Today’s Top Pick is a 2002 Zenith CH 801.

Zenith aircraft and their Zenair relatives sprang from the drawing board of Chris Heintz, an aeronautical engineer who worked in air transport design and manufacturing before moving into kits for GA pilots. His line of two- and four-seat airplanes stretches to the 1970s, while the Zenith CH series of high-wing models has been on the market for more than 30 years.

These airplanes are designed around short-field performance and are known for easy flight characteristics, reliability, and low-maintenance operation. Because they have been popular for a long time, and the manufacturer remains in business, owners can rely on strong factory and club support with repairs, service, and modifications.  

This 2002 Zenith has 86 hours on the airframe and its Lycoming O-360-B2A engine, which has a 2,000-hour TBO. The panel features an MGL Avionics Stratomaster Velocity flight instrument, Icom IC A200 radio, Electronics International CHT gauge, Garmin GTX 320 transponder, and ACK Technologies ELT. Additional equipment includes strobe lights, pitot heat, electric flaps, and electric trim.

Pilots looking for an economical, reliable kitbuilt aircraft with a reputation for good design and performance should consider this 2002 Zenith CH 801, which is available for $120,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Friends Enjoy a Different Kind of ‘Bar Hopping’ in Their Zenith LSAs
• FLYING Magazine: Student-Built Zenith CH750 Cruzer Completes First Flight
• FLYING Magazine: Factory-Built Zenith CH 750 Returning to the Market
• Plane & Pilot: An All-Electric Zenith CH-750 Takes to the Air
• Plane & Pilot: Zenith Homecoming Recap
• Plane & Pilot: Zenith Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Panel
• AVweb: Buying Used: Zenith STOL CH 701

The post This 2002 Zenith CH 801 Is a Sturdy, Short-Field ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

One sure way to know if a show works is to observe vendor participation over a number of years. As this is my 14th year attending the Midwest LSA Expo, I can tell you that 2023 represents a strong turnout. Companies come back year after year because it works to connect them with interested customers. Both sides end up smiling.

Here is a glimpse of what you can see if you can attend on Friday and Saturday. For those who cannot come, this will provide some taste of what happens in Mount Vernon, Illinois, in early September. Hopefully, you can make it in 2024.

Every vendor highlighted here brought two, three, or even four aircraft to show. That’s very rare, even at EAA AirVenture or Sun ‘n Fun.

What this illustrates is that the Midwest LSA Expo (about an hour’s drive east of St. Louis) has become a standard-bearer in the aviation calendar. Indeed, this is Midwest LSA’s 15th event, tying it with the longest-running prior such show, the Sebring Sport Aviation Expo. After catalyzing these LSA-focused shows, Sebring concluded its 15-year run in 2019.

Who’s Here?

AeroTrek returned after a few years’ absence and it came in force. As of opening day, three aircraft had arrived and two more are expected. In addition, the company showed off its new open trailer ,which looks enormously easier to load and secure so long as you’re not trying to drive all the way across the country. For transportation in a local or regional area, this looks like a great choice with significantly lower costs.

Rob Rollison, the longtime importer of this successful brand of modestly-priced LSA, has long maintained a steady rate of business because his supplier in Europe has maintained an prudent approach to business. This has helped the manufacturer remain very stable but it also means delivery times now reach about one year. Rollison indicated most customers are willing to wait. It was good to see him back in Mt. Vernon with his handsome airplanes and new trailer.

Texas Aircraft appeared at Midwest LSA some years back when its Colt LSA was a new entry in the game. Now the company reports it just delivered the first batch of airplanes to a nearby flight school and it is excited about the future of the FAA’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification regulation rulemaking (MOSAIC) with its new four-seat Stallion model already flying in Brazil.

• READ MORE: A MOSAIC Study Guide

In some ways, the Texas company, which is directly associated with the Brazilian organization, is ahead of the game because Brazil’s ANAC has already created a very MOSAIC-like regulation with minor differences. Approving that aircraft in its home country should make for a much easier entry to the U.S. market and this Hondo, Texas organization is ready to roll.

Bristell representative Piston Aviation reports running an active flight school operation. I plan to discuss this further with the company to see how its flight school operates with the LSA of today. In the MOSAIC preamble, the FAA said extra weight was needed to make LSA into viable flight school aircraft, but I think it’s missing that these aircraft are already working well in that environment, assuming good flight school management and properly-qualified instructors. (To be forthright, Piston also operates Piper Cherokees.)

Joe Ord’s company operates at Creve Coeur airport (1H0), Maryland Heights, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. It offers a wide range of flight instruction and lists its prices right on its homepage. You can tell that this company has a sense of style and it had handsome, custom-painted aircraft on display. Again, you see the commitment people make to the Midwest LSA Expo if Piston Aviation will bring aircraft that could be in flight training to display for you at the show.

Vashon brought two of its Ranger LSAs to Midwest LSA perhaps five years ago, and the company has been back every year since—and it doesn’t come with just a single airplane. I hope you’re starting to get the message that these companies like this show and they don’t come here just to bond with their fellow vendors. They know they will meet people like you. Likewise, people who come to this event tend to be serious and ready to take their aviation interest to the next level.

While Vashon’s prices have risen slightly over the last couple years–along with virtually everything else you buy—they are still affordable to a wide range of pilots, and have particular appeal to some by virtue of the use of a Continental O-200 powerplant. Lots of pilots and mechanics are familiar with that engine and, combined with a new and spacious airframe, the company is finding customers. Clearly, it finds some of them right here in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

TL Sport Aircraft had two of its four models on display at Mt. Vernon. After a couple of U.S. distributors didn’t work as well as expected, Trey Murdaugh’s company is bringing a more business-like approach. At Midwest LSA, he appropriately had on display a TL-3000 Sirius and an S-4 Sting. The latter (in an earlier model) was the #5 aircraft accepted by the FAA as a Special LSA out of 158 now on our SLSA list.

