Only six Ukrainian air force pilots have been fully trained to fly the Vipers, and Ukraine is expected to take a conservative approach to their deployment.

According to the Washington Post, the first few F-16s will likely be used in defensive roles rather than mixing it up with Russian MiGs and Sukhois. In fact, it’s still not known what operating restrictions have been imposed by the NATO countries donating the aircraft.

At first, the F-16s will operate well out of harm’s way, shooting down drones and doing other defensive tasks. Ukraine says the training process for its pilots is an issue because it takes more than six months to get them the language and technical skills they need to operate a Western aircraft using much different systems and control doctrines than the old Soviet airframes they normally fly. And since only the best Ukrainian pilots are selected for F-16 training, their commanders are loathe to lose them because of the gaps they leave in the ranks of experienced pilots.

Despite all the problems, Ukraine is still welcoming the addition of F-16s, particularly their longer-range radars and flexibility and the fear factor they will instill in opposing Russian pilots.

Becca Wasser, an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told the Post it makes sense for the Ukrainians to integrate the F-16s slowly.

“If you have this exquisite capability, are you going to use it immediately, knowing that there’s a greater risk of it being expended or are you going to withhold it and use it so it has broader strategic value?” Wasser said.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post Ukraine to Use First F-16s Cautiously appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In opened its doors at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida, a new LSA has emerged on the U.S. market. Eagle International Aircraft announced the Viper SD4 — a proven design from Slovakia developed by Daniel Tomko Sr. of Tomark Aero CZ.

The SD4 was introduced in Europe about a decade ago and about 100 of the two-seat airplanes have been delivered there, mostly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Germany. Extensive testing has been done to the design including flutter testing.

With a starting price of $89,000, the all-metal airplane lives up to the promise of low cost flight — one of the initial intents of LSA rule. The base model comes with a panel equipped with traditional round-gauge instrumentation. Several avionics offerings are available from Dynon, Garmin and AvMaps. There are also several fuel injected and carbureted Rotax engine options with power ranging from 80 to 115 hp. The top of the line SD4 will retail for around $160,000.

In addition to the cockpit options, the fuel capacity can be increased from 18.5 to 26.4 gallons, providing a flight time with reserve of as much as five hours.

The SD4 includes a BRS parachute system and can be equipped with a glider tow system capable of towing up to 1,653 pounds.

The SD4 is on display at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In. One airplane is available for sale for $125,000 with a glass panel.

The post Slovakian LSA Design Emerges at Sun ‘n Fun appeared first on FLYING Magazine.