Three New S-LSA Approved
X-Air LS
X-Air LS recently received approval as a special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) from the FAA’s Seattle Manufacturing Inspection District Office. The X-Air LS is a low-cost, entry-level three-axis aircraft. It comes standard with flaps, trim, Icom radio, Dynon engine monitor, and basic flight instrumentation. Optional equipment includes extended fuel capability, Garmin GTX 327, and Garmin 396/495/496 among other options. The X-Air is currently priced at $46,900, and the company is taking orders with a $1,000 refundable position deposit. For more information about the X-Air LS visit www.X-AirLSA.com or e-mail info@X-AirLSA.com.
Icon A5 Unveiled at Private Event
Aviation start-up company Icon Aircraft introduced its A5 aircraft at a private event held in Los Angeles, California, in early June. The A5 is an all-new amphibious light-sport aircraft that will make its public debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008. EAA’s Earl Lawrence attended the event and said, “This was not your traditional aviation audience.” Although Dick Rutan and other aviation notables were present, Icon extended its marketing reach outside aviation by inviting several Hollywood and motor sports personalities who expressed great interest in the aircraft. Matthew Gionta, formerly of Scaled Composites, leads Icon’s engineering team.
CGS Hawk
CGS Aviation has earned S-LSA approval for its CGS Hawk. The Hawk S-LSA is similar to the CGS Hawk II Arrow, says company president Chuck Slusarczyk. “Most of the work needed to achieve S-LSA status was creating paperwork, such as the pilot operating handbook and maintenance manual.” CGS is introducing the aircraft with an introductory ready-to-fly price of $39,995 for the first 10 aircraft. The standard powerplant is the 65-hp, twostroke Rotax 582 engine. For more information, visit www.CGS Aviation.com.
MD3 Rider
Space Coast Aviation Services and FlyItalia announced the first MD3 Rider has earned S-LSA approval, having shown conformance with ASTM Standard 2245-06 for design and performance. “We can now deliver in quantity, and on schedule,” said Ron Bearer Jr., president of Space Coast Aviation Services Inc., and importer/distributor of the MD3 Rider. With higher volumes of the MD3 Rider soon to be available, Bearer also opened the door to North American-based dealership inquiries. For more information, e-mail Ron@SCAviationServices or visit www. SCAviationServices.com.
Flight Design’s Peghiny Recognized
EAA member and light-sport aircraft pioneer Tom Peghiny, president of Flight Design USA, was recognized for achievement in the light-sport and hang-gliding field by the Aero Club of New England, the oldest aeronautical club in the Americas and the second oldest in the world. The award recognizes individuals from New England who have made significant contributions to aviation. Joe Gauthier, a member of the EAA Homebuilt Aircraft Council, presented Peghiny with the award for his role “as an industry leader in both hang-glider and light-sport aircraft design and safety innovation.” 18 • JULY 2008
The A5’s innovations include patent-pending electric folding wing that they demonstrated (see Icon’s video at www.eaa.org/video/airventure.html?videoId=1604926514) along with several other patent-pending features like a “Seawing” platform for easy access and docking; an angle of attack wing indicator; and a safety feature the company calls PropellerGuard. The composite airplane has a retractable landing gear and is powered by a rearmounted, 100-hp Rotax 912 ULS engine; it will run on auto fuel or avgas. With a 20gallon fuel tank, range is 300 miles with an estimated top speed of 120 mph. A fullscale prototype is scheduled to begin flight testing this summer. For more information, visit www.IconAircraft.com.
US Aviation to Open Showroom, Offers Free Rating
Following establishment of a complete sport pilot training program in Denton, Texas, the US Aviation Group plans to open a new showroom and maintenance program for light-sport aircraft (LSA). The company—a dealer for Remos, Breezer II, Explorer, Skylark, and Tecnam’s Sierra, Bravo, and Eaglet—will have multiple models on hand for LSA buyers. In addition to a growing inventory, US Aviation Group has sent staff members for Rotax engine training. The company now offers a free sport pilot student certificate for anyone who purchases a new lightsport aircraft from its inventory. Learn more at www.USAviationGroup. net or call 866-383-2400.