However, Murdaugh is also nicely positioned for MOSAIC with two other aircraft that did not travel to Mt. Vernon. One is the tandem-seating Stream, which I flew with him after Sun ‘n Fun 2022. That was a fine experience in a beautiful-flying aircraft. I look forward later this year to a flight in the company’s side-by-side MOSAIC-ready entry called Sparker that is the highest-performing of their line. Of course, prices follow capability, so the Sirius or Sting may be the more affordable buy, but this company has got choices for you.

Zenith arrived with two of its popular sport pilot-eligible kit aircraft, the Cruzer and Super Duty. Probably most readers are aware that Zenith is the leading kit builder in the light aircraft space (as only one Van’s model can presently qualify as an LSA). This should surprise no one as these aircraft are highly proven, and the manufacturing of Zenith kits has become quite sophisticated under the leadership of Sebastien Heintz.

• READ MORE: FAA’s MOSAIC Preview Has Major Implications for Helicopters, eVTOL

The Mexico, Missouri-based kit producer also hosts one of the largest events of its kind in the country, in fact, drawing even more people to it than the Midwest LSA Expo. Now in its 32nd year, “Homecoming” is a must-go for any Zenith enthusiast. I’ve never been able to make it because it occurs right after the Midwest LSA event but I hope many of you can and will attend. You can learn a lot at the event plus enjoy the camaraderie of others with similar interests.

Magni Gyro rep Greg Gremminger brought two gyroplanes, as he often has. Gremminger is one of those regulars that has made every Midwest LSA event, along with a handful of others. It helps that he’s based nearby, but this has proven to be a good event where he can give rampside talks about gyros to people who are interested. He’s done this for years, and every time I’ve seen quite a collection of people listening intently as he describes his rotary-winged aircraft and how they fly.

A couple years ago my wife and I each took a flight with Gremminger, and had a marvelous experience. I’m not qualified to fly gyroplanes solo, but I have learned from some experiences and I see the magic that so many enjoy. Gremminger was one of the original people to fight for 10 years asking the FAA to finally allow fully-built gyroplanes. He didn’t get a yes, but when Roy Beisswenger and I started our advocacy work, we took up the case again. Between Gremminger’s efforts and ours, I’m pleased that we will finally have factory-built gyros available for enthusiasts.

All this and more was available on opening day, despite weather challenges to the east, holding up the arrival of some aircraft. BushCat is expecting two aircraft, as is Jabiru. What I believe this list shows is that these companies are all willing to spend the money and take the time to bring multiple aircraft to the Midwest LSA Expo. One of the main reasons the show is popular and successful is the great ease of getting a demo flight in an airplane. Get on the schedule and when it’s your turn, it takes literally a few minutes to get airborne. Marvelous! Plus, entry to the show and parking are free.

The post Pilots, Aircraft Manufacturers Connect as Midwest LSA Expo Opens appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Then… Russia invaded Ukraine and the global markets trembled.

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association released information recently showing positive results for 2022 in every category they report. The closest corollary to light sport aircraft and sport pilot-eligible kitbuilt aircraft is GAMA’s “piston airplanes” category, which showed an 8.2 percent gain over 2021.

When we examine only U.S. aircraft information and omit multiengine aircraft, the single-engine piston category shows 1,005 U.S. aircraft deliveries. In comparison, the overall light aircraft market totaled 738 new registrations, or 73 percent of what GA builders delivered. Note that deliveries and registrations may differ in any given year, but tend to converge over time.

Despite a year of war, plunging stock markets and sky-high energy prices, protests and riots in multiple countries, huge increases in freight cost, plus ongoing supply chain challenges and lingering COVID-19 fears, the light aircraft market nonetheless grew by a very healthy 18 percent, as compared to a rising 10 percent in 2021. The industry is now performing better than in 2019, the last year of relative stability before COVID.

Let’s Unpack the Numbers

I am using a different approach for analysis this year, partly to give added perspective, given the challenging start to the 2020s. You can get more detail on the Tableau Public market share data by visiting bydanjohnson.com.

Here I cover only aircraft called out in the adjacent table—including light sport aircraft and kitbuilt aircraft a pilot can operate using sport pilot certificate privileges, significantly meaning no medical is required. The data rely 100 percent on FAA registration records, which are then closely reviewed by industry experts. This report offers aircraft registration data current through the end of 2022—professionally analyzed by computer database expert Steve Beste. Category explanations are provided below.

I grouped all the light aircraft data into these categories:

• Combined Results, All Categories, includes fully-built, kitbuilt, ELSA (experimental light sport aircraft), and also portrays how the FAA’s 1990s-era primary category touches this segment.
• SLSA (special light sport aircraft) and ELSA arepresented as a group because all must ship conforming to the SLSA model first accepted by the FAA. After an ELSA owner takes delivery, that person can make changes without factory approval but then loses the chance to offer compensated flight instruction or rental of their aircraft.
• SLSA Only covers only ready-to-fly aircraft, separate from ELSA. SLSA can be used for compensated operations like flight instruction and rental.
• EAB (experimental-amateur built) and ELSA are shown as a group because in both cases the owner can alter and maintain the aircraft.
• EAB Only separates the ELSA out of the strictly homebuilt segment.
• ELSA are also shown separately, as they can become quite different from the SLSA model in which they began life. An owner can change avionics and interiors, add equipment, or even change the engine. 

Two remaining categories include experimental-exhibition, used mostly by Pipistrel for its motorglider models in this context; and the primary category that presently counts only AutoGyro as an OEM. Models that pursued primary category certification back in the 1990s (such as the Quicksilver GT500) have not continued with that approach.

Changes in Light Aircraft Categories: 2020-2021-2022

Which Models Sold Best?

The best-selling model overall came from Van’s Aircraft with their RV-12 series (with the original Rotax 912-powered model and the newer version with the Rotax 912iS), which supplied 61 of the best-selling single model of light aircraft in the FAA registry for 2022. Of these, 13 were fully-built SLSA models; the balance of 47 RV-12s were ELSA (plus one more registered as EAB). Most ELSA left the factory essentially complete, as I understand it.

