE95w6QVqA/s400/S7+Courier-0264.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More eye candy from Jepp: they're doing cool<br />
things for the iPad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXoIljGvmhmdGdDToJNHOeoZ_AoRhUMpEQbZVhG7Xqpko26gD3nkHIa3ZnWYarT6twXGZDm5EIeXKwCowF76UCIwVaGOkshTcOZ25fri_TccrtC4lHCC4vjkQayEWn5jkiYQkm-xPfg/s1600/S7+Courier-0236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXoIljGvmhmdGdDToJNHOeoZ_AoRhUMpEQbZVhG7Xqpko26gD3nkHIa3ZnWYarT6twXGZDm5EIeXKwCowF76UCIwVaGOkshTcOZ25fri_TccrtC4lHCC4vjkQayEWn5jkiYQkm-xPfg/s640/S7+Courier-0236.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attendance was definitely, noticeably down this year. Yet exhibitors weren't complaining, as attendees came<br />
with checkbooks ready and several LSA dealers reported sales.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnSFb-_SpL2_99IE13BNSvkYh6DWmHoYvS3rPyeQ9wHIOjeaCKD-Xz1dTEty_B0YS5gWbMWvkxCKzI8bxOFnEHj-EwWENHRwWeX7k4hvL1clz_AINNLh9-Wandr4vUxCT416Zktj-BA/s1600/S7+Courier-0254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnSFb-_SpL2_99IE13BNSvkYh6DWmHoYvS3rPyeQ9wHIOjeaCKD-Xz1dTEty_B0YS5gWbMWvkxCKzI8bxOFnEHj-EwWENHRwWeX7k4hvL1clz_AINNLh9-Wandr4vUxCT416Zktj-BA/s400/S7+Courier-0254.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Derek Kuefler of BRS Aerospace and one model of the <br />
company's airframe parachute which has saved 276 aircraft and <br />
their occupants to date. Fascinating stat: Of the 30,000 <br />
BRS systems installed over 30 years, 1 in 125 has been<br />
deployed. That's across all kinds of aircraft and events...hard<br />
to argue that any aircraft wouldn't be safer with a 'chute on board</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1v6muS9DJ6T43qnRlnmsLxC0q5azx08WpFNg1Wd6a0F5gdQFYXPoYeqiKopuKAeCVf5b7BFBZ3T8X8O8NKWq7gCIGY6vDHMoKWl26d_Gm5JT6NWB9cKJDnrnGgo4Oe86k7MrgtnM_Bw/s1600/S7+Courier-0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1v6muS9DJ6T43qnRlnmsLxC0q5azx08WpFNg1Wd6a0F5gdQFYXPoYeqiKopuKAeCVf5b7BFBZ3T8X8O8NKWq7gCIGY6vDHMoKWl26d_Gm5JT6NWB9cKJDnrnGgo4Oe86k7MrgtnM_Bw/s400/S7+Courier-0229.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only airplane to ever drop an atomic bomb: The amazing B-29.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvIu-EPgsIFHKiF-ECTsLImUZf63fh7OhESWPdaaLfTOoY47uARBCG2taV1OXagI_09D3D8rMbDsEAb3LejYqUf9TiSbLHqR01es4fpVBWpDE5Jg1wXMSn2FlphGv8fJ1J5yNO171dA/s1600/S7+Courier-0215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvIu-EPgsIFHKiF-ECTsLImUZf63fh7OhESWPdaaLfTOoY47uARBCG2taV1OXagI_09D3D8rMbDsEAb3LejYqUf9TiSbLHqR01es4fpVBWpDE5Jg1wXMSn2FlphGv8fJ1J5yNO171dA/s640/S7+Courier-0215.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right, Jon Hansen, Peter Funk, and Craig, Gigi, and Jerrell C Bartow, the happy new owners of the first Lycoming-powered FK-12 Comet to be sold in America, hand over the check to Jon and "Doc" Bailey, right, head of Renegade Light Sport, which is doing the developmental and installation groundwork for the Lycoming IO-233 in is normally aspirated and fuel injected forms for many LSA makers, including Renegade's Falcon tricycle and taildragger composite S-LSA. Peter Funk is the highly creative designer of the Comet and FK series of light aircraft.</td></tr>
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<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-87348050274447235422012-03-31T18:18:00.004-07:002012-03-31T18:18:54.335-07:00Sun 'n Fun 2012: Day Five Part Two<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeDeSrqDMsFW4HJhbVbuYe5TLfd4lm-Q0wDUwWrTYf_p80IMVq6bR2vbSUiy8h2CQKBCPBY3c4ofI4hvZ6R0zecel3CTLQ4P-u7rVSXdZtT2dxbi5Gv9QN-IfgA8I5JXmIIfBur3dGg/s1600/S7+Courier-0281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeDeSrqDMsFW4HJhbVbuYe5TLfd4lm-Q0wDUwWrTYf_p80IMVq6bR2vbSUiy8h2CQKBCPBY3c4ofI4hvZ6R0zecel3CTLQ4P-u7rVSXdZtT2dxbi5Gv9QN-IfgA8I5JXmIIfBur3dGg/s400/S7+Courier-0281.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The touchscreen interface is a wonder, with drag-bend route changes,<br />easy sub-menu access with the tap of a finger and lots more.</b></td></tr>
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One of the revolutionary portable avionics boxes the last couple years that's been so much a part of the LSA movement is the iFly 700, a 7", touchscreen, portable, moving map GPS. I could write a 100 word sentence full of commas and descriptors with all it's features, but the bottom line is it's an amazing device that's easy to bring along and performa an amazing of functions in any cockpit.<br />
Now comes the new <a href="http://ifly.adventurepilot.com/">iFly 720</a> with yet another long list of additional features. I previewed the new unit and now I will have to sell my iFly 700 model and get this one...it's a real step forward and these brainy guys keep working hard to add features. <br />
Here's a list of just the highlights.<br />
<> improved<b> sunlight-readable</b> screen. It's also crisper and brighter.<br />
<> <b>iFly Streets</b> for road navigation!<br />
<> dual-core processor and memory. <br />
<> Wi-Fi updating for fast and easy automatic data downloads<br />
<> Visual and audio warnings of nearby SUAs, TRFs and more. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_UO6hEtgAPnJJb52AL2_R4gNtyUx_iKt1bsFgpyPp1oVw1EmQ2oQETOO3QOMEDlWrgWSBKKAWyhts5jC2gFfvjxkl2SAHTuzxrHtWsldmwL47nOO86gYZe8uXFPlwlZXtODNyHR1PQ/s1600/S7+Courier-0290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_UO6hEtgAPnJJb52AL2_R4gNtyUx_iKt1bsFgpyPp1oVw1EmQ2oQETOO3QOMEDlWrgWSBKKAWyhts5jC2gFfvjxkl2SAHTuzxrHtWsldmwL47nOO86gYZe8uXFPlwlZXtODNyHR1PQ/s400/S7+Courier-0290.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Future software updates will include flight instrumentation!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<> Terrain depiction is also coming soon! I got a preview. Approach objects or terrain above your altitude and you get a vocal and a truly alarming musical sound hit that gets your attention.<br />
<> remote control for turbulence control.<br />
There's a ton of things to say about this unit. Best bet is to go to the website linked above and see for yourself.<br />
Meanwhile, it's off to Ebay for me...I love this unit and I'm getting one.<br />
Price is $749. I don't know of another unit that carries all the features of this puppy for anywhere near that price.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVyPl4Jz74ROa3_i1TuN-YAt849P4UFqxakfyaSo_IffA4HQmDGRFLJrv2fBJVGXD4xEp4xE8uldynN8kLb5VLKDyfTFIN_8doehnHG3iJ41zv4HYupKhVwDerfcWiO-V-ulKlMtKwQ/s1600/S7+Courier-0293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVyPl4Jz74ROa3_i1TuN-YAt849P4UFqxakfyaSo_IffA4HQmDGRFLJrv2fBJVGXD4xEp4xE8uldynN8kLb5VLKDyfTFIN_8doehnHG3iJ41zv4HYupKhVwDerfcWiO-V-ulKlMtKwQ/s640/S7+Courier-0293.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A new startup menu screen, all touch-controlled or use the included remote, hints at the many new features.</b></td></tr>
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<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-73073220622407089492012-03-31T17:37:00.000-07:002012-03-31T17:37:02.898-07:00Sun 'n Fun 2012: Day FiveIn contrast to last year's tornado and 90+ destroyed or damaged aircraft, this year's Florida spring weather has been clear, in the 80s, and breezy enough to keep the long hours in the sun from melting down your wetware.<br />
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Back in 2008, the <a href="http://www.phillysportpilot.com/pics.html">Sky Arrow</a>, a tandem S-LSA (#18 to achieve ASTM compliance) with a clean pod and boom design, went out of production. <br />
That didn't keep the sturdy pusher on the ground, thanks to the efforts of Jon Hansen and the Hansen Group, and as you may remember from recent stories it has been successfully put to good works by <a href="http://ableflight.org/">Able Flight </a>as a trainer for student pilots with disabilities.<br />
What is not as well known perhaps is that Sky Arrow, originally produced by<b> 3I</b> (Iniziative Industriali Italiane), was also FAR Part 23 certified.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hxNkNNPWTHL0mdzrzkzI-Vj6fj07PD2hLwhiQ5p_Ogw-PUDh6G_RtJM8Q-hAPyjL9iYaGGmek2TxJ7zNHF35XJpjrp9-SSRSjfQ0SxLSGigBzYH4pEuhGMae2JYafgNsRXdVfVfggQ/s1600/S7-Courier-9555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hxNkNNPWTHL0mdzrzkzI-Vj6fj07PD2hLwhiQ5p_Ogw-PUDh6G_RtJM8Q-hAPyjL9iYaGGmek2TxJ7zNHF35XJpjrp9-SSRSjfQ0SxLSGigBzYH4pEuhGMae2JYafgNsRXdVfVfggQ/s400/S7-Courier-9555.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">The announcement of Sky Arrow's return to production was made by<br />Magnaghi CEO
</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Giorgio Iannotti, 2nd from left, at the Hansen Air</span>Group booth (Mike, Jon and Mitch Hansen at right)</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span> </td></tr>
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Just announced at the show is the good news that the tandem trainer will be brought back into production by the <a href="http://www.magnaghiaeronautica.it/">Magnaghi Group</a>, (the website will have info soon, says media rep <b>Riccardo Filippi</b>), an Italian aerospace manufacturer with 600 employees. Magnaghi will re-introduce the all-composite aircraft at Oshkosh in July. Production will begin soon on the updated bird. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquB8PNHKM1pkS65l_o_gxEDmN1xhyphenhyphenOqZrVG7kXAY4EC9Cl4rN_9LqLJwPSrAY_AQN0QK8RD9VwyFjZb5ptcNDNwfTaSSdLf4pdDVbY5PNG6Gfv1CoFHeO9cKUYS7RIvu_dLOzaPBnUw/s1600/S7-Courier-9557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquB8PNHKM1pkS65l_o_gxEDmN1xhyphenhyphenOqZrVG7kXAY4EC9Cl4rN_9LqLJwPSrAY_AQN0QK8RD9VwyFjZb5ptcNDNwfTaSSdLf4pdDVbY5PNG6Gfv1CoFHeO9cKUYS7RIvu_dLOzaPBnUw/s200/S7-Courier-9557.jpg" width="200" /></a>Upgrades will include reduced weight, larger wing tanks for 6 hour range, refined aerodynamics and state-of-the-art avionics.<br />
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Both S-LSA and FAR 23 versions will be offered and production has already begun, with a production capacity of 3-4 airplanes per month.<br />
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<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-72823836496889851622012-03-30T20:51:00.001-07:002012-03-30T20:51:08.501-07:00Sun 'n Fun 2012: Day Four<br />
I caught up with a fellow hang glider pioneer from the 70s', Scott Severen of U.S. Aviation, Denton, TX who filled me in on the latest events for his broad-based Light Sport/GA service and repair center.<br />
U.S. Aviation is a large, well-established aviation service center that does it all: flight training, aircraft and avionics sales, service and maintenance (for general aviation as well as LSA). <br />
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Scott has been involved with Indus Aviation and its Thorpedo LSA aircraft for years. That project is moving to a China-based manufacturing base and "It's a big process to pull it all together," he says. He was just over there, assembling a couple Thorpedos to support the transition.<br />
"It will be a beautiful facility over there once it's built. We'll still do parts and aircraft sales in Dallas, and US Aviation will assist in factory support of the Thorpedo; it's one of several LSA we do.<br />
U.S. Aviation's vision for the LSA side of their operation "is to create a centrally located, national in scope factory authorized service center for as many LSA manufacturers as we can gather."<br />