BRIEFLY NOTED
Hansen Air Group Imports FA-04 Peregrine
Hansen Air Group is now importing the FA-04 Peregrine from Flaeming Air of Germany. The new S-LSA is based on Flaeming’s FA-02 airframe, which has very light aircraft (JAR-VLA) approval in Europe. The low-wing S-LSA is built mainly of carbon fiber. Learn more at www.HansenAirGroup.com.
Hughes Aero Has New CEO
As of June 2008, Scott Hughes of Chute the Breeze Training and Fredrick Scheffel of SkyTrails Ranch Inc. have merged their sport-pilot training talents. Hughes Aero welcomed Fredrick Scheffel as the new CEO of Hughes Aero Corp. He will handle day-to-day operations, while Scott Hughes remains chairman of the board. Scott will concentrate on marketing and product development. Learn more at www.SkyTrailsRanch.com.
Master Instruction Training Course
The FAA has approved the training course outline for flight instructor refresher courses offered by Master Instruction, an aviation education corporation based in Indiana. The courses will reportedly “provide stimulating and informative schooling in matters of crucial interest to flight instructors.” Master Instruction’s courses will be offered live, rather than through an electronic online format, and will draw instructors from the nation’s cadre of NAFI Master Instructors. For more information, visit www.MasterInstruction.com.
Murphy Aircraft to Sell Renegade Line
The Murphy Renegade biplane designed by Darryl Murphy and built by more than 800 customers of Murphy Aircraft, is for sale. Murphy is selling the design, rights, calculations, manuals, customer lists—and the parts business—for the existing fleet. Hardware includes “enough extrusions for maybe 50 airplanes,” plus the extrusion die drawings, all fixtures, molds, tooling, and a considerable spare parts inventory. The parts business continues to be strong, and the kits have been selling at the rate of “eight to 12 a year, pretty steadily—and I haven’t been promoting the Renegade for years,” Murphy said. Murphy Aircraft will continue to support the Renegade builders and parts business until the proper buyer is contracted, and Murphy is willing to continue for a limited time as a consultant. For more information, contact Murphy at MurSales@MurphyAircraft. com.
Throw Some Sparks at AirVenture
Miller Electric Mfg. Co. will be presenting live MIG, TIG, and plasma-cutting demonstrations at Booth S-4 during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008. On hand will be the new Millermatic Passport Plus and the Millermatic 180 with Auto-Set allin-one MIG welders, as well as the new Spoolmate 100 Series spool gun, which adds aluminum welding capabilities to these welders. Visitors are invited to stop at the booth and try any of the Miller products and receive advice from welding experts. Learn more at www.MillerWelds.com.
New Light-Sport Repair Station
EAA member Jim Leon (577032), owner of The Ultralight Place, a fixed base operator at Greater Kankakee Airport (IKK) in Kankakee, Illinois, received the first light-sport repair station certification issued by the FAA. Jim has a “heavy maintenance” rating for Rotax two- and four-stroke engines. With this FAA repair station status, Jim will be able to perform return-to-service aircraft maintenance and repairs on Rotax engines, along with complete annuals and 100-hour inspections. Learn more at www.TheUltralightPlace.com. EAA SPORT PILOT • 19
NEW PRODUCTS
New Way to Transport PPC
D&M Trailers LLC is a new company that offers trailers for powered parachutes (PPC). The company came about after its founders listened to complaints from fellow pilots about trailer problems and rising gas prices. Company representatives say the trailers offer options others lack, such as a wired-in trickle charger with receptacles and color and graphic choices. Standard features include a door-assist system and a front-wheel chuck. Wheel straps and tiedowns are included to hold the PPC in place. The trailer offers multi-tasking ability; two motorcycles or ATVs fit well, and the trailer can double as a camper. Visit www.PPCxlt.com to learn more, or call 920-565-3774 or 920-982-0981.