Going the ELSA route has attracted a certain type of buyer interested in fully maintaining or modifying their aircraft. The RV-12 alone accounts for 43 percent of all such aircraft registered in 2022. 

In what I term “alternative aircraft” in this sector, powered parachute manufacturer Powrachute accounted for another 15 ELSA, and Wild Sky Goat (a weight-shift aircraft) registered six more. The remaining18 ELSAs were produced by 12 other producers.

One note reveals the presence of two fully-built Bristell USA aircraft that were registered ELSA to permit IFR operations (yes, that is possible; more on that in future articles in FLYING).

The best-selling SLSA (fully-built) comes as no surprise, so I’ll skip the suspense and tell you it was ICON’s A5, which registered 33 aircraft in 2022 to lead the ready-to-fly pack. In second, fourth, fifth, and sixth places were Tecnam (19 SLSA), Vashon (15), Sling (13), and Super Petrel (11). The third most-registered brand deserves a special mention for 2022. Despite a war in its Ukraine homeland and suffering direct damage from the conflict, Kyiv-based Aeroprakt added 17 aircraft to the FAA registry in 2022. Good U.S. partners help. 

One interesting factoid in the database is the 2022 registration of two Cessna 162 Skycatchers. Since the modelis long out of production—in fact, all remaining brand-new, partly-finished Skycatchers were chopped up and crushed in 2016, so one wonders how a pair of them were added to the database last year.

The best-selling kit builder is another ongoing winner. Zenith, with 91 registrations, has led the pack almost as long as I’ve followed these statistics. Zenith has several models, but their Sky Jeep CH-701 and -750 series contribute to the bulk of the company’s kit deliveries. Remember, kit sales don’t precisely relate to registrations, as owners have to assemble them first. This can take months to years.

Trailing Zenith rather closely are the usual producers: Rans (59 kits; plus 2 SLSA), Sonex (45), Kitfox (38; plus 2SLSA), and Just Aircraft (30). Right behind is Magni (16) because gyroplanes—other than AutoGyro’s primary category models (five registered in 2022)—must be built as kits until the MOSAIC implementation corrects this FAA oversight. AutoGyro also sells kit versions (15 registered). LSA seaplane builder Progressive Aerodyne built Searey kits (10) plus 6 SLSA models.

Among “alternative aircraft” in this space, Powrachute powered parachutes registered 25 aircraft, including 16 kits and 9 SLSA models. In the weight shift category, Evolution Trikes was the leader with 11 registrations, of which seven were SLSA. The company also reports good sales of its non-registered Part 103 aircraft, adding to their total.

The post-COVID period has been kind to the lighter aircraft segment. With some deliveries already quoting into 2024, industry players hope the good news can continue through 2023.

This article was originally published in the April 2023, Issue 936 of  FLYING.

The post The Light Aircraft Sector Shines appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates (MOSAIC), published Monday, boasts the potential to revolutionize the LSA market, bringing about a significant increase in their usefulness and creating new opportunities for sport pilots.

Under the FAA’s new guidelines, most of the current regulatory limitations on light sport aircraft would be removed, including the weight limit. As it stands, light sport is considered any aircraft under 1,320 pounds. The agency’s proposal would define fixed-wing aircraft as having a clean stall speed of 54 knots, a maximum flight level speed of 250 knots, and a maximum of four seats—all of which represent increases over the current regulations. As with present restrictions, a pilot exercising sport privileges may only take one passenger along.

• READ MORE: More Training Aircraft in Reach with FAA’s Proposed MOSAIC Rule

The Experimental Aviation Association (EAA), with members who make up GA’s most passionate light sport pilots, has largely led the way when it comes to the MOSAIC initiative. 

“MOSAIC had its genesis with a conversation between EAA and FAA officials nearly a decade ago, as we focused on safely creating more aviation opportunities for those who wanted to participate,” said Jack Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board. “Now that the NPRM has been released, we will study it closely and supply focused comments to ensure that the goals of this EAA-inspired initiative remain in the final language developed by the FAA.”

• READ MORE: What This MOSAIC Preview Means

Other GA groups, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), advocated strongly to broaden the definition of LSA, ease operational restrictions, and permit operations for hire that were previously restricted to certified aircraft.

“Modernizing the light-sport category for the thousands of our members that fly these aircraft is something we’ve been long pushing for, and it just makes sense,” said AOPA president Mark Baker. “We’re pleased to see the FAA take this first step to help modernize the general aviation fleet and provide more options for pilots.”

The rulemaking has also garnered the support of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE). 

“SAFE supports this carefully crafted FAA proposal as a creative method to expand the availability of modern, safe (and increasingly capable) aircraft to a wider audience of pilots,” executive director David St. George told FLYING. “SAFE also respects the FAA’s trust in our professional flight instructors to safely extend these new flight privileges to current and future sport pilots within this new performance-based standard.”

• READ MORE: How to Comment on a Proposed FAA Policy

Zenith Aircraft, a leading light-sport manufacturer, applauded the FAA’s proposed changes, calling the NPRM “a promising initiative that could enhance the affordability, the capability, and new design choices of light aircraft for recreational pilots.” 

The company also acknowledged its plans to capitalize on the benefits of the proposed changes by enhancing its aircraft designs and kits for recreational pilots.

“We support all rules that make it easier for our existing customers to continue to enjoy building and flying their airplanes,” said Sebastien Heintz, Zenith’s president. “The MOSAIC NPRM proposes rule changes and new rules that will allow just that, as well as recognizing new technologies, such as electric propulsion. Such new rules may make it feasible to not only continue to invest in airplane kit manufacturing but to pursue new aircraft certification and production in the U.S.”