"We’ve been successful at that: we just became the Flight Design service center for our area, but anyone can come to us, say if they’re flying through and have an issue, and we can give them factory authorized support right there in Texas. We’re real proud to have Flight Design, there’s a lot of CT's flying in our area and it’s a great airplane."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTRHa9deVn_jw3wOC8BmUF_ewIp7lijuXU2JQiw7K0-fFN8ebC2BB_R-i1ZQ_WhpulWULodXZGfl9FT9b2Qrzmk1QpN2f8DsKCw3sEBLDV-pxdLJ-yT3arVkwRSoqJon2YwcgvtlnTw/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTRHa9deVn_jw3wOC8BmUF_ewIp7lijuXU2JQiw7K0-fFN8ebC2BB_R-i1ZQ_WhpulWULodXZGfl9FT9b2Qrzmk1QpN2f8DsKCw3sEBLDV-pxdLJ-yT3arVkwRSoqJon2YwcgvtlnTw/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>"We also just picked up <b>Evektor</b> and are excited about that relationship too."<br />
U.S. Aviation also lists <b>Jabiru, Tecnam, Remos, Allegro, SportAir, Aerotrek </b>and others in their service stable.<br />
"If you don’t include the Cub LSA aircraft, we’re now authorized to service more than 92% of <i>all</i> Light Sports!"<br />
(Scott has talked with the Legend Cub guys."But the factory is only 35 miles away!")<br />
Becoming an authorized service center is no casual affair. <br />
"We have to prove ourselves with each client first. It took quite awhile with Flight Design: there was training to do to really get to know the product before we got the factory stamp of approval. Companies either come to us for training, or we send our people to them."<br />
"We’ve also got a Part 145 avionics repair shop so we have a high degree of competency for installing and servicing avionics. We’re dealers or representatives for <b>Dynon, Garmin, Zaon, Aspen, Avidyne</b>, all the major Light Sport names and many of the General Aviation names too."<br />
The FBO is a <a href="http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/SkyView_intro.html">Dynon SkyView</a> center too for the central U.S. and has already been through that training. <br />
"We already have a SkyView demo so people can come play with it."<br />
<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-14848764786859934852012-03-29T11:50:00.004-07:002012-03-29T11:50:52.598-07:00Sun 'n Fun Day Three: Take DieuxHere's an aerial shot from my Courier flight of Paradise City, the Light Aircraft runway at the southeast end of the field that will soon be used year round. Many upgrades, including filling the dreaded ditches that used to run lengthwise.<br />
The attendance looks down from recent years but I haven't put boots on that ground yet, time to head over there for a look.<br />
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And below is a shot of the B-29 "FIFI" that crossed our nose on the Courier flight this morning. Not often you get a B-29 in your sights these days...not often at all, at any distance.<br />
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<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-51464321526983180252012-03-29T11:28:00.001-07:002012-03-29T11:28:08.124-07:00Sun 'n Fun 2012: Day ThreeGreetings, Earth creatures, from sultry Florida, where it's hot, humid and shooting toward 85 but already feels hotter than that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jana Morenz of Rans Aircraft shows me the ropes in the S7 Courier</b>
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Nonetheless your intrepid shooter/writer/flyer had the pleasure of spending a couple hours this morning with <b>Jana Morenz</b>, the gracious and lovely pilot for <a href="http://www.rans.com/products/aircraft">Rans Aircraft</a>. <br />
Jana took me for a dawn patrol demo flight in the newly updated <a href="http://www.rans.com/products/aircraft">Rans S-7LS Courier</a> tandem taildragger and as expected, it's a real sweetheart...not just you Jana, but the airplane too.<br />
We did some airwork where I discovered to my delight the Courier, though resembling a Cublike S-LSA, is its own animal: light, and I mean light on the controls, nimble, responsive, with excellent power performance, climb, clean cruise over 100 mph and benign stall characteristics. <br />
As Jana says, "It's the kind of airplane you really don't want to spend a lot of time in straight line flight with. It's so much fun to fly." Too true.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkk61kL77goCJd8Hpx7oU3uKUzfaHtDIYOZzK-Hd5TecTetUxBrQw8qlS1qyA_Ry_NNyVOGzw2iMQJMkfTmJePmOkdoFI5wGUnAIcpMLrzYskeyfGSpR5fLAXvE1zG5hJKf9RVaNkjg/s1600/S7+Courier-9598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkk61kL77goCJd8Hpx7oU3uKUzfaHtDIYOZzK-Hd5TecTetUxBrQw8qlS1qyA_Ry_NNyVOGzw2iMQJMkfTmJePmOkdoFI5wGUnAIcpMLrzYskeyfGSpR5fLAXvE1zG5hJKf9RVaNkjg/s640/S7+Courier-9598.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>An aerodynamic pedigree that reaches back to the J3 Cub and Champ...but has thoroughly modern sensibilities.</b></td></tr>
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<br />
Not that you can't fly it straight. Jana brought it all way out to Florida from Hays, KS and says she had a great time. Once you trim it up (with a couple taps on the responsive stick-top electric trim button), you can relax and enjoy the view.<br />
The Courier is sensitive in roll and pitch, and you want to block the rudder pedals: it doesn't take much of a push with the narrow fuselage to get out of yaw-kilter, which I amply demonstrated more than once. An hour or two and the sportscar-like handling personality of the bird should feel like something you've flown all your life but because it has such delightfully light handling, I didn't fly it like an ace first time up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheWup6wtoGaqQbrp8C0WTzDTm0kL2Et51fHCZsKyUz2Jey6titlYouAcSCGZd1vtnIlD8zljxXuI-diGWkfLsFEiijFgaUSZZDm3NF6LK1uHH2pYruJ1VXyF-y6Ez4F_FSNFKY7IU5A/s1600/S7+Courier-9738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheWup6wtoGaqQbrp8C0WTzDTm0kL2Et51fHCZsKyUz2Jey6titlYouAcSCGZd1vtnIlD8zljxXuI-diGWkfLsFEiijFgaUSZZDm3NF6LK1uHH2pYruJ1VXyF-y6Ez4F_FSNFKY7IU5A/s400/S7+Courier-9738.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I made one landing, a three-pointer at South Lakeland's grass strip that, because of the Courier's much-lower-than-J3 Cub deck angle on the ground, was a piece of cake...didn't even embarrass myself. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Really, it felt like it landed itself, with a nominal approach over the fence around 55 mph, mellow round out and easy-effort flare. I didn't even retrim, just eased the stick back with light pressure...with the Courier it's a breeze to look like you know what you're doing close to terra firma.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPG_nyTG0E6ofUxKnNrDM1-kELvczAG1tUWDsqhuFISgJmHty_zBFeX9bqunJXs91sXQUW4R2Z4yDnuQCD-cvNVvsfGPBwSObVtyiXNnz57FpBGtfKdwCBmjkJJxJ_Llp0wEVL3JVzg/s1600/S7+Courier-9807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPG_nyTG0E6ofUxKnNrDM1-kELvczAG1tUWDsqhuFISgJmHty_zBFeX9bqunJXs91sXQUW4R2Z4yDnuQCD-cvNVvsfGPBwSObVtyiXNnz57FpBGtfKdwCBmjkJJxJ_Llp0wEVL3JVzg/s200/S7+Courier-9807.jpg" width="200" /></a>The S-7LS is a sweetheart: lively, fast and easy to change direction, a real fun airplane with lots of room, two opening doors and many nice features typical of Rans airplanes.<br />
Thanks again to Jana and the always-fun Rans crew, including pals <b>Randy Schlitter</b> and <b>Michele Miller</b> for a delightful, all-American designed/produced airplane.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Toe brakes front and rear seats, steerable, break-loose tailwheel, <br />lovely plumbing and hardware throughout.<br /><br /></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-85672828054039288882012-03-28T20:40:00.002-07:002012-03-28T20:40:40.398-07:00Sun 'n Fun Day Two: Take Four<br />
<b>Bret Koebbe</b> of <a href="http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop">Sporty’s Pilot Shop</a> introduced me to a cool new ADS-B weather uplink product, the <a href="http://www.appareo.com/cat/primarymenu/products/stratus/">Stratus</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz6T7PX2_4X5WDedVJEhViDdI044n6zVk09h4a7HyrG0u1k16lFpJxJzyYV2SCB7dQe7vOGdjZfwMs5x6RGjLlGVkw9gntq_NAXF7RrfvDFfVpX7LOhxW40nCo3QEJrPWSDZ25PRAIQ/s1600/stratusipad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz6T7PX2_4X5WDedVJEhViDdI044n6zVk09h4a7HyrG0u1k16lFpJxJzyYV2SCB7dQe7vOGdjZfwMs5x6RGjLlGVkw9gntq_NAXF7RrfvDFfVpX7LOhxW40nCo3QEJrPWSDZ25PRAIQ/s320/stratusipad2.jpg" width="320" /></a>US built by <b>Appareo Systems</b>, it's a completely portable, wire-free, subscription-free weather solution that works in conjunction only (so far) with the <a href="http://foreflight.com/">Foreflight </a>ap for the <b>iPad</b>. <br />
The Stratus provides <a href="http://www.ads-b.com/">ADS-B</a>-based weather, Nexrad, Metars, TAS, Airmets, Sigmets, TFRS, "the whole nine yards of everything that’s included with ADS-B" as Bret describes it, all wirelessly transmitted to your in-cockpit iPad. <br />
It uses the iPad's WiFi connection, and can be broadcast to more than one iPad in the cockpit. Just open Foreflight, link it to the Stratus box, and you've got all your weather info with you. <br />
The ADS-B weather coverage will be coast to coast-complete sometime in 2013. <br />
It's a simple device: eight-hour battery, wire free, built-in ADS-B antenna buiilt into the box, and also includes WAAS GPS with 1-2 meter accuracy.<br />
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Price is $799, with preordering now for April 23.<br />
And it's all American-made; "It's manufactured in North Dakota," says Bret. "Designed and developed by pilots for pilots, something we all wanted: ADS-B without a lot of work or wires."<br />
<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-41703425626247668672012-03-28T14:27:00.001-07:002012-03-28T14:51:17.599-07:00Sun 'n Fun Day Two: Take ThreeRan into my old pal Dave "Higs" Higdon who's been an aviation journalist/photo Iron Man for decades. We go back to the early ultralight days of 1981 I think, and Dave has hammered out a long and respected career producing quality insights and images for the aviation industry, willing to work harder than most of the rest of us.<br />
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So here's a plug for his<span style="background-color: white; color: #3294fd; font-family: 'arial black'; font-style: italic;"><a href="http://uncontrolledairspace.com/">Uncontrolled Airspace: </a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-weight: bold;">News & conversation about the world of General Aviation flying</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> website.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvU097wvRItRYznAZfAKQE8_V7FSfY9XoWzcswEl2qFvi6UuLnBTU0l3F8Hq2kJiq0Gq_ldB0OVxkR4JqQC4XnMJt7kft7-m9jcbvWrhYfT6TGYUW-mEaHMY1-_SjnVSF3TwP9OcqWg/s1600/dave-higs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvU097wvRItRYznAZfAKQE8_V7FSfY9XoWzcswEl2qFvi6UuLnBTU0l3F8Hq2kJiq0Gq_ldB0OVxkR4JqQC4XnMJt7kft7-m9jcbvWrhYfT6TGYUW-mEaHMY1-_SjnVSF3TwP9OcqWg/s200/dave-higs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Higs", right and partners in crime:<br />
Jeb Burnside, co-host and founder, and<br />