BOOKS
Comprehensive Look at SpaceShipOne SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History chronicles the development of the world’s first commercial manned space program—a program that includes an airborne launcher (the White Knight), a space ship (SpaceShipOne), rocket propulsion, avionics, simulator, and full ground support. Written by Dan Linehan, who was at the launch, the book tells of the development, testing, and launch of SpaceShipOne. Loaded with more than 230 photos, illustrations, exclusive diagrams, and interviews with the people who made history, the book includes a never-before-seen cockpit diagram. Check your local or online bookseller for this hardcover, 160page book; ISBN 978-0-7603-3188-0. Weather Made Easy Pilots looking for additional methods of assessing the weather may find a new book by Jerry Miller helpful: Preflight Weather Analysis Made Easy. The book is designed to “lead you through the meteorological maze of gathering preflight weather information.” Using a building-block approach, the book guides pilots through the standard weather briefing sequence, giving consistent structure to weather checks. Pilots who follow the standardized format of this manual may never miss a critical piece of weather data, and may avoid unwelcome surprises. Written by a National Weather Service certified pilot weather briefer, the guide offers more than 650 decoded weather and notice to airmen terms, illustrations, and explanations of weather hazard advisories and charts, and detailed yet simplified discussions of Doppler weather radar. Preflight Weather Analysis Made Easy is available from Find-it Fast Books by calling 570-435-5349 or by visiting www.FliteBooks.com. Wilderness Survival Tactics for You If your airplane crashed in a remote location, would you be able to find your way back to civilization? A new book, U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook, teaches outdoor survival tactics for a variety of situations. The book details dangers, and responses, to situations found at sea, in the desert, in mountain terrain, and in arctic conditions. More than 1,000 illustrations demonstrate skills such as constructing temporary shelters, food preservation and water collection, and creating distress signals. The softcover, 592-page book, ISBN 978-1-60239-2458, is available from your local or online bookseller.
AeroLEDs Introduces AeroSUNLite
AeroLEDs LLC of Boise, Idaho, recently introduced AeroSUNLite, a smaller version of the AeroSUN. AeroSUN is a 100-percent solid-state, all-LED anti-collision/landing/ taxi light system specifically designed for experimental and light-sport aircraft. The smaller AeroSUNLite uses the latest generation of high-intensity LEDs, which use 20 to 50 percent of the current of traditional filament or highintensity discharge based lighting while producing more light per watt consumed. Learn more at www.AeroLEDs.com.
FC-10 Fuel Computer for Experimentals
Flight Data Systems now offers its FC-10 fuel computer for experimental aircraft. The FC-10 is a 2-1/4 inch fuel flow computer “with all the features of the most deluxe fuel flow systems for half the price.” Included with purchase is a Floscan fuel flow sender and a prefabricated wiring harness for easy installation. The FC-10 provides information such as fuel flow, fuel used and fuel remaining, endurance, reserve, and fuel required. The unit is available from Flight Data Systems or from Aircraft Spruce, Pacific Coast Avionics, and Van’s Aircraft. Learn more at www.FDataSystems.com.
AeroLadder for High-Wing Airplanes
Sporty’s AeroLadder is a two- or three-step stool that can make preflight inspections and other tasks easy to accomplish on high-wing airplanes. The AeroLadder unfolds, offering a platform for both of your feet—perfect for checking fuel and cleaning and performing light maintenance in hardto-reach areas. Aluminum construction means light weight—less than 5 pounds—yet the AeroLadder is rated to hold up to 300 pounds. Its compact size allows it to be stored in your airplane (and always on hand). Sporty’s products may be ordered at www.Sportys. com or by calling 1-800-776-7897. 20 • JULY 2008