• READ MORE: FAA’s MOSAIC Preview Has Major Implications for Helicopters, eVTOL

Textron Aviation-owned Pipistrel and other manufacturers of electric light aircraft have also voiced support for MOSAIC. In a tweet, the company noted, “Pipistrel’s team is excited by @FAANews’ MOSAIC proposal for light sport aircraft. Recommendations in this document will benefit Pipistrel’s aircraft and our customers. A great way to kick off EAA AirVenture!”

The FAA’s comment period for the MOSAIC NPRM will close on October  23.

Pipistrel's team is excited by @FAANews' MOSAIC proposal for Light Sport Aircraft. Recommendations in this document will benefit Pipistrel’s aircraft and our customers. A great way to kick off @EAA AirVenture!

More by @FlyingMagazine here: https://t.co/E3aqMtLHIu #MOSAIC #FAA

— Pipistrel Aircraft (@pipistrelEU) July 24, 2023

The post GA Industry Celebrates FAA’s Proposed MOSAIC Rule appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“I started my involvement with Parkland Estates Airpark (7CO0) by moving there in 2017. We lived nearby and I had always been kind of interested in it, having seen a little Cub fly by there quite a bit. So, one day I took my youngest son there just to kind of watch it take off and land. It’s a private airpark, but we were kind of able to get on the property and watch this Cub do touch and gos.”

But this tailwheel aviator surprised the father-son duo with what he did next. 

“We watched this guy land, taxi over, and come to a stop near us by the fuel pumps. And then to my son, who was probably 3 or 4 at the time, the pilot asked, ‘Hey, does he want a ride?”’

Gottron was happy that his son had one of his first tastes of general aviation that day. 

“I love flying and can’t seem to get enough of it. I work for Frontier Airlines as a captain, and I’ve been there for about 16 years, and a couple of other airlines before that. But I always kept my general aviation love for flying alive by renting, or in the last few years acquiring airplanes. I currently own a little 1946 Luscombe. I also have a Piper Lance, and also, I just sold my Pitts Special, which I really loved flying around.”

• READ MORE: Falmouth Airpark Shows Off Cape Cod’s Charm

Snagging an Airpark Home

In addition to the Gottron’s home, there are 85 or so residences at Parkland Estates Airpark. Historically, very few of this community’s homes were listed for sale. Because of this, a combination of luck and outward interest early helped Gottron to snag his home when he did. And the person who he first met at Parkland Estates was who provided the tip about a couple of potential listings.

“A few years later, that same gentleman [the Cub pilot] said, ‘I have a couple of properties that aren’t even on the market yet. If you would like to give the owners a call and introduce yourself, you might be able to get in on one.’”

Enthused by the initial experience and all subsequent ones at Parkland, Gottron was quick to pick up the phone. “So that’s exactly what we did, and we were able to acquire one of the homes. It was pretty neat how it worked out. It had been very hard to get into the neighborhood prior to that,” Gottron says. 

“The airpark was started in the late 1970s and a lot of the folks who started it are still here. Some of them weren’t still flying actively but stayed because they really loved the place. To get into a house someone either had to move on or what not. It was really lucky that we were able to get into the neighborhood when we did. A lot of the deals in the last five years have been off market. That is until just recently, with the real estate boom, as some folks decided to sell at the peak last summer. Before then, it was kind of hard to get into Parkland Estates.” 

Gottron contends that this type of relationship building is important, even prior to becoming an airpark resident. This is especially true for those who know that they may one day want to be a hangar home owner and present timing isn’t appropriate, or availability at the desired community is non-existent.

“The thing would be to contact the HOA president [of the community you are interested in]. Ours tries to put out an email to folks when a new home becomes available. We really want to try and keep pilots in the mix here. We hope to be able to get pilots here, as opposed to people who want horse property or regular property. That is kind of how an airpark can die, if you get people that just want acreage and don’t really care about airplanes very much.”

• READ MORE: Building the New American Dream SkyRanch

Even with their best efforts, it can sometimes be challenging for pilots and aviation enthusiasts to become airpark insiders. Even up until relatively recently, it was more difficult for an outsider to become acquainted with Parkland Estates.

“Our airpark is a private community so it has an ‘R’ on the runway for ‘Restricted,’ but we encourage people to come by. If they fly in, it’s no problem, they just have to sign the hold harmless agreement that’s on the website. That way there is no liability for us if something happens. I think over the years it had a stigma of, ‘That’s a private airpark, don’t even go near it,’ and that kind of thing.”

But this type of stigma is detrimental to a fly-in community’s future. 

“We are trying to get away from that and are trying to share our airpark with the community. It’s just for liability reasons you have to sign the hold harmless agreement. We are really trying to be more welcoming of people here, especially nowadays,” Gottron continues.

This warm welcome is extended to aviators through an open invitation for a longstanding Parkland Estates tradition. 

“Every year we have a chili cookoff and fly-in, which is coming up Saturday, October 8. I have been involved with this event before and it’s really a lot of fun. We have a contest for who brings in the best chili, but also for the best airplane that flies in that people like.”

• READ MORE: An Airpark Dream Becomes Reality

Communal Bunch

Outside of this event, there is a very communal bunch at Parkland Estates. Gottron says that residents routinely enjoy each other’s company, whether it be a random night’s hangar get-together or a group flying to EAA AirVenture. There are at least 35 airplanes based at the airfield, of which there is a good mix of types.

“It’s all general aviation aircraft that are based here. We have some World War II aircraft; a Stearman, a T-6 Texan, and somebody just acquired a BT-13B. I think that’s it for warbirds, but we have a ton of other taildraggers. In fact, we have a fun thing called Taildragger Tuesday where everybody with a taildragger tries to get up in the pattern before sunset and fly around. So that’s kind of fun.”

After mentioning other onfield aircraft, including some Grand Champions minted in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Gottron elaborates on Parkland’s two runways. 