Jack Hodgson, producer and co-host/founder.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Lots of entertaining jabber about all things aviation, including contributions from people like my old collaborating pal Jim Wynbrandt, who like Dave is an avid pilot and aviation journalist and widely respected in the industry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">It's an aviation-centric podcast, which presents itself this way: "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Every week the UCAP gang gathers in the virtual hangar to talk about all things GA. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">You can listen-in as some of General Aviation's most knowledgeable, opinionated, </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">and plain-speaking characters, do some online hangar-flying."</span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-24693211904116535722012-03-28T14:09:00.004-07:002012-03-28T14:16:11.217-07:00Sun 'n Fun Day Two, Take Two<br />
Later in the day:<br />
There's never a shortage of cool stories or airplanes to talk about, only shortage of time and space to cram it all into.<br />
That said, here's more on topics previous and new.<br />
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<b>Dan Johnson</b> gave a briefing yesterday on three new developments to do with <a href="http://www.lama.bz/">LAMA</a> , the<b> Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association</b> that he heads up and puts in so many tireless hours to support.<br />
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<b>1.</b><a href="http://www.erau.edu/"> Embry Riddle Aeronautical University</a>, the world’s largest aviation school, has finalized agreements with LAMA to provide industry-centric production audits for LSA manufacturers. Audits are a potential sticking point with the FAA because the ASTM self-regulatory standard that makes Light Sport Aircraft such a unique and innovative entity in aviation turns on an important central principle: compliance with ASTM standards.<br />
Every process, material and activity involved<br />
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with building an LSA, right down to how long ago a torque wrench was calibrated (it's all specified in the ASTM certificate of compliance that's initially awarded to an airframe maker) needs to be <i>codified</i>, then adhered to by the manufacturer, and that adherence, or compliance, then verified by the audit process.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8io_Ceyr1vu3dWarLowGW0XZU1ITbSr9dEJTis4zJ9Afd15E5ucK2ISyIxP6IYA2az7helpav7bB5zq4VL6-MuBR2ckOFFpZSVVCLJUGDIj3JhzIQHaPoC5dMMNsqyswvtueeEGwxbw/s1600/erau-logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8io_Ceyr1vu3dWarLowGW0XZU1ITbSr9dEJTis4zJ9Afd15E5ucK2ISyIxP6IYA2az7helpav7bB5zq4VL6-MuBR2ckOFFpZSVVCLJUGDIj3JhzIQHaPoC5dMMNsqyswvtueeEGwxbw/s200/erau-logo.gif" width="200" /></a>ERAU audit personnel will receive the same training as FAA personnel and the program offered to manufacturers by the university will cost $15,000 (equivalent ISO audits for GA manufacturers are twice that) and include a full document review (quite an involved, hours-intensive process) and on-site inspection of all procedures.<br />
“FAA is embracing the industry doing this,” says Dan. “<i>If</i> we do a good enough job, they’ve said they’ll be happy to back away and let us do most of the audits down the road.”<br />
“For smaller companies that will find a $15K ticket burdensome, we’re working on creative ways to get the job done for them, but we’ll start with a few of the biggest companies because this is important: if we don’t show we’re in compliance with the ASTM standard that allows us to exist as an industry, FAA will step in.”<br />
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<b>2.</b> <b>Five Years for The LSA Mall! </b>Congratulations to Dan and all involved for this boffo concept which for four years was located right by the main entrance gate. It’s been moved down closer to<b> Paradise City</b>, the light aircraft mini-airfield at the southeast end of the Sun ‘n Fun show grounds. <br />
I’ll have some pix of it tomorrow, haven’t gotten that far in my wanderings yet. Sun ‘n Fun is a couple miles from one end to another all told, and make a couple round trips from the new (and vastly improved) but more remote Media Center and it feels more like 10 miles. And there aren’t enough motor carts to go around for all the media people. So I stick my thumb out a lot, with mixed results and tears of gratitude shed on the sleeves of those compassionate souls who stop to pick me up.<br />
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Anyway, in its fifth year, the Mall provides a focused showplace for LSA manufacturers to exhibit their wares. “It’s been filled to capacity in all the years of this tough economy, and I’m pleased with how it’s now closer to Paradise City. It will give us more room to expand and flexibility is improved: we’re able to fly during the air show now - always taboo before - and next year there will be a taxiway from the Mall right to Paradise City, which will allow on-the-spot demo flights."<br />
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3. <b>Paradise City </b>itself has its own share of the news: “It’s much improved,” says Dan. “That runway that we know so well will be used by the <a href="http://www.polkacademies.com/cfaa/">Central Florida Aerospace Academy</a> year round for pilot training. All these years before it was only open one week a year, for the show. They’ve also removed some trees and one of the two ditches that ran along the side, and will fill in the other one soon. Also the big berm at the west end approach is gone.”<br />
“The<a href="http://www.lakelandairport.com/"> airport</a>, by the way, not Sun ‘n Fun, is paying for it. The whole layout will change over time.”<br />
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<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-62488757200876438222012-03-28T07:47:00.001-07:002012-03-28T07:49:38.649-07:00Sun 'n Fun Day Two: Taildraggers R UsTecnam North America is banking on what CEO Phil Solomon believes is a strong market interest in taildragger LSA. <br />
Tecnam is putting their R&D into attracting some of that market share with the revamped P92 tricycle gear S-LSA into a tail dragger version, and adding in some spice to boot: either a Lycoming YO-233-B2A or a Rotax 912/S2 powerplant is available to power it.<br />
The new version of the long-popular, well-proven P92 comes with a host of typical Tecnam quality features too, including a new wood-grain panel, adjustable seats, luggage compatrments, map and storage compartments on the door, epoxy corrosion proofing, lock/key entrance, tinted windows and lots more.<br />
Hydraulic toe brakes, electric flaps and lots more to join the electric trim and free castoring tail wheel.<br />
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I'm hoping to fly it the week after the show, if some paperwork issues with the brand new plane get resolved. More on this along with excerpts from a lively interview with the ever-insightful Mr. Solomon to come.<br />
The P92 joins the Renegade Falcon and some other LSA hoping that the taildragger interest isn't just for Cub-style LSA. Time will tell.<br />
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<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-5673006957027960922012-03-27T20:41:00.001-07:002012-03-28T12:52:13.588-07:00Sun 'n Fun 2012 Day One<br />
Sun ‘n Fun got off to a great start with weather in the low 80's, a helpful breeze and lots of new buildings and of course massive traffic jams coming in to the show because some things should never change no matter how many improvements are made.<br />
Seriously, the Sun 'n Fun folks do a great job and there are many new things on the field to make life more enjoyable for spectators and those of us here to work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Jim Dehart and the FK12 Comet-mounted Lycoming IO-233 <br />fully aerobatic engine - first in the U.S.</b></td></tr>
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First up: Jim Dehart of <a href="http://www.atlantalightsportaviation.com/index.html">Atlanta Light Sport Aviation</a> was excited to show off his school's new FK12 Comet with the first-in-US <b>Lycoming IO-233</b> <i><b>fully aerobatic</b></i> light sport engine.<br />
"The airplane is really powerful," Jim says, "and at 696 lbs. will be a real performer."<br />
He quotes the horsepower at 125 hp but I've seen it at 116 max everywhere else so either I've got it wrong and there's a bump in power from the inverted fuel/oil system on the aerobatic version (standard carburetted version also available, as well as a Rotax version, or he meant to say 116 hp.<br />
At any rate, the starting price for the fully aerobatic Comet is $135K ($130K for normally aspirated mill). <br />
"This will create a new category of competition airplane in the IAC," he says. IAC is the<a href="http://www.iac.org/"> International Aerobatic Club</a>, the governing body for sanctioned aerobatic events. <br />
Jim says flight test will commence on the Comet in the middle to the end of next month, and he hopes, though it's a stretch, to enter the first aerobatic competition by July.<br />
"We will try to have the first Light Sport aerobatic school in the country too. Our regular LSA flight school signed up more than 36 students last year and we've put 22 through to their license so far, and have 32 renters of LSA currently."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Christian Mundigler of Rotax led a thorough<br />presentation on the new 912 iS </b></td></tr>
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Next up was a morning of press conferences including a dramatic wheel in of the new Rotax 912 iS which I've got a ton of notes on but once again, hotel wifi problems have caused undue stress and strain on your erstwhile blogster, plus it's late and I'm tired from a long day so I'll let pix suffice for now and will fill in with details down the road.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The 912 iS was wheeled in with great fanfare under a shroud<br />to accompanying, powerful classical music of the Russian </b><br />
<b>persuasion...all the world's a stage. </b><br />
<b> It is a beautiful engine to be sure.</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Dave Graham, right, shows off the magazine he created to show off<br />Legend's fine Cub line. He credits Randy Schlitter of Rans Aircraft,<br />who did the same for his line of SLSA and kits, with the idea. <br />Both have done superb jobs, and it's fun to read about<br />an airplane in so much detail. Great idea guys! That snazzy AmphibCub<br /> behind Dave belongs to the happy owner Frank, left.</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Here's the scan code so you can get your own free copy<br />with a smartphone and bar code reader. </b><br />
<b>You can also find it at <a href="http://www.legend.aero/subscribe">www.legend.aero/subscribe</a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-33683711565590952832012-03-25T10:35:00.001-07:002012-03-25T10:44:16.485-07:00Sun 'n Fun (and Splash) This Week<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">The </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1109613150114&s=1098&e=001pXQDjfuJIxHycW6h7p174R3rJ6ezliz7xAY_0StYjCWcjhQjbXuyTk0wVf2L_azMJRkGGgC0oZdyaHHpJR2PwjeXkbHjLFtpXnpC4Zkl1PQ1mdI7Up0Lu3syNUCsNavKg8grAgbZqjRLRkFRFUhQnBhFwvctf60qo4uwEB7QJHft-J1MhTVOxLQkivuvjWEYIdEQuWrzS0zRZRsQOunCICBd1NonZX8kL0pSkKhPJD_SLMoNl0yvvuZZkwiKFMZL5MmRop4HX0BiMut1zEMtZQ==" shape="rect" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Searey</a><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> from Kerry and Wayne Richter's <b>Progressive Aerodyne </b>just sent out word that the popular design </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">celebrates its <b>20th</b></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b>anniversary</b> this year by "making a big splash at Sun N Fun!"</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Searey LSX will be on prominent display at Sun 'n Fun starting Tuesday<br />
