LSA - Light-Sport Aircraft

More popular than ever, light-sport aircraft (LSAs) are here and flying. Discover the latest trends in sport planes and see the aircraft that are making the dream of flying a reality for thousands.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 Cessna 162 Skycatcher: It’s Here! Cessna's successor to the 152, the Skycatcher, is poised to shine in the trainer market The proliferation of LSA since the FAA announced the first approval at Sun ’n Fun 2005 has been little short of amazing.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 LSA Ownership—Condo Style! Low down payment, affordable monthly installments, zero hassle: sound familiar? I love this concept of sharing ownership in an aircraft, new or used. Last month, I delved into David Kruger’s Aircraft Partnership Association (www.theapa.com), a type of online matchmaking service to bring like-minded pilots together for sharing the costs of aircraft ownership.

Monday, November 2, 2009 Breezer II: The Girl Next Door Familiar and lovely, easy to be with and great to fly Flying an unfamiliar LSA is a bit like a first date. Your friends have talked her up. She has a pretty smile, but will you get along? Does she Tweet or use Facebook, keep an old-fashioned diary, or both?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 New Light Twin From Italy Tecnam introduces a twin-Rotax-powered four-seater in the tradition of the Partenavia P68C Naples, Italy, April 18, 1986: Today, I’m first in line for takeoff from Naples toward our initial destination of Nice, France. It has taken all morning to assure that the paperwork is up to Italian standards, but we’re finally ready, or so I hope.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 The LSA Glass Menagerie Start Christmas shopping now: There are tons of glass to choose from! Once upon a time, intrepid pilots rapped with their oil-stained, gloved knuckles on balky steam gauges; needles quivered unstuck, and all was right across the skies.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 Backstage With A Rock Star An exclusive look into flight-testing one of the most anticipated light-sport aircraft: the Icon A5 “Rock star.” It’s a phrase you frequently hear when talking to Kirk Hawkins, founder and CEO of Icon Aircraft in Los Angeles, Calif.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 Gobosh 800XP: Flying With Composites It has been five years since the FAA approved the first LSA. Here’s one of the latest and most innovative entries in the class. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Gobosh’s Dave Graham had promised me that this was an LSA with a difference.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009 First-Class Glass: Sting S3 Amazing cockpit visibility, tough, nimble, fast: What’s not to like? There’s a joyful aspect to flying any low-wing LSA that you just don’t get with a high-winger: the unrestricted panoramic view from the horizon upward.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 The Big Blue World: Evektor Sportstar SL The Evektor SportStar SL is friendly to fly, sturdy, beautiful and roomy—and what a view! Below, the greening, lake-dotted checkerboard of central Florida stretches in every direction. It’s a beautiful day to be flying a beautiful bird. Color me happy!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 LSA Roundup Light-sport models and avionics to suit all budgets You need go no farther than a summer air show buzzing with a vibrant, colorful contingent of light-sport aircraft to see what the excitement has been all about and sense where it might take us. The LSA movement is a living, breathing example of the sheer innovation, quality and giddy diversity that has characterized personal flight from the very beginning in 1903.

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