“We have one long runway, which is 4,200 feet long and is paved. We just resurfaced it about a year and a half ago, so it’s completely redone. Then we also have a short 2,000-foot crosswind runway that is also paved. And that’s just for north/south landings. Mostly when winds are gusty from the north is when we use it, but the STOL planes typically use that runway.”

The post Parkland Estates Airpark Offers Flying, Community, and Chili appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I took the microphone—a breather from my duties as crew chief for Steve Henry—with Juan Browne (from the @blancolirio channel on YouTube). The grandstand fans and live streamers received the play by play as the Straight and Level Television documentary film crew followed along to help tell the story of the fastest growing segment of general aviation. 

Racers Take Your Marks

Pilots lined up on the recently graded dirt track going head-to-head down the 2,000-foot course after the famous “3-2-1, See ya!” signal given by STOL Drag organizer Kevin Quinn to launch their aircraft toward the turn-around point. Several pilots quickly learned that at Reno’s altitude of 5,050 feet msl, their aircraft were not performing as well as they would have liked and this—coupled with a density altitude) of 6,500 feet—meant that much more ground distance was used up before they typically lifted their wheels from the ground. 

In some cases, the taxiway that crossed the track had to be used for a launching ramp to get into ground effect as the heavier Cessna 182s and lower-powered light aircraft were eating up much more ground than they were used to. Many pilots were making adjustments to their aircraft to try and compensate. 

The 2021 reigning champion Toby Ashley did not show this year, robbing Steve Henry (his toughest rival last year) of the chance to demonstrate his upgrades against Sarge.

Tim Schelhorn debuted his new aircraft #73 Psycho Billy—a CubCrafters Carbon Cub which was meticulously built for this style of racing—in the gold bracket. However, being so new, bugs popped up preventing him from running it to its full potential. He still performed well enough to secure the No. 2 spot in the gold bracket over #48 Eddie Sanches in Devil Girl—who worked his way through the entire field to secure the No. 3 spot in the gold bracket. 

• READ MORE: Outlaw STOL Competition Heats Up Out West

Psycho Billy will definitely be an airplane to watch at the upcoming STOL Drag World Championships during the High Sierra Fly-in at the Dead Cow Dry Lake in October.

Another new aircraft on the scene was #85 LunaC—or Luna for short—another custom CubCrafters Carbon Cub built and flown by Cathy Page. She was still learning its intimate flight characteristics, which are vastly different from the Piper Clipper she flew last year. 

A Section 3 Spectators favorite was #66 Big Tuna, the Zenith 701 STOL flown by Jon Hakala at Reno, for various reasons. The  #221 of Brian Steck, a beautifully painted and meticulously polished Legend Cub, got a taste of the desert when a fist-sized rock was kicked up by his tires and sent through his horizontal stab, which was quickly (albeit temporarily) repaired.  

A great time was had by all as the STOL Drag racers were the first class to qualify and race in the mornings throughout the week. This was fantastic, allowing for the tailwheel aircraft not to have to fly with a tailwind in either direction for their runs. However, the sun in the morning shone directly in the eyes of the pilots on the first half of the run, making it difficult to judge the line they had to land across, causing more scratches than at any previous event. But, that’s racing! 

In the end, Steve Henry’s turbocharged Yamaha engine on the Wild West/Just Aircraft Highlander—#44, Yee-Haw—was the airplane to beat, with its screaming 10,000-plus rpm echoing throughout the stands and hangars at the far end of the field. The noise drew people to watch this most unusual-sounding aircraft. 

The slogan of “under a minute to win it” proved true, as 59 seconds was the time to beat at this altitude. Steve broke the minute time solidifying him as the 2022 National STOL Drag Gold Champion at Reno. Congratulations to all.

Results:

1. Steve Henry #44, Highlander

2. Tim Schelhorn #73, Carbon Cub

3. Eddie Sanches #48, Highlander

4. Bo Ellis #80, custom Legend Cub

5. Harry Beaupre #27, Kitfox 

6. Hal Stockman #3, Rans

7. Ty Ferkin #22, Kitfox 

8. Brian Steck #221, Legend Cub

9. Kevin Palmer #21, Kitfox

10. Cathy Page #85, Carbon Cub

11. Collin Caneva #43, Carbon Cub

12. Jon Hakala, Zenith

13. Brent Womack, Rans

14. Dave Kerley, Highlander

15. Tony Sanches, Superstol 

16. Joe Dory, Custom Pacer

The post Reno’s STOL Drag Class Offers a Great Community Feeling appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

So when three LSA pilots from Washington state decided to introduce a fourth sport pilot to the exhilaration that comes from landing on gravel bars in a STOL machine, they named the one-day outing “The Great Gravel Gaggle.”

Zenith CH701 STOL owner/pilot Curt Thompson already knew fellow Zenith owner/pilots John Marzulli (CH701), Walt Cannon (CH701), and Jonathan Fay (CH750) from their involvement in EAA Chapter 84 in Snohomish, Washington, and also the local Zenith builder community. The pilots were instrumental in helping Thompson build his CH701, nicknamed the Clownfish Plane because of its colorful paint scheme that will make you think of Nemo. When they found out Thompson had never landed on the many gravel bars in the area, the Great Gravel Gaggle idea was hatched.

“Jonathan suggested that we get together to introduce me to gravel bar landings,” Thompson said, “and a message was sent out to see if others wanted to join. The weather prediction was very good and the next Saturday looked promising with just a few afternoon cumulus clouds. They all flew in to meet me at my hangar in Arlington [Washington], on Saturday morning and we headed off to the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, only a few miles away. The other three experienced pilots went in first to check the location. Jonathan started his drone to film the other landings, and I had four GoPro cameras on my plane, so the landings were well documented.”

The group also made a second gravel bar landing on a wide spot of the Skagit River nearby.

Safety First

Thompson was taught that the most important aspect of off-airport landing is making sure that the landing surface is appropriate, and a pilot is not going to bend the airplane with obstructions, like rocks, stumps, and driftwood. “I had overflown this spot a few times and it looked great, but I didn’t want to land when I was by myself because if something [went] wrong, it might be tough to get out,” he said.