<b><i>- photo courtesy Progressive Aerodyne</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">The Searey, perhaps the most successful kit amphibian ever (and which is still on the trail of certifying its latest LSX model to the LSA ASTM standard - they thought they'd have it done by end of 2011) will be at the show in demonstrable abundance.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Five</i> will be on exhibit from the nearby factory, and a "very large 'Gaggle' of Seareys" is expected to arrive en masse </span><span style="text-align: left;">on Thursday, March 29th at 10:00 a.m. - 20 or more from the cohesive and enthusiastic </span><span style="text-align: left;">Searey community of more than 500. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Half an hour later a smaller group will overfly the Sun 'n Fun crowd.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The Searey will be on display at </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">three locations: Booth 58, the LSA Mall and the <a href="http://www.seaplanes.org/spa/">Seaplane Pilots Association</a> display. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had a ball flying the amphib at Sebring 2011. It's a great way to enjoy water flying at either a kit price or, in time, prebuilt as an S-LSA.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Terrafugia Transition nears production and will be at the show. <br />
<b><i>- photo courtesy Terrafugia</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another must-see aircraft that will be at the show is the long-in-development <a href="http://www.terrafugia.com/">Terrafugia Transition</a> flying car, which is also slated for the <a href="http://www.autoshowny.com/">New York International Auto</a> (not Air) Show this year, <b>April 6-15</b> at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1yH97Cm0EcD3uSHlDmO6egzCRQ5GmrjJBMuwBWiiDwdSxjTpiUbTnAHcIi9qKtj6EUz2zEi07IYH4ohfjaPTMw9xkt4SF8r_535f2QDz778fulpTB8jKenTp4WUyjvcAsrKflQ2UzQ/s1600/transition-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1yH97Cm0EcD3uSHlDmO6egzCRQ5GmrjJBMuwBWiiDwdSxjTpiUbTnAHcIi9qKtj6EUz2zEi07IYH4ohfjaPTMw9xkt4SF8r_535f2QDz778fulpTB8jKenTp4WUyjvcAsrKflQ2UzQ/s320/transition-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The "<b>production ready</b>" version of the two-seat, LSA-legal Transition is scheduled for delivery to the first of 100 pre-order buyers by </span>the end of this year after a long development process and ever- increasing price level - currently around $250,000. <br />
The reconfigured and refined design, which originally had a type of canard forward of the front "bumper", touts a max speed of 115mph. "Roadable" mileage after the pushbutton transition to folded-wing land vehicle is claimed to be around 35 mpg.<br />
I'll be visiting these folks and lots more and posting here as I'm able during the show.</div>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-57598780579411123322012-03-23T11:43:00.001-07:002012-03-23T11:44:11.453-07:00Pushing the Envelope<i>Supersonic flight pioneer and WWII ace Chuck Yeager is famous for using, if not coining, the term "pushing the envelope", which has entered the popular lexicon for just about anything to do with growth and meeting challenges.</i><br />
<i>In that vein, since the day the Light Sport category became a fixture of the aviation regulatory landscape, there have been calls to do everything from abolish it outright to expand it's current parameter. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>With Americans "on the grow", how much room should LSA have?</b></td></tr>
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<i>The parameters invoked to arrive at the perfect light aircraft involve the Usual Suspects: faster, bigger, stronger, heavier, better load, no altitude restrictions etcetera etcetera etcetera. </i><br />
<i>In </i>that<i> vein, I want to share with you some cogent email comments received from P&P reader Dr. Barry Gloger who puts forward a well-reasoned argument for reworking the LSA concept. </i><br />
<i>Whether you agree or not with his point of view, it's hard to refute his logic, since it's based on his expertise in the actual physical size of the "average American."</i><br />
<i>And now for The Usual Disclaimer: his viewpoint does not necessarily reflect my opinion or that of the staff of Plane & Pilot. If you have a take on this subject, pro or con, please weigh in and share it with us: that's what this blog is here for. </i><br />
<i>Rather than paraphrase his comments, I'll let Dr. Gloger take it from here:</i><br />
"At 6' 4" and 250 lbs, this is a subject near and dear to me. As an Orthopaedic Surgeon, who designs joint prostheses, I am quite aware of the ever enlarging American body. There are numerous LSA's that I literally cannot shoe horn my body into.... <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Renegade's Falcon sports a 46" wide cabin - "six inches wider than a Cessna 172" say the ads - but ever-larger people beg the question: what will be considered "tiny" 20 years from now? And do designers need to factor those trends into their designs...yet still feel the pinch of weight-restricted airframes?</b></td></tr>
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"Due to either height, width or weight restrictions, I estimate that most LSA's could not fly with two top 50th percentile persons together - and big people tend to associate with other big people. That's a huge market share that LSA's cannot serve.<br />
"In addition to cabin width, I wish manufacturers would list headroom above the seat, so customers knowing their torso length or sitting height (measured from the Ischium [sit bones] to the top of the head) could figure out if they'll be able to close the canopy. <br />
"I cannot close the canopy of (many) aircraft and one plane, which advertises enough headroom for someone 6' 8", has a well behind the spar. Sure my head fit back there, but I could not even see the panel, never mind the fr<span style="font-family: inherit;">actured skull I would suffer in any hard landing." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Did you see the new Bristell at Sebring - it looks like a more </span><span class="il" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">commodious</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;"> version of the Sport Cruiser - hope it is not as sensitive..."</span></span><br />
(<i>My comment: I did fly the Bristell at Sebring - see my report in the next issue of P&P. It advertises sufficient headroom for a 6'6" pilot, which seems to be a truthful claim based on my time in cockpit.</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">"</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-size: small;">My major gripe is with the LSA rule is the rather arbitrary choice of 1320 pounds as the maximum gross weight limit, a number seemingly chosen by the FDA, just because its metric equivalent, 600 kg, is a nice round number.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Barry Pruitt is a good sized guy and he's showing plenty headroom<br /> in the new Bristell Fastback, one of the more "commodious" LSA.</b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;">(</span><i style="color: #222222;">FAA also took into consideration existing foreign "ultralight" aircraft that had already produced many designs at this weight spec.</i><span style="color: #222222;">)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-size: small;">"...</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">In order to meet the 1320 pounds gross weight limit, manufacturers resort either to expensive components, such as carbon fiber, or build flimsy under carriages...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"The average American is no longer the 5'7", 155 lb individual, when the FAA and Coast Guard originally set occupancy/capacity/ergonomic standards: the 75th percentile man now weighs 200lbs and no longer fits an 18” stadium seat. Imagine how much larger the LSA market could be, if planes could be designed to meet all the other LSA requirements (such as stall speed, maximum speed, fixed prop, etc.) and yet safely carry a full fuel payload of 500 to 600 pounds. Perhaps you and your friend, Dan Johnson, could petition the FAA to modify the LSA rule.</span></div>
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(<i>AOPA, EAA and other orgs and individuals are pushing this effort on several fronts, along with the LSA-style driver's license/self certify flight worthiness in lieu of a current FAA medical for lighter GA single-engine aircraft.)</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Terrafugia is struggling to bring its drivable aircraft in at 1320 pounds. Think how much cheaper it would be, if it also did not have to meet this unnecessary weight restriction.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3aZxBrF3UI_fUcYAjeaFNBIoC9KU3HzGI3nZ6-e3gtDX6B5GJgvTPmd7tq3Mawt-5stBWDV_0sW92XqjA4bp4tLBJHgAsvHjiI6C4aYL6wGxrO5v3KE0l_eQC-j3m-qnOeg6PWu2cw/s1600/march+23+blog-8922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3aZxBrF3UI_fUcYAjeaFNBIoC9KU3HzGI3nZ6-e3gtDX6B5GJgvTPmd7tq3Mawt-5stBWDV_0sW92XqjA4bp4tLBJHgAsvHjiI6C4aYL6wGxrO5v3KE0l_eQC-j3m-qnOeg6PWu2cw/s320/march+23+blog-8922.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Could four-seat, ASTM-certified aircraft<br />like this Piper Archer LX be in our future?</b></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"So what are the chances of modifying the LSA rule? And for that matter how about creating an ASTM/FAA standard/rule for a cheap, inexpensive 4 passenger, sport license plane similar to the current crop of LSA airplanes?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And that brings up the problem with LSA’s; they don’t have large </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">enough payloads...</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I understand why the </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">FAA and LAMA came up (with) the requirements that an LSA shall be a 2 </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">passenger plane that stalls at 45 kts max, flies at 120 kts max, has </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">a single engine with fixed prop and landing gear. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">"But they should </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">have stopped there...left the gross weight </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">unspecified, so manufacturers would have the flexibility to design </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">planes with full fuel payloads of 500 to 600 lbs. Yes a plane </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">heavier than 1320 lbs has more kinetic energy and momentum, but that </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">has no effect on safety unless you crash into someone’s house.