LSA

In my lofty role as editorial director here at AVweb, I am also self-appointed Chief of Word Police. We all have our little foibles and sacred cows, no? I actually have only two. I sweep the copy for two things; one is a word, the other a phrase. The word is “upbeat,” the phrase is […]

Houston was only an hour behind us, but the weather was turning out much worse than forecast. The ceilings were steadily lowering and the METAR updates said the few airports along our route were going from marginal to worse. A pop-up IFR clearance would have been great, but there was a little problem: the airplane […]

Letter of the Week:ALPA’s Medical Bombshell I’m a retired Northwest Airlines (now Delta) 747-400 captain. I was a member of ALPA for 38 years. The letter ALPA put out against medical is baseless. Due to the fact many ALPA pilots and those representing pilots at other carriers, retired and active, own GA aircraft, I think […]

Despite its rich red plumage, the slight, single-seat biplane often goes unnoticed amidst a tied-down flock of homebuilt aircraft. In its three-point pose, its 20-foot wood wingspan and narrow, 16-foot-4 tube-and-fabric fuselage are hidden in the rakish and modern shadows cast by taller, flashier metal or composite creations. But when the other airplanes fly off, […]

Kitplanesmagazine recently flew the SubSonex, the world’s only currently available single-seat personal jet. In this video, Kitplaneseditor Paul Dye talks about what it’s like to fly this unique aircraft and air show veteran Bob Carleton describes the engine and airplane development. view on YouTube

At Sun ‘n Fun 2015, Aerotrek is showing off its line of nicely made light sport aircraft. In an industry where the average LSA price is about $130,000, these airplanes are an excellent value at $89,000. Rob Rollinson gave AVweb a tour of the aircraft. view on YouTube

Have you ever had these thoughtsrun through your mind while getting ready to fly an airplane? “I hope this thing flies.” “I hope I will be able to handle this thing when I get it off the ground.” “I hope I’ll be able to land it.” Have you ever had these thoughts in flight? “I […]

Glasair Aviation’s new Merlin LSA had its first flight this week, launching the in-air test phase for the composite light-sport airplane. The flight departed from Arlington, Washington, on Tuesday and lasted for 57 minutes. Following ground tests including engine run-up, high-speed taxi, and ground roll liftoff, test pilot Grant Smith conducted the flight to evaluate […]

Autogyros are big in Europe — but in the U.S., not so much. The reason for that is primarily regulatory. The U.S. light sport rule doesn’t include rotorcraft. As Paul Bertorelli discovered on this AVweb flight demo, that’s too bad. Gyros are fun and easy to fly, but they do take specific training for the […]

Bristell Aircraft has introduced a taildragger version of its LSA. The TDO features carbon fiber and aluminum construction and boasts a 120-knot cruise speed. AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli took a test flight. view on YouTube