On his first gravel bar landing, Thompson said he started further from the landing spot than he needed to, and just did some slow flight along the river until he could see the landing spot on the gravel bar, where the other three pilots were down and parked. “I don’t know my landing speeds so I fly by sound and vibration,” Thompson explained. “The Clownfish Plane has the 100 hp Rotax 912 ULS and has some really good cues about what is going on. On this landing, I went a lot faster than I needed to. This was a very long landing spot so no worries about landing long. I have an angle of attack (AOA) sensor with audible feedback in my headset. On the approach, I just fly so the AOA is just starting to beep in my headset.”

If you want to see exactly what STOL operations onto a gravel bar look like, Thompson has a very good YouTube video of the landing on a gravel bar alongside the North Fork Stillaguamish River.

• READ MORE: Legendary Sport Pilot Shares a Lifetime of Great Stories

Building Your STOL LSA

Based at Arlington Airport (KAWO), Thompson holds a private pilot certificate with glider rating and has put about 600 hours in his logbook. He decided to plans-build his CH701 instead of using one of Zenith’s kits, in order to spread the expense over a period of time. He says it did work out to spread out the costs, but it certainly did not save him any money overall. “I generally made each part at least twice before I got one I liked,” Thompson said. “The plans from Zenith are very good, and I was able to lean on the various forums and online sources to answer any questions. I don’t think I ever had to contact Zenith with a question. I spent eight years building the Clownfish plane, but in two of those years, I didn’t touch it. I would not recommend the ‘plan built’ route—just buy the kits from Zenith, because their kits are very good.”

• READ MORE: Flight Simulators Can Bring Sport Aviation to Your Desktop

One of the things Thompson loved about working with Zenith on the build was that the company will sell any individual part from the kit. “I tried to oxy-acetylene weld some of the parts, but just did not like my weld quality. I used a couple of parts I welded, but most of the critical ones I bought from Zenith,” he said.

A challenge Thompson had to overcome in the build was getting the bubble doors the way he wanted. “I made an oven from some parts from a scrapped electric range, and ‘slumped’ the doors in the oven by holding them in a frame and heating them slowly to just the right amount. I bought plexiglass from various sources but the stuff I found at Home Depot worked best. The two doors on the Clownfish plane were trial number 21 and 22,” Thompson said.

• READ MORE: A Major Disability Could Not Stop This Determined Sport Pilot

Gravel Bar Hopping

The Zenith line of high-wing aircraft has a lot of features that fit the mission of landing on short runways, Thompson said, but he added that experience is key to this type of flying. “I know I don’t push the boundaries of the capabilities of the Zenith CH701 as far as others, and I am getting a little more adventurous as I gain more experience and comfort. I spent a lot of time building the Clownfish plane and I don’t want to bend it up. So far, there has not been any place I have shied away from landing, as long as I know others have landed there before,” he said.

Is gravel bar hopping in a STOL LSA fun? Oh yeah, these four pilots will attest, with owner/pilot John Marzulli calling his CH701 “SEVEN-OH-FUN.” That pretty much sums it all up.

The post Friends Enjoy a Different Kind of ‘Bar Hopping’ in Their Zenith LSAs appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Those challenges that impeded our progress toward the coveted pilot’s certificate might have seemed impenetrable, but when we look at what sport pilot Justin Falls of Lincolnton, North Carolina, has done to overcome his challenges in order to fly, just about anything we faced was, by comparison, absolutely nothing.

Falls was 18 years old when he broke his neck after falling off a fire escape, resulting in a spinal cord injury between his fourth and fifth vertebrae. Technically, he says this meant he was a quadriplegic due to motor and sensory deficits in all four of his extremities. Falls explains that the accident could have resulted in much more severe paralysis if his spine had been completely severed.

Today, he can move the fingers in his left hand, but his right hand is paralyzed, as well as his right triceps muscles and both his legs. A pharmacist at a hospital, Falls has used a wheelchair to get around for the past 15 years and drives a car with hand controls.

On the surface, this sort of major disability would appear to be a challenge that is too much to overcome for someone who wants to fly general aviation airplanes. But Falls had been interested in flying since he was very young, and he figured that if he could drive a car with only his hands, maybe he could fly airplanes as well.

“I lived about [a] half-mile from my local non-towered airport in Gastonia for most of my life,” Falls said, “and I especially enjoyed going to their airshows. I felt that aviation was a bit out-of-reach due to the expense, then after my injury, it was even further away. Since my car has hand controls, then I thought it should be possible to adapt a plane’s controls as well. Sure enough, there had been many people with disabilities like myself who have learned to fly in adapted planes. After I graduated from pharmacy school, one of the guys I played wheelchair rugby with was going to start training with Able Flight the next summer, and he is also quadriplegic. So I followed his progress and applied for an Able Flight scholarship about the same time I was applying for jobs as a new pharmacist.”

Flight Training for Student Pilots With Disabilities

Falls learned to fly through a scholarship provided by Able Flight, a non-profit organization that provides flight training and aviation career scholarships for people with disabilities. “Able Flight is funded by generous donors, philanthropists, and companies like Shell Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Tempest Aero Group, and many others,” Falls said. “I was able to learn to fly at no cost in the Sky Arrow, an Italian LSA. It is one of the few aircraft with a certified hand control design that can be flown using only your hands. The main limitation of the Sky Arrow is that it’s very difficult to transfer into it from a wheelchair, and it sits pilot and passenger tandem, with no extra room to stow a wheelchair.”

An Airplane of His Own

“I learned of Zenith when I was rolling around Oshkosh looking at all the different LSA kitplanes after I got my wings from the Able Flight awards ceremony,” Falls explains. “Sebastien, the owner of Zenith Aircraft, has been a supporter of Able Flight, and he is very inspired by their mission. I managed to talk him into selling me his CH 750 STOL and helping to design hand controls for it from scratch! His son Calvin was the lead designer, and the goal was to create a hand control setup for the Zenith that could also be used to train future Able Flight students.”