</span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">"</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">So I propose that the FAA revise the LSA rule to eliminate max gross </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">weight restrictions, replacing it instead with standards governing </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">landing g forces, wing loading or whatever design parameters are </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">needed to produce a docile plane that doesn’t break up in routine </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">flight or hard landing, maintaining the important restrictions of a 2 </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">passenger plane that stalls at 45 kts max, flies at 120 kts max, has </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">a single engine with fixed prop and landing gear." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Thank you Dr. Gloger. There are many, many ways to go at this argument both for and against such a proposal: we could fill a magazine several times a year just with this topic alone.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;">Dear readers, please weigh in with your thoughts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-90295239660626857872012-03-09T12:52:00.004-08:002012-03-09T14:05:39.522-08:00New Fuel-Injected Rotax 912 iS!<b>Rotax Aircraft Engines </b>just raised the bar with its new <a href="http://www.flightevolution.com/Home/"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rotax 912 iS</span></a>, fuel-injected, 100 hp engine, based on the truly ubiquitous core 912 mill we all know so well.<br />
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<b><i>FYI: </i></b>Did you know more than 170,000 Rotax aircraft units are in service worldwide? Wow! That’s a lot of engines.<br />
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The new powerplant is being hailed as the most fuel efficient aviation engine for light sport aircraft.<br />
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Alas, the 912 iS won’t download your email, doesn’t have a Retina display and has nothing in fact to do with Apple at all. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IjW68twANGw" width="560"></iframe>
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The “i” of course stands for fuel <b><span style="font-size: large;">i</span></b>njected, and with this happy development come beaucoup bennies:<br />
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<> Up to <b>30% lower fuel consumption</b> than previous versions, and up to 78% lower than “comparable competitive engines”. Could this lead to smaller fuel tanks in LSA? That would easily make up for the 13 pound increase in engine weight and then some without giving up range.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqqWrVcb0MWawRAJbeDzw3Z-0OY4fzMYtF84KjkRRHq_k4WwXur_kAdIhjen32LX0zkIeSHSqaHncI1uPHF3g1wEjB0sUuSE63gsAVEW4tSnYfEzlYv7Mh8M_m8InlI3CaCZAFKiQig/s1600/P1000908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqqWrVcb0MWawRAJbeDzw3Z-0OY4fzMYtF84KjkRRHq_k4WwXur_kAdIhjen32LX0zkIeSHSqaHncI1uPHF3g1wEjB0sUuSE63gsAVEW4tSnYfEzlYv7Mh8M_m8InlI3CaCZAFKiQig/s320/P1000908.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The new Flight Design CTLSi fitted with the 912 iS</b></td></tr>
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<> increased fuel efficiency from optimized fuel/air mixture for each cylinder at any altitude (no more dual carburetors!)<br />
<> easier starting (Hardly a problem before)<br />
<> more electrical power<br />
<> easier preflight check<br />
<> uses premium autogas up to grade E10.<br />
<> reduced CO2 emissions<br />
<> lower operating and maintenance costs (200 hour carb service/sync goes away!)<br />
<> same 2000-hour TBO as current 912 variants<br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvBz2zcrfQVfB_sEjDpgm2A53ENIBK2N4dNdMS4YnKelFU4nmmyVXvY0O_SSmnf4AT0u8Og5r_TlglswGwwdteyJgujU4Ccuo4TVRCpQuIEHad9qgi3WFRv9_lFFzh88ZKqu4yuHgdQ/s320/rotax912iS-300x261.jpg" width="320" /></span><a href="http://flightdesignusa.com/2012/03/flight-design-ctlsi-features-new-rotax-engine/">Flight Design USA</a>’s head honcho <b>Tom Peghiny </b>said this about the new <b>CTLSi </b>with the engine: "With fuel injection, Rotax has leaped forward...Carburetors demand more mechanical oversight and tuning the dual carbs increases complexity.<br />
With fuel injection, balancing carbs is no longer necessary. Pilots will find increased torque, easier starting, and smoother operation. Carb ice concerns become a thing of the past."<br />
FD and, I would assume, everyone else in the industry will be offering the 912 iS in their aircraft once mass production kicks off, in May. <br />
The actual fuel injection process is run by a <b>Rockwell Collins Electronic Control Unit</b> (ECU) similar to the one in fuel injected cars. The ECU can be software optimized for peak-efficiency burn by a mechanic with a laptop due to its computer interface.<br />
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Each cylinder has two injector ports for redundant fuel supply and reliability. Overall weight is 13 lbs. heavier. Size is virtually the same as the 912.<br />
The <b>912 iSc</b> will be the certified version. <br />
No word yet on how much more we’re talking about in cost.<br />
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For a closer look, <b>Dan Johnson</b> will have one at the <b>LAMA LSA Mall</b> inside the <a href="http://www.sun-n-fun.org/">Sun 'n Fun 2012</a> entrance later this month in Florida. Experts will be there to chat! Tech wienie dream!<br />
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<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-49988264748760939232012-03-07T10:30:00.002-08:002012-03-07T10:45:12.111-08:00Lessons From The Field part Deux<br />
Time to wrap up this week’s discussion with <b>John Lampson</b>, CFII and veteran <a href="http://flightdesignusa.com/">Flight Design CTLS</a> instructor.<br />
Our topic: How and why are LSA different than GA airplanes and what transition challenges do they present for experienced GA pilots?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgr1Ks7FDUkK1sou-EEkdqm4esNnjszzowt-4CypMJN0a1jXNOWuBIKB6hXITjG8etoD1WtHG1rsGmiv88a2dpCAukJFIrJPy7gBMuONCi89rG0yGYt7C4y7xGVmWXZInj_e_VkJ8bA/s1600/CESSNA+COCKPIT-2485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgr1Ks7FDUkK1sou-EEkdqm4esNnjszzowt-4CypMJN0a1jXNOWuBIKB6hXITjG8etoD1WtHG1rsGmiv88a2dpCAukJFIrJPy7gBMuONCi89rG0yGYt7C4y7xGVmWXZInj_e_VkJ8bA/s400/CESSNA+COCKPIT-2485.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>LSA like this Alto 100 can surprise GA pilots<br /> with robust takeoff performance.</b></td></tr>
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"LSA really perform,” says John. “When you add power in the CT, it wants to just leap off the ground. That's not true of most heavier GA airplanes."<br />
"As I said earlier, GA experience shouldn’t hold pilots back in an LSA. But I’ve noticed they’re often surprised at the lighter, more dramatic, responsive feel of LSA, especially when they make the exact same control inputs that they're used to for a GA airplane."<br />
"New pilots on the other hand, with no prior flying experience, have no preconceptions. I can teach them from the ground up. They don't have to combat and unlearn those old habits first."<br />
Does that mean baby blue students get with the program quicker?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38e6mhAQDXzrHY1iwE53lRSJzQTlmnoRbqQIH-aRBW67kVtOgLdajvgx3YCLMxQnmnJUjj6jf3aqsDG6D2FmeRojVe85KEyVFebV0bjTAjAw1TSVwV_CwvCNbXvlzPg6p-OxX91zQlw/s1600/FK9+STICK-2949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38e6mhAQDXzrHY1iwE53lRSJzQTlmnoRbqQIH-aRBW67kVtOgLdajvgx3YCLMxQnmnJUjj6jf3aqsDG6D2FmeRojVe85KEyVFebV0bjTAjAw1TSVwV_CwvCNbXvlzPg6p-OxX91zQlw/s400/FK9+STICK-2949.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Many GA pilots have never flown an aircraft with a stick</b></td></tr>
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"Not at all. The brand new pilot still has the whole 'learning to fly' curve to climb, while the seasoned GA pilot just needs to amend some ingrained habits. It's called the Law of Primacy: things that are first learned are best remembered...and can be difficult to unlearn."<br />
“But I sure don’t mean to scare away GA pilots", he hastens to add. "Most of the time they do just great, there’s just some transition time needed, to make individual adjustments to these new aircraft."<br />
"I have had pilots with thousands of hours expect that all they'll need is a quick, 'around the patch' flight, rather than any actual training."<br />
"Usually, they're surprised at how different the LSA is once they get in the air.”<br />
He recounts a recent flight with a gentleman he unabashedly describes as “a phenomenal pilot. I'd wanted to fly with him because I expected<i> I'd </i>learn something. But he expected I would just sign him off without flying. 'Let's go up for just half an hour,' I said."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLKpX9vrBTm4exNs6oI7SPPR0QFnE20B4kh8nr1PxhWhuzdrhdyg8nwjTYbUOYZiUdyDDqmr8k7cBg1gCtiMFziMcNMJJ4kYJtNoRQkhvs_G3TKN7R4PrA3Eo5n_b6n5CT59NbueYJw/s1600/CESSNA+COCKPIT-3775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLKpX9vrBTm4exNs6oI7SPPR0QFnE20B4kh8nr1PxhWhuzdrhdyg8nwjTYbUOYZiUdyDDqmr8k7cBg1gCtiMFziMcNMJJ4kYJtNoRQkhvs_G3TKN7R4PrA3Eo5n_b6n5CT59NbueYJw/s320/CESSNA+COCKPIT-3775.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Many GA aircraft like this Cessna 170<br /> use a yoke for pitch and roll</b></td></tr>
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"After we landed, he said, ‘Wow, I’m really glad we did that! It's worth it to go up with someone who knows the plane better I do.’ Obviously I didn’t teach him how to fly; he did really great in the CT. But his whole attitude toward LSA changed after that flight.”<br />
John points out some adjustments specific to the CTLS that illustrate the general idea that proper transition to LSA flight is important:<br />
"The sight picture forward takes a bit of getting used to during taxi, takeoff and landing."<br />
I struggled with this myself: the short, puppy dog-curving nose sets up a false sense of where straight ahead is that gave me problems, particularly on landings. I’d slide into final thinking I had the wheels lined up straight down the runway, and was surprised to find I as several degrees off, putting a bit of a side load on the tires. That took awhile to adjust to.<br />
"You sit in a little more reclined attitude too,” John continues. “It's a little more sporty than many GA planes." <br />
“Also, we forget sometimes that some GA pilots people have <i>never</i> flown using a stick before. That yoke-to-stick transition can take a bit of time."<br />
"And again, the sheer performance of it: it's simply a quicker, more sensitive airplane. People are always surprised, pleasantly of course, by the climb performance and dramatic deck angle. We get 1200 to 1500 fpm sometimes in the CT.”<br />
“‘Hey, I didn’t expect that from a 100 hp engine!' is something I hear all the time."<br />
