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ISSUE 2, JANUARY 2010
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The
Airplane is the Vehicle
By
Dan Grunloh, Editor, Light
Plane World |
| We're
lucky to be living in a time when
personal flight is accessible to
ordinary people through
ultralights and light-sport
aircraft. The flying machine is
arguably the greatest invention of
man. The pursuit of your own
airplane and the acquisitions of
the skills to fly it can be one of
the greatest personal experiences,
but don't forget the airplane is
only a vehicle. It's supposed to
take you someplace, either
physically, mentally, or
metaphorically. It's a tool.
Read
more
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By
Dan Johnson, President, Light
Aircraft Manufacturers Association
 The
past decade has been a time of
change for the light plane world.
The sport pilot rule redefined the
low-speed realm of flying and
brought new focus from
manufacturers. Two-place
ultralights face legal extinction
if they are not re-registered. In
this month’s guest editorial Dan
Johnson says the next decade will
bring changes to grass-roots
flying and new hope for those who
like to fly simple, joyful
machines. Read
more |
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Season's
Greetings
 Santa
Claus is coming to town in an
Eipper GT-400 in this photo by
Carl Bleichner which was first
published in the December 1993
issue of EAA Experimenter
magazine. The vehicle was Reserve
Grand Champion Ultralight at EAA
Oshkosh 1987. If your sleigh is
propelled by a pusher prop instead
of eight flying reindeer, use
caution when delivering candy or
packages by airdrop. Read
more |
EAA
Ultralight Chapters Challenged to
"Give a Whoop"
 It
began with a phone call by an EAA
member to his local ultralight
chapter president suggesting the
chapter make a donation to the
Operation Migration fund in
support of the pilots and
volunteers flying with the
whooping cranes. I agreed and felt
compelled to e-mail the suggestion
to the other 30-plus ultralight
chapter presidents. The initial
response has been favorable. The
first chapter to confirm a
donation was UL-10 in Tulsa
Oklahoma. If you have been
following their saga, you know the
2009 migration has been difficult.
Read
more |
LSA
Used to Promote Flying at the Mall
 At
1 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, while
most Americans were sound asleep
awaiting Thanksgiving feast soon
to come, Chesapeake Sport Pilot (CSP)
owners Al Adelman and Jason Levin
and mechanic Jamie Shimer were
hard at work outside Nordstrom's
at Westfield Annapolis Mall in
Annapolis, Maryland, constructing
a raised "airplane pad"
display area for a Tecnam Eaglet
light-sport airplane. The Tecnam
Eaglet, the first airplane to ever
be displayed at the Westfield
Annapolis Mall, is part of a kiosk
display by CSP flight school,
which is selling $99 gift
certificates for flight lessons at
the mall through December 31. Read
more |
Time
Running Out for E-LSA Trainers
EAA is reminding owners of E-LSA
aircraft used for training,
regardless if they are engaging in
training operations or not, to
amend their aircraft’s
airworthiness certificate by
January 31, 2010, or it will
expire and cannot be reissued. The
process for allowing flight
training to continue under an
amended certificate has stalled
within the FAA; however, owners
should not wait for that situation
to resolve before amending their
airworthiness certificate. If the
deadline is missed, the aircraft
will never again be eligible for
an airworthiness certificate. Read
more |
Time
Between Overhaul Extended for
Rotax 912 Engines
Rotax has announced an extension
of time between overhauls (TBO)
for Rotax engine type 912
(Series). New 912, 912UL, 912S and
912ULS engines now carry a TBO of
2,000 hours or 15 years. Older
engines may have their TBO
increased by following applicable
Service Bulletins. Visit www.Rotax-Owner.com
for more information on
SB-912-057/SB-912-057UL Extension
of Time Between Overhauls (TBO)
for Rotax Engine Type 912
(Series). |
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From
the EAA Light Plane Community
The message forums at
Oshkosh365 are humming with
activity. Here are the latest
discussions!
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| Videos
from the light plane world |
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| Winter
Flying Foolz from Michigan |
Trike
Flying Over Desert Snow |
| Submit
light plane videos that you just
had to watch again; and probably
forwarded to your friends. Send
them to LightPlaneWorld@EAA.org. |
| Featured
Audio |
 Bill
Lishman became the first person to
fly in formation with birds. He
also pioneered the technique of
aircraft-led migration of Whooping
cranes. During this program from
Theater in the Woods at EAA
AirVenture 2009, Lishman talked
about crane migration and
developing ways to use
weight-shift control vehicles to
provide first aid in disaster
relief.
Listen
to the program |
| Featured
Photo Gallery |
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First
Flight of a RANS S6 Coyote II
In
2006, Karl Niedermann, EAA 287620,
started building his RANS S6
Coyote II in his Belvidere,
Illinois garage. A longtime member
of EAA Chapter 22, Rockford,
Illinois, Niederman owned a C-172
based at Cottonwood Airport (1C8)
before he sold his share. On
Sunday (January 4) test pilot
Steve Flattum, EAA 326511, who has
done 20 "first flights",
took Niederman's aircraft into the
crisp, blue, 14 degree Fahrenheit
air. |
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Engines
Q. What are the differences
between a climb and a cruise
propeller? Read
the answer
Powered
Parachute
Q. I am having problems over
controlling and maintaining a
smooth flight path during landing.
Any suggestions? Read
the
answer
Weight
Shift Trikes
Q. What are the unique
aerodynamic features of a weight
shift wing? Read
the answer
Fixed-Wing
Airplane
Q. Pitch or power: Which
controls airspeed? Read
the answer
Powered
Paraglider
Q. Do I need a sport pilot
certificate to fly a powered
paraglider? Read
the answer |
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| Twenty-five
years ago Bob Essell took a
photo from his Quicksilver which
may have inspired many to take up
ultralight flying. It was in a
story from the January 1984 EAA
Ultralight magazine featuring "The
Ravenna Grand Prix" held
at Liberty Airpark in Ohio. The
airpark is still there and Bob
Essell is now known for his
Quicksilver wing-walking air
show act. Also on the second
page is a report by Dennis Souder,
"UltraStar flight tested to
destruction."
Twenty
years ago the October 1989 EAA
issue of Experimenter
detailed the plans of Eppo
Harbrink Numan to fly a weight
shift trike across the Atlantic
from Europe to the Unites States
in "From
Rotterdam to Reykjavik…and
Beyond?" Many at Oshkosh
had never seen a trike before, let
alone one with a 39-gallon seat
tank. Quite a few probably thought
his chances of success were slim.
The next year, Eppo completed his
dream to become the first person
to fly an ultralight across the
Atlantic. The feat was widely
reported, including coverage in People
magazine. Learn more about his
trike and his
flight here. |
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| Q.
What is your favorite light plane
activity?
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