Falls added that the main reason he selected this make/model was that the high-wing design made it easier to transfer from a wheelchair into the cockpit and that the manufacturer was willing to help him with designing hand controls to fit his needs.

How Falls Flies His Zenith

The STOL CH 750 Falls flies has been modified so that the rudder, throttle, brakes, and push-to-talk are controlled from the left seat using a stick between his legs. Pushing forward on the rudder stick is right rudder, pulling back is left rudder. 

The electronic hat switch at the top of the stick is connected to a servo motor that controls the throttle. In the event of an electrical failure, he can still use the manual throttle on the panel as a backup. 

“The hand brake is like a motorcycle brake that replaces the toe brakes used during taxiing. I use my right hand to control the yoke in the center of the plane, and this controls the pitch and roll of the aircraft. It takes a lot of coordination and muscle memory to use these controls, but they are fairly intuitive once you’ve been doing it for a while,” Falls said.

Future Flights

Falls is planning a solo cross-country flight from the East Coast to the West Coast soon, and once completed, he’ll be the first quadriplegic to fly from the Atlantic to the Pacific solo. He plans to do it in his current airplane and will be having an autopilot installed to make the trip a bit easier. He, however, has even loftier goals.

“I would love to someday become the first quadriplegic to fly solo around the world, but that will require me to get my private pilot certificate,” Falls said. “I have thought about possibly modifying my plane with an extra fuel tank to make the journey around the world, if Zenith would be interested in helping to modify the plane. But ideally, it would be easier if I could cruise two to three times faster than I currently can. I sincerely hope that things will change to make it easier for people like me to fly bigger, faster aircraft. Getting a third-class medical will be an extra challenge, and if I fail, I would potentially lose my sport pilot privileges. There are so many limitations with LSAs that make it difficult to find planes that can accommodate a wheelchair.”

He would also like to become the first quadriplegic to go to space and asked if anyone has connections to Richard Branson, Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos. “Tell them I need a ride!” Falls said.

For Justin Falls, flying gives him a sense of satisfaction, unlike any other activity he has done. 

“When I take off from the runway, I am no longer defined by anything else other than as a pilot. I have instant freedom to see the world from a vantage point that so few people get to enjoy, and I feel so privileged and lucky to be able to do it. And I rarely ever use the word ‘lucky’ to describe myself, because living with paralysis is hard, and I often feel very unlucky. But with flying, it’s different. I really am lucky to live in a time when humans can fly,” he said.

Videos and other content about Falls flying with his disability can be found on his social media channels by searching: “WheelieGoodPilot.” His Youtube channel, in particular, has videos showing exactly how Falls’ STOL Zenith CH 750 has been modified and how he flies it with hand controls.

The post A Major Disability Could Not Stop This Determined Sport Pilot appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That was then, and this is now.

Today, while there are a few models priced to fly away for under a hundred grand, because of “feature creep” demanded by buyers that added full glass panels with autopilot, composite airframes, larger engines, ballistic parachute systems, and upgraded automobile-like interiors, prices for new light-sport airplanes can easily demand the low six figures.

There is—and has always been—hope for those new sport pilots who still want capable LSA models for pure recreational flying, without the price tag most modern LSAs carry. There is only one catch.

You need to build the airplane yourself.

If that last sentence scares the headset off of you because you question your mechanical aptitude to build an airplane, you are not alone. Many of us consider ourselves “good with tools” but run the other way when someone suggests assembling an experimental/amateur-built (E/AB) kit airplane.

Let’s take a look into the world of kit-built airplanes that qualify to be flown with a sport pilot certificate, and learn about the process from the biggest name in that market, Zenith Aircraft Company.

Focus on One Thing and Do It Very Well

When Sebastien Heintz, owner, and president of Zenith Aircraft decided to manufacture and market airplane kits in the U.S. in 1992, his family had already been designing and producing aircraft kits in Canada as Zenair Ltd. since 1974. Today, Zenith is the number one U.S. maker of sport-pilot-eligible E/AB kits, based on data from actual FAA registrations and information from Dan Johnson’s LSA database.

Once the FAA released its LSA regulations, Heintz saw an opening and made the decision to optimize their kits for recreational sport pilots and inexperienced first-time builders who had never built an airplane themselves. 

“Rather than developing fast, high-performance designs that required higher skills to build and safely operate,” Heintz said, “we instead focused on easy-to-fly slower designs better suited for lower-time weekend flyers. They needed airplanes with good slow flight handling characteristics, great visibility for both pilot and passenger, tricycle gear for better ground and crosswind handling, and lower insurance costs.”

With that in mind, Zenith developed E/AB kits that were both easy and quick to build, suitable for building in a garage or basement workshop and requiring just simple skills and tools. As a result of that focus, a “quick-build kit” is not required, although one is available which includes the fuselage section mainly assembled, ready for installation of the engine, avionics, and interior.

Cost Savings of Building Your Airplane

There is no question that building an airplane is a process that in some cases (and with some models) can take years. The cost can be spread out over this time, especially for more expensive components that are only needed toward the end of the project, such as the engine, avionics, and paint. Most E/AB builders buy component kits as they build, and Zenith builders can get the process started with the rudder starter kit for around $400. This allows builders to learn about the tools and skills needed to build a kit, while at the same time getting started on their kit project. 

As to cost, Heintz uses a “rule of thumb” that the kit cost is about one-third of the total project cost. 

“For example, a $20,000 kit will typically end up costing about $60,000 once the aircraft is completed and finished with a new engine, propeller, firewall-forward components, modern avionics, paint, and upholstery. Of course, this is just an indicator, and builders have a lot of control over the costs, which is one of the major advantages to building an E/AB airplane,” he said. 