Engine rpm is another surprise.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxooUadfVdlKfvBcoVw4xlAyhjKQhBEXvih0M4vD0MV9ht3ZtxMQ5Lo9aUDuq2mk6D_2-TJYHA7jN197CHtzpCH775Z1zTRTapRLwJrP2wCre7kh7z7-8TkCviP-7TIv7vJKx1AdKtQ/s1600/FK12+COMET-0495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxooUadfVdlKfvBcoVw4xlAyhjKQhBEXvih0M4vD0MV9ht3ZtxMQ5Lo9aUDuq2mk6D_2-TJYHA7jN197CHtzpCH775Z1zTRTapRLwJrP2wCre7kh7z7-8TkCviP-7TIv7vJKx1AdKtQ/s640/FK12+COMET-0495.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Spicy LSA: the FK 12 Comet comes with Rotax or Lycoming 233-LSA engines for sport flying or acrobatics.</b></td></tr>
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“GA pilots are used to 1700 rpm for runup and 2400 rpm for cruise. In a Rotax, which is a reduction drive-geared engine, the numbers approach twice that: 4000 and higher for cruise, 3000-4000 rpm for run up."<br />
"Glass panels present another challenge for transitioning pilots.”<br />
Since LSA don’t require FAA certification for EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument Systems), there’s a proliferation of affordable “glass” cockpits in the industry. They're not nearly as common in the existing fleet of GA cockpits, especially in training airplanes like the C-172 that have been around forever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaag1HeWaa3niFpGHix9RoKjpTpuKY8BbKLX8WXMQGx9JWK-u1ZzQCzYoVqk3WTHqDbJokkJ3ijSpDamPIRUqpqz-XppntBoy8CntdwwzTEoUosIfk9bis7i5brEqNKPGqhYIskGPkqQ/s1600/BRISTELL+COCKPIT-7845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaag1HeWaa3niFpGHix9RoKjpTpuKY8BbKLX8WXMQGx9JWK-u1ZzQCzYoVqk3WTHqDbJokkJ3ijSpDamPIRUqpqz-XppntBoy8CntdwwzTEoUosIfk9bis7i5brEqNKPGqhYIskGPkqQ/s400/BRISTELL+COCKPIT-7845.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Full EFIS cockpits are standard for many LSA cockpits</b></td></tr>
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“ Everything in LSA is moving away from steam gauges,” says John. “Not only do LSA perform differently, but there's the whole visual difference in the cockpit to learn. Students can feel overwhelmed by having to hunt for the altitude, airspeed, turn and bank and other indicators are on the screen, not to mention how to hit the right buttons to change the displays. Getting used to EFIS screens can be more challenging for Cessna and Cherokee pilots than the performance difference." <br />
"It all boils down to this: I tell new students, first timers and veteran GA pilots alike: 'Don’t even worry about trying to absorb the EFIS avionics today; let’s fly the airplane first. It’ll quickly become very familiar and easy to digest once you’re exposed to it a bit.’”<br />
Call to my blog readers: If you've got any questions about LSA training for John, please post a comment here and we'll answer it in a jump on it in a future post. <br />
And many thanks again John for sharing your expertise!<br />
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</div>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-83947032532335143522012-03-05T11:29:00.000-08:002012-03-05T11:38:57.799-08:00Lessons From The FieldMy good pal <b>John Lampson</b>, the 6000 hour CFII who took me through my Sport Pilot training a few years back now, continues the good fight to put well-trained, safe Light Sport Aircraft pilots in the air.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFWP-S2vzuHLmtww_YA7ie_HXjHNfq-TV6hFxSUgd7XgQMmGFb6ZeWBlBTpDGLIc58mDNfCgquQE3eFrXNArymYdAq5mukxeVW-4uv6kFW497hkIBMT1GrB5OMswqdz-G6t8XmUv1RA/s1600/new-CTLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFWP-S2vzuHLmtww_YA7ie_HXjHNfq-TV6hFxSUgd7XgQMmGFb6ZeWBlBTpDGLIc58mDNfCgquQE3eFrXNArymYdAq5mukxeVW-4uv6kFW497hkIBMT1GrB5OMswqdz-G6t8XmUv1RA/s640/new-CTLS.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>John Lampson, left, CFII and busy LSA instructor, and the Flight Design CTLS he's taught more than 1000 hours on.</b></td></tr>
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John's a CFII, so he teaches for all the GA ratings, but he's getting a lot of students putting in LSA time on the <a href="http://flightdesignusa.com/">Flight Design CTLS</a> that's on leaseback out of <a href="http://www.premierflightct.com/ctls.html">Premier Flight Center</a> in Hartford, CT.<br />
John's done well over 1000 hours of training by now in the CT so I thought he'd be a great source of regular tips on learning to fly, or transition to, light sport flight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eOFyHmUMQQr3WkzPm0_te7BIkjjdGs0S4GRt3BoSuti6HgOLG2YA9WyDeFpQdvHfEnQAeG8hK8y36beEfp3gcT_5PoUciInoPCLCk9srKwxqHSWxNMPDi8IkFyjiuZ3FtA4t5dAlgA/s1600/BREEZER-II--23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eOFyHmUMQQr3WkzPm0_te7BIkjjdGs0S4GRt3BoSuti6HgOLG2YA9WyDeFpQdvHfEnQAeG8hK8y36beEfp3gcT_5PoUciInoPCLCk9srKwxqHSWxNMPDi8IkFyjiuZ3FtA4t5dAlgA/s400/BREEZER-II--23.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Some LSA like the Breezer feel very much like a "Wichita Tin" GA airplane.</b></td></tr>
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We got to chatting on which topic to kick off this training discussion with and before long settled on something we'd covered before and that I've written about in the past: how is flying an LSA different, especially for rated GA pilots used to heavier, less responsive aircraft, and what challenges does that present to the student? Take it away my bro!<br />
"Pilots with experience in GA airplanes," John begins, "can have some challenges a novice won't have, and vice versa. It can be harder to 'unteach' someone who's used to a Cessna 172, 152 or Piper Cherokee. Those are all great trainers, but they are different from LSA in several important ways."<br />
"And I don’t at <i>all</i> mean to say LSA are like a piece of crystal that you can break if you're not careful; they're strong, sturdy, well-designed, great flying airplanes for sure; they're just not as heavy, for example. I tell students and transition pilots alike that they just need to fly one with a lighter touch."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>...while some, like the former PiperSport, can have <i>very</i> sensitive<br /> pitch and/or roll forces. </b> </td></tr>
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"My students who are used to a Bonanza or Warrior can be a little heavy handed in an LSA, for example. They have relatively lighter wing loading and also sophisticated, clean and efficient airframes, like the CT which is composite and has no rivets. It's a carbon fiber design, with a very low drag profile, and is very responsive in handling."<br />
"LSA have very good engines too." The Rotax, Jabiru, new Lycoming 233-LSA and CubCrafter's CC340 for example have all proven themselves with many years of reliable service and easy, trouble-free maintenance. <br />
Matev<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">ž</span> Lenarcyk is proving the point all over again with his current round-the-world flight that just crossed the Pacific and landed in New Zealand...all on a single Rotax engine!<br />
My talk with John about heavy-handed flying brought to mind the first time I flew a Toxo, a beautiful, sleek low wing S-LSA monoplane that unfortunately is no longer marketed in the U.S. <br />
I'd been flying my hang glider around the same time. Flying a "diver" is a push-pull affair - you're suspended from the wing's center of gravity in a harness - which can require a fair amount of, shall we say, largess in control movements.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIz5C_BCQhR6Sn106fUpkG1IW5LlSScMxXgJz3vFX4HOW8K1AYH08DVH1BklQ0FwUQkpnXqSeaD9-kOuJOCU8x4zLCRvIUuTQ5Hm-GB72VSdS9B5eOxj1m7tIkmZhuM3U0uf7xjv8CQ/s1600/LEGEND-CUBS--006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIz5C_BCQhR6Sn106fUpkG1IW5LlSScMxXgJz3vFX4HOW8K1AYH08DVH1BklQ0FwUQkpnXqSeaD9-kOuJOCU8x4zLCRvIUuTQ5Hm-GB72VSdS9B5eOxj1m7tIkmZhuM3U0uf7xjv8CQ/s400/LEGEND-CUBS--006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>And then there are the LSA Cubs like this beauty from <br />Legend, which handle like, well, Cubs</b></td></tr>
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Flying the Toxo on a demo flight for one of my first LSA articles (maybe even the first), I pulled a departure stall, the airplane fell off on a wing and I corrected by stuffing the stick forward with the approximate enthusiasm I would have done in my hang glider, i.e. with way more gusto than I should have.<br />
In a split second the highly sensitive pitch axis responded as it was designed to, which resulted in me and my demo pilot kinda sorta looking straight down at the ground. <br />
He quickly barked, "I got it!", took the controls and disaster was averted. Well, not disaster, but further embarrassment at least; the sudden nose over caught me by surprise and I didn't trust my reflexes for a second on the recovery, which he made with a practiced easing back on the stick while chopping throttle and all was right with the world again. <i>That</i> was exciting.<br />
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The SportCruiser/PiperSport is/was another LSA with a very sensitive pitch response which I hear has been dampened down now to balance with the roll control, which was more nominal.<br />
The point being, although some LSA are certainly more GA-like in their dynamically stable control forces - the Jabiru 230 and Breezer II come to mind - an LSA, for a veteran Wichita Tin driver, can indeed surprise a first-time pilot.<br />
We'll talk more with John tomorrow on this topic. Many thanks to John Lampson!James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-60615569164490441722012-02-25T13:24:00.001-08:002012-02-25T13:24:14.436-08:00Corrections to Falcon PostHere's correx on a couple mistakes in the last post on the <a href="http://renegadelightsport.com/">Renegade </a><b>Falcon</b> and <b>FK 12 Comet </b>LSA biplane<b>:</b><br />
The gentleman who bought the Falcon at Sebring is from <b>Switzerland</b>, not Sweden. <br />
The Comet with the Lycoming 233 LSA engine, which is rated for aerobatics unlike the Rotax-powered version, will be marketed by both Renegade and <a href="http://www.hansenairgroup.com/">Hansen Air Group</a>. <br />
<b>Mike Hansen</b> told me not everyone who is interested in the Comet wants to do aerobatics in it. Some folks just love bipes, so the Hansens will also continue to sell the Rotax-powered version.<br />
<br />James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-74163179498943345752012-02-24T20:21:00.004-08:002012-02-24T20:30:27.822-08:00Falcons On The Hunt<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just heard from<b> “Doc” Bailey </b>of the<a href="http://renegadelightsport.com/"> Renegade Light Sport </a>gang, who have taken over U.S. production of the sleek, muscular Falcon S-LSA along with wrangling the new <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycoming_IO-233">Lycoming 233 LSA</a> series of engines.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Roomy, sexy, great lines...it's been awhile coming, but the Falcon is now in production.</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In mid-May, Doc says they’ll be introducing their latest US version of the Falcon, including the tailwheel to tricycle version which uses the same airframe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The entire plane is now made here in the US, and based on the constant attention and sales at Sebring, Renegade would seem to have a success on their hands. I’ll be flying it in the next few weeks: have been looking forward to that for some time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKFKo2h51m3qnz6Vlw4-fQimp-xKMY2OmjRCdcjwsHk3LieavUWjFCCU_0GbPEXNiIts_g0SawImOTB5jZEy8RJt_rBKov8deUsdPz9Ti9X3AMJPTvWaGjpYI53INyQTVH3JWU4D5Xw/s1600/DSC01991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKFKo2h51m3qnz6Vlw4-fQimp-xKMY2OmjRCdcjwsHk3LieavUWjFCCU_0GbPEXNiIts_g0SawImOTB5jZEy8RJt_rBKov8deUsdPz9Ti9X3AMJPTvWaGjpYI53INyQTVH3JWU4D5Xw/s320/DSC01991.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Manfred Wasser, happy new owner.</span></b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KS7n3JgX0mL-cmqMAqwOZjIuJkz3P1USNhKIhem750v0VQpIkasxuLFCjl724SmGJn9zA6X0aK8KNsC1EsbI0ligBjCKqmJPTTs173b5STfBOdSqZVyJ2PRGd_ozmlzwMMy4cqDfgQ/s1600/IMG_2676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KS7n3JgX0mL-cmqMAqwOZjIuJkz3P1USNhKIhem750v0VQpIkasxuLFCjl724SmGJn9zA6X0aK8KNsC1EsbI0ligBjCKqmJPTTs173b5STfBOdSqZVyJ2PRGd_ozmlzwMMy4cqDfgQ/s200/IMG_2676.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Packing up for Switzerland!</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, Doc tells me, “We have just moved into our new 44,000 foot facility here at Lee’s Summit (MO). Sometime I would like to give you a tour of our facility and then when and if you want to go to North Carolina I will take you to our new composite plant, (where) we hope to be making as many as six LSA airframes there soon for different 'want to be Made in the USA' vendors.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He says the new version of the Falcon will knock my socks off. That's a tall order, I wear SmartWool socks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“We will be at Sebring doing demo rides a few days before <a href="http://www.sun-n-fun.org/">Sun ‘n Fun</a> (March 27-April 1)...we will have three aircraft in the works to be flying before the show…so busy, busy, busy.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The airplane I shot at Sebring, which you see here, just went off to Switzerland, representing Renegade’s first sale abroad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“TURN ABOUT’S FAIR PLAY!” crows Doc, speaking of reversing the flow of LSA back across the Big Pond. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The lucky owner is <b>Manfred Wasser</b> of Sweden. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“He flew every LSA made in Europe,” says Doc. “When he climbed abroad our bird he wrote us a check on the spot. He flew over here especially to test fly it and when he got out the big grin overcame him. All pretenses of sales negotiations went out the window. He said how much, we told him and his wife wrote the check.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Get me a wife like that!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EcTAI6AtcsuAX9u5GdvXdFk4MQKudTNfEXEIrhn-ALHSrKCbXN0GuHV_fh56pp61hbuc1wHL_S1ruZ-3hrsg9NN2-UlAgTOxkU3hezieRQrgl8sX-16Ls6kLIT8CQCtsn-8x7za3qA/s1600/Renegade-Falcon--5485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EcTAI6AtcsuAX9u5GdvXdFk4MQKudTNfEXEIrhn-ALHSrKCbXN0GuHV_fh56pp61hbuc1wHL_S1ruZ-3hrsg9NN2-UlAgTOxkU3hezieRQrgl8sX-16Ls6kLIT8CQCtsn-8x7za3qA/s640/Renegade-Falcon--5485.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Looks like it'll do 150 knots easy, doesn't it?</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Manfred, according to Doc, is retired and plans to land on “every grass strip and every paved runway, published or not, in the entire continent of Europe in the next two years.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That sounds like a tall order and a whale of a good time...and a great way to sell airplanes, since he just became a dealer as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As if that wasn’t enough news for one day, Doc Bailey, ever the voluble entrepreneur, tacked on this tidbit: any day now he’ll be receiving two Funk <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1959928287"></span>FK-12 Comets<span id="goog_1959928288"></span></a> from Germany, to have the new Lycoming 233, fully aerobatic light sport engines installed in them. The Hansen Air Group sells that airplane here in the states and are having Doc mount the engines to allow the sexy little bipe to do aerobatics: they're prohibited for the Rotax engine, which it's also rigged for. The Hansen booth was another constantly busy place at Sebring, that is one very cute airplane.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was all set to fly the Comet at Sebring when it blew a tire after our air2air shoot and was out for the rest of the show. That’s another one I’m going down early to Florida to fly before SnF, can't wait. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark your calendars for that show! <b>The Air Force Thunderbirds</b> will be there, along with a crackin’ good night fireworks air show.</span>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-50546044411919144702012-02-20T12:31:00.000-08:002012-02-20T12:32:30.656-08:00The Iceman Goeth...to the South Pole<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>Matevž Lenarcic</b>, a Slovenian pilot I met briefly when I was at the <a href="http://www.pipistrel.si/plane/virus-sw/overview">Pipistrel </a>factory last fall, has raised the bar to ridiculous heights from his previous long distance exploits (including his around-the-worlder in a Pipistrel <b>Sinus</b> motorglider in 2004), by landing in Antarctica! </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">He’s making another globe-circling, solo marathon - that’s right, the entire trip, east to west - all my himself, in a </span><span style="color: #222222;"> modified </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Pipistrel </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Virus SW 914 Turbo. The engine has an Intercooler unit but at least for Antarctica as well as some high-altitude reaches he has planned, engine cooling will be the lesser of his challenges.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The epic flight in the SW (for Short Wing) began last January from Ljubljana, Slovenia where Pipistrel has its state-of-the-art sustainable energy factory (it actually sells surplus energy back to the Slovenian grid.)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The route Matevž mapped out is by no means intended to be a short haul either, even by globe-circling standards.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAomjsmiEPNUTXmo3PE8Ut_uk6qKdPWOmQxkF3yfIxwdlvow3ajFnRgOKWQS4rfkWehy171SZIUR2JXXDymySc94-uyAYtS1DEG4j8Y5oHme_Rx-U1IzfP_I_xzTKSFsvXV7Apl7RftQ/s1600/GLWF_Antarctica1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAomjsmiEPNUTXmo3PE8Ut_uk6qKdPWOmQxkF3yfIxwdlvow3ajFnRgOKWQS4rfkWehy171SZIUR2JXXDymySc94-uyAYtS1DEG4j8Y5oHme_Rx-U1IzfP_I_xzTKSFsvXV7Apl7RftQ/s400/GLWF_Antarctica1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Down and safe in in the Pipistrel Virus SW in Antartica.</span><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>-- photo courtesy
<span style="color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Matevž Lenarcic </span> </i> </span></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">By the time he lands back in Slovenia, his route will have crossed the equator six times, ranged more than 48,000 miles (!), overflown seven continents, nearly 60 countries, 120 National Parks, three oceans and will also have topped five world-beater mountain peaks, including Mt. Everest! Yeah, that deserves an exclamation point alright, it's going to be hard to keep them to a minimum in this piece. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">His landing in Antarctica last Thursday (16 Feb) makes the distance covered so far about 15,000 miles. That’s enough to whip most of us...and he’s got no company and no ground or ocean support for the trip...which adds emphasis to the term “solo” for sure, doesn’t it? </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Wow, what a flight.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;">Matevž's</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> Antartica landing was made at the <b>Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva</b>, Chile's primary base on the continent. It's located on the Fildes Peninsula, an ice-free area adjacent to Fildes Bay, west of King George Island.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5a4SQlwjt8Mr_7ADZ_v_wYHQcoZgjG6rRVQBIMoYVVhrr-GA7gO-xhSQutWPCMd1ZXZh_JYNyCNn4DygcHSbMuwe1rzqclbdif95Sp7o4wvbthzaercJHIA5xKBfkvfP4lr8e3jKGw/s1600/GLWF_Fitz-Roy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5a4SQlwjt8Mr_7ADZ_v_wYHQcoZgjG6rRVQBIMoYVVhrr-GA7gO-xhSQutWPCMd1ZXZh_JYNyCNn4DygcHSbMuwe1rzqclbdif95Sp7o4wvbthzaercJHIA5xKBfkvfP4lr8e3jKGw/s640/GLWF_Fitz-Roy2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Monte Fitz Roy, </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">a spectacular </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;" title="Mountain">mountain</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">in the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Patagonian_Ice_Field" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;" title="Southern Patagonian Ice Field">Southern Patagonian Ice Field</a></b><span style="line-height: 19px;"><b style="font-size: small;">. </b><br /><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">-- photo courtesy</span></i></b></span><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">
<span style="color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Matevž Lenarcic </span> <span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">To handle the extremes of cold and altitude, the SW is specially modified to handle temperatures as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which he could face above Mt. Everest. He's also of course carrying supplemental oxygen.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">As a stock plane, the short wing Virus SW (I wrote about the LSA version with longer wings in the Jan/Feb issue of P&P) cruises at 145 knots at 75% power, which puts it outside the LSA max speed of 120 knots. Essentially though this little speedster is the same airplane only with shorter span.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Once he launches from the Antarctic, the intrepid pilot will face some mighty long legs indeed over the <b>Pacific Ocean</b>, including one of more than 2,400 miles! Yikes, is he nuts?</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The airplane has been tanked to carry more fuel but let’s contemplate for a moment flying at 145 knots over the open ocean for more than 16 hours! I’m getting a cold sweat just thinking about it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>BIO</b>: Matevž Lenarcic is no stranger to accomplishment. He has a biology degree and is an alpine climber, paraglider pilot, environmentalist and photographer. He’s climbed all over the world and summited 26414' <b>Broad Peak</b> in the Himalayas as well as many challenging peaks and routes in Patagonia.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fVUR_1HQQy82-59Hw4C-aFWEMjbJ6DITpeNa9MqiDKoMRhyts-SMV6WWYZ7exFhNmcAE84W6k8x1fEJiM4ZiDwas9ECquJ4i6CWAfoXDYsS-S4vKgr8byk2hd8z37qj0gSHdBOyh5Q/s1600/GLWF_tiskovna_201211-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fVUR_1HQQy82-59Hw4C-aFWEMjbJ6DITpeNa9MqiDKoMRhyts-SMV6WWYZ7exFhNmcAE84W6k8x1fEJiM4ZiDwas9ECquJ4i6CWAfoXDYsS-S4vKgr8byk2hd8z37qj0gSHdBOyh5Q/s400/GLWF_tiskovna_201211-16.