Heintz added that decisions like the type of engine and avionics will have a major impact on the overall project cost, but that they give a builder a lot of control and the ability to truly custom-build their aircraft. In the end, he says, building your airplane offers potential cost savings typically about 50 percent over buying a factory-built new S-LSA.

When you use Heintz’s rule of thumb, this means that Zenith’s most expensive kit, the STOL CH 750 (kit price of $24,950), could end up costing about $74,840. Sure, your costs will vary if you choose steam gauges over a fancy glass panel, or spend big bucks on a premium custom paint scheme. But using the “three times kit cost” calculator gives an interested builder a pretty good idea of what their new E/AB airplane is going to cost once the FAA signs it off to go play in the sky.

Resources to Finish the Project

It’s no secret that with many kit airplane builds, life can get in the way and sideline a builder for any number of reasons. Zenith considers this by focusing heavily on manufacturing processes that result in quicker build times so a builder can stay motivated as they see their projects quickly come together. When a builder sees continuous forward progress, it increases the likelihood that the project will be completed.

With Zenith kits or any of the many other popular E/AB kits on the market such as the Van’s Aircraft RV-12, a builder is never alone. Zenith offers workshop classes before a builder gets started, allowing them to gain hands-on building experience at the Zenith factory to learn about the required skills, tools, and workshop space needed. This gives the builder a head start.

But once the project is off and running, there are many resources available to help a builder finish their aircraft. Each brand has active online builder communities ready to help each other with their projects, and by joining their local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) chapter, builders can gain valuable information from those who have built and are currently flying kit airplanes.

One of the best resources for anyone interested in building an E/AB kit airplane is to attend EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The 2022 show will be July 25 through 31 and will give attendees access to all the major kitplane makers, along with numerous seminars, forums, and workshops on building an airplane.

MOSAIC May Open Up the Kit Airplane Market

Every manufacturer of E/AB airplane kits is maintaining an intense focus on the FAA’s coming Modernization Of Special Airworthiness Certification, a.k.a the MOSAIC rewrite. 

“We look forward to the MOSAIC rewrite as we believe it will indeed open up light sport to larger aircraft, as well as provide some needed updates for certification of E/AB aircraft rules,” said Heintz. “Zenith developed and introduced the larger STOL CH 750 Super Duty model partly in anticipation of the new rules.

“Also, Zenith has in the past produced larger four-seat aircraft kits, such as the STOL CH 801 sport utility airplane. Our larger non-LSA designs were put on the back burner with the advent of light sport/sport pilot, yet these can easily be put back into production as warranted by the MOSAIC rewrite. I anticipate that the current high fuel costs—as well as rising interest rates—will continue to make lighter and more fuel-efficient aircraft appealing to many builders and flyers in the foreseeable future,” Heintz concluded.

The post E/AB Kits Put the ‘Affordable’ in Affordable Sport Flying appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Students from the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) have completed the build of a Zenith 750 Cruzer kit airplane, with the finished project successfully making its first flight in late July 2021.

The airplane is now being flown extensively for phase 1 testing by Andy Ovans, the aircraft maintenance manager for Sun n’ Fun Aerospace Expo and the Aerospace Center for Excellence at Lakeland-Linder International Airport (KLAL).

CFAA received the 750 Cruzer kit the week of Sun n’ Fun 2019, with the first rivet pulled on June 6, 2019. Ovans said that in total, between 15 and 20 students helped throughout the project, and they “stopped counting at 2,000 build hours” as the project presented a number of challenges very unique to the students, who ended up rebuilding quite a few parts “to get it right.”

The CFAA Zenith CH750 was built for one purpose: to serve a mission to teach people with limited to no use of their legs how to fly. The aircraft was built through a partnership with Able Flight, which has launched a training location at KLAL.

“The aircraft is equipped with two very different features from a stock CH750 kit,” Ovans explained. “We modified the cockpit to adapt the ‘unpanel’ from its bigger cousin, the 750 Super Duty—it’s an articulating TV mount that replaces the traditional panel to integrate a Garmin 3X package.”

“The second feature is the set of custom-built hand controls on the pilot’s side of the aircraft,” he said. “The high wing and simple design is a perfect candidate for what we are doing with Able Flight. Since Zenith had experience adapting their previous aircraft with special controls, we knew they had the ability to do this safely.”

The First Flight

On the day of the first flight, Ovans said, nobody was around the airport, and the flight “kind of just happened.”

“Sun n’ Fun’s CEO John ‘Lites’ Leenhouts, one of the students who put an incredible amount of time into aircraft build, my family and our volunteer photographer were the only ones who knew that day would be ‘the day’ for the first flight.

“On takeoff, the aircraft jumped off the ground and had a little more bite in the prop than I was expecting!” he said.

The primary mission of everything that happens on the Sun n’ Fun campus is to inspire the next generation of aviation’s pilots, builders, crews, engineers, and managers. Ovans said many students became inspired during the Zenith build, but one stands out.

“During the first week of the build, a student just showed up at the hangar with his lunch box and a positive attitude,” Ovans said. “That young man became my right-hand man and was there for every step of the way through the project. About a year into the build, he started asking a few questions and told me that this project inspired him to be an A&P mechanic.

“It was the first time I saw the transformation a build like this had on a person,” he said. “The more he got involved, the more he wanted into the world of aviation. That young man went from ‘I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up’ to just a couple of weeks ago loading his stuff into a dorm room at Embry-Riddle in Daytona.

“He came a long way in such a short time, and when he earns his engineering degree in a couple of years, the industry will benefit.”

How to Get Involved

Funding for build projects like the CFAA Zenith CH750 Cruzer comes in part from individual donations.

Ovans said that if someone would like to support the mission of inspiring the next generation of aerospace professionals or the Able Flight aircraft program, they can visit this link, call 863-640-0085 or email to aovans@flysnf.org.

The post Student-Built Zenith CH750 Cruzer Completes First Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.