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: small;">Ivo Boscarol, left, about to give </b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Matevž Lenarcic</span><b style="font-size: small;"> his<br /> s</b><b style="font-size: small;">e</b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">ndoff from Slovenia</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">-- photo courtesy Pipistrel</span></b></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">He’s written 11 books on nature, photography, climbing and flying, many of which have won awards. He enjoys flying in Europe both for pleasure and his aerial photography business, but as noted above, Iron Man-style flights seem to float his boat...or lift his wings. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">His warm ups for the current flight include:</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><> a 16,000 mile flight across <b>Si</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>beria</b> in 2002</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><> the 2004 globe-circler in 2004 (nearly 23,000 miles and 23 countries)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><> <b>Africa</b> - Valley of Life 2005 (10,200 miles and 13 countries)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><><b>The Alps</b> - A Bird's Eye View 2006 - 2009: (36,000 miles all over the Alps)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Part of his motivation is to show how lightweight, light sport aircraft like the Virus SW can take pilots on great adventures with low fuel burn at decent speeds. The Virus that I flew has a near-41-foot wingspan and is an excellent cruiser as well as a respectable motorglider, not to mention, thanks to the superbly clean aerodynamics, a real fuel-sipper (around 2.5-3 gph at 75% cruise and 115 knots.)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Bon Voyage, </span><span style="color: #222222;">Matevž </span><span style="color: #222222;">Lenarcic! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The much-anticipated <b>LSA Market Share</b> numbers as compiled by LAMA Europe's head dude<b> Jan Fridrich</b> are up on <a href="http://www.bydanjohnson.com/">Dan Johnson's blog</a> this week. They expand on some anticipated, surprising and overall encouraging themes. Sales were up at Sebring and many companies are posting strong numbers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First, in the No Brainer Dept: <b>Cessna</b> and <b>CubCrafters</b> won the year hands down.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCR-HGkqVVGxaBa6Uf7bjW50FmEByEnzLItjlrVXTvxzWE8eXiSoBHHPdLZpPV1FOhxIeYYp6TVtu1jSI3aXhcbC5V4YuNMBeGw26VxABan-FGz4kztHSAt9wpX5dEAJ5vuDX4YjPABQ/s1600/skycatcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCR-HGkqVVGxaBa6Uf7bjW50FmEByEnzLItjlrVXTvxzWE8eXiSoBHHPdLZpPV1FOhxIeYYp6TVtu1jSI3aXhcbC5V4YuNMBeGw26VxABan-FGz4kztHSAt9wpX5dEAJ5vuDX4YjPABQ/s640/skycatcher.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Cessna Skycatcher</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Big <a href="http://www.cessna.com/single-engine/skycatcher.html">Cessna</a>, as the charts Dan and Jan compile clearly show, had the largest number of registrations in 2011 with 134, a record for the LSA industry and fully 48% of all listings for the year. The numbers reflect Cessna playing catchup on its 1,000 order glut back at the beginning of the LSA movement.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As Dan is always quick to clarify and I like to remind you, these are not sales numbers, but actual registrations and thus will lag sales numbers somewhat or, in Cessna's case with their long initial production delays, quite a bit. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The salient point here is that sales numbers can reflect a lot of "The buyer is just about to sign!" enthusiasm from dealers, whereas registrations are hard numbers and that's why Dan prefers to shoot that way, i.e., straight.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmbI9-i3AtPqhYVlMZu63V9oZVIxQCECGeHFCVcUBi9F0mwGWaNKve2FDATwBj2zSgW9OTd9KrerNVkJ3jHNJHXt0uZEoLqIyRkGugEfd2kXcKTo2DAHUo-CAOH6SkR3TI3WtVfnTTg/s1600/Carbon+Cub-8343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmbI9-i3AtPqhYVlMZu63V9oZVIxQCECGeHFCVcUBi9F0mwGWaNKve2FDATwBj2zSgW9OTd9KrerNVkJ3jHNJHXt0uZEoLqIyRkGugEfd2kXcKTo2DAHUo-CAOH6SkR3TI3WtVfnTTg/s400/Carbon+Cub-8343.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Randy Lervold and the Carbon Cub SS</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">One success story I know of gives a good </span><span style="background-color: white;">example of just how to regard these registration numbers</span><span style="background-color: white;">: Jim Lee of <a href="http://www.phoenixairusa.com/">Phoenix Air USA</a> has racked up 15 sales of his fab <b>Phoenix</b> motorglider in a little over a year, but initially slow production means he's only been able to deliver a handful so far, although the factory is hustling to catch up.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzI8SQ-CIbbyjXqGtgPz-eNaH1bbwDNnsGrV9tUPhxjwSGmuVmXDNK4ndoJZomiF6j5Z5yVpa6Jfbdff0IVST3LtuqrmqZL7AWKt7wUndXtLO8ctKB20Cbbyl-TvggRVyV34cyTdRhzQ/s1600/chart+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzI8SQ-CIbbyjXqGtgPz-eNaH1bbwDNnsGrV9tUPhxjwSGmuVmXDNK4ndoJZomiF6j5Z5yVpa6Jfbdff0IVST3LtuqrmqZL7AWKt7wUndXtLO8ctKB20Cbbyl-TvggRVyV34cyTdRhzQ/s200/chart+2011.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">2011 FAA registrations<br />Click to enlarge</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If the beautiful motorglider's sales numbers were factored in, Phoenix Air would be number five on the Calendar Year 2011 list's top 10. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another c<span style="background-color: white;">ase in point: <a href="http://www.cubcrafters.com/">CubCrafters</a>, which holds number 2 position on both the <b>Total Market Share</b> list and the <b>Calendar Year 2011</b> final tally, notched 34 aircraft registered through the end of the year, and 184 all time total.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Meanwhile, <b>Randy Lervold, </b>Cubcrafter's<b> </b>General Manager (see our next issue of Plane & Pilot, which features my story on the <a href="http://www.cubcrafters.com/carboncubss/">Carbon Cub SS</a>) announced just before Sebring that the company expected to deliver its 200th aircraft by this month, along with </span><span style="background-color: white;">sales continuing at a strong enough pace to justify the new production facility the company built recently. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some other notes, and check out Dan's Splog for more of his industry-savvy insights:</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzanW7A5CxZK6dDA3BQPtQyO8Qd8sdGbqVAddMHYKLbTMJ1SqAse8nPSGJZe5JTqZlH2nVZWZ9eYU-SxkQuLDTFI5-7kVIPtaNbGiEzxqyEP9k22GdxgdteqhuLaNQfu-xAOvAobFJQ/s1600/chart+overall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzanW7A5CxZK6dDA3BQPtQyO8Qd8sdGbqVAddMHYKLbTMJ1SqAse8nPSGJZe5JTqZlH2nVZWZ9eYU-SxkQuLDTFI5-7kVIPtaNbGiEzxqyEP9k22GdxgdteqhuLaNQfu-xAOvAobFJQ/s200/chart+overall.jpg" width="196" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Overall market share</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><> <b>SportCruiser:<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2033381323"> </a></b></span><a href="http://www.ussportaircraft.com/">US Sport Aircraft</a><span style="background-color: white;"> is doing well filling the gap left by Piper's sudden departure from the LSA world with 20 registrations last year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><> <a href="http://flightdesignusa.com/">Flight Design USA</a> with its sophisticated aircraft models and ever-expanding sales/service centers across the country, continues to hold sway over the U.S. market with 341 total registrations. FD came in third for 2011 with 21, just edging out U.S. Sport Aircraft. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The company continues to find innovative ways of generating enthusiasm for their top-quality CT line of aircraft. Two additions this year drew the limelight: the <b>CTLE Law Enforcement </b></span><span style="background-color: white;">aircraft </span><span style="background-color: white;">(see my Sebring post in January)</span><span style="background-color: white;"> that's catching on with officialdom, and the <b>CT4</b> four-seat General Aviation entry in development.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgRJn2K-xRHPrQRhJotR7bZ_MvfyJjgxLxf4g1I29Fcd7F_9lv4kG_bVALvp7Zyr5MX-HBrzcfUHyE_0rQiIKMqhr8kt5Q-zWe6_5YidOd85RJ_0CS0XoGcv5ErcWrqfNWU-11UIPkA/s1600/lightning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgRJn2K-xRHPrQRhJotR7bZ_MvfyJjgxLxf4g1I29Fcd7F_9lv4kG_bVALvp7Zyr5MX-HBrzcfUHyE_0rQiIKMqhr8kt5Q-zWe6_5YidOd85RJ_0CS0XoGcv5ErcWrqfNWU-11UIPkA/s400/lightning.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Arion LS-1 Lightning </span> -<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <i>photo courtesy Arion</i></span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Jabiru USA</b><span style="background-color: white;"><b> </b>and </span><b>Arion</b>: Both companies, producers of the <a href="http://www.usjabiru.com/">J230</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and <a href="http://www.flylightning.net/">LS-1 Lightning</a> respectively<span style="background-color: white;">, tied for 2011 regis</span><span style="background-color: white;">trations with 7 each. Arion has pushed up into the 20th all time position with 18 total registrations for its sleek and lovely low-winger. Jabiru has registered 104 U.S. aircraft (and many more overseas for the Australian parent company) and continues to be a solid contender with its large cargo space and stable, long-distance-cruising personality.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF7lZ2G7nGDMt9Pan4xJXLxB7FjFHBzXOARHddmTKqPhVwdomQkNKAfYNho5ydHveulwxklc3tFehTjHo8Y5JCVKUgriHrjJwb8ZsWQ_oDB3XLjVjsBh7-X3ggyUFKVFPZXCohIk5Gg/s1600/aeropro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdF7lZ2G7nGDMt9Pan4xJXLxB7FjFHBzXOARHddmTKqPhVwdomQkNKAfYNho5ydHveulwxklc3tFehTjHo8Y5JCVKUgriHrjJwb8ZsWQ_oDB3XLjVjsBh7-X3ggyUFKVFPZXCohIk5Gg/s400/aeropro.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Aerotrek A240 -</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"> <i>photo courtesy Aerotrek Aircraft</i></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><> <a href="http://www.fly-aerotrek.com/">Aerotrek</a>: Here's another company that's hung in there through the tough economy by virtue of the enduring popularity of its tube 'n fabric, tricycle/taildragger option, folding-wing mainstay models (A220 and A240). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Attractive pricing and quality fun-flying airplanes are the secret recipe. Company head <b>Rob Rollison</b> told me at Sebring he'd sold two aircraft at the show and two the previous two weeks, and production is booked for the next several months. 2011 was a good year too, with eight registrations but even more sales.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Thanks again</i> to Dan Johnson and Jan Fridrich for their excellent work in bringing to light trends in the LSA industry.</span></span></div>
</div>James Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.com4